What to Know About VA Loans for an Investment Property

By

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03/16/2023

Let’s start by clearing up the misunderstanding that has been perpetuated by online scammers. VA loans are “Not” supposed to be used for investment properties. The VA loan scheme was set up to help people who are in the military and/or who were in the military. It works under the idea that people in the military are at a disadvantage in the housing market because of their profession.

They perhaps don’t have the time to build a credit rating, save for a deposit, and especially to buy a house at the right time (since they may be overseas at the right time). The VA loan system is supposed to redress the balance, not to give people in the military an advantage to make money from investments. Nevertheless, if you are prepared to play by the rules, you can use your VA loan to help you build wealth strategically over the long term.

There Are Two Ways to Build Wealth

You can build wealth by buying a house and letting it out until the mortgage is paid off, and then hopefully, the house will have grown in value so that you make a profit. The second method is to use the VA loan to buy a fixer-upper house, and then use the VA loan to both buy the house and pay for certain (most) repairs. You then live in the house for a year or two and sell it. This is the classic flip-it-for-a-profit method.

Letting The Property Out to Tenants

The first is to buy the house, live in the house for as long as the VA lender says you should, and then move out and have tenants pay you rent. The VA lender is going to insist that you keep your house as your primary residence for a year or two. After that point, you can sell it, rent it out, etc.

Under normal circumstances, there is no guarantee that letting out your house will draw a profit. After all, letting a building comes with several risks that may result in big losses. Plus, while you are in another building paying rent, you are not making a very big net gain. This is even worse if your house isn’t gaining in value, if the tenants are causing problems, and if there are legal problems, squatters, insurance problems and so forth.

On the other hand, this method may work if you are on long tours overseas because for half a year you are having your mortgage paid while saving on rent from where you live. Also, there are many occasions where the VA lender allows you to take long military tours and still call your house your primary residence. Under those circumstances, you will have to strike a deal with the tenants about your mail, census data, and so forth. It would be more like they are house guests than tenants.

On a similar note, after living in the house for however long you have to, you may want to move into your spouse’s house. In those cases, you are still paying rent while the tenant pays your mortgage, but the net losses and net gains may be a little more favorable.

Buying a Fixer Upper

The VA loan company is not going to let you buy a burnt-out house for a few grand and then have you fix it up. When you buy your fixer-upper, it has to be a house that stands a good chance of maintaining its value.

Yet, there are several guidelines that say you can buy pretty shoddy houses with the idea of fixing them up yourself. There are even VA loan variants where they will cover the cost of your house and then the costs of quoted repairs. This is especially true if the repairs are on the roof, insulation, and any security or energy efficiency problems that the structure has.

Take care of the bigger things with your VA loan money, and as you live in the house, you fix it up with your own money. When the living period is over and you are able to move houses, sell, etc., you then wait for the right time and sell your house for a tasty profit. The goal is to walk away with a net gain, though doing so may take a little longer than you first expect. As you know, it takes a while for property prices to rise after you have fixed up your house, especially if the rest of the neighborhood isn’t doing too well.

What Can You Afford?

The VA loan system seems to favor cheaper houses. If you are able to pay off your VA loan faster, then you will stand a better chance of building wealth over the long term. When you look for a house, make sure you can afford the payments. Use a VA Loan Calculator like WhatsMyPayment and make sure you have plenty of money left over after you have made your payments. Do not make the mistake of falling into further debt after you have your loan because you want to protect your credit rating.

You can take out more VA loans after you have paid off your first loan, after which you can use VA loans as a quicker way to grab investment bargains when you see them. At that point, you will have experience with the VA loan system, and your credit rating will probably entitle you to a better interest rate.

Image by Mediamodifier on Pixabay

Author: Ivan Smirnov

Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.

Be passionate about your mission

By

Quepatagra

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03/13/2023

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FreshtoHome vertically integrated e-commerce company in the Fish and Meat

Please introduce yourself and your startup FreshtoHome to our readers!

I am Shan Kadavil, a serial entrepreneur, and a multi-functional leader who has jump-started many of the popular technology companies and start-ups in the United States and India.

My startup, FreshtoHome, is the largest vertically integrated e-commerce company in the Fish and Meat branded D2C space in the world delivering over 2 million orders a month across 3 million customers in 160+ cities in India and all of UAE.

In my previous role, as the India Founder & Country Manager, my work has been instrumental in building the first and largest Studio outside the US for Zynga (NASDAQ: ZNGA), a leader in social gaming and maker of popular titles such as Farmville, CityVille, Draw Something, Words with Friends and Mafia Wars. During my tenure, Zynga India had witnessed a rocket speed growth owning and launching a number of titles that are the largest at Zynga.

Prior to Zynga, I ran Product at Support.com (NASDAQ: SPRT), a California based company considered as the market leader in the Support automation domain as their Vice President of Products. I have served in senior management and advisory roles across a number of the leading companies in the world.

At FreshtoHome, we are on a mission to enable access to chemical-free & antibiotic residue-free fresh fish and meat to meat lovers across the world. We are re-inventing the food supply chain from scratch by disintermediating the middlemen through the Freshtohome platform vendors and providing higher value to our stakeholders – farmers, fishers, and customers.

