4 Benefits of a Military Friendly MBA Program

Combat training is not all that the military have to offer. This is the core of their existence but they do more than this. This has been the experience judging from how many veterans have ended up doing amazingly well in the world of business.

Just so you know, a good number of top corporations across various industries have veterans as the brain behind them. Some of these corporations include Walmart, RE/MAX, FedEx, Sperry Shoes, WeWork, and GoDaddy.

These are just a few examples of corporations founded by Military Veterans as there are several others (known and unknown). This proves that what these people learn in the military is beyond combat training.

They will be able to do more if they are exposed to the right training. This is why they are strongly advised to undertake a military-friendly MBA program. This improves their chances of doing better in and outside the military.

We will shed more light on the benefits of undertaking such educational programs here. We advise you to follow through to the end and pay rapt attention as they do so.

What Is an MBA?

MBA is an acronym that stands for Masters in Business Administration. It is a degree program for graduates and is chiefly focused on investment management and business administration.

It does this by offering major courses in areas such as applied statistics, accounting, human resources, business ethics, strategic management, business law, and several other courses. One of the tips for choosing the right program is to analyze how the core courses offered can benefit you.

You might as well know that MBA is not designed exclusively for military persons. It is for everyone eligible, having undergone prior educational training that puts them in a good position to run the program.

However, some institutions run these programs and offer more, especially for military personnel. This is because they understand the peculiarities that come with equipping such students.

Time flexibility, especially for people still in active service within or outside the country is an example of what such institutions offer. This is one of the considerations that these schools should have for such students.

Benefits of MBA Programs for Military Persons

Some of these benefits include the following:

An All-Encompassing Program

The practicality of the program is something that should be considered. You should ask yourself the question of how it would benefit you in the long run.

On that note, you should understand that bagging the MBA honors will help regardless of your area in or outside the military. It covers a wide range of topics and some of them will prove helpful regardless of what you are involved in. For more on the courses usually covered, you can visit: https://study.com/academy/popular/typical-mba-curriculum.html

We especially think that this point makes undertaking this program worth it. This is so that they can make the most of their time during active service and even afterward. Many people in your shoes have towed this path and are forever grateful that they did.

Improved Time Management Skill

There are several reasons why business owners are usually willing to pay top dollar for MBA graduates. This is because of the many amazing things these people bring to the table. One of such is time management skills that are impressive.

At the end of it all, these business owners realize that paying what an MBA graduate commands is a profitable deal. Aside from the financial incentive, the need to be better at using your time to achieve several tasks is a reason you should undertake this program.

Financial Benefits

There are financial benefits that come with having an MBA in and outside the military. You become more eligible for promotions for instance and this, in turn, improves your financial status.

The major aim of serving is to protect the country’s interest as much as you can. However, nothing says that you cannot get the best financial reward while doing this. Having an MBA will make this happen.

Best Shot at Life after Active Service

We did explain how some veterans have established top corporations and made their indelible marks earlier. Unfortunately, this is not the reality for every veteran. Some of them become a mess eventually because they are not fully prepared for life after active service.

Having an MBA is one of the ways to prepare accordingly. We strongly suggest that you bag the honors and put what you have learned to good use.

You also need to get your MBA from the right institution as this also counts. The truth is that some institutions offer a lot more than others. You can click here for more on this subject.

Conclusion

There is so much that military persons can achieve with an MBA program. This is why they are advised to undertake an MBA program and make the most of it. We have shed some light on this subject here and hope that you make the right decisions going forward.

Welcome to Rockville 2021!!

I am so excited for this one, guys. Most of you know that I am a huge music fan. With no disrespect for the sickness and loss of life that COVID-19 has caused, it has taken many other things from us too. What I have missed most, is live music. Like most of us, I have tickets I bought in 2020, for shows that are postponed until next year.

So this is an absolutely historic event. Not only is it the first year Welcome to Rockville is taking place in Daytona Beach, FL (it was formerly Jacksonville), but it is the first show I have been to since 2019. What an iconic way to dive back into live music.

