May 20, 2022 - New York Weekly

Rachel Kennedy, Founder of The Kennedy Curate and 2022 Ambassador Ms. International

NY Weekly Staff on May 20, 2022

Rachel Kennedy is a high level entrepreneur who is the founder of The Kennedy Curate. Her company provides its clients with complete SEO and copywriting services to help boost their influence, connect with their ideal clients through Google, and build online authority. A successful entrepreneur for over a decade, she is committed to helping people understand how to scale their business and transform their life by learning to speak what she calls “Google’s love language of SEO.” More recently, her success has earned her the title of Ms. Ambassador International Pageants® Florida. Her hope is that she can bring tangible change and support for worthy causes by connecting the “feminine” pageant world with the more “masculine” business world.

Background

Kennedy grew up in a very traditional, southern household. So when she left home and experienced the tension between men and women in the corporate world, she was surprised. “I was very shocked. I had always seen men as partners, so I didn’t understand why people were looking for reasons not to do business with each other.” Although it was the norm to have this competition and for women to develop this toxic hustle mentality, Kennedy determined that she would not do business this way. Seeing the fierce independence, reliance, and insistence on working long hours, she made it her intention to do the opposite. Rather than doing business as a direct competition with her male counterparts, she looked for ways to combine her strengths with their strengths. “I don’t know everything and I didn’t want to. That’s the beauty of business. You get to be led and learn as you grow.”

For the last twelve years, she has built a thriving business while leaning into her feminine side and helping to cancel the toxic “hustle culture” that has dominated business for decades.

Business and Pageants

In the last few years, Rachel Kennedy noticed that there has been a positive change in the business world. “There’s an interesting shift happening in the corporate world today where women are infusing their femininity back into their business practices and taking on this mentality of working together and embracing community over competition.” As an ambassador for International Pageants® Florida, her mission is to capitalize on this shift. “Women are naturally strong communicators and team builders, and this feminine trait is crucial in business, not just pageants.” International Pageant Title holders are business leaders, voices for humanitarian causes and community leaders that have the ability to help spur a lasting change in their communities. The problem is that there often seems to be a disconnect between these incredible women and the businesses and organizations that could benefit from the added exposure and resources of these women. She believes that women are obligated to collaborate with each other and men to address this problem. “As a woman in business today, I believe our role is to lead positive communication, build teams, and collaborate. We need to take responsibility for making a difference.” As Ambassador Ms. International, Kennedy is looking to lead by example and pave the way for a better, more collaborative future – particularly for the Pageant Title holders in the State of Florida where she conducts a lot of business.

Her Motivation

While she certainly stays busy running her business and supporting her fellow court members such as: Mrs. Sandi Glandt, Miss Reem Tayara, Miss Pre-Teen Scarlett Cardone, and Miss Teen Sabrina Cardone, she loves what she does and who she has become in the process. She enjoys what she has created and how she has been able to help others to build their careers as they embrace the feminine side of their business. To anyone looking to find their passion for business, she gives this advice. “What would you do even if you weren’t being paid to do it? Do that.” Her final piece of advice is to enjoy the process of aligning with your dreams and creating your purpose more than achieving the goal itself. “I always tell people it’s not about the money or the fame, it’s who you become along the way.” Although she has helped thousands of clients to change their lives and built a multi seven-figure company along the way, she realizes that the internal growth has been more fulfilling. She believes that self-awareness, generosity and discipline are the keys to building a life that matters.

About Rachel Kennedy

Rachel Kennedy is the founder of The Kennedy Curate. Her company specializes in SEO and bespoke copywriting services. She also spends her time as Ambassador Ms. International looking to spotlight charities and businesses that she can partner with to bring about a tangible change in the world. If you are looking to learn more about Rachel Kennedy and her business the Kennedy Curate, you can visit her webpage. You can also follow her on her Instagram for daily inspiration and updates!

Charlotte’s Best Cleaning Company Puts Quality into Cleaning Services

NY Weekly Staff on May 20, 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic reminded us of the importance of disinfection and cleaning. And while these jobs are often seen as menial, Cleaning Bee Pro isn’t afraid to get their hands dirty. As a fast-growing cleaning company that has reached stellar heights in business growth since last year, they’re showing people that you can build a mission around cleaning houses and offices for a living.

