You love decorating homes, but don't have a design degree? Or you have a design degree, but haven't yet utilized it professionally? Either way, it is never too late to begin a home furnishing business, if this is your area of interest. Here are some steps you can take to sell your own home furnishing products! Make a business plan. Research licensing requirements for a small business or a home-based business in your state. Purchase necessary permits and insurance policy and get started. - Begin with the type of home furnishing products you want to make and sell and how much capital you might need for the same. Determine if you want to make specific home dcor products only or cater to other spaces like the patio, garden, office, nursery etc. - Depending on the size and scale of the business, you may want to do all the work yourself or outsource some or most of the work to other companies and focus your work solely on designing your ware. You can decide on either alternative depending on your budget, availability and time. - You may also want to think how and where to sell your home furnishing products. This step is necessary to define your business plan. You can sell through retail stores in your area that deal in decorating products or partner with a few ecommerce stores for the same. Calculate your investment needs in terms of all legal requirements, inventory, storage, and marketing and selling. - Do you have space at home for all your business work or would you need to lease a separate space for your workshop or warehousing needs? - Do you want to invest in a website? Or for now, you can make do with just social media pages and other local promotional activities? - Do you wish to design and sell on demand? Or cater to your creativity and professional skills and craft your own home furnishing product line? Decide on a business name, logo, packaging and your business niche. - Think of a creative, but apt name that will not only generate interest, but also instantly tell people what the nature of your business is. However, simple is often better when it comes to business names. - Keep your cost for logo and packaging to the minimum. If your products are creative and useful, you won't need fancy and costly packaging for the same. - There are many home furnishing products and it is not realistic for every new entrepreneur to deal in all. If you love textiles, you can begin with designing or making (or both) cushion covers, table mats and sheets for beds. If you like making small utility items that also look great, you can start your business with decorating products such as ceramic ware (vases, kitchen items, and napkin holders), stained glass items or custom products. Whatever you decide, if you love decorating, selling your own range of home furnishing products can be very rewarding.

Layering the new flooring with a luxurious carpet is an absolutely perfect way for adding warmth, elegance, and a new vibe to the room, without burning a big hole in your pocket. Carpets are cozy and due to their heating capacity, the floor insulates almost 15 times higher than other surface options. It's quite, durable, non-slip and a good number of varieties make it easy to get a suitable one for bedroom or living room. As per interior expert's suggestion, a wall to wall designer carpet or broadloom is ideal for cutting and binding to appropriate dimensions. If you're not ready to buy a wall-to-wall one, get a rug for an additional view of color, pattern, and softness. As far as the rugs are concerned, they're not inappropriate for redefining rooms and spaces like seating areas and even covering damaged spots. Based on the desirable size, it's possible to use a carpet remnant if you're very much worried about saving money. Here's a list of nice and modern wall-to-wall designer carpet styles that you can consider for your space. Geometric Designs  Be it curtains, carpets, linens or bed sheets, geometric patterns are very much 'in' in terms of decor. It not only creates an interesting look but is an amazing way for breaking up the open idea layout in a room. And obviously, there's no harm in opting for trendy designs by choosing a subtle design with geometric patterns for soothing colors. Opt for shady grove or stencil pattern in ceramic bases. Natural Fibers  Traditional touches can never go out-of-trend and natural textiles are among those which are still interesting and trendy in the world of interior decors. Even for flooring, natural materials are always appropriate. Nowadays, jute or sisal materials are quite high in demand for natural designing patterns. It's approachable as well as it creates a warm and comfortable feeling in the space. Luxury carpets are usually made of natural fibers. Striking Striations In this fusion era, two good materials are blended to create an amazingly different texture and material. Carpets designs are no exception to that. Blending organic texture with a lustrous accent and luxurious area rug is a perfect way to exhibit the phenomenal features of wood along with stone. It makes the outstanding balance for both rustic floors with hardwood material as well as matte finished tile-flooring. Amplification of striations is the fundamental way to get this trendy look. For such designer carpets, a combination of beige, gray as well as taupe fibers are well-suited. Mosaic Motif If you're too concerned about the trends of interior and decor, mosaic motif pattern must be in your checklist for creating a whole new look to the room. Numerous colors, patterns, and designs are available in terms of area rug so that you can get something unique for your interior.

Smart shoppers today might love an engaging read that highlights the business or a video that summarizes everything about it. But this does not mean that businesses should stop investing in promotional products altogether. With the traditional forms of advertisement costing a pretty penny, small businesses need to look for techniques that are cost-effective and extremely impactful. Many still prefer promotional products as an alternative to a sensory overload caused by the bombardment of information on digital platforms.