Being in my home state, and now practically my home town, this festival is special to me; but, sentiment aside, the lineup is incredible and the atmosphere is electric. With powerhouse headliners like Slipknot, Metallica (TWICE!) and Disturbed, it is already a can't miss event.

I couldn't catch much of Day 1, due to other obligations (day jobs + no fun), but Slipknot was incredible. Though I have been a fan for years, it was my first time seeing them. It will not be my last.

Credit: Steve Thrasher & Danny Wimmer Presents

 

 

Night 2 was headlined by a band I have seen numerous times. Metallica tore the house down. They are my husbands favorite band of all time, so he was even more excited than I was, and that is saying a lot. Many of my favorites were not on the set, but that was to be expected, because they are coming back on Sunday (night 4) to blow us away again.

Credit: Tyler Church & Danny Wimmer Presents

After two days of having our faces melted and our not-so-young bodies put through the wringer in the pits, Day 3, kicked up the intensity even higher. Of course I have to mention the headliner, Disturbed putting on a masterclass for bands everywhere.

Credit: Steve Thrasher & Danny Wimmer Presents

But I need to gush over one of my favorite 'new' bands: Badflower. These guys are amazing. I have been following them for years, and I am so happy to finally see them getting (some of ) the recognition they deserve.

Their performance was full-throttle passion and intensity. Lead singer Josh Katz is a captivating frontman and his charm and authenticity, along with the rest of the band, really set them apart from other bands. Their sets take you through every emotion. From fun, sassy, and sarcastic to angry and hungry for revolution to raw, powerful and emotional, which gutwrenchingly beautiful songs like 'Ghost'. This band is special. 

Credit: Steve Thrasher & Danny Wimmer Presents

After 3 awesome days of incredible music, my concert void had more than been filled, but there was more! A final night full of unforgettable live performances. Metallica once again blew everyone away with an explosive set. This time they did play the songs I was so impatiently waiting for... mostly. Even two sets isn't enough time to play all the songs I love. Shame on them for having too many incredible songs. 

Credit: Steve Thrasher & Danny Wimmer Presents

If you couldn't tell, I had the time of my life at Daytona's first annual Welcome To Rockville festival. If you've never been, I can't more enthusiastically urge you to go next year. And if you have, go agian. This certainly won't be my last Rockville.

Bear Creek Smokehouse

As Thanksgiving approaches, it is time to start planning. Whether you are vaccinated and plan to gather with relatives, or still practice social distancing, and are keeping it to your own household, Thanksgiving is a very special time. If you are looking to try something new for your Thanksgiving feast, I have just the thing.

Bear Creek Smokehouse has a great selection of wonderful foods. Specifically, their smoked turkey is far and above the best turkey I've ever tasted. While you can purchase this fantastic turkey on its own, I highly recommend the Deluxe Sampler. I received one quite awhile back, but life kicked my butt and I never got to tell you about it.



The Deluxe Sampler includes the turkey, as well as a Smoked Fryer Chicken, Sliced Pork Loin, Smoked Peppered Pork Tenderloin, Summer Sausage, Red Rind Cheddar Cheese, and Polish Sausage. These make the perfect selections for a charcuterie board, while the rest can be saved for future meals.

The best part is, all the products in the Deluxe Sampler are fully cooked and ready to eat. So not only will your Thanksgiving dinner be delectable, it will also be as easy as heating them up. They even taste great cold!

Also, with the holiday season fast approaching, let me tell you how great this would be as a gift. Food gifts are always my favorite, and Bear Creek is my new obsession. Whatever you serve, I hope you have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

Back To Business

Over the past year and a half, the Covid 19 pandemic has taken so much from all of us. It has been especially hard on small business, especially those deemed non-essential during lock downs and closures. Increased safety practices requirements also posed challenges for business with limited finances to implement new policies. 

Factor in would be customers being too cautious or too sick to patronize the business and employees also becoming more scarce due to illness or preventative caution and the effect is compounded. 

We are still not out of the woods with this pandemic, and it seems like we only keep getting further away from normalcy instead of closer. Still, in many areas, businesses are pretty much starting to re-open as usual. It is important for those of us that have the means to support small business that we really show up and get these businesses thriving again.