Cleaning Bee Pro is a cleaning company that only started last December 2021 and has already become a well-known brand across Charlotte, North Carolina. The company is the product of entrepreneur Daniel Kivo and his dedicated team members. Cleaning Bee Pro has served droves of clients from around the area, including several parts of South Carolina. In addition, the company has pulled in a loyal clientele among people in Fort Mill, Tega Cay, Rock Hill, and many other cities around the North and South Carolina region.

Beyond simply cleaning homes and offices, the company is on a mission. That goal is to provide high-cleaning services to residents and businesses around Charlotte and other nearby cities. There’s more to the job for Daniel and the team than most people think. “We love cleaning homes, shops, businesses, and offices so that no one else has to think about it,” explains Daniel Kivo. “Cleaning can take a lot of precious time, energy, and resources. By taking care of the cleaning for our clients, we give them the time and freedom to be able to do the things they would rather do. Staff in offices can stay focused on work. Moms can take care of the kids or start a business venture. The possibilities are endless when you remove regular cleaning from the daily routine.”

What sets the business apart is that they are veteran-owned. Daniel Kivo has put in a systematic approach to the operation and converted the whole company into a well-oiled machine with efficiency and excellence. “We also are insured up to $1 million where most companies do not have insurance,” he further explains. “We focus on customer service with giving the best service possible to our client.”

The motivation to start a cleaning business came to Daniel Kivo because he has been more than dedicated to creating his entrepreneurial empire. However, what he loves most about business is the chance to serve. As someone from a military background, it’s undeniably ingrained into his culture. Through Cleaning Bee Pro, he’s able to do that and more.

The foundation of the business is its home cleaning service, which is one of the most in-demand services. But Cleaning Bee Pro has slowly been building a solid base for office cleaning. Moreover, the company has also started venturing into Airbnb cleaning so that real estate investors can put more time and energy into marketing their rental properties without having to think much about cleaning and operations.

Five years from now, Daniel Kivo hopes that Cleaning Bee Pro will become a $30,000 a month business, allowing him to scale his efforts, reinvest into the business, improve his services, and employ more people. And given the company’s reputable growth, that reality doesn’t seem too far away.To learn more about Cleaning Bee Pro and their services, visit their website or Instagram @cleaningbeepro.

The Future of New York’s Transportation

NY Weekly Staff on May 20, 2022

New York City has some of the most infamous traffic in the world — at the very least, the most historically talked-about. Alongside Los Angeles, jokes and comments about the traffic in New York is a pop culture staple. “Traffic signals in New York are just rough guidelines,” David Letterman once quipped, and John Steinbeck once said, “its traffic is madness …but there is one thing about it – once you have lived in New York and it has become your home, no place else is good enough.”

But jokes aside, New York faces some real issues when it comes to its transportation. New Yorkers spend an average of 72 hours a year in traffic, almost double the national average. From 2012 to 2014 there was an annual average of 1,098 deaths, 12,093 hospitalizations and 136,913 emergency room visits because of traffic incidents. New York’s traffic is rated the most congested in the United States, and ranked fifth in the world, behind London, Paris and Moscow. Even with the easing of traffic due to the COVID-19 pandemic, getting around in New York City is likely to become even more of a challenge.

There have been countless proposals and ideas on how to resolve New York’s traffic crisis, going all the way back to the 19th century — and it’s not as if the city hasn’t pioneered urban transportation in many ways, from the largest subway system in the world, the world’s first mechanically ventilated tunnel, and the Roosevelt Island Aerial Tramway.

Proposed solutions have included increased reliance on ride-sharing services like Uber, upgrading and expanding the existing mass transit system, congestion pricing, and more. As recently as 2017, there have been steps taken to improve commuter rail by expanding Moynihan Station and Penn Station. Upcoming projects include the addition of a second pair of tracks under the Hudson River.

Some proposals for helping relieve New York’s congestion problem include the construction of a light rail route in Red Hook (among other places), a streetcar route for the western shore of Long Island, and the conversion of 42nd Street into a light rail transit mall. There have also been proposals to implement rapid bus transit, new ferry routes, and improved access for cyclists and pedestrians.

To some degree, the congestion in NYC is unavoidable: the city only covers about 305 square miles of land, with an estimated 3.6 million drivers (not including visitors from out of state). While approximately half of New Yorkers use mass transit on a regular basis, that still leaves thousands of single-rider vehicles on the road.

