tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76433517577717766412024-03-13T21:23:38.217-07:00Adrienutza Business Blogfoenix sologashvilihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15751162985010750879noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7643351757771776641.post-53618115038814762612018-07-11T12:51:00.003-07:002018-07-11T12:51:29.358-07:00You think of repair door lock? Here is how!When you are hoping to maximize your travel security, one of the most obvious places to start is with buying a lock. But how secure are luggage locks? The disturbing truth is that luggage locks are terribly insecure.<br />
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What does the insecurity of these locks mean for your luggage security? How does that affect the protection of your property? In order to investigate these issues, we will have to venture deep into the terrifying truth about luggage locks.<br />
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What security do TSA locks offer your luggage?<br />
TSA locks are not secure. The shackles can be cut by most low-quality diagonal cutting pliers, the lock cylinders can be picked open with very little skill, and the schematics for the master keys have been revealed to the public. If you are using a TSA lock, you are getting the illusion of security.<br />
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The biggest benefit to using TSA locks is that the TSA can open your bag without having to <a href="https://easylocksmith.us/door-lock-repair-replacement-2/">repair door lock</a>. This still might not keep your lock from being cut off, as many travelers report having TSA cut locks off regardless of having been TSA approved. But at least there is a chance that your insecure lock will not be broken open.<br />
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A TSA approved padlock is the next step up from a zip tie. It provides the same amount of initial security if you are worried about criminal tampering. However, a TSA lock can potentially be taken off and relocked on the bag, where a zip tie cannot be reattached once removed. With a TSA approved lock, after a lawful search, there is a chance that your luggage can maintain its same level of “security”.<br />
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1. The TSA Can Remove Any Luggage Lock Without Cause<br />
If you are checking luggage, the TSA reserves the right to open your baggage by the means required to properly carry out the search. In case you have not received a “Notice Of Baggage Inspection” letter in your checked luggage, it reads as follows:<br />
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To Protect you and your fellow passengers, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is required by law to inspect all checked baggage. As part of this process, some bags are opened and physically inspected. Your bag was among those selected for physical inspection.<br />
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During the inspection, your bag and its contents may have been searched for prohibited items. At the completion of the inspection, the contents were returned to your bag.<br />
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If the TSA security officer was unable to open our bag for inspection because it was locked, the officer may have been forced to break the locks on your bag. TSA sincerely regrets having to do this, however TSA is not liable for the damage to your locks resulting from this necessary security precaution.<br />
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The note goes on to suggest that the recipient of the inspection notice refer to www.tsa.gov to find “packing tips and suggestions on how to secure your baggage during your next trip…” Is it ironic for a note telling you what you just read to recommend that you use better security next time you fly? It may seem that way, but the spirit in which it is intended is that locks are not security, knowing what is going to get your bag flagged is the security you need for avoiding TSA attention.<br />
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2. Every Luggage Lock Can Be Opened<br />
It is true that every lock can be picked, even locks that have not been picked yet can still be opened. Opening methods that travel security professionals use are almost always destructive. There is no lock that exists that can withstand every type destructive entry method given an unlimited amount of time with the lock.<br />
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Not even the best padlocks in existence can hold up to the highest level of pressure that can be applied to them. Do not expect that your security can keep out any law enforcement. Even though you may be hoping to avoid criminally minded baggage checkers, they are within their right to open your luggage at all costs.<br />
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Though there are documented cases where strong enough security has been enough to have TSA give up on trying to open it. I don’t fully understand the implications of security that has law enforcement give up, but I would not expect to be the exception to the rule that if the opening of your bag a legally sanctioned it will be carried out.<br />
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In terms of criminal threats without the full force of the law behind them, your locks can still be opened. However, when it comes to standard criminals you have to consider every aspect of luggage security and not just the security of your luggage locks.<br />
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3. No Luggage Lock Can Protect a Zipper<br />
Any luggage lock that is placed to secure a zipper is completely useless. Anyone with a ballpoint pen can puncture the zipper track (aka teeth). This gives anyone access to the contents of your bag in seconds. Once a person has rooted around in your belongings, they can then move the zipper’s pull tab over the open teeth and reseal the bag without any sign of entry.<br />
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If you have an anti-puncture zipper, then your zipper is safe, but a lock can never protect the zipper. When you want a lock to matter at all, you have to use luggage that has hasps, not a zipper. Hasps are common on hard shell cases, which are intended to protect the contents of the luggage.<br />
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It is also unlikely that you will end up with a bag that has an anti-puncture zipper if you do not go out of your way to purchase one. This feature is not common, in spite of the fact that the method of entry is extremely popular for criminals all over the world.<br />
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4. Your Bag Undermines the Security of a Luggage Lock<br />