Freshtohome is now the largest such venture in the world and is funded by reputed investors across the world including the US Government.

How did you get the idea of Freshtohome?

About a decade ago, my co-founder Mathew Joseph, had started a venture called SeatoHome, an online fish delivery platform from the coastal region of Kerala in India. Hundreds of miles away, in Bangalore, I was a customer of SeatoHome and one day when my fresh fish delivery stopped, I learnt that SeatoHome was shut down as Mathew couldn’t scale the business.

As a meat lover and an angel investor, I was aware of the potential of the D2C branded food segment, and I decided to take the leap. With a broader vision to expand our business into other categories, especially the fresh food category, we decided to call it FreshtoHome, and launched the app in 2015 in Bangalore, the famously known Silicon Valley of India.

Why did you decide to start with Freshtohome?

At FreshtoHome, we do not sell fish and meat that we wouldn’t feed our own children. Before we set up FreshtoHome, samples collected from multiple harbors revealed that fish auctioned in these regions contained harmful chemicals like formalin, ammonia, among many others in order to increase the shelf life of the produce. For customers living far off the coasts, there was zero accessibility to chemical-free fish. With FreshtoHome, we have built a brand that champions a healthy lifestyle, and makes chemical-free food affordable.

What is the vision behind Freshtohome?

We have been steadfast about our vision to make chemical-free and preservative-free meat affordable and accessible to millions of meat lovers. With AI and IoT-driven solutions, we have a robust supply chain management that does not depend on middlemen, who often claim about 30-40% margins. When we say we are making chemical-free food affordable, we mean that we are able to pass on the benefits to our stakeholders – fishers, customers and investors. We will strive to make choosing preservative-food affordable for the next million.

How difficult was the start and which challenges you had to overcome?

Today, we work with over 4,000 fishers across India and more than 5,000 are people employed with us directly and indirectly. During the nascent stage of our journey, convincing fishers to make an unconventional bid – bidding electronically with us was a major challenge. We had to build technology that was user-friendly for the farmers and fishers, to be able to access the IoT-based e-auction app. At later stages, fostering new consumption habits in consumers was a challenge as people’s traditional choices of buying meat from wet markets had to be driven towards online buying. The Covid paved the way for this, and since then we have scaled rapidly as many first time buyers are now our repeat customers.

Who is your target audience?

Meat lovers across all age brackets from 6-60 and across all regions, who choose chemical-free fish and meat with every purchase.

What is the USP of your startup?

Direct sourcing from over 4,000 fishers and livestock farmers is the key USP of FreshtoHome. Further, we strongly believe technology-led solutions are long term and will sustain growth. We have integrated AI and IoT driven tech infrastructure to ensure there is zero dependency on middlemen to drive the business forward. Through AI, we predict procurement volumes, and with IoT based auctions, we are disintegrating intermediaries, thus ensuring margins are not hit. End-to-end temperature-controlled supply chain has been vital to retaining the freshness of our products.

Can you describe your typical workday ?

I wake up at 6 AM every day, and set aside some ‘me time’ including time for meditation, prayers and exercise. I consider this my magic hour because there’s a lot of silence around at this hour and I get ample time to engineer my thoughts, actions and plans towards my targets. A lot of reflection, contemplation, and self-absorption also happens during these hours. I enjoy good food and it often lifts up my mood. So, I usually start my day with a wholesome breakfast with my family. Following this, mornings start with meetings.

Where do you see yourself and your startup Freshtohome in five years?

Our goal is guided by our mission to make preservative-food affordable for the next million.

What 3 tips would you give to founders?

Be passionate about your mission, focus on the journey, and don’t take your eyes off unit economics.

Thank you Shan Kadavil for the Interview

Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.

Be bold, adapt and persevere

By

Quepatagra

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03/06/2023

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Balloonary AI-powered tool to create, launch and manage digital ads

Please introduce yourself and your startup Balloonary to our readers!

Balloonary is an easy-to-use AI-powered tool to create, launch and manage digital ads across Google, Facebook and Instagram in a matter of minutes. The brainchild of founders, Brice Dondelinger, Bob Krier, Dylan Thompson, and Marc Donis.

How did you get the idea of Balloonary?

Before starting Balloonary, we launched Spoticle, a trusted travel guides app for the tourism industry. When Covid hit, things changed dramatically and as tourism came to a complete halt, we brainstormed our next project, creating a tool that helped people test their business ideas before launching. While testing this idea, we realised that where users really needed the help was with digital advertising, and that many small businesses are missing out on the benefits that online advertising can bring.

We sought to simplify the process and make it more affordable, seeking to help brands drive new customers to their website to give them the edge, as well as be seen by more people. This soon turned into Balloonary, and our main aim is to make the process of creating, launching, and analysing online ad campaigns fast and simple giving business owners the confidence to really explore and benefit from the world of online ads.

Why did you decide to start with Balloonary?

Balloonary was a natural continuation of uswanting to keep working together as a team even though we had to pivot away from the idea that initially brought us together.

What is the vision behind Balloonary?

Helping side hustlers, solopreneurs and micro businesses conquer the world of online ads to supercharge the earning potential of their small business.

Balloonary gives small businesses the power to stand out and get noticed by the right audience by giving them the expertise and tools that larger companies use for sales success.