Branded giveaways and promotional seminars still attract customers the same way they used to back in the day. It goes without saying, people are putting lavish efforts to promote a brand or business online, especially on social media. But a custom coffee mug can still generate the same amount of interest for the business. It all depends on the type of product and the promotional strategy you plan to use.

The cost of bulk ordering and customizing a promotional product is something even small businesses can pay to boost their marketing campaign. The best part of this is that your potential customers get to enjoy a few freebies now and then, which they will definitely appreciate.  

Low-cost promotional items for your small business
Not everything that is expensive is necessarily the best choice. Promotional products do not need to be extravagant since everyday items are much handier and appreciated. While things like plaques, or ceramic showpieces look pretty enough, you know you would much rather have a comfortable T-shirt you can lounge around in. It is essential to plan smart, rather than plan big when it comes to promotional items.

What products can be used to promote a business?
Clothes, caps, calendars, writing instruments, desk accessories, USB drives, power banks, bags, and even umbrellas are the top promotional products owned by consumers in the country. There are promotional products that every business could be considering and then there are products that your business must absolutely consider. To ensure that a promotional product piques your target consumer’s interest in the business, it is important to understand the demographic that influences your strategy. While every consumer is different, they all have one thing in common; the excitement they share on receiving a brand-new product. Something that they can use in their day-to-day lives. Products are a much better way of getting the brand name out there as opposed to a digital promotion that merely gives your consumers a gift voucher or discount code that is used once and forgotten about.

Here are some top choices for promotional products available at a fairly negligible production cost for your perusal. These products add immense brand value to your company through indirect advertising.

Personalized magnets
It is a timeless marketing strategy and the baby boomer generation can relate to the nostalgia of fiddling with refrigerator magnets, especially the ones that come in different funky shapes and sizes. Still used extensively throughout households in the country, it is something that catches your attention almost every day in the kitchen. Studies show that consumers recall the names of a brand or a business better with a promotional product. It is a constant reminder that gradually generates interest in the product/brand. A business card magnet customized with all the relevant contact details will increase the reach and spread awareness about the brand. The consumer will be able to use it on a frequent basis with the information right there in front of their eyes. Remember, out of sight is out of mind which is why personalized business card magnets are better than a pop-up advertisement, especially in the case of the product advertised being a household item or the likes of one. Bulk orders for color prints will cost you less than 20 cents per card and this mini-billboard advertisement can help you promote your business easily. Advertising without really advertising is the only way to stand out of the clutter and a product as simple as a refrigerator magnet can help you always be within the notice of your customer.

Pens
A pen is mightier than the sword but is it mighty enough to promote your brand? The answer is a resounding yes! Not as an alternative to direct violence; in contrast to the historic adage, but for three specific reasons. The form of stationery is affordable, readily available, and everyone uses them. From signing permission slips in high school to filling a 401K claim after retirement, everyone needs a pen. It is perhaps the most effective and overused marketing gimmick, but it bears results every single time. The pen provides access to valuable advertising space for businesses, one which will remain in sight for a greater part of the day. The more they will look at the logo or your brand name, the better are the chances of your business gaining a new customer. Since a small business cannot allocate a major chunk of their investment in commercial advertising, promotional avenues like gifting and personalized products offer an affordable solution. Tax season is just around the corner and there could not be a better time to bulk order some custom pens and give those freebies away at the local kiosk or your next business seminar. As more and more consumers are becoming tech-savvy, simply presenting them with a ballpoint pen that sports your brand logo will not be enough. Instead, gift them a combo pen, the ones that are both a stylus for the smartphone and an ordinary pen for tackling paperwork.  

Coffee mugs
The motivation that you get from a fresh cup of Joe is something that you just cannot compare to those Monday morning quotes. It is also the perfect opportunity for you to promote the business brand name. To do so, you have to understand the key demographic of your audience and ask the question repeatedly, what will the consumer like? Some people enjoy coffee mugs that feature a motivational quote while others might love a photo mug of their pet. Some might find coffee mugs of vivid shapes and size amusing. Whatever the case may be, you have to understand that a generic marketing copy may not necessarily work with today’s smart consumer. Finding out what works best for the consumer will allow you to personalize products to promote and promote your brand. Custom brand messages and personalizations increase the likelihood of the consumer keeping the product and also using it on a daily basis. Coffee mugs provide you with just the right amount of space and utility that further appeals to potential consumers. Don’t skimp out on quality as it may be perceived as what your business is all about. Keep in mind that the devil is in the detail. You also have the perfect opportunity to motivate your employees with coffee mugs, each with its own personal message. Present the employee of the month with a picture mug that captures that moment of elation on the day you congratulated the employee. He or she will also be reminded of their contribution to the success of the business every single coffee run!