Security is not the main concern for standard baggage manufactures. Unless the luggage has been designed with security in mind, the lock you place on it is not going to matter much at all. Besides zipper protection, you have to be concerned about more brash criminals that will not care about surreptitiously or even covertly open your bag.<br />
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A very common method of entry that criminals will use is to cut your bag. You made need something like a Pelican case. With a light slice from a sharp knife, a thief now has access to everything in your luggage. Unless your bag can resist cutting, having a lock on your bag is not going to truly protect the property inside.<br />
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Most likely your bag is always going to be easier to break than an incredibly strong lock. It does not make sense to have an extremely powerful lock if the case it is securing is itself insecure. Be aware of the level of protection provided by the bag before you make any investment in a lock.<br />
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5. Built-in Luggage Locks Are Not Secure<br />
Built In Luggage Lock<br />
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This is a guiding principle more than a hard and fast rule, but it is important to think about the fact that almost any piece of luggage you buy is not going to have high-security locks. This might be something that the case claims, but you need to know better than to believe the advertising.<br />
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Even if the brand of security being used is not notorious for manufacturing subpar locks, it might still be something cheap and ineffective. A lot of times locks on cases and luggage will claim to be high-security, but they are just using a novel lock type. Such lock types that are used as built-in luggage locks include tubular locks, cruciform locks, and disk detainer locks.<br />
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If a lock is poorly made, it does not matter what kind of internal components it has. Poorly made locks are not secure. They break easier because of the lower quality metal, and that means they can be broken open easier. Mass production required to place them on luggage also <a href="http://lockouts.online/residential-key-services/">broke room key</a> very simple to the point where most of these locks can be opened with bypasses or improvised keys.<br />
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What is the best way to protect luggage?<br />
As you may have learned from the article about protecting your beach bag, the best possible way to protect any luggage is to keep your eyes on it. This is not going to be possible at every point of your trip, especially if you have to check your bags. The important thing is to take advantage of the instances where you can watch over your property.<br />
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Your locks need to take as long to open without permission as the average time you will leave them unmonitored. As has already been established, flying in the United States will be the exception to this rule. Law enforcement will have too much time with your luggage, and they will have the authority to open the lock. But for deterring criminals, this type of security assessment is a must.<br />
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Final Thoughts<br />
It doesn’t matter if you are in one of the most dangerous countries in the world, or you are sleeping over at a friends house in the next town over, when you have luggage, you will attract the attention of criminals. Luggage locks are not going to do much to protect your bag. You need to consider a lot more than just luggage locks.foenix sologashvilihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15751162985010750879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7643351757771776641.post-53841398492788446062017-04-12T05:11:00.000-07:002017-04-12T05:11:17.893-07:005 Reasons You Should Keep Your Day Job<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /><br />While I regularly write about side hustles, earning more and how amazing it was to leave my day job for self-employment, there are far more reasons to keep your day job than leave it. Your livelihood is no laughing matter, and quitting your job with no game plan can lead to a personal finance disaster. Before you give notice and walk away from a steady income, consider these five reasons to stick with it. After all, the expression “don’t quit your day job” came from somewhere! Read on to find out if it applies to you.<div>
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1. You don’t have enough savings</h2>
<br />The average person with regular employment should have at least three to six months of expenses saved in an emergency fund. Entrepreneurs and freelancers are best off saving quite a bit more than the minimum three to six months. This is not optional, it is imperative for business owners to have this type of savings.<br /><br />I sold my house and moved to a new state at the same time I quit my job. Before I sold the house, I had about six months expenses in liquid savings. When I sold the house, that jumped to more than five years of expenses stashed away in the bank. While I am an extreme example of savings, you should seriously consider having a full year’s worth of <a href="https://due.com/blog/5-steps-fixing-cash-flow-problems/">expenses saved</a> before quitting your job.<br /><br /><h2>
2. You don’t have a viable business (yet)</h2>
<br />When I quit my day job, I had earned $40,000 the year before <a href="https://personalprofitability.com/side-hustle">working on my business as a side hustle</a>. In the months leading up to the big decision, I was bringing in about $5,000 in monthly revenue. I figured if I quit my job and focused on the business full-time, I could dramatically increase that, but I had a comfortable starting point when I went full-time. After all, I had a wife, daughter and dog to support on my income and couldn’t afford to fail.<br /><br />If you don’t have a viable business, or are still working on it, consider delaying leaving the day job. Work on your business as a side hustle until it is ready to support your family. That is the point you should pull the trigger and go full-time. Until then, you may not be quite ready to <a href="https://due.com/blog/quit-your-job/">risk going all-in</a>.<br /><h2>
3. Your side hustle doesn’t come with benefits</h2>