The effects of this amount of congestion are manifold. Because NYC is so densely populated, the pollution severely affects the air quality, impacting the health of city residents. Traffic problems aren’t good for the environment, either — dense start-and-stop traffic sends a tremendous amount of emissions into the air, contributing to both pollution and climate change.

NYC’s traffic problems are also expensive: accidents are a common sight in the city, and the risk of getting in a traffic incident is, predictably, the highest in the state. The accidents alone cause an estimated $4 billion a year in property damage and medical costs, not to mention the negative impact made on auto insurance quotes (New York is one of the most expensive cities in the nation to insure your vehicle).

This is not to mention the stress incurred by the often hazardous experience of driving in NYC traffic, making a negative impact on both physical and mental health. And that stress can easily lead to further problems, not the least of which is road rage and aggressive driving — which will only make the roads more dangerous.

Finding a long-term solution to New York’s traffic problem won’t be easy — especially considering the budget cuts the city has had to endure. Experts are predicting the future will bring more expansion of cycling and electric bikes, as well as scooters. To quote New York Council speaker Corey Johnson, “E-bikes and scooters are going to be a major part of our city’s transit future, and I’m proud of the council’s work to ensure that future arrives safely and equitably.”

But there are limits to this progress — bike and pedestrian paths will eventually reach a limit, and ride-sharing will only go so far in terms of lessening congestion. The future is likely to see autonomous vehicles become commonplace, which will have both benefits and drawbacks. Self-driving cars are likely to make driving safer, although there are some concerns about autonomous vehicles preventing people from walking (and the negative health impact that would follow).

If nothing else, the future of transportation in NYC is full of options — it just remains to be seen which ideas lawmakers and residents are likely to embrace, and whether the city can tend to its basic infrastructure enough to enable these changes.

TECOBI: The Innovative Auto Software Empire Founded by Jason Girdner

NY Weekly Staff on May 20, 2022

Jason Girdner started his business, then failed, restarted, then failed again. Then started again. And it was this real and relatable journey that bore the colossal success he and his wife have today. TECOBI is a Hybrid-Intelligence software that pairs a human’s ability to personalize a conversation with a robot’s ability to consistently communicate with customers. This approach helps to ease the burden of lead follow-up for automotive sales through text message support and is Girdner’s third attempt at entrepreneurship.

This familiar pattern is not-often talked about in the entrepreneurial sphere in such authentic terms but is a fact that every business owner knows is true. Girdner’s rags-to-riches story inspires many, a reminder that success does not happen overnight but is attainable if you work hard and don’t give up (cliches become thus for a reason, folks.)

Girdner, a high school dropout with a disruptive past, started his sales career the way many do, at a desk with a phone. He realized that sales was his ticket out of his former life, one produced by a toxic childhood filled with negativity and loneliness. In Girdner’s words, God gave Girdner a ‘golden tongue,’ which is the key to massive success in the sales world.

“I found a new lease on life in sales,” said Girdner. “The avenue of commission earnings isn’t for everyone, but it gave me a second chance — I never imagined I would become a software developer, but here I am!”

After quitting his job in 2009 and falling flat on his face during his first attempt at entrepreneurship (as a software developer, go figure), Girdner met his now-wife Scarlet Mick.

“She brought me out of my slump and did more for me than anyone could ask for,” Girdner gushed. “If it weren’t for her kindness and selflessness, I would never have come up with the idea for TECOBI.”

Late Night TV Sesh Turned Business Light Bulb Moment

Girdner developed the concept for TECOBI when he saw a car commercial on television one evening. The couple had moved to Denver, Colorado, with their five children and struggled to make a living. When he saw the car ad, Girdner realized the vast disconnect between buyers and sellers.

“‘Why do I have to pick up the phone and call about this truck?'” he explained. “That’s what I thought when I saw the ad. I wanted the truck, but I didn’t want it bad enough to dial the phone number and speak to somebody. If you want me to spend such a large amount of my hard-earned money, you’ll have to make it a lot easier for me.”

That was when he realized, quite simply, that texting would be so much easier. It would offset the pressure that comes with car sales: The salespeople are pressured to close deals, often without concern for the buyer’s ultimate satisfaction, because they want to take home a paycheck. The buyers are constantly on high alert for the wool being pulled over their eyes and either get pressured into buying something they aren’t happy with — or pressured right off the lot and never to return.