How difficult was the start and which challenges you had to overcome?

Working on your startup is a rollercoaster ride and there is really a process to it. You have to identify the pain of potential customers, define a value proposition, then build out the solution, go to market, get feedback, fix bugs and so on and there really are challenges around every corner, while the market is constantly shifting. Your are in startup mode and you try to win one battle at the time, especially in the beginning when you are bootstrapped.

Who is your target audience?

Side hustlers, solopreneurs, micro businesses and micro agencies

What is the USP of your startup?

Our main USP is that no design or marketing skills are needed, simply enter a business URL and Balloonary’s AI will analyse the website and create high quality ads, launching campaigns in less than 10 minutes, on Facebook, Instagram, and Google. We are really 5x times easier and 10x faster than going via the ad platforms directly.

Can you describe your typical workday ?

Monday to Friday 9am to 5 pm does not exist. Balloonary supports 26 languages and we operate worldwide. The typical day starts with checking what happened while the office lights were off. We then usually have a quick team chat and set priorities for the day. We all have quite varied backgrounds and skill sets which are totally different but complement one another. Being 4 co-founders, we have split responsibilities and everyone goes after his milestones and deadlines and reaches out when we need to bounce ideas off each other.

There is a lot of hands-on, but working with several services providers, there is also a lot of coordinating and follow-ups to do. And somewhere in between we try to eat, drink more water, fail at exercising and cater to the needs of family life.

Where do you see yourself and your startup Balloonary in five years?

We see exciting new developments in online and digital marketing and we believe in the power of AI to assist business owners conquer those new channels with ease to grow their businesses.

Balloonary will be the go-to platform to give business owners access to custom and professional agency-level ads at a fraction of the cost and time.

What 3 tips would you give to founders?

Be bold, adapt and persevere

Thank you Brice Dondelinger, Bob Krier, Dylan Thompson, and Marc Donis for the Interview

Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.

Workplace Safety: How to Keep Your Warehouse Workers Safe

By

Quepatagra

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02/16/2023

0

No matter what type of business you are running, ensuring the safety of your employees should be your top priority. This is especially true if you have a large business warehouse with a lot of workers operating within this space.

Making sure your workers are safe will not only make them satisfied and focused on their jobs, but it will also ensure your business operations don’t experience any downtime due to unforeseen circumstances, such as a workplace injury that could have been easily avoided.

That being said, here are some workplace essentials that will help keep your employees safe.

Install safety bumpers

First, bear in mind that workplace accidents can happen anywhere there are work activities, equipment and structures, and even in places you least expect. For instance, to avoid having your workers pinned or hurt by heavy automated warehouse doors, or running equipment, you should consider using protective bumpers or buffers – for example, safety bumpers made in Germany. These bumpers are equipped with contact-sensitive detectors made to immediately stop the machine they’re attached to if they sense closeness or contact with a person’s body. This way, you can avoid accidents and ensure all your employees are safe from injuries.

Proper lighting

The next thing that requires undivided attention is warehouse lighting. Since warehouse facilities normally don’t get a lot of – or any – natural light, it’s essential to ensure that every nook and cranny of your warehouse is properly illuminated. Poor lighting is one of the main culprits behind workplace accidents and injuries, especially in warehouses, storages facilities and hangars.

Therefore, you should install enough sources of strong overhead light and even consider adding some additional lighting sources in areas that may still remain shaded. If your warehouse is filled with tall shelving units, you can even install lighting sources on every other shelf. To ensure you have enough lighting without spending too much on your energy bill, you should opt for LED or CFL lighting solutions.

Proper safety gear and continuous training

You also need to make sure all your warehouse employees are provided with the necessary safety gear and equipment that will protect them in case something goes wrong. Personal protective clothing (PPE) is essential, particularly hard hats and reflective vests. Aside from the clothing and equipment itself, you also need to ensure that all of your employees receive proper workplace safety training. But keep in mind that the training sessions should not be rushed and all your employees need to abide by safety protocols at all times.

Keep the warehouse clean and organized

Finally, make sure you insist on keeping your warehouse clean and neatly organized. A warehouse space full of jumbled-up packages is neither easy to navigate nor does it provide a safe working environment. Moreover, any accidental spills can easily create situations that could result in serious consequences. Therefore, you need to ensure that your warehouse stays neatly organized and clean as much as possible, so that all of your employees can have a great environment to work in.

Author Bazoom

Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.

Success comes from all the small steps that are taken

By

StartupValley

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02/13/2023

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Whoppah, the digital secondhand marketplace for interior design and art, launches in Germany

Why don’t you briefly introduce your startup Whoppah to the readers?

Whoppah is one of the largest online marketplaces for secondhand design furniture and art in Europe. Our platform offers a wide selection of curated design classics, high-quality furniture and second-hand art. What it means. Every piece of art or furniture is checked by our team before it can be offered on Whoppah. Our curators check the authenticity, quality and condition of the pieces. In addition, we place special emphasis on secure buying and selling processes and smooth in-house logistics to make using Whoppah as easy as possible for buyers and sellers.

Why did you decide to start a company and what is the vision behind it?

We founded Whoppah in 2019 out of a personal desire: We were looking in vain for a platform that exclusively traded designer furniture pieces. The founding idea came about after we realized that you often have to search long and in vain on the usual online marketplaces.

