Tristan

A load board (which is sometimes referred to as a freight board) is an online marketplace where truck owners/operators, shippers, and freight brokers can post and search for loads to keep freight moving.

How does it work?

Usually hosted online, the users of the specific load board pay a subscription to log into the load board to post loads or post empty trucks in order to either cover their freight or get their truck loaded. The load board facilitates communication between shipper, broker and owner-operator or small carrier.

A real-life load board example

Shipping is the foundation of most countries.  Almost every sector of the economy depends on the movement of the goods from Point A to Point B.  A load board is an essential tool for business owners who are working together to move freight across the country. Here is an example of how people using load board in their daily operations to increase revenue.

Bob owns a truck and he is a business owner/entrepreneur, and family man. His goal is to keep his truck full during the week so that he can optimize his time on the road and maximize his truck’s profits. Bob lives in Albuquerque and today he wants to drive to Illinois. What is the reason? Because Bob knows that this route pays well, and that he can quickly find a returning load to travel home to his family. He needs to earn a fair wage for hauling the load and wants to work with trusted third parties to find freight for his truck.

Bob posts his truck’s information such as can haul refrigerated loads, maximum weight allowance, etc. and the desired destination on the load board, an online marketplace where subscribers of that board can search for empty trucks and available loads.

How does Bob, the Owner/Operator use the load board to fill his truck?

Emily, a transportation broker who is also a business owner, uses a load board. Her clients are shippers like Walmart or Amazon who work with third parties or brokers like Emily to get their items from Point A to Point B.  Emily usually works with refrigerated loads and she has a list of loads every morning that she needs to move for her customers.

Emily has to find a truck with a reliable driver so that she meets her customer’s needs. She needs a driver with an empty, refrigerated truck who is currently near Albuquerque who wants to drive to Illinois to carry frozen products.  Emily needs to find a driver for the load, so she posts her load on a load board, where she will begin to receive calls from interested drivers. She also calls on available trucks in the Albuquerque area and finds Bob. After negotiating a fair rate and checking credentials, Bob and Emily agree to work together.

How does a load board help a business?

For Bob and Emily, less downtime means more money. If Bob’s  truck remains empty, money is lost and he may need to work on weekends to make up the difference.  Late shipments for Emily means money is lost and potentially losing a customer. Customers are her lifeline so it is essential that she keeps her customers happy.

Thousands of hours of efficiency were gained by facilitating the real-time connections such as the one between Bob and Emily when load boards were introduced.

What other things can a load board help with?

Load Boards are usually more than just a freight marketplace. Shiply load board, for example, offers users with an accurate data within the load board to better their experience when freight matching and comparing quotes. Accurate data means more money. Now, just what does it means?

For Emily and Bob, accurate data means more money because when Bob sees the paid rates on his account, while he is talking to Emily, he knows exactly the average rate paid for the Albuquerque to Illinois.  If he is offered a lower rate, he can use the data to easily negotiate a fair rate. The same goes for Emily.  If Bob wants a rate that is too high, she can easily point to the paid rates to negotiate.

Thousands of hours of efficiency were gained by facilitating the real-time connections such as the one between Bob and Emily when load boards were introduced.

Load boards acts as a data-informed matchmaker for the three main freight parties such as the broker, shipper and carrier.

1. Owner-operators will inform the brokers where they are and where they want to go.
2. Brokers would post the loads they have available from shippers and find owner-operators.
3. It helps the shippers to save time and earn more money when their goods are transported efficiently.

It is definitely a win-win-win situation for everyone involved.

How does a business benefit from a load board?

Using an online load board can be a good idea in many occasions. Whether you are just starting your business or you are expanding and in need for new clients, using a load board can help organize your business, make it more efficient and bring an extra revenue.

If your staff members have their own offices that are sectioned away from other employees, the decor of that space can usually be left up to them. But for common areas or areas of your office that are meant for any client- or customer-facing work, management should ensure that these spaces are decorated in such a way as to reflect the personality and professionalism of the brand.

However, this task is easier said than done. So to help you accomplish this objective, here are three tips for decorating office common spaces.

Focus On Your Entryway

The very first area that you should give your attention when decorating your office is the entryway. Every staff member, customer, and client will go through that space when doing business with you. Because of this, you should take extra care as you design and set up this space.

According to Annie Pilon, a contributor to Small Business Trends, you should aim for the entryway to be welcoming to anyone who steps foot in your office. This can be done through having comfortable furniture, a friendly receptionist, and some kind of branded material that showcases your company and what you stand for. Especially if you’ll be having customers or clients in your office space on a regular basis, it’s vital that the first impression they get from your company be a positive one, and having a great entryway can help with this.

