5 Reasons Why its Difficult to be An Entrepreneur

Everyone in the working world thinks that entrepreneurship is the way to go. It is a great option until you consider the challenges that entrepreneurs experience in order to put their business together. Here is why it’s difficult to be an entrepreneur.

You do not get time off with yourself
Entrepreneurs do not rest. They are either in their businesses or thinking about the businesses. This is unlike the career people who are able to get some time off after leaving the office for the day. Most entrepreneur’s spouses and families decry the lack of time to spend with their partners as they are always focused on their business.

You have to do everything
Before you have set up a team to look at different functions of the business, you will be forced to do everything from writing sales copy to invoicing customers. Of course, you may not enjoy all these responsibilities but you will be forced to do them.

You will not be able to stop yourself from doing it
It feels so awesome to be an entrepreneur. The idea of running a successful entity is a powerful magnet that gets you up and running each morning. Even in the cases that the business fails, you will find yourself picking up the pieces and trying it once again. It hurts to keep going to the same pain while you cannot stop yourself.

The government does not give you peace
The government will always be on the other side of the coin. It will keep blasting you with healthcare costs and tax increases on almost a yearly basis, permits, workers’ relations regulations, state audits of our business finances, compensation claims and so much more. You will spend much of your time trying to ensure compliance or negotiating with the government who has an upper hand in the negotiations.

There is always uncertainty
The future of your business is never guaranteed. What if there is a great slump in sales in the fourth quarter and you have a loan that you are repaying? What if someone comes up with a better product? What if a client sues me for injuring himself with my product? What if the bigger competitor tries to buy me off? Insurance does not pay for such things as reputation, acts of God, or any other uncontrollable thing that can damage your market. You live with this worry as long as you are an entrepreneur.

Google Green: Leading By Example

Google claims it is the leading private purchaser of renewable energy in the world. This is not an idle boast by the tech giant. Google has committed to buy 2.5 Gigawatts of renewable energy to make it 100% green, and invest a further $2.5 billion in making green energy more accessible for US homes. That is like taking 1 million cars off the road.

This push is largest in Europe where Google has seven agreements to power up its data centers. By the end of 2018 Google is looking to add 236MW of energy to the present 500 MW. This investment has also been seen in the US, where Google has invested in a 114 MW wind power farm, and Chile where it has invested in a solar power farm.

Economic sense
Marc Oman, Google’s head of Global Infrastructure, says that the decision to go green is based on better economic sense as well as concern for the earth’s sustainability. Renewable energy does not fluctuate unlike fossil fuels. In the long term, fossil energy will be become increasingly expensive as the resources dwindle. Google reasons that investing in green energy today will help to avoid more expensive costs in the future.

Efficiency
Google has also led in efficient use of energy. Data centers are designed to use 50% less energy than conventional data centers. The firm shuttles its 4500+ employees on its own shuttle buses named “Google Fleet,” which takes 3000+ vehicles off the road.

There is a serious recycling culture at Google. They do not buy new equipment if the outdated equipment can be recycled. Whatever cannot be recycled is repurposed and put to better use in the outside world.

Global push
A 2010 study by Buck Consultants, a subsidiary of Xerox, showed that more US companies are making an effort to go green. 69% of 120 US organizations interviewed said that they had implemented one form of energy efficiency.

The biggest reasons for going green are creating community goodwill and reduced costs. 90% of these businesses realized cost savings: 68% on heating and cooling and 70% on electricity. Clearly the better returns are making businesses consider going green a good investment.

Excuses
Implementing green initiatives is still a challenge for many businesses. Reasons given include high initial costs, inadequate skills to do it, and greening not being an organizational priority.

Long-term
Experts say that businesses that invest in green energy like Google also encourage more innovation and investment in renewable energy. Green tech startups will be the biggest beneficiaries of this global greening initiative as demand for renewable energy rises.

An Update on the Status of Brexit

While the media buzz around Brexit has dialed down somewhat in recent weeks, the actual events that will lead Great Britain out of the European Union are just now beginning to take effect. Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May has made the official departure a top priority, and while she has taken some criticism for her role in the divorce between the two entities, she seems to be handling things rather well considering. However, in the wake of the Brexit decision, there have been some clear economic consequences, such as lower hiring rates, and the British Pound’s decline, even during the vote to leave. Meanwhile, according to Express (UK), the staffing required in launching the Brexit and International trade departments to make Britain’s departure occur is still in the early stages, with one department having only about 100 of the required 1,000 or more. In order for Britain to have a healthy economy following Brexit, they will need to get more serious about actually cutting ties and getting on their feet. It will not just happen overnight and without hard work.