With Whoppah, we want to promote the circular economy and encourage a change in consumer thinking. We believe that secondhand should be easily accessible to all and ideally become the new norm. The most environmentally friendly product remains the one that does not need to be produced. Our wish is that consumers will consider secondhand products as their first choice in the future.

From idea to launch what have been the biggest challenges so far and how have you financed?

Fortunately, we have a great team at Whoppah that ensures we can offer a very intuitive and innovative technology. However, getting there is often not easy, because great teams don’t fall from the sky – they have to bring the right skills and fit the brand to do so. Then there is the question of market fit for a product like Whoppah. We are continuously adapting to current market conditions.

We finance our startup together with other entrepreneurs with experience in interior design, technology, e-commerce and finance. All investors are convinced of our vision and stand behind us 100 percent. The fact that this expertise and passion is paying off is shown by our first sales figures, of which we are very proud. In 2021, revenue (GMV) was EUR 6 million, and the following year it increased by 316 percent to EUR 20 million. For 2023, we expect sales of 50 million euros.

Who is Whoppah’s target audience?

Whoppah is aimed at all art connoisseurs and design lovers, but also at consumers who don’t want to sacrifice a certain luxury on a smaller budget.

Style-conscious people with a sustainable lifestyle will also find exactly what they are looking for.

How does Whoppah work? What are the advantages? What sets you apart from other providers?

Whoppah fills a niche that has remained empty until now: an online marketplace that precisely targets lovers of design. Whoppah convinces both with its ease of use via website and app, as well as with fair prices. The buyer protection also ensures a secure purchase transaction, and the in-house logistics ensure smooth processes, even for private customers.

Whoppah, where are you headed? Where do you see yourself in five years?

We want to be the largest second-hand marketplace for design and art in Europe. Whoppah’s goal in Germany is 1000 registrations per day. While talks are already underway with more investors, expansion into Italy and France is already on our agenda.

In conclusion: What 3 tips would you give to aspiring founders?

We recommend setting high goals right away. That motivates even more. These goals should be clearly defined so that the team behind the brand knows what it is working for.

Nevertheless, the following applies: Never give up. There is no one tip that will bring instant success. Success comes from all the small steps that are taken. Every single step brings you a little bit closer to your goal.

Copyright Picture: whoppah

More information you will find here

Thank you Evelien Remmelts and Thomas Bunnik for the Interview

Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.

Common cause: Maximilian Günther is official partner and PR ambassador of Racemates

By

Quepatagra

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02/03/2023

0

Maximilian Günther is official partner and PR ambassador of Racemates

Monaco, 03.02.2023. Maximilian Günther and Racemates have joined forces with an official partnership on the digital platform. The promising concept allows fans to benefit directly from the sporting performance of the Formula E driver from Oberstdorf. Global motorsport manager Racemates offers physical collectable cards of racing drivers, which are secured as “NFTs” on blockchain.

With this collaboration, Racemates and the 25-year-old from the Allgäu region of Germany are sending a clear signal for the digital future of motorsport. Through the trading cards, Günther shares his results and successes directly with his fans, establishing a unique connection to them. The exclusive collector’s card is available in three different levels of rarity (35 Bronze, 25 Silver and 10 Gold). The virtual cards can be used in the Racemates Racing League from May. Users can purchase the exclusive Günther card now at www.racemates.de.

Maximilian Günther: “My race outings in Formula E mean I am actively involved in an extremely innovative environment. Pioneering technologies, including NFTs, are a big step in digital development. I am very proud to now be a part of Racemates. I am pleased that this will bring my fans even closer to my performances and my racing. In this way, we are making it possible to experience motorsport on a new level.”

Michael Sälzer, co-founder/CEO of Racemates: “We are thrilled to welcome Maximilian as part of our community. His passion and enthusiasm for motorsport, together with his professional way of working and his eloquent appearance, make him a perfect representative for our brand. We are confident that “NFTs” will play a major role in motorsport in the future, and in this way we are creating a unique platform for fans. The topic of sustainability is obviously of great concern to us. As such the Polygon Blockchain is used as a Layer 2 Blockchain for our NFTs. Polygon is an Ethereum Sidechain that is known as a “green” Blockchain due to its low energy consumption through Proof-of-Stake validation compared to Proof-of-Work.”

This season, Günther goes in pursuit of success for Maserati MSG Racing in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. The Monaco resident has been driving in the fully-electric racing series for five years and will be in the cockpit of the Gen3 car, generating 350 kilowatts (roughly 480 hp), in 2023. Günther’s big breakthrough came in January 2020 when, at just 22 years of age and racing for BMW i Andretti Motorsport at the time, he made history as the youngest Formula E race winner. His next race is the Hyderabad E-Prix in India from 10^th to 11^th February.

Common cause: Maximilian Günther is official partner and PR ambassador of Racemates

Source: 9pm media GmbH & Co. KG

Picuture:Copyright Maserati MSG Racing

Focus as much as you can on a specific market

By

Quepatagra

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01/26/2023

0

Smart Robotics specialist in robotics and warehouse automation

Please introduce yourself and Smart Robotics to our readers?

