The Top Precautions to Take When Renting a Car Abroad

Summary: Following these tips can help you save a significant amount of money and time.

Once you’ve finalized your car hire in Jordan, or whichever country you’re planning on visiting, be sure that you take the following precautions and inspect the car before driving off. These little tips could end up saving you money – and even your life.

Quick Inspection

While you may not want to spend hours looking at every detail of the car, be sure that you check the essentials like: oil and windshield wiper fluid, tire pressure, paint job, stains, and interior damage. If you notice some damage that’s visible, be sure to take a picture and record it so you don’t end up being charged by the rental company for something you didn’t even do.

Fuel Levels

Rental companies are known for charging high rates for refilling the tank. Before you depart, be sure that you have a full tank on your end. Also, be sure to read their policy on what you need to return the car with. Even the slightest showing that the fuel is under what they consider is optimal could end up costing you in extra fees. Don’t let this happen to you.

Check the Glove Compartment

One of the last things you might do is check the glove compartment for a copy of the car registration, but it’s one of the most important things you need to take care of before you leave. If you’re stopped by the local police, chances are you’ll need that registration to avoid any problems. Every business that does car rentals in Jordan will have a registration paper available for you – just confirm it’s in there before you leave.

Bio: If you’re looking for a short term leasing car in Amman Jordan, look no further than the experts at Monte Carlo Rent a Car, LLC. Their low prices and wide selection are what makes them the best in the business.

Opening a Café? Some Extra Costs to Consider

Opening your own café is the ultimate dream come true. It’s a chance to show off your skills in cooking or drink making, to find a way to build a community around your space and to exercise your business acumen. It’s an exciting prospect, but it’s also a lot of work. Aside from the occasional burn, and slow day, there are some extra costs that some of us miss when we’re envisioning that dream.

Inventory Costs

All those white paper cups add up to real dollars when you’re looking at your costs for the year. That’s one area where new business owners tend to get wrong. Ordering too little means you’re out when you may have a customer rush. Ordering too much means you’ll have lots of extra inventory for next year, if you make it that long. You want to avoid those extra costs as much as possible by looking at whatever seasonal sales data is available to you. This is one reason why many people opt for the franchise model. They tend to provide this data to you, so you can base your work on their previous findings.

You can also look closely at the materials used in the coffee cups and lids you buy. Be forewarned that you can cut costs by going with cheaper materials but it’s smarter to get better quality cups in bulk. Customers know a shoddy product when they see one, and that’s not how most people want their businesses to be remembered.

Branding Costs

Ordering paper coffee cups in bulk also saves you money when you’re looking into branding. Those fancy Starbucks cups come at a cost, but the premium is worth it to the company because the benefit from brand recognition. Many frozen yogurt franchises do the same, with bright colors and intricate logos. Look into printing costs for these items. Is it cheaper to print on bags or cups? What about colored spoons and branded merchandise? What about loyalty cards? All of these methods help develop branding and encourage customer loyalty.

Regulations and Fees

The final hidden cost is the cost to do business in your state. Does your state have particular health codes or requirements you must adhere to, outside of the basic ones required to keep your food safe for consumption? If so, you may need additional equipment to comply, or permits to operate. You should also check with your city’s Chamber of Commerce to find out what they recommend, and if they have resources for you to get started.

---

Gelato Products sells coffee cups and lids in bulk, with free ground shipping available throughout the United States.

How Wholesaling Has Helped Strengthen Gelato Businesses

The smooth and creamy gelato is a beloved dessert in Italy but has struggled to maintain a foothold in the U.S. due to the low-quality interpretations that are currently being sold. However, there are successful gelato businesses that have crafted the tastiest recipes, and they’re finding successes beyond the typical brick and mortar store.

Gelato businesses have one thing in common, they want to be successful and create the best gelato. Most independent businesses start out with a brick and mortar store and depending on their success find themselves at a crossroads. Do they want to continue their shop and possibly expand, or add wholesaling to their business plan?

Wholesaling

Businesses wholesale to grow their business and meet the demands of the market. When it comes to running a gelateria, wholesaling can put owners in the position of a middleman for other businesses. This can be a lucrative opportunity for many businesses that are already finding success in their brick and mortar stores. Additionally, gelato suppliers are finding the addition of wholesaling to their arsenal to be a fruitful endeavor thanks to the part of spreading their brand name outside of their reach.

Risks

As with any business decision, there are risks involved. Wholesaling can ultimately result in lower profits if there is a sudden drop in demand, leaving businesses with an abundance of products without an inventory to stock. Going full wholesale is less risky because of the lower overhead. Owning a shop comes with rent, utilities, property taxes, restocking of supplies such as gelato cups and spoons, and other expenses.

