Finding a Professional Network After Moving

Moving to a new region can be daunting when building a professional network. Whether starting a new job or business, attending networking events, or simply looking to meet like-minded professionals, building a network in a new place takes time and effort.  

Join Professional Organizations

One of the easiest ways to meet professionals in your industry is by joining professional organizations. These groups offer a variety of benefits, including access to industry events, educational resources, and networking opportunities. Whether you’re a lawyer, engineer, marketer, or entrepreneur, a professional organization likely caters to your needs.

To find professional organizations in your area, research online or ask colleagues in your field for recommendations. Once you’ve identified a few organizations, attend and participate in their events.  

Attend Networking Events

Networking events are another great way to meet professionals in your industry. These events can take many forms, from happy hours and meetups to conferences and workshops. Attending these events can help you expand your network and learn about new opportunities in your field.

To find networking events in your area, check online event calendars, join local business groups on social media, and ask colleagues for recommendations. When attending events, be prepared with business cards and an elevator pitch communicating who you are and what you do.

Volunteer

Volunteering is a great way to meet like-minded professionals while giving back to your community. Whether volunteering at a local charity or serving on a board, you’ll have the opportunity to connect with others who share your interests.

To find volunteer opportunities in your area, check with local non-profit organizations or visit websites like VolunteerMatch.org. When volunteering, let others know about your professional background and interests. You never know what opportunities will arise.

Connect with Alumni

If you attended college or graduate school, contact alumni in your area. University networks often host events and social gatherings, and they can be a valuable resource for job leads and career advice.

To connect with alumni in your area, check with your alma mater’s alum association or search for alum groups on social media. When reaching out to alumni, mention your shared background and interests.  

Utilize Social Media

Social media platforms are powerful tools for building your professional network. These platforms allow you to connect with others in your industry, share your expertise and opinions, and learn about new opportunities.

To maximize the benefits of social media, be sure to create a professional profile highlighting your skills and experience. Connect with others in your industry and participate in online conversations and groups. You can establish yourself as a thought leader by engaging with others online.

Building a professional network after moving takes time and effort, but it’s essential to advancing your career and achieving your goals. By joining professional organizations, attending networking events, volunteering, connecting with alums, and utilizing social media, you can meet new people, learn about new opportunities, and establish yourself as a valuable professional community member. So get out there and start building your network today!

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What Does Leadership Look Like in the Modern Workplace?

The pandemic and subsequent ripple effects are still changing the landscape of the working world. Priorities shifted for American citizens. New perspectives were formed in all areas of employment – from retail employees to physical laborers to knowledge workers. Nowadays, workers are seeking much more than a manager. The old days of micromanaging are looked down upon and seen as oppressive. Workers want a guide and supporter who encourages them to aim high. 

The main focus of a modern leader is to link their team members to goals, successes, and one another. They demonstrate the significance of team members’ accomplishments, how they advance the business’s mission, and why it matters. Additionally, contemporary leaders push their team members to collaborate and accomplish great things by equipping them with the necessary abilities.

A good manager doesn’t hover or try to manage people. Instead, they provide instructions before leaving the scene, confident in their team’s abilities. They supply continual support and encouragement and promote cooperation, shared leadership, and creative thinking. The traits of a successful leader include respect, empathy, transparency, humility, and empowerment.

Empathetic leaders understand and appreciate the needs, difficulties, and feelings of others. Likewise, when managers show compassion, they become more relatable and forge closer bonds with their staff. 

Showing humility goes beyond an absence of bragging. It entails soliciting input instead of forcing change and exercising control. When in a position of power, letting others share credit and giving value to staff accomplishments is a display of humility. Trust is also crucial to successful leadership. Managers must gain the respect of their teams by enabling employees to act independently and make judgments. 

Transparency and trust go hand in hand. As a boss, it is only possible to build trust by being upfront and honest when mistakes occur. A manager who can apologize to subordinates is the most respected person on the team. Work quality soars, and the perception of employee experience rises when leaders take ownership of errors and are transparent and honest with their people. 

