World's First OLED Christmas Tree by GE

Although it may be kind of late to post this article, aren’t you a bit curious to how this tree looks? Well, specifically saying, it’s no wonder GE will be the one to introduce this idea to the world, knowing their own Nick Holonyak Jr. was the  one who invented LED. And after it was introduced to the market, it took off and became the most popular and energy-efficient lighting. It was used in a wide variety of applications such as in TVs, traffic lights, led displays and lighting bulbs. And now, GE also found a way to use it on Christmas tree.

The OLED Christmas tree was unveiled last December 2008 in Niskayuna, NY as "a 6-inch-by-15-ft OLED system all rolled-up into the form of a tree" as a glimpse to everyone on how LED can change and improve the lighting industry.             

“We haven’t quite achieved Rockefeller or National Christmas tree lighting status yet, but we’re well on our way,” said Anil Duggal, the one who led the GE OLED program. “We hope GE’s OLED tree lighting will inspire and capture people’s imagination during the holidays on the limitless possibilities of this next generation lighting concept.”




John Strainic, the global product general manager of GE Consumer & Industry, on the other hand, said that the OLED Christmas was for customers to recognize that "while the demonstration was more for holiday spirit and team camaraderie, it does reinforce how far OLED technology has come and how it is poised to revolutionize lighting and interior design.”

Organic light-emitting diodes are a type of LED in which it’s emissive electroluminescent is made of a film of organic compound that emits the light in response to the electric current. But what makes it eco-friendly? Well, OLED are specifically designed to consume less energy when used thus giving its user a lower running cost but provide better power efficiency.

LED has always been introduced in the market as an alternative lighting source that is more environment-friendly and helps consumers save energy and money at the same time.

Unique and Beautiful Outdoor Lightings to Make Your Garden Enchanting

The season of spring has arrived and once the winter’s chill is completely gone, the weather will change and the plants and flowers will bloom again. Known long ago as the "springing time", the term “spring” was a reference to plants “springing” from the ground during this time of the year. So put away all the gloomy winter moods and shove that remaining snow from your backyard and start planting on your garden again. Who wouldn’t want to have a dull garden by May when everything’s all blossoming and colorful?

So if I were you, then you better start gardening by now. And to help you give a more luster to your garden once your plants and tree (if you have one) are all growing and coming back to life, then add some of these unique and eye-catching outdoor lightings to your garden and watch as it transforms your garden into an enchanting place at night. That you might even be tempted to camp there overnight!

White LED Solar String Lights

 

Yes, it’s not Christmas and definitely, these lightings doesn’t look any similar to Christmas lights! Instead, they are smaller and recreates how fireflies lit up at night hiding in the bushes. Usually, there are three different modes for this lighting including steady, flashing and changing. Plus, these LED light decorations are waterproof so there is no need for you to take them off your bushes if the rain suddenly pours in the middle of the month.

Solar Hanging Planter Light with 5 Bright White LEDs

 

These unique solar hanging planter light are designed to light up your hanging plants at night. It also has automatic photo-cell dusk to dawn operation. Plus, it does not attract insects and a huge energy saving lighting.

Hummingbird Solar Color Changing Garden Stake

 

If you want a more eye-catching decoration, then the hummingbird solar color changing garden stake is something you might want to check out. The garden stake will begin to glow as darkness falls, and continue to provide a calming light show into the night with automatic photocell control.

Want a Healthy Lifestyle? Then Go Green with Your Family

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Let's admit it; we all want a healthy lifestyle for ourselves and for our loved ones. But having a healthy one takes effort and one of them is changing your every day choices. Going green or implementing the green lifestyle is one example. Although you may see it as something challenging, going for the alternative isn't as bad as you imagine it to be. You and your family may even benefit from it in the long run.

Take note of these following tips and see what you can apply in your current lifestyle for you and your family's betterment:

• Choose organic

As reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 42% of Americans will be obese by the year 2030. And what's the cause of this? It's because people are habituated into fast foods these days. Why don't you try serving a healthier menu for today's lunch and while being at it, why don't you try visiting the local organic market near you.