<br />When I had a day job, I worked at large companies, often in the Fortune 500. There are some big benefits that come along with Fortune 500 employment. I had great <a href="https://due.com/blog/creating-a-benefits-package-as-a-freelancer/">medical, dental, vision and life insurance</a> that were heavily subsidized. I had <a href="https://due.com/blog/how-to-compare-full-time-freelance-income-with-full-time-9-5-income/">employer 401(k) matching</a>, a discounted employee stock purchase plan and other benefits that are common with large employers.<br /><br />Now I spend well over $900 per month for health insurance. I still have not figured out how California’s disability insurance system works -- they hung up on me when I called to ask. My retirement savings have been funneled into my insurance. Even earning significantly more on the top line, it doesn’t feel like I’m actually earning more than I used to. Don’t discount the value of benefits!<br /><h2>
4. You have not tested your market</h2>
<br />Have you done any market testing for your new gig? Do you have any committed customers? Have you actually completed a job successfully and earned revenue? If you can’t say yes to all of those, you should consider that it isn’t quite time to quit your day job yet.<br /><br />Market research is vital to succeed in your business. In his Wall Street Journal bestseller <a href="http://amzn.to/2ktq7O3">Will it Fly</a>, online income rockstar Pat Flynn goes into the detail behind <a href="https://due.com/blog/6-tips-increase-business-conversions/">product and marketing testing</a> before you spend the time, money and effort on a new project. Make sure your new project is set to fly before you quit your job.<br /><h2>
5. Your job provides a steady income stream</h2>
<br />When you have a full-time job, you don’t have to worry about where your next paycheck is coming from. You don’t have to wonder if you can pay the bills next month. For the self-employed, these are constant questions. Particularly for new business owners, there is a lot of uncertainty.<br /><br />A steady paycheck has more value than just the dollars that come into your bank account every payday. Your day job is a <a href="https://due.com/blog/5-things-to-think-about-before-quitting-your-job-to-be-a-freelancer/">reliable way to support yourself and your family</a>. Are you sure you want to walk away from that?<br /><br />The world of self-employment appears glamorous, free and wonderful from the outside. <a href="https://due.com/blog/headed-as-a-freelancer/">In many ways</a> it is. But before you jump into freelancing or self-employment with both feet, it is a good idea to dip your toe in the water and test things out. Once you have your finances, savings and business plan ready, then you can dive in with gusto and enjoy the excitement and challenges that come with running your own business and working as your own boss.</div>
foenix sologashvilihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15751162985010750879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7643351757771776641.post-85822950813421244472017-04-06T05:08:00.000-07:002017-04-12T05:11:31.853-07:00The Simple Secrets of Business Growth People Forget<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last month, my business hurdled across the thirteen-year mark. Business is fantastic. <a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/76418">Revenue</a> and <a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/236482">profit</a> are at record levels. Lately, other people have begun noticing my prosperous little business and started asking questions. <br />
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"What is <a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/230606">your secret</a>?" They ask. "How have you built your business from nothing to something? "<br />
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These questions made think about the fundamental principles I used to build my business. Here are the six I came up with.<br />
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1. Listen to your customers.</h2>
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It’s not what you want to sell; it’s what your customers want to buy. The best ideas (if you are listening carefully) come from your best customers. I have a leadership development program that I conduct for my clients across the country. One day, I got a call from a training director.<br />
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He said, “This may sound crazy, but would you be willing to license your program to us so we can conduct it on our own?”<br />
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Fast forward to eighteen months later, and I have two large clients on multi-year licensing agreements for my products, and I have several more we are talking to now. Translation: generate additional revenue without having to be present. I don’t know if I ever would have thought of this on my own.<br />
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2. Do your homework.</h2>
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When I work with a client, I do my homework in advance on their industry, company, issues and challenges. In the internet age, information is available at your fingertips. During a recent training session in Charlotte, a participant complimented me on my knowledge of their business. After, they asked me to do an additional 15 days of training for them this fall.<br />
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Preparation is the mark of a professional. Some people still don’t prepare, and this can be one of your distinctions.<br />
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3. Deliver.</h2>
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A few months ago, I flew from Philly to Portland to facilitate full-day training for a client. Every connecting flight was delayed and delayed and delayed. I finally landed at 3:30 a.m., got to the hotel at 4:30 a.m. and fell asleep at 5:30.<br />
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I was back up at 6:30 and started training at 8:00. I did a full-day training session for 40 people on a one-hour nap.<br />
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Did they know it? Nope.<br />
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Perform no matter what. No excuses. No whining. When you deliver despite the challenges and difficulties, it is also a chance reinforce and enhance your reputation.<br />
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4. Control overhead.</h2>
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Sheryl Crow once said, “This ain't no country club: This is L.A.”<br />
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Similarly, a business isn't a social club. I don’t have an expensive office lease or tons of overhead. I run lean. If you can’t be disciplined with expenses and overhead, then maybe you shouldn’t be in business.<br />
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5. Stay sharp.</h2>
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I belong to and participate in three industry groups, and I invest in attending two to three conferences each year. This kind of activity keeps me sharp and in the loop on what is going on in my industry. In the last three years, some of the ideas I have gained at these conferences have had a huge influence on how I operate my business.<br />