Recognition of team members fosters positive morale and employee retention. A happy collective will frequently work above and beyond what is required. Show appreciation and deliver praise often instead of just after an achievement.

The welfare of employees needs to be a principal focus for CEOs and other C-suite executives. Nearly half of workers suffer moderate to severe burnout. Decrease the probability by establishing a people-first culture in which leaders prioritize treating each person as an individual. Understanding what makes each employee thrive, how they like to work, and what help they want means first getting to know them personally on a human level. 

The Most Popular Investing Apps In 2022

Technology has made our lives easier than ever, and that’s especially true when it comes to investing. Today you can find countless investing apps on your phone’s app store, meaning you have practically unlimited investing power all within your pocket. There are a lot of investing apps though, with each one having its own features and often trying to target a specific audience. Here are a few of the most popular investing apps you can try in 2022.

Betterment

One of the best investing apps for people who want a simplified process and guidance is Betterment. This service offers a robo-advice program that will help you manage your assets. When you open an account, you’ll be able to tell Betterment about your goals and risk tolerance. The program will then build a portfolio for you based on this information. Unlike other investing apps, Betterment doesn’t require you to open an account to build a portfolio. Instead, it will let you select one of its prebuilt funds that are focused on different types of investments. There are also plans to launch crypto investments in the near future.

Ameritrade

If you’re a hands-on investor, then the TD Ameritrade app can help you manage your assets. It has an easy-to-use design that makes it easy to find and analyze stocks, options, and exchange-traded funds. It also allows you to keep track of your investments through its integration with smartwatches. The app features price alerts that will notify you whenever the market changes. It also has 24/7 analysis and research, which will allow you to adjust your strategies. With no commissions on trades in stocks and exchange-traded funds, active traders can enjoy a great choice when it comes to managing their investments.

Robinhood

When Robinhood was first released, it was one of the first apps to provide stock trading without commissions or fees. It made it easier for first-time investors to start a stock portfolio. Although other apps have similar features, Robinhood still stands out due to its ability to trade cryptocurrency. Unlike other web-based platforms, Robinhood does not have a minimum account balance and doesn’t charge inactivity fees. Its user-friendly interface is also a major advantage, but it has a few drawbacks. For instance, it doesn’t sync with retirement accounts, and it has limited support.

Wealthfront

One of the main advantages of Wealthfront is that it doesn’t charge a fee to make trades. It also has a $500 minimum deposit, which is great for first-time investors. However, it does charge a fee of 0.25% each year, which is definitely worth it. Another great feature of this app is that it allows people to manage their assets through an automated platform. When you first open your account, Wealthfront will ask you about your goals and then create a diversified portfolio for you. It can also manage your investments for you on your behalf. One of the main advantages of this app is that it can save more than it charges. This is because it uses automated tax-loss harvesting. With Wealthfront, people who want to be more involved in their investing can take advantage of its various features. It’s a great app for anyone who’s looking to simplify their investing process.

Great Books On Investing To Read In 2022

Whether you’re a beginner or someone with years of experience, investing can be difficult. Things are always changing, and it can be easy to make a mistake and watch your valuable money disappear in an instant. If you want to learn more about investing, reading a good book on the subject is one of the tried and true ways of doing so. Some of the world’s most prominent investing experts have written these books as a means of helping people get to their level of investing expertise. Here are a few of the best investing books worth your time in 2022.

A Beginner’s Guide To The Stock Market – Matthew R. Kratter

In his book, Matthew Kratter, a former hedge fund manager and now bestselling author, provides a comprehensive guide to the stock market. He breaks down the various aspects of investing and explains how to make money from it. He also provides step-by-step instructions on how to avoid common mistakes, how to go about purchasing your first stock, and what to do if you want to make passive income using the stock market.

The Money Manual – Tonya Rapley

The Money Manual by Tonya Rapley is an ideal starting point for anyone who’s interested in investing, but not sure where to start. It covers a variety of topics such as budgeting and credit building. Rapley, who is the founder of My Fab Finance, has appeared on various television shows and publications such as Forbes, New York Daily News, and Vogue. In her book you’ll learn all about improving and building credit, handling student loan debt, managing your finances, and so much more.