• Recycle

Recycling is one of most basic steps you can do in helping contribute in energy conservation and sustainability. Don't have time in recycling materials? Then make sure that the next you hit the market, opt to buy those recycled papers or tissues for your home.

• Save Electricity

Changing from incandescent bulbs to more energy-efficient light bulbs such as LED bulbs or compact fluorescent lamps which can let you save money and cut your electricity costs around $200 for every incandescent bulb replaced. Also set the computers to go to sleep automatically after 30 minutes of inactivity and turn them off if you're not using them. Want to decorate the garden with some lighting then choose LED displays instead as well.

• Introduce Your Kids and Family to Environmental Activities

Every month, different organizations and groups hold events and celebration for different environmental events. Checkout the latest events that will happen near your home and mark the calendars.

Choosing a greener path to walk on is as rewarding more than you can imagine. Why don't you try it now?

Creating the Right Brand Image for Your Business

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In order for your business to grow, it would definitely take more than just a spruced up LED sign and an attention grabbing open sign that would grab people’s attention. You would need to make sure that your business is memorable, and the right image for your brand is essential in this respect.

• Here are some points on how making your business get the right image:

Go for uniqueness in your brand’s feel and look. Make sure it stands out.
Look for factors that make your business stand out. Let these reflect on all materials related to your business – from the walls of your shop to the colors of your open sign. If your marketing material represents things that are run-of-the-mill and cannot be distinguished from other businesses, how can customers recognize your business? Thus, your brand should reflect what is different about your company, what things differentiates it from the competition. Make sure that when they see your open sign, just by the feel and look of it, they will be reminded of your business and nothing else.

• Although your brand is unique, it should be driven to your clients (past and present) minds tirelessly.

Yes, you may have already found that holy grail that makes your brand memorable and impossible to take out from the minds of your customers, but you still need to remind them of your business at regular intervals. This may be done through flyers, mailers, and email. Don’t forget to do these things, especially if your store has special events. Your business may have acquired cult following, but that doesn’t mean your customers think about you 24/7. They still have to be reminded about you time and again. Being successful this will indeed enable you to stick in the minds of your clients in the years to come.

• Be consistent in everything, from the logos, tagline, fonts, colors, and tone of copy.

Consistency is the key to everything, including success in building an image for your business. Don’t let your logo be predominantly red and your shop’s walls green and your LED sign blue. That will only confuse your customers. Remember, we are aiming here for a brand image that will stick in the minds and heart of people and enable you to build a wider client base. Being forgettable because you present different images of yourself or materials that are inconsistent in tone or message will only get you nowhere in building an image for your business.

Getting the Name of Your Business Right

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Being an entrepreneur is one of the best decisions you can consider. Not only will you get a career on your own terms and really pursue your passions, you also have the chance to give other people jobs and income opportunities. But with this decision to have your own business comes smaller matters that you have to think about – what’s the name of your business is one of them. So, before you get your open sign installed and your shop space renovated, here are some pieces of advice on how to get your name for your business correct:

The name should fit the business' daily operations, present a clear message and appealing to its customers.

Don’t go with a name that sounds too intellectual or ambiguous. It should reflect on what your business is all about even in just one mention. Avoid adapting a name that when you say it, would make the other person say, “What was that?” The business name should reflect your operations in one go and does not confuse anyone who says it. Speaking of confusion, you should stay away from names or words that have double meanings. You might confuse your customers and strangers who get wind of your name. For example, if you decide on putting “Hair Raisers” on your LED sign as your business name, your beauty salon business might be mistaken for a video store that only has horror movies or a shop of wigs.

Decide whether the name should reflect the business literally (e.g. Anne's Baked Goods) or if you can benefit from a more sophisticated name.

This factor really depends on what your business will be. There are some businesses that by nature, cater only to a certain class. Therefore, you should look into names that this market segment would appreciate. A name that has a certain level of sophistication would be to your business’ advantage, Otherwise, if your business has a mass market, then stay away from foreign-sounding titles. You might alienate people who will find your name hard to pronounce, or worse, incomprehensible.