Apparel
You cannot put a price on gifts, but you certainly can put your brand name/logo on it making the product a wonderful example as a promotional item. Most people think of product promotions as an expensive means of advertising the brand or business. However, this perception is far away from the truth as small businesses simply don’t have the capital to spend extensively on commercial advertisements. Rather, a promotional run offers a cheaper alternative to get the word out about your business in comparison to billboards and commercials. Small businesses are prone to use apparels as one of their primary modes of advertisement. So here is where you need to get creative and come up with a design that not only promotes your business brand effectively but also adds personal value to the underlying message in your company’s slogan or tagline. It is also how mainstream brands enjoy a loyal customer base today and have managed to retain the audience by way of smart promotions, offers, and deals. Check out the posts on social media with people sporting hoodies and full sleeves with the brand name scrawled across in bold. Add a hashtag, a contest, and voila, you’ve got yourself a viral post! Every now and then, a fitness brand is a sponsor partner for events like marathon runs. The runners all then sport the apparel during their run, lending more publicity to the brand. Unknowingly, these participants have already promoted the sponsor brands by posting pictures about the run and tweeting about the outfit.

Bags
No seminar is complete without a goody-bag! Often times, people find themselves flocking to a free seminar for a couple of hours. While some go there to learn about a new product or service, others go for the free donuts and coffee. And then there are some who just want to get their hands on the small bag of delightful surprises. For business owners and entrepreneurs, it is the perfect opportunity to label their brand on those bags and ensure that word gets out. Mind you, people are becoming more and more concerned about the environment so a tote bag made out of biodegradable materials will be much better received than a leather product. A beautiful, roomy tote bag is sure to attract eyeballs and one won’t even need to keep telling others where they got it from. Your potential customers are also your loyal brand ambassadors, and this is one tip you must not forget. Your customers will choose to use your promotional product in their day-to-day activities if you simply making an interesting product that stands out of the pack.

Glasses and bottles
Everyday use items like glasses and bottles are another great promotional opportunity for business owners to capitalize on indirect advertising. If you are a fitness brand, then your business will certainly benefit from this type of promotion as fitness enthusiasts always carry a water bottle to the rec center, be it for a morning of intense cardio or peaceful meditation. Smart consumers are also environmentally conscious which is why they will refrain from using one-time-use plastic bottles. Shaker bottles make the perfect branding tool as your business name or logo will be right in front of their eyes for a major part of the day. A cool, vibrant, shaker is sure to get the attention of people. If not direct, it is still a great way to encourage potential customers to talk about in which seminar they got the promotional item and where can their friends get one. Before you know it, attendance at the next big expo or promotional event has doubled in size all thanks to the colorful little logo on the side of the bottle that managed to rouse someone’s interest.

A promotional drive is the best way for your small business to get the word out and give something back to the local community in turn. Yes, not all promotions have to advertise your business. Rather, your business can sponsor a local event or charity drive to enhance positive customer perception about your mission and vision in the long term. Think about how much the neighbors will enjoy a nice BBQ lunch to raise money for a charity of their choice. Why not sponsor the apparels for the local kids' soccer team? The little ones running around in t-shirts that sport your brand logo and name in bold letters make for adorable photo-ops. A playful yet efficient way to create brand awareness is while promoting and supporting a good cause. The few extra goodwill points won't hurt as you try to pave the way for your business to get recognized.

There are a lot of people who opt to buy a used car for their first bought and owned vehicle. After all, the value of that shiny new car will depreciate the moment you drive off with it from the lot, whereas oftentimes, a well maintained used car can be sold for a well comparable amount that you bought it for, especially if it has been used less and lightly and also hasn't piled on the miles. Used car prices are definitely cheaper than new cars, and this is especially true if you opt for a private sale between you and the car owner. Your daily newspaper, local weekly circulars, and local magazines are sure to have a classifieds section that features used cars for sale. Then there's the internet of course websites devoted to used car sales abound, alongside those that have a wide range of classifieds displayed. You can surely find a lot of used cars at the prices that you can afford without having to break the bank, and you can narrow it down by your choice of make, model, vintage, and of course, most important, the used car prices.

