In Business & Blogging, Frugal Living

Ethical Business Practices

Author Nicki CawoodPosted on
Ethical Business Practices

Supporting ethical businesses and trying to adopt more ethical business practices in my own business (as well as my personal life) is important to me. Ethical business practices were once unheard of and certainly not something easy to achieve, or affordable for businesses to adopt. Thankfully times have changed and we are living in a more enlightened time, in some ways at least. If you want to make your business more ethical, the following methods give you a good place to start.

Create an Ethical Supply Chain

Making your supply chain more ethical can allow you to show your customers that you’re diligent about making sure everything about your company as green, as sustainable and yes, that all employees are fairly treated and that you are continuing to work towards being as ethical as possible. You can start by ensuring your products are manufactured in a suitable manner and check every stage of your supply chain to make sure it adheres to the same standards and way of working. If your supply chain moves through different countries, following the law in each one is important, as is doing your due diligence to ensure you are certain your supply chain does, in fact, follow the same standards that you want them to.

Create an Ethical Culture

An ethical culture within your company is good for your employees. It helps them to feel safe at work and gives them the tools that they need to speak up if they need to. When you have an ethical business culture, it can help you to retain employees and customers. Don’t just talk the talk though; do your research and lead by example. Ethical business is not just about any one factor, it is about adopting a whole new way of working, trading, training, looking after staff and more.

Focus on Ethical Leadership

Ethical leadership is an important part of building an ethical business culture. A leader should have some key qualities, such as listening to criticism and being willing to take action to correct mistakes. A good leader needs to be able to take responsibility for any mistakes that might occur and learn from them.

Ethical Business When You are a Solopreneur or Freelancer

Is it possible to adopt ethical business practices when you are a one man or one woman band? Of course it is. Identify what ethical working means for you and start small. Choose your vendors carefully, look at green business, look at sustainable business, supporting communities, choosing business insurance from a company that works the same way that you do perhaps. It’s a lot to think about yet worth the effort if you are serious about making the change.


Infographic Design By Norwich University

In Interior Design

Living Room Focal Point Tips

Author Nicki CawoodPosted on

The living room focal point is designed to draw the eye, to act as the heart of the room from which the rest of the design grows. It’s all about finding that one part of the room that captures the most attention. Here, I’m going to look at some ideas behind excellent focal points for your living room, as well as a couple of mistakes you should avoid. I plan on following my own advice with these tips as we are looking to make the most out of our own living room focal point at the moment, having recently moved.

Use Them To Make The Room Look Bigger

If you’re decorating a small room, then you should use every trick in the book to make it seem a little more spacious. Using a wide mirror, such as above your mantlepiece, is an excellent way to do that. Mirrors are great at reflecting natural light, helping it fill the space much more effectively. You can space wall art on either side of it to help draw the eye towards it, as well.

Don’t Let Your TV Be Your Focal Point

Often, a large TV will be the focal point of a room by default since they tend to stand out and be positioned to draw attention as much as possible. However, this can be a little tacky and undermine the rest of your décor choices. You don’t have to get rid of it but you can hide or disguise your TV, such as by using closets, so it doesn’t demand more attention than it needs. We’ve always made this mistake in the past.

Do Highlight Architectural Features When Possible

Older homes will have the easiest time doing just this. Highlighting architectural features such as fireplaces or cubby holes shows off what’s most unique about your home, adding a sense of time and class to it. If you don’t already have one, inset electric fires can help you create a focal point out of nothing. Few things look more welcoming and warming than a hearth, but you don’t have to deal with all the hassle that comes with having a natural one. I certainly couldn’t be chewed with the clearing out and relaying of an open fire.

Living Room Focal Point Tips: Don’t Clutter Them

You want attention to naturally be drawn to the living room focal point but surrounding it with endless stuff can have quite the opposite effect. Make sure you plan your living room layout to give it enough space and make sure that your furniture isn’t crowding around it too much. It can end up distracting and detracting away from it. 

Use Living Room Focal Points To Cover Up Empty Walls

If you have a large empty wall in the room, it’s going to attract attention for the wrong reason. Big walls can be awkward spaces, but you can just as easily make them a focal point by turning them into a feature wall. Wall art, photo galleries, and the like can add a lot of personality but, if you’re aiming for a more minimalist look, feature wallpaper can give them more character without filling them with tons of stuff. 

A well-placed living room focal point can set the mood for the room, bring attention to the most attractive features, and make a real statement. Hopefully, the tips above give you a better idea of what it should and shouldn’t be. Now I need to find myself a feature wallpaper. Or a mirror.

 

All original content on these pages is fingerprinted and certified by Digiprove