What is it exactly?

The first images released by IKEA’s press release suggest that the UPPLEAVA items will constitute a huge and ready-to-use entertainment system. As Gizmodo reports, the product will come with a custom-made built-in HDTV, a combination DVD/Blu-Ray player, speakers with surround sound and a wireless subwoofer.. Again, these items will come built into the sleekly designed home entertainment furnishing designed by those behind the UPPLEAVA line. The press has also been quick to point out that the UPPLEAVA line will look deceptively simple, with special compartments built into the furnishings so as to hide unsightly cables and plugs. Based on the few pictures I’ve seen of the product, it looks stylish and could easily fit into the aesthetic of any person’s home.

It’s a kind of package deal that we’ve never seen before from IKEA, but the buzz from the tech blogosphere so far has been quite receptive as there’s little choice in the home entertainment system market. With many tech companies struggling to recoup costs of selling HDTVs and speakers, it looks like IKEA is coming into the business at just the right time.

Why it could be a huge success

There’s already tons of hype surrounding IKEA’s UPPLEAVA line, and it makes sense. If IKEA has any reputation at all, it’s one of selling nice and fairly durable furniture at reasonable prices. The question remains if those low prices will be carried over to their new entertainment systems, but something tells me that they’ll start selling the UPPLEAVA line at a price that few other competitors in the entertainment technology business could match.

IKEA also already has a huge built-in clientele around the world. Millions of people in dozens of countries look to IKEA for many of their home furnishing needs, and it doesn’t take a great leap of the imagination to see those same people considering IKEA over everyone else when they’re in the market for a new TV or Blu-Ray player. In other words, there’s no doubt that this campaign has potential.

What do you think?

What do you think about a furniture company making a grab at the home entertainment business? Do you have confidence in IKEA’s ability to deliver on a quality system? Let me know in the comments below!

By-line:

Mariana Ashley is a freelance writer who particularly enjoys writing about online colleges. She loves receiving reader feedback, which can be directed to mariana.ashley031 @gmail.com.

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SerialEntrepreneur

It might seem easy to become an entrepreneur, as the only step that you have to take is start, manage and expand your business. But being an entrepreneur is not as easy as it sounds. Not all can become big successful entrepreneur.

Deepak Kamani is the chairman of The Zuri Group Global, which has its main functionality in hospitality industry. People who have started multiple businesses understand how to move swiftly and take action. Deepak Kamani has diversified the business interests of The Zuri in floriculture, asset management, hospitality industry, and real estate. His business is spread in Africa, India, Europe and Middle East.

Many entrepreneurs struggle to launch and run just one company, which begs an obvious question of how has he achieved all this. Here is how he has explained his approach to new ideas, exploring market and other issues that arise.

If there is one thing that entrepreneurs have in common is their innate ability for salesmanship. It is his ability of having nerves of steel that Deepak Kamani apart from others has not only one but many businesses. The most fundamental driving force is that they become constitutionally unemployable. They get out there and see the exhilaration of creating something different and new. They are not scared of their ideas being tested directly in marketplace and not in a supervisor’s judgment.

To become a serial entrepreneur, He says that one has to be restless. New or first time entrepreneurs who complain of being bored after a few years can never be serial entrepreneurs. A serial entrepreneur is one who starts the business, flourishes it and then sells it off and starts again. Being restless is not a bad thing. This restlessness is the sign that you are on your way to becoming a serial entrepreneur. Some entrepreneurs start a successful business and move it into a company which will be around for quite some time, but many don’t want to do anything such as that. They are idea people and won’t rest until they can turn every idea into a business. The main point in this is not just about coming up with the idea or inventing something new but it is about looking at the problems from customer’s viewpoint.

To become a serial entrepreneur, He says that the entrepreneur should not have fear of failure. Instead he should have fear of regret. he should not feel the regret of missing out on opportunities when he looks back at his life. He should take risks and live life to the fullest. Failure should not be an option for him, and if he ever fails, then that should not stop him from getting up again and starting over.

About author

 This is a Guest Post by Kristine John. He is an enthusiastic business Blogger who loves to write reviews about Business and the marketing industry. He supports many start ups by motivating them in various ways. 

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Wine Bottle USB Stick

What better way to relax towards the end of a busy day at work than by cracking open a bottle of red? Or white, silver, black or blue for that matter as the amazing Wine Bottle USB stick comes in a variety of cool colours. Get the office party started with one of the most original USB sticks around. This clever little design allows you to pull out a flash drive instead of a cork, so you can always have your favourite files to hand. The Wine Bottle USB Stick offers various capacities ranging from 128MB to 8GB – so it is every bit as practical as it is fun.