You can also request a vehicle history report using the car's VIN and registration, to assure yourself of the car's antecedents and confirm what the owner is telling you with regard to whether the car has ever been in an accidents, whether it has ever had a lien on it, and whether it is currently insured and in the clear to be sold. This will go a long way in giving you some peace of mind about the purchase and ensure your used car prices at the right price point. And of course, most important, in order to ascertain that the car is roadworthy, apart from taking it for a quick test drive, you should also have a mechanic take a look under the hood, and under the carriage. Check for basics like the baldness of the tires, the strength of the brakes, how the steering wheel handles, whether there is any funny sound or reverberations. This will ensure to some extent that you are buying a car in decent condition and it is not going to need repairs the moment it exchanges hands. However, there really can be no guarantee, given that it is a used car, and part of purchasing it from a private owner, means you accept it in as is condition.

Be it at home or workplace, maintaining high hygiene standards is one of the primary concerns of many. Among the different products used for this purpose, hand dryers play an important role. They help to reduce the chances of infection that is most likely to occur from the wet skin. This is also the reason why drying hands after washing is crucial for hand hygiene.

If you’re looking for a high-quality hand dryer range, Dyson hand dryers are an excellent choice. Here are some of the reasons which make Dyson dryers the top choice among the customers.

Manufactured by Dyson Ltd., a British technology giant with an expertise in household appliances, here are some features of the Dyson hand dryer range.

• Fast and efficient
  The excellent technology used in Dyson hand dryers allows them to dry hands within 10 to 12 seconds. Furthermore, the dryer helps the user avoid germs with its touch-free technology.

• Less energy consumption
  As compared to the other dryers available, Dyson dryers are much more energy efficient. They consume approximately 80% less energy and produce much lesser carbon dioxide as compared to other air dryers. They help in saving both costs as well as space.

• Upgraded technology for filtered air
  Dyson Airblade™ Dryers come with HEPA filter technology that helps in removing more than 99.9% of bacteria as compared to the usual air drying of hands.

• Convenience of use
  One of the highlights of Dyson dryers is their touch-free operation, which enhances the convenience of the user.

• Easy installation
  The company ensures that the dryer installation is done by highly trained, professionally qualified, and courteous technicians who take complete ownership of the task and pay attention to all the minute details such as leaving your home as clean as it was before the installation.

• Complete safety
  Most hand dryers become extremely hot, posing a serious risk to the user. With Dyson dryers, you do not have to worry about the safety aspect. The dryer uses the latest technology to ensure a pleasant experience for its users.

The company also offers several other products such as vacuum cleaners, hair dryers, heaters, and air treatments to choose from. Among the hand dryer range, the most popular models include Dyson Airblade V and Dyson Airblade™ Wash+Dry Hand Dryer.

It might astonish you, but criminal justice degrees are currently one of the most sought-after bachelor courses in the country. This could be because of the fact that today these courses just don’t deal with subjects like corrections, public safety, and law enforcement. Now there are tailored courses based on specific skill sets. As an aspiring criminal justice student, you have the liberty to explore an extensive variety of areas associated with criminology, law, social service, etc. However, after you have shortlisted your specialization you must choose a good school for your undergraduate studies. Here are some of the most popular colleges across the country which offer excellent criminal justice degree programs. Northeastern University – Based in Boston, Massachusetts, Northeastern University offers bachelor and advanced criminal justice degrees. They let students choose from majors like criminology and public policy, international criminal justice, community and family justice, and leadership. Along with academics, NU also encourages their students to gain relevant experience through co-op programs. George Washington University – Offering one of the best courses in criminal justice, George Washington University is situated in the capital city of Washington D.C. The degree is handled by the university’s department of sociology, which allows the students to pursue a general degree or a specialized one. The university is also associated with various community initiatives, federal agencies and justice organizations which increase the level of exposure for students. Sam Houston State University College of Criminal Justice – The criminal justice degree program offered by Sam Houston State University is one of the oldest in the country. Located in the city of Huntsville, Texas, SHSU offers traditional undergraduate and advanced degrees as well as online graduate programs. The criminal justice school of SHSU is also known for its state of the art facilities for forensics and law enforcement training. American University – The American University of Washington D.C. provides students with bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in several fields related to criminal justice. The university offers 4 majors, which includes social thought and jurisprudence, law and society, terrorism and security policy, and public policy. Marist College – Situated in Poughkeepsie, New York, Marist College has a unique course structure which combines traditional teaching methods as well as practical techniques. Some of the mandatory subjects for the criminal justice degrees include criminology, juvenile crimes, terrorism, and politics. Marist College also offers certain short-term certificate courses in criminal justice.