Think and Grow Rich – Napolean Hill

The bestselling “Think and Grow Rich” by Napolean Hill is a combination of both a financial guide and a motivational one. It features stories from some of the most prominent business figures such as Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Andrew Carnegie. The original version of this book was first published in 1937 and has since sold over 15 million copies. In this updated version, Hill has also included commentary from Arthur R. Pell, a consultant, lecturer, and author.

One Up On Wall Street – Peter Lynch

In his book, Peter Lynch, a renowned investor, provides a comprehensive guide to the stock market. He breaks down the various aspects of investing and explains how to beat the pros. He also provides a step-by-step strategy that’s designed to help investors find the best opportunities in the market. Lynch, who is the vice chairman of the research and management division of Fidelity Investments, is also the co-author of two of the most popular books about investing, “Learn to Earn” and “Beating The Street”.

Common Mistakes Leaders Make

When reading about how to be a great leader, you’ll typically find articles that discuss the things you should do in order to become a high-performing one. What many of these resources tend to forget are the things that leaders should try and avoid doing in their positions. The mistakes you make as a leader are just as important if not more important than the things you do properly. You’d be surprised to see the list of mistakes that are commonly made by leaders every day. Let’s take a look.

Being Unavailable

Leaders need to delegate tasks, yet delegation should not be defined as emotional detachment. Instead, it should involve maintaining a sense of connection and accessibility. This can be done by ensuring that your team understands that you are available and that you want to do what you can to be available. Of course, you can’t expect to respond to every request immediately, and they should understand that as well. Just be sure that you’ve created a means for your team to reach out to you when they truly need you.

Not Developing Talent

Leaders often focus on achieving company goals instead of developing the skills and competencies of their employees. This is not the ideal way to approach the development of talent. Learning is an integral part of any organization’s success, and it’s very important that leaders prioritize it. You become a great leader when you’re able to identify and develop talent in people who do not even realize they have talent. If you want to truly build the business, focus on your team’s growth so they can carry it even further.

Poor Conflict Management

Unresolved conflicts can block the alignment of goals and lead to negative emotions and tensions within the organization. The last thing you want is for your team to push conflicts under the rug and act as if they’re nonexistent. As a leader, it’s your responsibility to address these conflicts. Bring them into the light, help resolve them, and then feast on the product that is a happy and well-motivated team that can bring your business to new heights.

Not Providing Feedback

In order to help employees succeed, leaders need to share feedback with them, even if it’s not always something they want to share with a team member. Many leaders fail to discuss weak points with their team members, which then causes them to never grow and ultimately not build the business. A great leader understands how to give negative feedback and give it in a way that lights a fire underneath the employee. Truly talented people have a craving for learning and would much rather be told how they can become better than be told they’re doing fine when they’re really not.

Great Apps To Help Entrepreneurs

Being an entrepreneur and managing a business is not an easy career. There’s a lot to juggle and keep track of, and it’s important that you’re able to stay on top of it all. One of the benefits of being an entrepreneur in today’s world is how technological advancements have made entrepreneurship much simpler. Applications, in particular, have been extremely useful. They take seconds to download, we can carry loads of them on our mobile phones, and they can do a large variety of things. Here are a few of the best apps that entrepreneurs can utilize today.

Trello

One of the most effective tools that you can use to keep track of all of your projects is Trello, a project management app that’s designed to help you organize and assign tasks and deadlines. It’s based on the Japanese Kanban method, which is a method that involves organizing and managing projects at various stages. Trello is a great app that allows you to organize your tasks and projects using cards and project boards. It’s ideal for small teams and simple tasks, but as your projects get more complex, it might start to feel a bit inadequate.

Headspace

Being an entrepreneur is about more than just managing money and people, and it’s also important that you’re able to maintain healthy mental health. One of the most effective ways to do this is through a meditation app like Headspace. This app is designed to be as flexible as you are. Headspace is a great app that can help you get better sleep and track your workouts. It also allows you to keep track of your meditation sessions. However, if you want to get more sessions, you need to upgrade to the Pro version.