I’m Heico Sandee, CTO and co-founder of Smart Robotics. After attending Eindhoven University of Technology, I worked at Canon, and then at Alten, as a Technical Manager. I have a PhD degree in Robotics, with more than 15 years of experience in Robotics Development. Previously, I was the program manager for robotics at Eindhoven University of Technology, for three years, and also platform manager at RoboNed – now part of Holland Robotics – the Dutch robotics platform.

Founded in 2015, Smart Robotics is a market-leading specialist in robotics and warehouse automation. We offer robotic pick and place systems that are designed with the promise of our Smart Technology to improve reliability of warehouse operations, increase capacity, and to alleviate the pressures of the labor shortage across Logistics. Our pick and place systems help improve working conditions for floor workers in fulfillment centers by taking over repetitive and physically strenuous tasks, such as order picking, packing, palletizing, and sorting.

How did you get the idea of Smart Robotics?

Smart Robotics was born from the observation that the robotics industry lacks solutions that address the need for flexibility and functionality. Automation and robotics needed a new perspective, one that allowed for a greater integrated approach to solving problems in the warehousing sector. Since founding Smart Robotics, our focus has largely been on developing solutions that take on a human-centric approach and that truly enhance the functionality and effectiveness of different areas across logistics.

Why did you decide to start with Smart Robotics?

All robot deployments in industry, up to a couple of years ago, were based on very rudimentary technology – hard coded behavior for fully conditioned environments, and built with a super narrow task focus. These cannot address the more difficult challenges we are facing in logistics, like achieving optimized throughput capacity. Combine this with the enormous increase in labor needs across logistics and you have a very intricate problem to solve. The curiosity, let alone the challenge, inspired me.

Efficiency and optimization inspired me. For warehouse employees who carry out repetitive manual labor tasks, I wanted to introduce reliable robotic systems that ease up the job by automating time and energy consuming tasks. For the industry at large, robotic systems are able to run continuously, meaning they don’t suffer from any health and safety concerns and they can go 24/7 without taking a break. This creates the potential of faster return on investment – whilst answering the labor crisis in Logistics, without neglecting the physical and mental health of warehouse employees. Essentially, warehouse throughput is optimized and parcel handling capacity is improved.

What is the vision behind Smart Robotics?

Our goal is to enhance working conditions for warehouse employees, from all across the Logistics spectrum. That’s why our robotic systems are designed to seamlessly integrate with the day-to-day operations of the warehouse and to raise the standards of the employee experience. We aim to not disrupt the existing infrastructure of the fulfillment center, but to enhance the operations and employee capacity thereof. In turn, helping to improve the throughput and flow of parcels moving through the warehouse.

How difficult was the start and which challenges you had to overcome?

Starting up was quite interesting, having to define what problem we’re solving and where it would make the most impact. For example, we first designed a robot for the Uitzendbureau in the Netherlands. At that time, we developed a robot which the user could train for any application. We had robots gluing tiles on a prefabricated wall, assembling shavers, or even testing navigation systems. We learned that to have a robot solving the more complex challenges, with lots of variation like you find in logistics, we needed to dedicate our solutions more towards a specific, pre-defined task. That is why we are now focusing on item and parcel pickers, rather than multipurpose temp workers.

Logistics is a uniquely interesting market to break into and the pandemic didn’t make it any easier. We were presented with many challenges any young startup would understand. New technology is developing all the time, coupled with changing customers habits and with a huge need for solutions but not enough time to innovate. We had to change course in how we think about the market we’re serving. The industry has since settled. The e-commerce market is not growing as rapidly as it was during Covid, creating some breathing room for us. We can now prioritize a cost saving focus for our clients, where our robots fit in perfectly. Especially with our picking automation as a service offering.

Who is your target audience?

We’re here to help those from across the Logistics value chain, particularly warehouses and fulfillment centers that are looking to automate and implement robotic systems. Our robots and cobots are designed which three main IPC’s in mind:

Parcel Carriers having to move large and heavy goods

Fashion & ECom and General Merchandise ECom

Food and Pharma Companies

What is the USP of your startup?

The Smart Robotics Tech Trinity: Our solutions are developed in-house and are based on our Smart Technology and we don’t supply a single technology (vision system, gripper, robot, etc), but a fully-integrated solution that is configured for each specific project. With enhanced vision, motion and task planning, our robotic systems are smarter in their abilities to adapt alongside the dynamic environments they are introduced to, like changes in assortment. As such, the solutions are capable of working in the real world of warehouses, instead of a predefined (coded) environment.

Ease of Use: Our automated systems are easy-to-use, no matter your experience with robotics! Anyone can interact with them and manage the system. This way you don’t need to be a robotics technician to work with specialized technologies. Innovation in this area has been paramount to Smart Robotics’ success, and a large part of this comes down to providing our customers with easy-to-use solutions. We now have customers in 15+ countries, from around the world, and our team of 70+ employees continues to grow.

Aiding Employee Capacity: Our solutions are focused on improving the working conditions for employees and to create better opportunities for them to learn a new skill, such as developing their understanding of robotics in practice. By having robotic solutions take over repetitive tasks like parcel picking, employees have more capacity in their day to focus on tasks that require greater critical thinking. Picking items in warehouses is a repetitive process that’s hard-wearing on the people who manually execute this task. Instead, automation can enable warehouse employees to tend to the robotised systems, rather than wearing themselves out by picking and sorting items manually.