Trends Are Based on Market Demand

The success of wholesaling is dependent on the marketing demand. If the trend has been strong, your gelato business could take on a plethora of clients to cater to and bring in a steady income. If you’re planning to wholesale while running a shop, there isn’t much risk involved and really only involves an extra step.

If your business has been slow, wholesaling on the side can net you an extra revenue stream to pick up the slack of your business. It also allows you to advertise your product in multiple locations at once for cross-promotions with the businesses that you’re partnered up with.

The Bottom Line

Wholesaling has the advantage of bringing in an extra stream of income to a shop. Today, many gelato businesses are taking advantage of it to create business connections, earn reinvestment funds, and increase their market share. Selling more products without having to dish out additional funds certainly sounds appealing, doesn’t it? If your passion is driving your ambitious nature, thousands of possibilities will open up before your eyes.
———————————————————————————————-
Gelato Products carries thousands of premium dessert supplies such as: gelato pan liners, gelato cups, and frozen yogurt cups.

Tips for Starting a Frozen Yogurt Business

Starting a business is all about being prepared for certain challenges.

Opening up a frozen yogurt shop of your own can be a challenging but rewarding experience. Before you decide on going through with this plan, it’s important that you acknowledge that there will be both successes and failures. Here are some tips that will get you started.

Develop a Plan

It’s important to develop a plan before you get started on opening up a legitimate shop. Be sure that you take a look at the laws of your state to understand what you can and can’t do when it comes to building codes, regulations, and so forth.

Before you begin your search for a potential site for your shop, take the time to understand the demands and interests of your area. It’s obvious that a cold-weathered area won’t garner as much attention and business as a hotter region. One idea that will help give you an idea of your community is by creating a survey and go door-to-door or hire a research firm to take care of it for you. You’ll receive information regarding gender, income, interests, etc. These values will determine whether your business has a chance to succeed or tank.

Find Suppliers

Next, you’ll want to find competitive frozen yogurt suppliers that are willing to give you solid rates on supplies such as spoons, cups, and even a machine or two. Calculate a budget and factor in everything that you need to get up and running to see how much capital you’re going to have to place into your shop at first.

It isn’t wise to order thousands of frozen yogurt paper cups and utensils before actually committing to a plan that has a chance to succeed. Instead of wasting your precious investment, plan ahead and give yourself all the opportunities to generate a positive return. The more organized that you are, the better your investment will turn out.

Gelato Products is a leading supplier of frozen yogurt spoons, gelato cups, and high-quality supplies.

What Do I Need to Start My Ice Cream Shop?

Written by Gelato Products.

Opening up an ice cream shop can be a dream opportunity for someone looking to have their own small business. In addition to being your own boss, you get to be a part of a business that is guaranteed to make customers happy. Giving people ice cream cones or frozen yogurt cups filled with delicious treats will put a smile on anyone’s face.

But there is plenty of planning that you need to do before you order your freezers, cups and tasting spoons to open your ice cream parlor, frozen yogurt shop or gelateria. Here are a few things that you’ll need to have in place before you open the doors to your new establishment:

The Right Permits: Along with getting your business license, you’ll need to read up on all of the local requirements for health and food safety. Places such as ice cream shops are highly regulated because of the potential of an outbreak of something like listeria to cause many people to get sick. Because of this, you’ll want to know if there are special requirements for ice cream parlors and what you need to do to meet them.

The Right Equipment: The equipment that you’ll need to launch your shop can vary greatly depending on the type of product that you are serving. If you are serving frozen yogurt, you’ll need soft serve machines, counters with spaces for toppings and a scale connected to your register so you can charge by the ounce. However, at a gelateria, you’ll need to worry about ice cream dipping cabinets, freezers and other items for cold storage.

High Quality Equipment: Along with knowing what type of equipment you need in order to open your shop, you also need to pay attention to the quality of your equipment and supplies. The quality of your final product can be greatly influenced by the quality of the equipment used to make, store or showcase it. In addition, having high quality ice cream shop supplies such as tasting spoons, cups and napkin dispensers will go a long way in giving your customers the impression that they are eating at a top quality shop. First impressions matter, so you want to make sure every customer feels like they are having a high-end experience at your shop.

A Knowledge of Your Customers: Before you open your shop, you need a clear understanding of who your customers will be. Are you looking to sell products to parents coming in with their children? If this is the case, traditional ice cream and frozen yogurt are great ideas. However, if you are looking for a more upscale clientele, you may want to consider selling a higher end product such as gelato.