Promote Collaboration

In most offices, there will be common spaces where employees can gather in order to work on tasks or projects together. However, just having a large room with a table and chairs won’t really help your staff find their creativity together or necessarily promote the collaboration that may be needed.

To help you in this goal, Kevin Fidler, a contributor to WorkDesign.com, advises that you try to make these types of common areas feel more informal in their design. By doing this, you’ll allow your staff to think more freely and truly embrace the idea of collaborating with their coworkers in order to come up with ideas that will prove to be beneficial to your business.

Mix In The Natural World

Although some common spaces are going to be used for getting work done, you don’t want these spaces to feel like they’re sucking the life out of your employees. But if you make these areas feel too stark or corporate, that’s exactly how these spaces will feel.

To fight against this, Naveed of DecorAid.com recommends that you mix in as much of the natural world as you can with the functionality of your common spaces. This could include having more plants, getting more natural light, or using outdoor scents to bring freshness to these spaces.

If you’re unsure what you should do with the common spaces in your office, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you know how to decorate and design them to fit your needs.

Becoming a real estate investor is a big dream for many people, and it makes sense why. Having successful real estate investments can mean you’ll be profiting for years to come and be set for life with your finances.

A very common avenue for real estate investors is rental properties. When operated correctly, rental properties can essentially act as passive investment income.

But when you choose to invest in rental properties, you’re actually also making another big choice: to become a landlord. Having a property manager means someone could handle a bulk of the work, but when it comes down to it, a real estate property investor is still a landlord at the end of the day. And to be honest, becoming a landlord is no small undertaking.

Winston Deloney, an expert real estate investor, knows this all too well. We sat down with Deloney, to dive into the basics of owning rental properties, and four things all landlords should know.

Winston, what attracted you to real estate investing?

I see real estate investing as a huge opportunity. It’s an exciting world to be part of, and it can have huge payouts. That being said, it’s definitely not always easy.

For example, there was a time when I was still learning a lot, and there were ups and downs. But I chose to preserve, and now, I’m so glad I stuck with real estate investing and didn’t quit.

What brought you to rental properties?

The idea of having rent coming in every month as income was extremely attractive to me. I also love the idea of actually having control over the property and even being a landlord. There’s a ton of opportunity when you’re the one at the helm.

I really enjoy the process of making over units, and being involved with renters, even though that can definitely be challenging at times. But when you have happy renters, and you have a steady income, it’s really smooth sailing.

What are some of the basics of being a landlord?

I think it’s extremely important to make rent your number one priority. It can be easy to let emotions get in the way, because you’re dealing with real people who have real issues.

But if you let emotions drive your decisions, you’re not actually going to be a good landlord, and that’s going to permeate through your property. It won’t just affect you, but your other tenants as well.

I recently shared some useful tips on how to handle your first tenant, you can check out the article here: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/real-estate-investor-winston-deloney-110000108.html

What else should landlords know about rental properties?

So, rent being the priority is definitely my first tip. Next, I think screening your renters thoroughly is really critical. Because once someone moves in, actually evicting them is an exhausting process, and no one wants to go through that.

It might happen inevitably, but if you screen your renters carefully, you can definitely avoid it. You want to make sure they can pay on time, that they have consistent income, and that they’re people with good intentions.

For example, if they have a history of evictions and property damage, that’s a huge red flag, and you want to make sure you catch it.

Anything else?

I love thinking about rental properties in terms of the opportunity to upsell, which I don’t think enough people take advantage of. For example, if you have one tenant move out of a unit, you can spruce it up, put it new appliances, and maybe even some advanced smart home technologies.

All of a sudden, that unit is worth way more than it was before. So definitely look for opportunities to maximize your income. And I think lastly, this may sound basic, but a lot of people really overlook it. Make sure you’re an expert in your local renter and tenant laws.

For example, in some cases, if you mishandle a security deposit, you could be liable to give it back. That’s a silly mistake that means a big loss for you. So, you want to be up-to-speed on your laws not only to protect yourself from silly mistakes, but also potentially devastating ones.

From the past few decades, the idea of working and earning has changed immensely. Depending on a single earning does not seem sufficient for people. Thanks to the massive advancement and innovation, it has led to the birth of a myriad of career pathways.