Evernote

One of the most popular apps for note-taking is the app known as Evernote, which allows users to save various types of documents and audio in one place. Evernote can be used to organize these items in their respective categories. One of the most unique features of this app is its library of over 50 templates, which are designed to help you get more work done. It also allows users to add their team members as collaborators, which is very useful if you have a lot of ideas. Unfortunately, its free version only allows you to sync your data across devices.

Buffer

One of the most popular tools for social media marketing that’s used by small business owners and entrepreneurs is the app known as Buffer. This tool is designed to help them schedule and publish content on their various platforms at the right time. Buffer also allows you to see the performance analytics of your posts, as well as craft detailed reports, and even create teams that allow you to manage who has access to what within your account.

Great Books For Entrepreneurs To Read In 2022

While it can be hard to break away from the more traditional paths when it comes to starting a business, it’s also not as if you have to do it alone. Books are a great way to learn from seasoned professionals and get advice on how to run a successful business. If you’re looking for advice, or are unsure of what the next step in your latest business venture should be, check out one of these great books for entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneurial You: Monetize Your Expertise, Create Multiple Income Streams, and Thrive – Dorie Clark

In her book, “Entrepreneurial You,” Dorie Clark talks about the importance of developing multiple income streams in order to protect yourself from unpredictable changes. The pandemic highlighted the fact that life is unpredictable, and having multiple sources of income is also necessary to keep your business running smoothly. She also offers advice on how to build a brand and extend your reach online.

Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business – Gino Wickman

In his book, “Traction,” entrepreneur and author, Gino Wickman, provides a comprehensive overview of the various components of a successful business, including personnel conflict, profitability, and growth. He claims that his system, which was first published in this book in 2012, still works in 2021. Despite the various challenges that business owners and leaders face, he still advises them to get what they want from their company. He believes that many of them don’t take the necessary steps to manage their businesses properly.

Rework – Jason Fried

In his book, “Rework,” Jason Fried talks about the various kinds of people who are stuck in day jobs and are struggling with their current situation. He aims to help them get back on track and improve their productivity by providing a framework for doing so. Unlike other business books, this book doesn’t focus on creating a business plan or getting investors. Instead, it focuses on how to improve your company’s exposure and customer service.

Starting a Business QuickStart Guide – Ken Colwell

In his book, Ken Colwell talks about the importance of creating a business plan and provides practical advice for aspiring entrepreneurs. He also walks readers through the various steps necessary to start a business. The book additionally comes with a variety of tools such as a business tax cheat sheet and a checklist.

The Best Podcasts For Leaders In 2022

As a leader, it’s your responsibility to constantly grow in order to benefit not only the organization or business that you lead but to also benefit your followers. The best leaders understand that it’s their duty to support the people below them and help them be the best possible versions of themselves. But being a leader is difficult, and sometimes we struggle to find the guidance we seek. In this case, a great tool that leaders can use to improve their skills is podcasts. There are dozens of leadership podcasts out there, each one offering guidance and advice, as well as entertaining stories from successful leaders in every industry imaginable. Here are a few of the best leadership podcasts worth your time in 2022.

Dare To Lead

Author and entrepreneur, Brene Brown, uses her book as the foundation for this podcast, which aims to help leaders improve their lives and businesses. She talks to prominent individuals from different backgrounds, and she has a unique perspective on topics such as personal leadership, culture, and innovation. Before you start listening to this podcast, sit down with a hot cup of coffee or tea and prepare your brain to be filled with great new information.

Lead To Win

Through real conversations, Michael Hyatt and his daughter, Megan Miller, are able to help you improve your leadership skills and make better decisions. This weekly program is designed to help you build strong relationships with your team and family. It’s also filled with lessons about goal setting, public speaking, and team culture.

The Radical Candor Podcast

Being an effective leader doesn’t have to involve losing your humanity. According to Kim Scott, she’s committed to helping you develop the skills and knowledge to be an effective leader. She also believes that being both compassionate and honest is very important in order to be effective. In the Radical Candor Podcast, Scott shares her top 10 tips for providing constructive criticism or praise to people as soon as they earn the right to do so. This advice can be applied to any situation, whether it’s leading a team or raising a family.