Huge chain corporations will not miss your business. They will survive and continue to not pay taxes and underpay workers. There will never be a shortage of McDonald's or Subway. But if your favorite little cafe, bakery, or Mexican restaurant were to close down, it would be impossible to replace.

Not only do these small businesses offer one of a kind goods and services, many times, they pay higher wages than chain corporations. A living wage. A good small business will treat the workers with respect. Most times, they become like family. 

So many small businesses also give back to the community. I have come across so many local small business that donate to those in needs, usually in many different ways. They do profit share fundraisers for local school, provide free food for charity events, and they hold food drives, toy drives, supply drives, and more. 

That is the real beauty of small business. They are your neighbors. We help them and they help us and we are all far better for it. The world needs a lot more of that. More kindness, more empathy, more understanding, more generosity. We all need to do what we can and be the good we want to see in the world.

I found a great article by Max Gorin that talks about some of the ways in which small business can make a bug impact on the community. It is great information and so true. I believe in the value of small business. I believe that we would all be worse off if they don't get the support they need to thrive and stay around for us. 

So, just in case you may need the reminder, as you go back to your girls night cocktails or Sunday brunches, or post quarantine haircuts and manicures, as you shop for your fall wardrobe and home decor, as you begin your holiday shopping, please remember that small businesses need us, and we need them. 

Also remember, that just because we are moving forward, we are not past this pandemic. Please use caution. Be safe and keep others safe.

Business and SOX Compliance

In 2002, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act was designed in an effort to protect investors from fraudulent business practices by public corporations. This was a positive change for investors, but made for a larger regulatory burden on businesses. The penalty for SOX non-compliance can be quite severe. Financial loss, reputation damage, dipping stocks, required remediation, and more, are all examples of the cost of SOX non-compliance.



The types of practices the SOX act prohibits are: altering (shredding, mutilating, destroying) or falsifying documents, certifying misleading or fraudulent financial reports, failing to report material conditions or financial changes in real time (as timely as reasonable), and failing to file regular financial reports with the FEC. Some of these sections carry the potential for heavy jail time if violated.

While these measures certainly are essential for a transparent (therefor trustworthy) business, the mental strain and worry of accidentally making a mistake can seem more like a a negative to business and workers. Just more stress.

The good news is that there are many SOX compliant software options that can easily ensure these regulations are being followed appropriately. I found a great list of the top SOX compliance software solutions.

Implementing software that has built in checks and automatically comply with the SOX regulations can help alleviate some of the weight off of your (and your employee's) shoulders.  Modern businesses require many different financial applications, such as SAP Oracle, Workday Financials, and more. It can prove difficult to keep them all SOX compliant. 

Thankfully, solutions such as Pathlock, can help monitor all of the data from these applications, to monitor that data for segregation of duties (SoD) exposures, business process exceptions, or IT general control failures. It tracks and logs all suspect behavior and generates reports that are suitable for SOX requirements.

Not only can it find and isolate these types of violations, Pathlock can also take action immediately when it detects suspicious activity by blocking transactions, masking data, sending alerts, or ending sessions.

When the stakes are that high, no business can afford to cut corners or take risks with their SOX compliance. And the easiest, safest way to ensure these requirements are met is by implementing SOX compliant softwares that are made to watch for and correct any problems before they turn into bigger problems. 

I still have a lot to learn about the SOX act and SOX compliance, applications, and software, but I am thankful I started getting informed and taking action before it became damage control instead of damage prevention. Never take unnecessary risks with your business. It is much too important.

If there are pertinent facts about the SOX act or SOX compliance that I may have inadvertently omitted, I would be very glad to be corrected. I am always willing to learn and improve on my shortcomings. And I want to have the most informed views I can to share with my readers. I think the sharing of knowledge between strangers is one of the most useful tools we as a people have, and we should start making better use of it.

A New Perspective

When you live in the same town most of your life, you start to see things as "just the way it is." It can be hard to shift perspective. For example, our state is one of the most popular destinations for things like Spring Break and Bike Week. And we also have Biketober Fest, which is coming up fairly soon.