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If you go and keep an open mind, a new idea or two will jump start your thinking. The investment in staying sharp can pay off ten fold. It has for me.<br />
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6. Pick a niche. </h2>
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Ok, let’s face it: You can’t be all things all people. Your marketing budget isn’t big enough, and it’s too difficult. I decided a few years ago to specialize in training and speaking about leadership. The response to this approach has been incredible, and I now have dozens of clients on multi-year contracts.<br />
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Most people would rather hire a specialist than a generalist. <br />
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My goal is to become the training and coaching resource for leadership. I am currently developing a website and several products just for that. Pick a niche small enough to own but large enough to be profitable.<br />
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Those are the six biggest lessons I've learned in business so far. I am sure I will learn much more in the next thirteen. It is an exciting place to be, owning a growing and dynamic business. Some nights, I am so fired up, I can’t sleep (in a good way). As Oprah Winfrey once said, “When I think about the future, the future is so bright it burns my eyes.”<br />
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It’s how I feel right now. I hope the same for your future. <br />
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Now make something happen</div>
foenix sologashvilihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15751162985010750879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7643351757771776641.post-4608546189472573632017-03-28T05:05:00.000-07:002017-04-12T05:11:41.713-07:00Keep Your Eyes on the Rapidly Evolving Shipping Industry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We all know that the internet has changed shopping. More brick-and-mortar stores are closing almost as quickly as product review sites are growing, and the entire advertising industry seems to have been left dizzy and confused. There’s also one industry in particular that’s steadily growing in the background that most of us aren’t paying much attention to: shipping.<br />
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Every time you buy a piece of jewelry off Etsy, a home good item off Amazon or order a custom piece of furniture from a small-scale artisan, you’re supporting the shipping industry just as much as you’re supporting those retailers. It’s no wonder that it’s growing and evolving almost as quickly as ecommerce itself.<br />
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If you’re an entrepreneur, the rapidly evolving shipping industry is one you’ll want to keep your eye on whether you’re interested in selling your products online or you want to get skin in the game yourself.<br />
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Fleet tracking technology</h2>
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Possibly the most impactful advances in shipping in the past few decades has been the introduction of <a href="https://www.fleetcommander.com/advantages-of-measuring-driver-and-vehicle-behavior/">highly advanced fleet tracking software</a>. These systems, which entail hardware installed in the computer of trucks and other shipping vehicles that send information back to central headquarters in real time, have been critical in optimizing routes, fuel usage and even employee rest times.<br />
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Fleet tracking software is also critical to the security systems for shipping companies, as it is now standard for them to allow central controllers to cause trucks to slow down or even brake (gradually). This technology can mean the difference between a robbery and an arrest, or an ill driver being saved or suffering a fatal accident.<br />
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<a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/fleet-management-market-expected-reach-143000191.html">Fleet tracking technology is a steadily growing industry</a>, and it’s no wonder: With more delivery trucks, ships and trains going out every day, there’s more vehicles than could ever be tracked manually by a human team. This industry is bracing for yet another explosion of growth in the near future, as drones and self-driving vehicles become closer to reality.<br />
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Better AI</h2>
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As of 2011, more than<a href="http://alaskaairforwarding.com/shipping/global-shipping-trends/"> 60 percent of maritime workers were over the age of 50</a>, and less than 1 percent were under 25. That means that the workforce is aging quickly and we can expect many of those positions to become vacant or replaced by artificial intelligence.<br />
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How soon will self-driving trucks, a la <a href="https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/03/logans-eerie-vision-of-the-future-of-trucking.html">Logan</a>, be on the road? It’s hard to tell. What’s not so hard to tell is that with each new advance in artificial intelligence, there will be less employees needed. While this may seem like a harsh truth, it does mean that more highly skilled workers will be hired to manage what is quickly transforming from a manual labor industry to a technology industry.<br />
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From an entrepreneurial standpoint, it’s important to keep in mind that shipping is moving away from simply managing labor. As an industry, it’s moving quickly toward becoming much more closely aligned with the navigational and automotive technology industries than ever before. If you’re interested in building great new hardware, focus on shipping -- it will continue to be one of the fastest growing industries for decades to come.<br />
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For those looking to break into an industry that isn’t already overflowing with startups (I’m looking at you, messaging apps and luxury food trucks), take a good hard look at shipping. Until humans stop buying things online, the shipping industry will continue to grow at a steady pace. That means that there will be constant competition among those companies that are in the industry, and each will be looking to make their systems more efficient. Companies that offer ways to cut down delivery time, fuel costs and hazards for drivers will see their own growth skyrocket.foenix sologashvilihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15751162985010750879noreply@blogger.com0