At The Table with Patrick Lencioni

Patrick Lencioni and his team are known for having real conversations with their listeners, where they’re able to provide actionable advice and insight on how to improve your leadership. This type of conversation doesn’t feel like a podcast, and it’s actually a conversation between a leader and his team.

The Most Successful Entrepreneurs You Can Learn From Today

Aside from making important decisions for their businesses, entrepreneurs also develop new ideas. This is because they are constantly looking for new ways to improve their offerings and services. Starting a business from the ground up can be daunting, and requires hard work, good ideas, and perseverance. A great way to gain inspiration is to learn from some of the greatest entrepreneurs. Read on to learn more about some of the most successful entrepreneurs today and what you can learn from them.

Elon Musk

One of the most common mistakes that entrepreneurs make is assuming that they have to focus on one industry or field in order to become successful. Elon Musk argues that instead, they should explore other areas of interest.

One of the most important factors that set entrepreneurs apart from other businesses is their ability to carry over their skills in a single field. This allows them to create new products and services that are applicable to different industries.

Jeff Bezos

One of the most successful entrepreneurs in the US is Jeff Bezos, who founded Amazon. He believes that businesses have to improve their customer service in order to attract and retain the best possible customers. For the eighth straight year, Amazon has been named the best in customer service across the United States.

Despite the number of companies that ignore their unhappy customers, Amazon has been able to improve its customer service by learning from their experiences. This strategy shows that the company takes great care of its customers and is committed to improving its offerings.

Steve Jobs

Throughout his life, Steve Jobs walked a rocky path. He was able to rise to become one of the most successful individuals in the world due to his ability to put his faith in the temporality of life and the importance of working on the legacies people want to leave behind.

He never hid his principles from anyone. He dedicated himself to creating the best possible products that would become the standard for modern technology. After his brief battle with cancer, he concluded his remarkable life with another valuable lesson – no matter how much money you have, the one thing you can’t buy is more time.

Melanie Perkins

One of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world is Mel Perkins, who founded the online design platform Canva. She has been able to raise a total of $1 billion in funding and has over 10 million users globally.

Due to the cultural differences between Australia and the US, it was hard for Mel to raise funds for her company. However, three years later, she was able to overcome these obstacles and secure a series of fundraising rounds that valued her company at over $82 million.

Smart Ways To Use Your Tax Return This Year

Getting a tax refund is a great time to start planning for the year, but you may also feel the drive to use your refund as a way of treating yourself.

While it’s understandable that you’ll want to buy yourself something nice with all of this extra money, it’s also important to remember that a tax refund is a long-term investment. Over the years, the average taxpayer has received a refund of around $3,000. To help you plan for the future, here are some simple tips on how to spend your tax refund.

Start Investing

One of the most important steps in building wealth is to invest your tax refund. Doing so will allow you to grow and put money into a variety of different financial instruments. For instance, if you receive a tax refund of around $3,000, investing it will allow you to earn an average annual return of 6%.

It’s also important to note that investing your tax refund in each of the next 10 years will allow you to build up a substantial amount of wealth. After 20 years, you’ll have more than $60,000 invested.

Wipe Out Some Debt

Getting carried away by high-interest debt can negatively affect your bottom line. It can also increase your monthly expenses and put a strain on your credit.

One of the best ways to get rid of high-interest debt is to pay off your credit card bill. Doing so can save you thousands of dollars a year in interest.

If the refund doesn’t cover all of your credit card debt, consider using a balance transfer credit card to pay off the remaining balance. If your credit is not good enough, consider a debt consolidation loan.

If you have high-interest debt, start planning on how to pay it off. If your tax situation is the same next year, adjust your current withholding to allow you to use the money to pay down debt.

Build An Emergency Fund

An emergency fund is a type of savings that can be used in the event of a job loss, medical emergency, or sudden financial setback. It should have a minimum of three to six months worth of expenses.

Getting a tax refund can also help you build an emergency fund. One of the best ways to use this money is by opening a high-yield savings account. Some of the online banks that offer this type of account include Capital One, Marcus, and Ally.