One should make smart choices when it comes to their career. The drive to achieve more money with little effort should never be a baseline. Every profession requires maximum effort and time to produce fruitful results. However, putting this effort and time in a business career assures your success. The business field has a broad spectrum. Either you may run your own business, start a business on a partnership basis, or perform your business skills in an organization, this career has got your back. That is why it is the most booming career choice nowadays. But let’s explore the real reasons behind this popularity.

A Master’s in Business Administration works wonders.

The business degree or qualification can score you entry-level jobs upon graduation. However, if you are a master’s in business administration, you can take all the perks of stepping into this field. The master’s qualification instills more confidence and knowledge inside you, making you an excellent choice for any organization. Additionally, polishing your skills in a vast area of subjects increases your competitiveness.

If you intend to enroll yourself in a master’s program at a university or plan to get your MBA online, you should begin right away. Impressive MBA programs offered online can save you a great deal of effort and time, so you no longer have to stress about waking up early, missing a lecture, or sacrificing your favorite trip to meet the assignments’ deadlines. These courses are manageable and well-designed to suit you in all respects.

Knock up a position in accounting

Business careers exist in most of the industries out there. Accounting is a fantastic domain where business administrators are required. Accounting is a complex process, including the recording of financial statements or transactions related to business. How does a business graduate fit into accounting?

Here is how;

If you are working as an account executive, your job is to perform with your professional competence to process the financial data and keep the clients happy. The keen knowledge of clients’ needs and demands serves as the most rewarding foundation of an accountancy firm or department. The business administrators or managers have a skill of transforming the clients’ needs in an exemplary fashion to suit both the company’s interests and client’ expectations. An accounts executive may come together with the sales team to assess the company’s outcome and work for its progress. So, the application of a business qualification in accountancy is pre-eminent and influential.

Explore the field of Advertising

It is imperative to advertise a product in a high-yielding manner to generate and increase its sales. So, the business analyst comes into play to perform this crucial task. From doing complex mathematics of analyzing the advertising cost of a product to estimating the probable outcome, this all is the role of a business expert.

You can work as an advertising coordinator, advertising operations specialist, or advertising sales agent. They perform the challenging job of running campaigns of a product and assessing the expenditure in launching an advertisement. Besides, they get the opportunity to travel around often as part of their advertising campaigns.

So, if you love traveling and working simultaneously, you should experience the charisma of an advertising career.

An association or Event planner

We are well aware of the growing trends and shifts towards the association or event management. New intricate designs and approaches are adopted to make the events look unique and alluring. Such a person who is an expert in doing cost analysis and engaging clients is in high demand.

The association planner promotes an event in a public setting or a conference. Since the plan is to attract a large population, his job is to publicize the game on a major front. This task undoubtedly calls for an incredible experience of cost management because it involves money from the beginning to the end.

Combined with the beauty of applying management skills and communication skills, you can earn a commendable recognition here.

Procure a name in Employment Specialist’s zone

The role of an employment specialist is more like a matchmaker. An employment specialist is a person who makes the recruiting process of a company convenient. Since the company is already loaded with massive projects and operations to deal with, it gets stressful to carry on the recruitment process. Organizations aim towards hiring an employment specialist who governs and decides the fate of all candidates.

The fantastic set of traits of assessment possessed by a business expert guarantees the fair and effective selection and recruitment of employees. An employment specialist can work independently or can work in a large setting destined to complete this task.

Doors are wide open in the Investment Industry.

The world is moving fast, and so is the pace of our desire to become wealthy. Most of the wealthiest people in the world, like Warren Buffet, made their wealth through investment. Becoming an investment counselor, analyst, or investment banker promises you a ravishing career. Additionally, it provides outstanding growth and multiple opportunities to flourish since the world is an economic and financial hub. Hence, the need to have an expert who can guide on incredible investment plans and solutions to make money becomes a priority.

When will the stock market rise? How do political reforms and international policies affect investment? Where to invest and what to avoid? An investment analyst has got all your answers to such questions. They can assist you in personalized investment plans to suit your demands and needs.

As an investment banker, your job is more diversified and complex since you are directly working on a company’s monetary matters. He manages portfolios for groups or individuals. He introduces ways and ideas through which a company can benefit the most by investing in stocks or borrowing money from other platforms. His job is capital intensive due to the augmenting competition to multiply wealth in the market.

Conclusion

We are sure that you would be pleased to know the wide variety of careers and ambitions you can pursue and bloom with a business degree. No doubt, the business sector holds a promising future for the youth and is a booming field.