After making a shortlist, allow a day or two before deciding on the final name. Don’t rush into deciding this integral component of your business.

Let the final ideas sink in and marinate first before switching on your open sign and typing them into your LED sign. Let others have a listen to your final name and check out what they think of it.

Getting the Word Right for Your Business

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Having an open sign is a great way to announce to the whole world that you are ready to have customers for your business. But then, how will they know in the first place that you have a business if you don’t get the word out. Telling friends and family is a solid step, but then, unless you have an overly extended family of hundreds or you live in a small town where everybody knows each other, you wouldn’t really get that many customers. This is where advertising kicks in. With the right advertising media and practices, you would be able to widen your possible clientèle for your business.

But before switching on that electronic open sign, let us give you some tips on how you can avoid wrong ways of advertising your business. Remember that advertising gone wrong can cost you a lot of money, effort, and time.

• Wrong: Great production ads without good copy.

Copy is still king, no matter how visual human beings appear to be. You can have an ad in which there is an image so captivating that it holds the attention of the viewer, but at the same time, you cannot rest on it alone. How will the viewer understand the image and how it should push your business forward if there isn’t any text accompanying the picture? The image of an ad is important, as consumers are primarily visual in nature and therefore, should be the first thing that would capture the audience’s attention. Once their attention is tethered, then they need reinforcements for you to pull them in – that’s what text is for. Once the image holds their interests, it’s time for great text to kick in and convince them even more.

• Wrong: Confusing results and response.

People might like your ad, but do they go out of their way to buy your product because of the ad? You need to learn to differentiate the two. An old adage goes, “Bad publicity is still publicity.” However, a bad ad does not really benefit a business. A bad ad may trigger a response from the audience, but would that response be to the benefit of what you’re advertising, which is your business?

• Wrong: Letting ads look and sound like ads.

People these days are more sophisticated to be fooled by fads. In this day and age where advertising comes in many forms, you need to take advantage of that to go as creative as possible. Your audience is likely very jaded already, and ads that hammer concepts and has an air of promoting products “in your face” will not work anymore.

Avoid These Small Business Owner Mistakes

These events are common among business owners. But that does not mean they are unavoidable. With enough strategy and skill, business owners could actually avoid them so you won’t have to pack your open sign after only getting it for a few months.

Image Credit: www.marketingprofs.com

Listed below are mistakes small business owners make that could ruin their ventures.

The first of the three mistakes you see small business owners make is their underestimation of their funding requirements. Without proper initial funding, businesses usually resort to borrowing money until they drown on piles upon piles of debt. The right amount of funds and where they can be sourced should be among the first factors small business owners should look into even before they embark on their business. Otherwise, they would not have the impetus to continue their business, and they eventually fold.

There are various sources of funding for small businesses, and they should look into these options as a priority. The eventual selection of the method they use depends on several factors, including how comfortable they are about debt, how solvent the owners are, and of course, the amount they need to start the business ‘rolling.’ Small business owners should account all of these, even including the cost of your open and LED sign so that they can accurately estimate how much funds they need to establish their venture. But this is an important point: these business owners need to be wise in the selection. They need to pick the right funding method that would be easy for them to repay once they’ve earned sufficient, not bury them in debt.

Another of these mistakes is not having the foresight to address future developments. Future financial planning is not only restricted to future financial emergencies the business may encounter. The overall economy may experience a downturn, increased competition may happen, and investors may pull out, which can drain funding for the business. In connection to the earlier point, the small business owner should anticipate funding for these events so that even when they happen, the business will not be entirely affected.

The last of these mistakes is not letting the business have its own credit rating. This may be caused by the business owner using his or her own personal funds to bankroll the operation. Other business owners see the instruments that build a credit rating such as loans and credit lines as risky, so they do not bother with them and instead prefer to get funding by cash or investors. However, it is inevitable in business to eventually get a loan. Without a credit rating, lenders would not be able to decide on whether a business is worthy of extending credit to. Building a credit rating should not be too risky as long as the business owner knows how to select a lender that extends manageable risk.