Andis Styling Brush

One WINNER will win a Andis Styling Brush

Hosted by: Night Helper

Open to: USA only 18yrs. +

Start date: 02/02~ 02/09 11:59pm

The winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to reply

Disclosure: We reserve the right to make revisions, to cancel, or suspend this contest for any reason. We are not associated with any of the companies named above. The odds of winning are based on the number of entries received Open to the US 18+ only. Confirmed Winner(s) (by Random.org) will be contacted by email. Winner(s) have 24 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. The sponsor(s) will be responsible for product shipment to winner(s) of this giveaway. Night Helper Blog (and any other blog participating) is not responsible for product shipment/delivery. This event is in no way administered, sponsored, or endorsed by, or associated with, Facebook and/or Twitter, Google, Pinterest. This disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements. Entrants must only enter with either one email address, IP address and/or Facebook account, anyone found violating these rules will be disqualified. It is at the sole discretion of the admin of the giveaway if the winner has met the rules or not.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Enchantails Slumber Bag Set

One WINNER will win a Enchantails Slumber Bag Set.

Company will select.

Hosted by: Night Helper

Open to: USA only 18yrs. +

Start date: 02/07~ 02/014 11:59pm

The winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to reply

Disclosure: We reserve the right to make revisions, to cancel, or suspend this contest for any reason. We are not associated with any of the companies named above. The odds of winning are based on the number of entries received Open to the US 18+ only. Confirmed Winner(s) (by Random.org) will be contacted by email. Winner(s) have 24 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. The sponsor(s) will be responsible for product shipment to winner(s) of this giveaway. Night Helper Blog (and any other blog participating) is not responsible for product shipment/delivery. This event is in no way administered, sponsored, or endorsed by, or associated with, Facebook and/or Twitter, Google, Pinterest. This disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements. Entrants must only enter with either one email address, IP address and/or Facebook account, anyone found violating these rules will be disqualified. It is at the sole discretion of the admin of the giveaway if the winner has met the rules or not. : a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bourbon Balls

Make this special treat for your significant other this Valentine's Day!  Chocolate and bourbon always have a special place in my heart! 

Ingredients:

·         9 oz. 60% dark chocolate chips

·         1/4 cup heavy whipping cream (or coconut milk for dairy free)

·         2 tbsp bourbon

For Caramel Swirl:

·         1/2 cup sugar

• 1/8 cup water
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tbsp butter

For Coating:

·         Cacao powder

·         Sprinkles

Instructions:

1. Combine sugar and water for caramel in small saucepan on med. Heat for 10 min (1/4 cup sugar + 1/8 cup water)
2. Add 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
3. Simmer 2 min, then add butter and remove caramel from heat
4. Chop chocolate into small bits
5. In a small saucepan heat 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream to simmer, remove from heat, pour over chopped chocolate in heat safe bowl
6. Stir until smooth
7. You may use the microwave in 15 second increments for additional melting help if necessary
8. Let cool for 2 min and pour in bourbon, mix
9. Swirl in about 2/3 of the caramel, marble style.
10. Cover and place in fridge to chill for 1 hr
11. Scoop out chocolate using a melon baller, roll gently between hands until round
12. Coat in cacao or sprinkles by rolling ball on plate

Recipe courtesy of Brynn HouskaBreaking Bread XO

Thanks to David Nicholson Reserve for providing the bourbon to make this special treat! 

Customer Sucess

Do you own a business?  No matter what type of business you own you need customers or clients to be successful.  Let's take the case of subscription boxes .  Examples of subscription boxes are Ipsy (beauty,), Blue Apron(meals), and Bark Box(this one is for your dogs).  What do you do make sure your potential customer not only sees your product, but they buy it?

The first thing you do is marketing and lots of it. If you have an online business(such as the subscription boxes), you advertise on the website and social media!  If you have a brick and mortar store-front,you advertise there, your local newspaper,flyers, and word of mouth.   You want those customers in your store making purchases.   Right?