Airplane USB Stick

 A memory stick that conjures up images of distant travel, far-flung adventures and exotic shores – what more could you want to cheer up your desk? This brilliant, aeroplane-shaped USB stick is a happy reminder of holidays as well as a handy way to store and transfer files. You could even combine the two and use it store your digital holiday snaps! The neat little blue and white plane can store between 128MB and 8GB making it a truly handy, surprising and memorable device.

Frog USB Stick

This cute, quirky, bright green frog is a totally terrific and unexpected shape for a USB stick. As it can come with a capacity of between 128MB and 8GB, perfect for storing all kinds of files, it is very useful and great fun as well. The winking, cartoon-style frog looks cheeky and appealing with pink spots on his cheeks and white stripy outfit. This tongue-in-cheek memory stick is popular with all ages and makes an unexpected little gift or keepsake.

Heart USB Stick

The heart-shaped memory stick is a lovely object with bags of potential.

Not only can you personalize it with a name, date or message, but you can also use it as a way to store a special message for its recipient. Romantic in warm pink or red and with up to 8GB capacity, it would make the ideal gift for a loved one. Just put some photos of a special occasion, a poem or letter, or even a funny about presentation your relationship on there. Guaranteed to surprise and delight, it could even be a witty way to deliver a proposal…

There are countless possibilities with these amusing novelty custom USB sticks from Branded USB Promo and there are many more to choose from. Some of the most unforgettable storage devices that you are likely to find, they are ideal for giving out as inexpensive goodies at corporate and private events. You can arrange for them to be pre-loaded with the desired file, such as a company presentation or a set of wedding photos. Whatever you use them for, they are guaranteed to be remembered as handy devices with a truly creative, fun and original twist.

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1.  Like their Page from your Page

It seems like the most simple of suggestions, but you’d be surprised how many businesses do not take the time to connect with their clients’ Facebook pages.Mostbusinessesare either using social media, or trying to use social media, and this gesture of support has real value in your customers’ eyes, especially for clients who are new to Facebook and struggling to build their presence.

It’s so easy to do that the real challenge is simplyremembering to act.We have a template to-do list created in Basecamp that we work through for every new client that joins our company, and the very last item on this list is to like their page on Facebook.It’s due to this systemized process that we never miss a beat on supporting a new customer’s social media efforts and kicking off our online relationship. As of today, we “Like” over 400 clients from our Facebook page.

2.  Interact on their Page

Depending on how many clients you have on your roster, customizing a short one-line post can be a simple and easy way to foster a more personal relationship between your companies.We posted a greeting on all of our clients’ Facebook Pages the day before Thanksgiving and were surprised by the overwhelming response. Of course,a card or email may be preferred for major holidays such as Christmas, but smaller events throughout the year are missed opportunities.This same concept can be applied to send congratulations to your client for recent achievements such as an award, new business successes or exciting press.The major benefit to using Facebook besides the obvious time savings is the ability for customers to quickly, easily and publicly respond back; which many do!Over 40% responded to our Thanksgiving greeting, higher than your typical email open rate, and the value of a conversation is significantly higher than the value of a greeting.

And don’t forget the value of a “Like”. It’s still as hard as ever to foster engagement on a FacebookPage. Make sure to regularly monitor your clients’ Facebook Pagesthrough your own news feed for opportunities to “Like” their posts and engage with them.

3.  Brag about them on your Page

It may be the case that your clients do not want to be mentioned on your Facebook page, but for most companies, free advertising is always welcomed.As a Web design company, we frequently share our latest project launches and successes on our Facebook page and tag the client’s Page on the post. On the Web, impressions have monetary value, and with over 5,500 fans, our Facebook page provides a tangible boost to a customer’s brand.Also, as a result of sharing our successes, our page is now a forum for clients to publicly share positive feedback on their projects with us, which is always the best form of advertising. For some of our customers, we have developed such a close Facebook relationship that we regularly “Like” each others’ posts, comment and tag each other.

Bragging about your clients’ successes on your Facebook page also encourages them to “Like” your page back, and it’s said that 56% of people are more likely to recommend a brand to a friend after becoming a fan on Facebook (Mashable).