Can you describe your typical workday?

I innovate during my morning shower: I do most of my thinking when I’m alone in the mornings, before my head gets busy with too many to-do’s. I find that my most creative and sensible ideas come when I’m calm and not interrupted with the priorities of the workday.

Catch up with teams in the morning: It’s important to have regular check-in sessions with different departments. Being in-sync with each other and aware of what everybody is working on helps the day move along as frictionlessly as possible.

Work on strategy with my management team in the afternoon: Once the morning catch-up sessions are done, we move over to focusing on strategy and the developmental goals we aim to meet. This could also include a few sessions spent in the workshop if there’s discussions needed with the engineers.

Catch up on email in the evening: Lastly, when the big tasks are completed, I make sure my personal admin is up to date and that I’ve checked in with our partners and clients. It’s also important to stay up to date with industry news, so I’ll end the day with some reading before signing off.

Where do you see yourself and your startup Smart Robotics in five years?

We’ve recently rolled out multiple new products, with many more to come, and are working with our partners to develop specialized solutions for underserved markets. We have a particular focus on the parcel carrier and handling industry, especially looking at ways to improve warehouse operations for the retail and e-commerce sector. For example, the Smart Parcel Picker is but one of the many solutions we’re continuously improving to make warehouse automation even more versatile and dynamic in a highly performant Logistics industry.

We want to become a one-stop-shop picking provider for logistics,being the number one choice as a pick & place partner, providing solutions for any picking task! That’s the long-term goal. For the immediate market, we’re very focused on supporting the human workforce and making their daily activities more manageable, not having them conduct physically demanding tasks, but rather free up time for them to engage in more critical thinking activities, such as creative problem solving or further skill development.

What 3 tips would you give to founders?

Focus as much as you can on a specific market: You cannot be everything to everyone. You have to define your niche and be sure to really pay attention to their distinct problems. Make sure to clearly define the parameters of the problem you’re focusing on and develop quality products/services that amount to viable solutions.

Focus on where you excel: Define your key strengths and play into them. Chances are, there’s very little people or companies that can do something as well as you when you’re in-tune with your area of expertise. This doesn’t mean you have to be passionate about something to do it well, you just have to be willing to wake up every morning to improve the problem you’re solving. Dedication outweighs passion.

Focus on gaining market traction as fast as possible: Act on the ideas you have, if you wait too long, someone else is going to swoop in and dominate the market before you could. Surround yourself with others who believe in you and who back your ideas – use your network to build traction and to grow your ecosystem of fellow industry experts. Having trustworthy connections, who want to see you succeed, will help you get far.

More information you will find here

Thank you Heico Sandee for the Interview

Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.

Surround yourself with a team of passionate and professional people

By

Quepatagra

-

01/19/2023

0

Teleporting is a D2C and B2C travel ecosystem enclosed in an easy-to-use mobile application

Please introduce yourself and your startup Teleporting to our readers!

Hi! My name is Ilya Rouss. I’m the founder and CEO of Teleporting, an experience-seeking marketplace that connects people with travel companies and amusement and travel providers. Basically, Teleporting is a D2C and B2C travel ecosystem enclosed in an easy-to-use mobile application.

We are on a mission to refine the way people experience traveling and help travel businesses to reach their audiences more efficiently. At Teleporting we understand both requests and desires of modern travelers and needs and aspirations of those who work for them within the travel industry.

How did you get the idea of Teleporting?

I enjoy traveling greatly and I’m glad to see that the global travel industry has started to recover after the pandemic. However, researchers say that now, after a long break, people are reconsidering the way they travel and seek unique experiences, non-mainstream locations, and exclusive tours.

We want to address these challenges. Our aim is to elevate traveling experience in order to meet the unmet expectations of millenials and Gen Z. At the same time we are eager to help travel businesses evolve, reach their audience and restore their gains.

Why did you decide to start with Teleporting?

You see, I’m a serial entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience in tech, sports marketing, computer production, and the automotive industry. For me it’s natural to find solutions to problems in the tech field and be constantly looking for business opportunities. Since I travel a lot myself and coincidently can look at the travel industry as an entrepreneur, I’ve eventually started to think of solutions to improve the current climate in the global travel industry.

Also, I’m a partner at Xplusone APP, a company that develops mobile applications for curated marketplaces in various verticals. So it’s no wonder that we are creating a marketplace since we know very well how to do it. Teleporting is basically a combination of my interests, experiences, and expertise.

What is the vision behind Teleporting?

I believe that it’s time for the travel industry to move further in its digitalization. Teleport is designed exactly for this purpose. It’s an innovative one-stop shop for experience seekers that connects all stakeholders of the travel market.

We want to give travelers the opportunity to easily find the most exciting experiences that suit their interests and desires and share them with other like-minded people. For instance, on Teleporting you can invite friends to join your adventure or easily connect with the people you meet through the traveling experiences that you book in our app.

How difficult was the start and what challenges did you have to overcome?