In addition to the need to swiftly and accurately break with the European Union, Britain will have to take measures to shore up their limping economy. According to multiple Irish news agencies, the actual date of departure from the EU is not likely to be until 2019, nearly three years away. However, the repercussions of the decision to leave the EU are being felt now in the UK. So the benefits of Brexit will not actually come for another three years, meanwhile, the consequences are an issue now. In order to deal with this, the current pace of events will have to be increased, and the British government will need to make a more focused effort on completing the break, as well as mitigating the drawbacks and negative results that are being experienced in the UK right now, in advance of the rift.

While Brexit is not entirely a bad idea, and the United Kingdom does stand to gain from being separated from the European Union, I think the current state of affairs should be considered unacceptable by their government, and they should certainly do something to light a fire under the agencies who are most responsible for the proper execution of their departure from the EU. If the process drags out then it will quickly become a disaster, and there will not be much benefit from Brexit in the first place.

When all is said and done, Britain will be alright, provided they take seriously the task they have taken upon themselves. Without a sense of urgency, what could have been a great success might prove to be just as the critics feared.

Apple's Bug Bounty Program

While many tech companies have established the so-called “bug bounty” as an industry standard, it seems strange that a company like Apple, a true technology giant always years ahead of its time, was so late to the table in this regard. While many large tech companies have offered rewards to users who identified and/or offered fixes to flaws in their products for years, Apple only began to offer the bug bounties on the heels of the incident in San Bernardino, in which the FBI requested Apple create a back-door into the iPhone so that they might be able to access the iPhone of a mass shooter. The controversy over this event made major waves, with Apple refusing to comply with what they saw as a huge threat to the privacy of citizens. On the other hand, they were dealing with a unique incident involving the investigation of a terror attack, which led some to condemn Apple for refusing to assist the FBI. In any case, in the wake of this tragedy, Apple felt compelled to begin a bug bounty program, rewarding those who identified and resolved issues in Apple systems.

One of the huge advantages of the bug bounty system for the company is that it saves them the time and effort of locating bugs themselves. With the inordinate task of locating every bug in every system released, they would be entirely overwhelmed. Instead, the cost of identifying these issues is drastically reduced and, if the bugs are fixed, even more time is saved. It really seems like an easy decision for any company, despite the long time that it took Apple to get with the program. Now that they are on board with the whole bug bounty concept, I am sure they will find it very beneficial and it will help them to focus much more attention on fixes rather than finding the problems.

On the other hand, it is also good for the consumers, as they can actually play a role in solving a problem that they themselves have experienced, as well as many others. When such an act is incentivized monetarily it tends to become more popular, but this is hardly a bad thing. It will also generate more interest in learning how to fix bugs that users might experience, and make users more self-reliant and better capable of handling technological issues they might experience in other areas.

With all of the advantages a bug bounty system creates, it is hard to argue with its implementation. And while it certainly took Apple a very long time to participate in this rather common practice, the fact that they do now is a great sign, and, hopefully, it will prove to be a mutually beneficial arrangement for both Apple and Apple users.

To Link or Not To Link

We live in an age of media. With smart devices in nearly every pocket or purse, the idea of “availability” has taken on a whole new meaning; there is no way to get around that. Almost everyone everywhere has some form of a smart device whether it is a tablet, smart phone, an iPod with Wi-Fi connection, or even a smart watch to alert them when they receive an incoming call or a text message.

It used to be that unless an individual was physically in their office or at home, they were “out of the office” or simply, “unavailable” to take a call or answer their emails. Now, most of us have a home phone, an in-office work phone, a personal cell phone, and, newest of them all, an email account that can alert your smart device whenever you receive an incoming message. It is almost virtually impossible to be unable to get a hold of someone unless they turn their email or text message alerts off or on silent.

So it beckons the question: “Should my work email be attached to my personal cell phone?”

There are definitely pros and cons to this particular inquiry, and we have taken the liberty to discuss some of those pros and cons to help you decide where you stand on the matter.

Pros

If work is at the very top of your priority list, then having your work email alert you on your personal cell phone whenever you get a message is a great tool. It allows the freedom to get out of the office to go for a walk, grab some coffee, or to work from home once work hours are over if need be. Another pro is that it allows for instant recall of important information before meeting with clients or important prospects- all of the information they sent you is right there in your work email and is available to you anywhere you are. It also allows for you to be able to go on extended vacation without having to worry about what is going on back at the office. You will be able to connect with your important clients from wherever you are, therefore making them feel important and of utmost priority to you.

Cons

If family, however, is at the top of your priority list, or if you become easily stressed out when it feels like work follows you wherever you go, then having your work email attached to your personal cell phone may not be the best choice for you. It has the potential to offer the picture that you are always working and cannot focus on what matters to your significant other, kids, or loved ones. It also has the potential to cause significant stress during your time off and may interfere with the rest and relaxation you desperately need. Unless you are someone with incredible discipline to be able to separate “work” from “family time” or “independent introvert time”, then it may be best for you to unlink your email from your personal cell phone and leave responding to work emails for whenever you are actually at work.  