———————————————————————————————

Gelato Products offers a wide range of equipment and products for gelaterias, ice cream parlors and frozen yogurt shops. Their products are high quality items at affordable prices that are within the budget of any shop.

Ways to Make You Yogurt Store Stand Out From the Crowd

Written by Gelato Products.

Opening your own frozen yogurt shop can be a profitable and enjoyable venture. Not only are you providing tasty and healthy treats to people but you are also entering into one of the true growth industries in the food and beverage world. According to research from IBISWorld, the frozen yogurt market showed an annual growth of 20 percent from 2010 to 2015 and should continue to grow through 2020. People are buying frozen yogurt because it is delicious and provides an healthy, low-fat alternative to ice cream.

However, the popularity of frozen yogurt shops means that there is more competition than ever before. You need to do more than just have tasty yogurt to ensure that your shop is a success. Here are a few ways that you can have your frozen yogurt shop stand out from the crowd:

Personalize Your Products: You need to make sure that your branding extends even after your customers leave your business. One way to do this is to make sure that your frozen yogurt cups, drinks and other products have your name brand and logo on them. When your customers take your products outside of your store, other people will see them enjoying them and want to know where they got it from.

Offer More Than Just Yogurt: People might come to your store for frozen yogurt but that doesn’t mean they won’t also buy other items while they are there. You can buy paper coffee cups and offer coffee to your customers. Or perhaps they might like healthy snacks like granola bars. The possibilities are endless.

Use High End Products: It can be tempting to skimp on the utensils and other disposable items that you’ll need to run the daily operations of your frozen yogurt shop. However, there is a downside to only buying the lowest-quality items. Customers can tell when you are using cut-rate bowls, spoons and white paper cups and it reflects negatively on your shop. You want patrons to associate your products with quality so make sure that every aspect of your operations reflects this.

Embrace New Technology: One way that you can make your frozen yogurt shop seem fresh and exciting is to use new technology. You can allow people to place orders online to be picked up immediately, for example. Or you can install state-of-the-art machines that automatically dispense just the right amount of yogurt.

————————————————————————————–

Gelato Products is a provider of high-quality supplies to shops selling frozen goods such as gelato, yogurt and ice cream. They offer low prices and can do customization on supplies.

Sanitation Rules for a Frozen Yogurt Shop

Written by: Gelato Products

Summary: Make sure you follow these rules to properly sanitize your ice cream shop.

If you run a frozen yogurt shop, proper sanitation in accordance with the law is a must. Failure to comply with the standards set forth by the health department could lead to closures, which translates to a loss of business. The health department has specific rules for your state and your profession that you should be mindful of, but mastery of these basics will get you most of the way to where you want to be.

Wash Hands

Rule number one should be clean hands at all times. Employees should be encouraged to wear gloves while they work, especially if they are handling the customer’s food directly. Signs should be posted in the bathrooms directing people to wash their hands after using the facilities. Another element to keep an eye out for is hair nets. Employees with facial hair will need hair nets, the same as those who choose not to wear hats and are not bald.

You might also consider having hand sanitizer for guests too. Have guests use the sanitizer before handling a cup or cone, or before using plastic yogurt spoons for the first time to avoid food borne illness.

Avoid Cross Contamination

Cross contamination occurs when you have mixed more than one food together. When you’re serving froyo, cross contamination can get people sick. Make sure you’re not using ice cream spoons on toppings, and that each topping is in its own space. Fruits are especially susceptible because they are fresh and may need to be kept cold. Make sure you’re always rotating perishable items too, and that you dispose of everything when the date is up.

Use Different Spoons

Make sure that you are not using the same spoon to serve different substances. Not only do you cross flavors when you use gelato spoons on ice cream or froyo, it changes the consistency of the mixture. Gelato is very light and creamy, adding too much frozen yogurt or ice cream to the mix will change the texture in the customer’s mouth. Different spoons also help cut down on cross contamination, so be sure your customers aren’t using the same spoon

Final Thoughts

Once you’ve done all you can to prevent the obvious sources of contamination, it’s time to consult your state’s specific rules on healthy and safety. Remember to mind freezer temperature, case temperature and internal temperature to avoid the spread of bacteria.

Destination: Frozen Yogurt Party!

Written by: Gelato Products

Spring will be upon us before you know it, and there is no better way to celebrate the season than with some delicious gelato to cool you off as the temperatures rise. You’ll need to start by cataloguing what frozen yogurt supplies you need, how you will keep everything cool throughout the day, and then scouting a location. Here are some tips to get started.