Kicking off a startup isn’t easy. Even more so, if you’ve failed before. It takes money and time, and then even more money and more time. However, nowadays we are lucky enough that we don’t have to create things out of thin air. There’s plenty of useful tools out there and access to knowledge. It helps a lot to overcome obstacles but, of course, it’s still you who have to do it. So, before becoming a risk-taker, make sure that you love what you do and are surrounded by self-motivated people who are in love with the project.

Who is your target audience?

With Teleporting we want to help all members of the traveling ecosystem from tourists to tour agencies, from property owners to service providers. However, if we dive deeper into the travelers’ target group, I’d say we aim at modern experience seekers with steady incomes and remote work that allows them to travel freely around the world. Mostly, they are millennials and Gen Z.

What is the USP of your startup?

Teleporting is a centralized platform uniting all participants of the traveling ecosystem. It’s easy to use and beneficial for all stakeholders because it gives all parties what they need.

For digital nomads, hardcore travelers, and relaxed tourists it grants access to unique traveling experiences, unusual venues, and networking with like-spirited people. We, actually, moderate all content and curate our suppliers to ensure  that our users have access to the highest quality adventures. Our platform receives multiple unique offers from the tourism, education and entertainment industries permanently.

For travel providers it gives them the tools to reach their audience and understand it better, thus increasing awareness and revenue. Teleporting enables them to sell and up-sell across the platform, and do advanced analytics.

Can you describe your typical workday?

I wake up at 5:30 a.m. unless there’s a trip affecting that. Then I take a cold shower and meditate for 20 minutes. Doing this helps me to stay aware and focused during the day. After that I cook breakfast with my wife and my kid, and it’s one of our favorite family rituals. When I’m home, I try to take my son to school. I usually have a cup of black tea around 9:30 a.m. and after that I entirely concentrate on the work process.

My team and I use Telegram chats to coordinate main tasks, so, it’s one of my primary tools plus Google Meet and a Moleskine, of course. Most of the time I trust my team to make decisions under their criteria but, if they struggle with something, we make sure that we are on the same page. A short sync call usually helps. We work from four different time zones and have no strict working hours. This way it feels like we never stop.

Where do you see yourself and your startup Teleporting in five years?

I definitely see Teleporting as the leading ecosystem and tool for experience creators, educators, and professionals who want to share their knowledge. And I feel like there are a lot of things that have been created in the last decade to separate people in real life. I don’t think we should live like that, I believe that we can have a better future.

What three tips would you give to founders?

Surround yourself with a team of passionate and professional people – you’ll be able to help each other overcome fears and doubts. Stay healthy both mentally and physically. Make sure you do what you love because it guarantees that even the hardest work feels easy and enjoyable.

More information you will find here

Thank you Raman Singh for the Interview

Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.

Social Media Tips Every Startup Should Use

By

Quepatagra

-

01/12/2023

0

As a startup business, one has to assume you have very little money for marketing. If you do have a lot of money for marketing, then don’t spend it on social media promotion. The advertising platforms on social media were built to drain your funds as efficiently as possible.

Even if you have money, use it conservatively, and follow the advice in this article when it comes to social media marketing.

Test Trends But Do It Sparingly

You want to build a little bit of influence quickly, so you test out a few trends. If you are going to trend-route, then try them out during the outbreak and check your response rate. If things go well, then leave the content up there. Then again, if your content doesn’t pop in the way it should, then simply delete it and try it on a different platform.

Test trends sparingly because they can undermine your brand and make you look foolish. For example, at the time, the ice bucket challenge was a big deal. However, there are now men and women trying to run for political office who are having trouble gaining credibility because of videos of them having ice poured over their heads.

Mass Media Saturation

When you create a good piece of social media content, you should share it on all of your social media platforms and across all of your accounts. This will mean you have to tinker with your posts to make them fit. For example, the resolution for a TikTok video, along with the music and timing, is going to differ from that of a regular YouTube video. The only time you shouldn’t post your content across every social media platform is when you are testing out a trend. This is because trends don’t always transfer across platforms. For example, your SpongeBob uniform content may not do very well on your Reddit pages but may do great as a YouTube short.

Buying Your Pre-Baked Audience

You want to gather a bit of attention and a bit of a following, but you don’t want to use trickery like click farms. Unless you are willing to spend thousands on a marketing platform, you are going to have to find followers another way. One way is to buy the social media account of another person, and then promote your content to those people. You can go to a website like Fame Swap and buy some attention from other people.

For example, let’s say you run a small business selling baby clothes. Your social media accounts are full of baby-clothing reviews. You go to Fame Swap, and you see somebody who has a big social media following because they offer baby and toddler parenting advice. You buy that person’s social media account and promote your content while safe in the knowledge that the people you are marketing to are already interested in content related to babies.

Avoiding Click-Farms Except Under This One Circumstance

You probably shouldn’t use a click farm. They will give you likes and follows, but they don’t have a very big effect on your search engine and social media ranking. Even if you buy one million views for your post, it still won’t reach the first page of the social media platform.

The only time you should buy clicks, likes, follows, subscribers, etc., is for social proof. If you have a brand new social media account, and you are offering content on a certain subject. Your content seems better in the eyes of the viewers if you have 4000 followers instead of just 50. Again, buying followers and such won’t make your profile more popular, but it will help build trust between your account and your viewers/visitors.