Either way, it truly depends on what values stand highest on your personal priority totem pole and it also depends on what you truly want most out of life. If being available 100% of the time to your clients is the most important thing to you, then linking your work email and your cell phone is great! But if you, however, truly need time away from the office to recharge and invest in other things, then having your work email and your personal cell phone linked may be unwise. 

Apple and FBI Team Up to Bring Down One of the Largest Torrent Sites in the World

Well-known for its superfine technology and exceptionally sophisticated handsets, Apple Inc. is one of the largest computer technology and electronics manufacturing companies in the world. It has provided users with some of the best gadgets we see today, and has grown in the past two decades at a neck break speed. In recent news, it has helped the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), to carry out a crack-down on the owner of one of the largest torrent sites of the world, Artem Vaulin of Kick Ass Torrents, and arrest him in Poland. However, the question which is popping-up, in the minds of many thinkers sitting at the back panel is – why did Apple Inc. help FBI in this case, but not in the one of the San Bernardino shooting? Here is a brief look into why Apple Inc. backed out on the San Bernardino case, even after being ordered by the Law of California.
The Kick Ass Torrent Case:
Artem Vaulin, the alleged owner of one of the largest torrent directories in the world called Kick Ass Torrents, was arrested in Poland, earlier this week. The person was charged with money laundering and copyright infringement. It turns out that Apple Inc. and Facebook provided IP addresses of Vaulin during the investigation. Sources said that Vaulin had an Apple account, which he used to make purchases to two different IP addresses. Almost a week ago, the final location of Vaulin was traced and after a crack-down by FBI and he was arrested in Poland.
The San Bernardino Case:
In 2015, a shooter named Farooq killed 14 people and was on the run. The FBI was tracing the killer for a long period of time, and after finding out that the killer owned an iPhone, the department approached Apple Inc. for help. However, opposing the decision of the Law of California, Apple Inc. refused to help and cited a privacy breach. The CEO said that it would be a backdoor to every iPhone out there and Apple Inc. would never help in creating something which was this dangerous.
What is The Difference? In the San Bernardino Shooting case, Apple Inc. was asked by the Government of the US to hack Farooq’s phone and let FBI know about his whereabouts and his recent activities. However, as there was no financial gain included in the case, Apple Inc. refused to use its resource, and cited privacy breach against a serial killer.
Whereas, if we take a look at the arrest of Kickass Torrent’s owner, it is clearly shown that with the removal of websites which provided pirated movies to the users, Apple Inc. could make a lot of money by selling their products on iTunes and the App Store. Moreover, it was an indirect way of reducing competition, which was being faced by Apple Inc. for a long period of time.
The Bottom Line:
Without any financial gains in the process, the multinational Apple Inc. backed off from the San Bernardino’s shooting case, and denied to help FBI in hacking the iPhone of the shooter. The facts and the figures prove that in order to cut the competition, achieve a greater position in the market and remove pirated movies, so people pay-per-view of each movie, Apple Inc. helped the FBI in catching Artem Vaulin.

Maintaining an Organized Work Space

Whether you work in an office or at home, keeping an organized workspace is essential in helping you work more efficiently. When your desk is clear and everything is tidy, it helps you stay focused and gives an air of organization. It also helps you find things when you need them.

When a workspace is cluttered with notes, letters, files, empty drink cups, and general stuff, you cannot find what you need. If you are one of these people who proudly states “I know where everything is” as your boss, looks at your desk with disdain, then you really need to have a clear up.

Having a clear work space clears your mind. You may think you know where everything is on your desk, but you are wasting brain energy keeping record of your ungainly filling system. This in turn makes you less efficient, because not only can you not find the things you need quickly, your brain is trying to recall when you had it last and what has been put on top of it.

Some companies have now introduced a clear desk policy. This means that anything other than your necessary tools, like your computer and telephone should not be on show when you leave your desk at the end of the day. All files must be kept filed away especially at the end of the day and anything you are working on should be covered if you leave your desk.

This is as much a security issue for companies as anything. We may work with very sensitive information like people’s finances or legal information; even personal details on a computer are subject to the data protection laws. Therefore it is good practice to close your screen and put files in your drawer whenever you leave your desk. This kind of organization can only be achieved if your workspace is clear of all unnecessary items.

It may seem that an office is a safe environment and it can be felt that papers and on screen information is all part of the job and all the workers are okay, but this cannot be taken for granted. If you think about the way computer systems are structured in business then you will know that not everyone in the building has access to all computer files. You have access to folders and files that are relevant to your work, but nothing outside that area.

Large companies are particularly aware of this kind of security. If you have worked in this type of environment you will be aware that it takes a while to be set up with authority to areas when you first start a job. This is the company protecting itself by the organization of its own security.

When you are working from home it can seem irrelevant as no one ever goes into your office but good organization of your work place is still essential as it can help make you work more efficiently. A clear desk and space to work, without moving piles of files means that you are able to focus on the work in hand.