4.  Personalize your relationship

When we go to visit a client’s office or a client visits us, we always carry along a digital camera.Typically we’ll ask the client to quickly pose with one of us, and later post the photo to our Facebook page with a message thanking them for their business with us.The more personalized you can make this message, the better!No one can resist checking out a Facebook page when they hear their face is front and center.Chances are good the client will “Like” your Page from their personal account, which opens the door for your targeted marketing messages to hit their newsfeed on a daily basis.

5.  Introduce client specific offers and promotions

Offering promotions is nothing new on Facebook. In fact, 57% of consumers have said they like a brand because they want to receive offers or promotions (Mashable).However, with B2B, the biggest challenge in utilizing incentives is getting the right people to follow you.If you have successfully implemented the above four strategies, you should hopefully have the attention of your Facebook savvy clients, and now is the time to monetize your efforts.Offer them a branded T-shirt for posting a testimonial on your wall, or a discount on a service for providing a referral.

It is through these five strategies that we’ve received and given feedback, included our clients in our announcements and positioned ourselves as their business partner in all aspects of their online marketing.

Author: Karie Shearer Craig is Co-Founder and COO of WebpageFX, Inc., a 30 person strong Internet Marketing company with over 550 clients, specializing in SEO, PPC Management, Social Media Managementand Web Design.

Images care of

Image: sheelamohan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Courtesy www.ssa.gov

Starting in 2013, a check will no longer be mailed for millions of people who collect Social Security and other government benefits.

The United States government, which issues over 73 million payments a month, is phasing out paper checks for all assistance programs. They will require people to get payments electronically, either through direct deposit or a debit card for people without a bank account.

This modification will affect people who get Social Security, veterans’ benefits, railroad pensions and Social Security disability payments. Tax refunds have not yet changed, but the Internal Revenue Service encourages taxpayers to receive refunds electronically by dispensing those refunds faster than paper checks.

About 90 percent of people who receive these federal benefits have already switched to electronic means, the Treasury Department says. New recipients were obligated to receive payments electronically starting 2011, and with a few exceptions, everyone else will have to make the switch by March 2013.

“It’s just that natural progression of moving to how people are used to receiving their funds,” said Walt Henderson, director of the Treasury Department’s electronic funds transfer division.

Henderson said electronic payments are more secure and efficient than paper checks. Example: in 2010, more than 540,000 federal benefit checks were reported lost or stolen. This change in payment method will possibly save the government nearly $120 million a year. Social Security alone might save $1 billion over the next decade, according to the Treasury Department.

“You think of that paper check floating out there in the delivery system, with personal information on it, it’s much more susceptible to fraud versus an electronic payment,” Henderson said.

Advocates for seniors recognize the government’s desire to cut costs and take advantage of technologies that most workers already use. After all, the food stamp program switched from paper coupons to debit cards in 2004. But they are worried about requiring the switch for older retirees who may not be used to electronic payment methods.

“This will affect some very frail elderly people who are living by themselves, many of them, and doing well, but usually within the context of that old paper check that they deposit in the bank,” said Web Phillips, a senior policy advisor for the National Committee to Protect Social Security and Medicare.

“The change has to be handled carefully and with a lot of sensitivity so that there aren’t people who lose track of a payment or don’t understand that they have a card that came in the mail that’s the source of their payment,” Phillips said. “That’s our concern.”

The government has created a website, http://www.GoDirect.org and a toll-free phone number, 1-800-333-1795, people can call for assistance.

“The Treasury acknowledges they have a lot of education to do for people about how these things work,” said David Certner, legislative policy director for AARP. “We’re a bit concerned about how easy it’s going to be to provide education, particularly for some in this older population who are not familiar with debit cards and don’t have bank accounts.”

AARP also has concerns about costs associated with the debit cards. The Direct Express cards are distributed by Comerica Bank, Treasury’s financial agent. Each month, benefit payments are added to the cards, which can be used to make purchases or withdraw cash from ATMs.

There are no charges for using the debit card to make purchases. They can be used at any shop that accepts MasterCard debit cards. If a card is lost or stolen, the beneficiary is protected from unauthorized use as long as the missing card is reported quickly.

Cardholders can make one free ATM withdrawal each time a payment is recorded on the card. Successive withdrawals will cost 90 cents each, and all withdrawals may be subject to fees by the owner of the ATM.

Getting these new rules and regulations across to recipients of paper checks might not be as easy as the government expects. However, come March 2013, electronic will be the only way to receive your benefits.

Author Bio:

Kate Croston is a freelance writer, holds a bachelors degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. She writes guest posts for different sites and loves contributing business internet service related topics. Questions or comments can be sent to:  katecroston.croston09 @ gmail.com.

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