Now that you have that customer,you want them to keep buying from you,week after week or month after month.  This is called customer retention. A repeat customer spends 67% more than a new one.  So,you need to do things to not only GET customers in your store front, but retain them, too.  You need some type of help to do this.  You may need product usage analytics.   Most companies whether online or brick and mortar have a computer and software. To measure  customer success  companies offer a guided tour software.

I have always said, "Time is money".  The more time it takes to get and retain a customer costs you money.  On the flip side, they longer a customer stays in your store, the more money they spend.  Getting that customer to your store costs you money.  In today's business world, you need software application that will give you all the information you need to track your products, your customers, your sales,  and much more.  This gives you the upper hand over your competitors to get and retain that customer.

Whatever your business may be,your bottom line is PROFIT.  You did not start a business yo break even or lose everything you put into it.  You want a profit and you want to keep having a profit month after month and year after year. Being able to understand you customer is key to that.  The subscription boxes I mentioned before are very successful.  I know they use some type of software to measure their analytics of their customer base.   Ipsy will not send out the same beauty products month after month.  However, they do offer a discount if you choose to buy a  particular product from that box.  That is how you upsell to a customer.  They made you a customer by offering you a subscription box at an affordable price, they retain you by putting great products in that subscription box each month, and they convert those $10 month boxes by selling you the full size products from the sample sized  that were contained in your monthly subscription box. That is a customer success story.

Luxe Travel, Minimal Budget: Can It Be Done?

 

Image source

The travel industry likes to suggest in their adverts and marketing that you can get all the benefits of a high-end luxury trip without paying full price for it. However, before you book your next break you need to ask the question, can luxury travel really be done on a minimal budget? Read on to find out more.

Yes - accommodation bookings

One way that you can indeed minimize the cost of your luxury vacation is to play the booking system. This can be done in a number of ways.

The first is to be aware of timings and how this affects prices. For example, booking very early (over 1 year in advance) often comes with huge discounts as travel agents are keen to get the first wave of rooms sold. Similarly, leaving your booking until just before you go can also mean you can save a considerable amount on the price. It also gives you the chance to save up money to pay the vacation off in full as well.

In addition, some providers market themselves as luxe but charge a lower rate, consult these for the 5-star treatment at a 3-star price. Something that you can further enhance the savings on if you don't mind not knowing where you will be staying until you arrive. 

 

Good discounts can often be found on luxe hotels.

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No - prices don't fall below a certain amount

The thing is though, that luxe vacations no matter when you book them are very unlikely to fall under a certain limit. This is because providers know what they are worth and what their profit margins are. This means they won't discount so heavily that the will lose money.

They also know that there will nearly always be someone to fill that space, even if they do leave it until the last minute. Something that can also stop the prices falling super low too.

Yes - plane tickets

Air travel is a major and often the most costly part of a vacation, and many people choose to book this separately to their accommodation. Luckily, if you know the system, this is also an area that you can save large amounts on.

Firstly, make sure that you know when the airline that you want to travel with releases their tickets during the year. Plane tickets are often priced on a demand basis, so when they are first released, and there are lots the price is a lot lower.

Also, don't discount chartering a private jet for shorter journeys, as surprisingly they don't always cost as much as you'd think. Something that you can find more info about by clicking the link. Just remember to ask for the 75% discount on empty leg seats. Otherwise, the cost may seem totally out of your price range!

No - living costs will be the same

It is also worth bearing in mind, however, that luxe destinations are full of high-end restaurants, coffee shops, and stores. Something that means the cost of living when you get there will still be high. With that in mind, it can still be pricey to vacation in that area even if you do get discounts on flights and accommodation.

In conclusion, you can certainly travel for less than full price on a luxe vacation. However, you will still end up paying a significant amount, so you just need to work out whether it's worth it for the high-end experience.