Image by Gerd Altmann on Pixabay

Author Amelia Williams

Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.

Where to Find Wholesale Christmas Sweaters for Your Store or Boutique

By

Quepatagra

-

01/12/2023

0

There are plenty of places to find europes leading christmas sweater wholesale brand for your store or boutique, but only one has sustainable and affordable products fit for everyone. Chrismtassweats is a Danish brand that started off in 2016 by two best friends Christoffer Sloth and Jesper Ahm, and only two years later they went full time. The tradition of cute Christmas sweaters that has taken over Europe has never been more appealing.

How to Find the Best Christmas Sweater Wholesale Specialist

When looking for the best europe’s leading christmas sweater wholesale brand, the answer is coming on its own. Christmassweats from Denmark is a Wholesale christmas sweater brand that has taken over the Europe very fast, thanks to their effort and commitment. Honestly, they are the best choice you can get. Their reputation has proven to be excellent, since they are working with 400 resellers already. Now lets see why is this christmas sweater brand perfect for Wholesale across europe.

Christmassweats is offering a wide range of sweaters that are able to fit everybody’s style. They can customize on your order, providing they don’t have what you are looking for already. They literally have something for everyone – every color, size, and pattern you can think of. Goofy, fun, for gamers, movie lovers, with LED lights. Apart from Christmas sweaters that made them famous, they can also provide you with other cozy apparel, like pajamas and accessories.

Finally, what makes this brand unique is their sustainability. Their products, and even labels are made all from sustainable and environmentally friendly materials, which is very important in today’s world of fashion.

The benefits of working with a Christmas sweater wholesale specialist

There are many benefits to working with a Christmas sweater wholesale specialist. One of the biggest benefits is that you will be able to get a wide variety of sweaters for an affordable price and be sure that you got excellent quality. Another benefit is that you will be able to find a wide variety of styles and designs, which means that each and every one of your customers will be able to find the perfect sweater for their loved one. Christmassweats can even provide you with various family designs. Finally, working with a Christmas sweater wholesale specialist can also help you save time and money by allowing you to order in bulk.

How to Get the Most Out of Your Christmas Sweater Order

When ordering your Christmas sweaters, be sure to take into account the following:

1. The size – you should really have them all, for men, women, children.
2. The style – think about what your patrons might like, whether it is dog themed sweaters, LOTR themed or sweaters with light.
3. The color – Christmassweats has sweaters of any color, so feel free to go festive over your order.
4. The material – you don’t have to worry about that since Christmassweats is sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Tips for Choosing the Perfect Christmas Sweater for Your Store

There are a few things to keep in mind when choosing the perfect Christmas sweater for your store. First, consider the overall style of your store. Is it more traditional or contemporary? This will help you narrow down your choices and find a sweater that fits with your store’s aesthetic. Second, think about who your target audience is. What age group are you trying to reach? What gender? What interests do they have? Knowing this will help you find a sweater that appeals to them. Finally, consider your budget. How much can you afford to spend on each sweater? With these factors in mind, you are set to make a perfect Chrismtas sweater order.

To sum up, try to find a reliable supplier that can provide you with high-quality sweaters at a reasonable price.

Image by Malachi Witt on Pixabay

Author Bazoom

Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.

There Are Two Ways to Build Wealth

Letting The Property Out to Tenants

Buying a Fixer Upper

What Can You Afford?

FreshtoHome vertically integrated e-commerce company in the Fish and Meat

Balloonary AI-powered tool to create, launch and manage digital ads

That being said, here are some workplace essentials that will help keep your employees safe.

Install safety bumpers

Proper lighting

Proper safety gear and continuous training

Keep the warehouse clean and organized

Whoppah, the digital secondhand marketplace for interior design and art, launches in Germany

Why don’t you briefly introduce your startup Whoppah to the readers?

Why did you decide to start a company and what is the vision behind it?

From idea to launch what have been the biggest challenges so far and how have you financed?

Who is Whoppah’s target audience?

How does Whoppah work? What are the advantages? What sets you apart from other providers?

Whoppah, where are you headed? Where do you see yourself in five years?

In conclusion: What 3 tips would you give to aspiring founders?

Common cause: Maximilian Günther is official partner and PR ambassador of Racemates

Smart Robotics specialist in robotics and warehouse automation

Please introduce yourself and Smart Robotics to our readers?

How did you get the idea of Smart Robotics?

Why did you decide to start with Smart Robotics?

What is the vision behind Smart Robotics?

How difficult was the start and which challenges you had to overcome?

Who is your target audience?

What is the USP of your startup?

Can you describe your typical workday?

Where do you see yourself and your startup Smart Robotics in five years?

What 3 tips would you give to founders?

Teleporting is a D2C and B2C travel ecosystem enclosed in an easy-to-use mobile application

Even if you have money, use it conservatively, and follow the advice in this article when it comes to social media marketing.

Test Trends But Do It Sparingly

Mass Media Saturation

Buying Your Pre-Baked Audience

Avoiding Click-Farms Except Under This One Circumstance

How to Find the Best Christmas Sweater Wholesale Specialist

The benefits of working with a Christmas sweater wholesale specialist

How to Get the Most Out of Your Christmas Sweater Order

Tips for Choosing the Perfect Christmas Sweater for Your Store

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