Supplies

No kids party is complete without some themed decorations. Start at your local party stores, or browse online looking for table cloths and cups for your child’s favorite heroes and characters. Next, order colored plastic spoons that match the theme you’ve built. Don’t forget the details either! Pan liners for the gelato or frozen yogurt will keep everything tidy, and you’ll need separate containers for the toppings (preferably with covers to keep away the creepy crawlies).

Aside from plastic yogurt spoons, you’ll want some paper cups that are easy to recycle. Biodegradable cups are only a slight bump in price, and the cost is worth it to teach kids about recycling. If you want to avoid leftovers, opt for lids to make a to-go container.

Preparation

The number one priority you have in preparation for a frozen yogurt party is keeping the yogurt cool enough to serve. Yogurt can melt very quickly if the temperature gets too hot, so it’s best to choose  a mild day to host your gathering. You will most likely need several ice chests, and it may be a good idea to do any fresh fruit cutting on-site so you can keep everything delicious without getting soggy.

The next priority is coverage. The outdoors are full of bugs and they get everywhere there is food if you let them. Your local sporting goods store or even supermarket will carry small netted tents you can use over fresh items. Pan liners tend to come with plastic covers, or you can just use the containers themselves. Pan liners tend to look professional, and they last too. If you like the experience, you can use them in a part time catering business.

Location Scouting

Many municipal parks have picnic sites, but those sites tend to be first-come-first-serve. If you can, have someone appear early in the day to do some set up work and stake out a good site. Another idea is to travel to a more secluded park, but that may require a short drive to get there. Coordinate with parents to see who is willing to drive, and arrange for a carpool to make things easier.

Related Story: I Scream For Ice Cream Cups

Related Story: The Importance of Gelato Supplies

Caribbean Vacation Homes for Sale in the Cayman Islands

Summary: Learn how to perform due diligence on properties in the Cayman Islands.

Making the decision to purchase a home in Grand Cayman is not something you do spontaneously. You should research how to make a great investment. A property in the Cayman Islands will always be nice, but if you have long-term plans for it then it pays to do some due diligence on your options for the area.

Secure an Agent

The first step in buying Caribbean vacation homes for sale in the Cayman Islands is to secure yourself a real estate agent. It’s best to find someone knowledgeable in the area, especially if you plan to invest. Sales figures are up this year, but an experienced agent will be able to tell you where new developments are occurring, so you can find the hot spots to buy into and gain value on your property.

Find a Great Location

New ultra-luxurious developments are occurring on Seven Mile Beach, one of the best beaches in the world. This stretch has easy beach is never crowded and one can always find a quiet and tranquil spot to relax. Your agent will be able to show you where the newest properties are built, and provide sales figures from comparables in the area.

Invest Well

You have to think about what you ultimately want out of your investment to determine the type of Cayman Island real estate that will be best for you. Many of the developments on Seven Mile beach have short-term rental pools, managed by on-site management. Some of the newer, ultra-luxurious properties may have restrictions on rental terms, so thinking about how much time you want to spend enjoying your vacation condo may help determine your choice. Larger residential properties situated on a canal with dock and boating access to the sea provide a different type of allure, but a property management services are readily available.

Source: James Bovell writes on behalf of Cayman Island Real Estate brokerage firm DreamFinders. Find properties in Grand Cayman and start living the dream today.

 

Related Story: Properties are the Best Investment Opportunity

Related Story: Global Tech Giants Coming to Cayman for Conference

How to Travel with Your Soccer Shoes

By Soccer Garage

One of the best parts about soccer is it’s truly an international sport. People all over the world love the sport. All one has to do is look at the World Cup for proof of that. This also means that players of all age and experience levels have the opportunity to travel throughout the globe in order to pursue their passion. However, doing so can often make players nervous as it means they have to take their precious shoes with.

Adidas soccer shoes are some of the most coveted in the world, which is why so many players swear by them. That’s just one example though. For every pair of Adidas F50, there are a number of others that cost said player good money to buy. When you take them on a plane, though, you’re putting them at risk of getting stolen.

The first way around this problem is to simply put them in your carryon luggage. If that’s not an option, put them in a suitcase and then lock it shut so now one can get in to take your shoes. If you don’t have a lock, then put them in bag that will mask what’s inside.

______________________________________________________________________

No matter what kind of equipment or supplies you need to enjoy the game, head to Soccer Garage today. The company carries the very best Adidas soccer cleats plus any and all jerseys you want to wear on the pitch to look your best and play like a pro

Next Page »