As a resident, parent, and driver, I can't say that I look forward to this event. I don't ride a motorcycle, so I tend to view it is more noise, more traffic, and more crowds at the stores and restaurants that I patronize. None of those are particularly appealing to me.

The thing is, that I can get so wrapped up in the ways that it might affect me, that I sort of become numb to the fact that a lot of bikers end up in danger. There is always an influx of traffic accidents during those events. People's lives forever changed.

It got me thinking about what happens afterward, when Biketober fest is over and I move on with my bike free life. So I wanted to do a little research on accidents. What I realized is, that if you are in a motorcycle accident, it can be very important to have someone on your side. Legal representation that has experience and puts your interests first.

I found a motorcycle accident lawyer in Tampa that I think really fits the bill. KF&B can help take care of all the stressful legal matters while you just focus on recovering. There is so much peace of mind in knowing you don't have to worry about fighting insurance companies or trying to gather evidence yourself.

It can be especially difficult to navigate motorcycle accidents in Florida because it is one of the few states that does not require motorcycle riders to carry PIP insurance. KF&B still know how to navigate the process, communicating with the other party's insurance to ensure all your damages get paid, along with medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, property damage, and whatever other costs may be necessary. 

Our family has never been in an accident, thank goodness, but I still find it very good to be prepared for such things, and I find the process quite interesting. We have needed to take legal action before, and having a lawyer that is specialized in the particular area makes all the difference. They have done this before. They know what to expect and have the experience to handle your case with confidence.

So, if you or someone you love rides motorcycles or needs an accident lawyer, I suggest doing your research. But I just thought we could all use a reminder to try to see things outside of how they affect us. We have to look out for each other more and have more compassion and understanding. We're all in this life together. We need to act more like it.

And, as always. Stay safe out there. And stay kind.

Pride LBTQ+ Makeup Tips for Your First Pride Event

Prepare your skin

One of the essential things to do before applying any makeup is to ensure that your face is ready. The first step is always to clean your face to remove any residue of dirt, oils, or any left-over makeup. Cleaning your skin well will help it glow and will ensure that you do not have a nasty breakout of pimples due to clogged pores. Once that is done, the next thing is to apply a face primer. This will help even out the surface of the skin and thus grant you a smooth appearance.

Use the right foundation

To achieve a polished look, you must select the right shade of foundation. One of the frequent skin mistakes that people often do is getting the wrong shade of foundation. Getting a shade that is either too dark or too light will leave your face mismatched, as compared to the skin on your neck or the hands. If in doubt, consult a professional who will help you pick out a foundation that suits your face nicely. Always remember to apply it evenly.

Select the right eye shadow

Pride events often give you the freedom to experiment with a lot of bold colors, such as bright reds, yellows and blues, and even neon types. If you wish to, you can use makeup to compliment your outfits, along with other accessories such as jewelry, handbags, or statement pieces. Eyeshadow in particular helps a great deal, as it comes in different shades and colors. For your pride makeup, you can even consider getting glittery eye shadow which will help to highlight your eyes. 

Line your eyes 

Eyeliner is a simple but very effective addition to your makeup. When well done, it will help to make your eyes pop and give you that extra confidence boost that everyone needs. We know it may be a little intimidating trying to do a smooth cat eye on both ends, but you can just keep it simple. You do not necessarily have to start with a bold extravagant look, but you can just do a single smooth line, which will work just as well. Do not neglect your eyelashes also, as they help to frame your eyes. There is a wide variety of extensions available that you can try out. If you do not wish to get extensions then you may just keep it classy with a good mascara.

Some random tips 

Always have wet wipes with you, as these are essentially good to wipe off any smudges on your face in case you need to retouch your makeup. Put on waterproof makeup, as this will help it last longer throughout the day. Carry a bag of makeup essentials like a compact or lipstick, as these often come in handy when you need to redo your makeup or help another person out. At the end of the day, no matter how tired you are, ensure that you wash it all off, and moisturize for healthy, glowing skin.