First, Girdner began advertising himself as a marketer to car dealerships, offering to take their sales funnels to cell phones through text messages and answer them personally. It worked but became massively overwhelming quite quickly.

Girdner gained 130 dealership clients in the first year but couldn’t keep them due to the startup struggles. So, he concocted a plan using his sales and software development expertise.

Determined to make his company work, he brought Mick into the fold.

“She helped with answering the texts all day, every day,” said Girdner. “The volume was just so much that I needed a helping hand. She is modest, but she was truly fantastic at it and got the hang of it super fast.”

Phase Two: If You Can’t Do It, Get a Computer to Do It

As their client base grew, the volume of text messages overflowed. Girdner decided to build software to solve this problem. Girdner built the TECOBI software that it is today, with just the background of web development he had.

Since its inception, TECOBI has won the AWA Award and served thousands of automotive companies.

Girdner has been through it all and back again. Fighting to be able to use his combined sales and software development skills to run a business he is genuinely passionate about and to feel the security of its success is something of which many budding entrepreneurs only dream. TECOBI is rightfully at the forefront of automotive sales because of Girdner’s unrelenting determination.

About TECOBI

Jason Girdner and Scarlet Mick are the Founders of TECOBI, an advanced communication and advertising solution of SMS and text conversations for the automotive industry. TECOBI has served thousands of automotive companies through their industry-changing software. To learn more, please visit www.tecobi.com.

Why Hiring a Professional Web Design Agency Is Important in Today’s Times

NY Weekly Staff on May 20, 2022

Any business wishing to compete in the online or offline market should have an expert website. The Internet has become a leading source of information, business research that is the top reason for web search.

Businesses that do not have a professionally created website are at risk of losing potential customers online and in front of their store. Consumers evaluate products and companies long before they decide to purchase. If your website appears inactive or secure, it will move to the next reseller. Thus for the best website designing services you should hire a company with best website design packages

You Should Hire a Professional Web Design Agency because:

It will save you time

Even if you know little, you probably do not know enough about building a solid, well-designed website.

That means you will have to spend a lot of time trying to find it, which can take a long time and may even end up having a website that looks less professional in the end. If your goal is to save money by doing the work yourself, you will not save much of anything.

A web design company will create a competitive website that will make you a lot of money over time.

Higher Conversions & Results

A Professional agency can develop Custom WordPress website design which is specific to your needs and goals. There are many factors that may affect your website results such as user flow, CTAs, colors and UI/UX. Web designers understand your demographics and build a website that is based on data and competitor research.

Your Website Will Be Trusted

Even if you create a website yourself, it may not be reliable. Remember, you are not a web design expert, so you may not realize that your website is unreliable until it is too late.

An ecommerce web design services company will build a reliable website right away so you don’t have to worry about crashes, cracks, or just doing strange things.

You Get Better Designs

There is only so much you can do on your own. Using a website template will leave you with a boring website like everything else.

You want your customers to be happy with your website, and a web company can do that for you.

They will give your website its own design while keeping it simple and easy to use.

Website Will Be Fast

The website itself will not be able to function as a website with the right plugins and other tools. Fortunately, a website design company knows what these things are and what will help your website. That means you will get an over-the-top unplanned website with long loading screens.

Custom WordPress website design is made with Latest Mobile Technologies and because you are not a web developer, you probably do not know what this technology is.

Mobile designs are constantly changing and growing, and missing out on this can cut off potential customers. Most people search the Internet for their mobile phones, so it is important to have a website that is compatible with their devices.

A professional web company will provide you with a website that uses new tools and technologies.

Your Website Will Look Good

Within the first 50 milliseconds being on your website, the user has already decided whether to stay or leave.

That means the way your website looks is very important. If it looks like a nice, clean, modern website, your visitors may always be there or come back in the future. If your website looks boring, clunky, or old, they will probably go and find something they like better.

Know how LMS can help in Creating an Effective Onboarding Process

NY Weekly Staff on May 20, 2022

An effective onboarding process can be created with the help of learning management systems (LMS).

LMS is software used by companies to develop, upload, deliver, and track the training of their employees, customers, partners, and clients.

There are many employee onboarding LMS software tools available in the market for you to choose from. LMS can help you create effective and efficient onboarding programs. The process of onboarding helps the new hires to join their new workplace smoothly and confidently. With the help of onboarding programs, the employers can get an insight into the new hires and their skill sets, tracking their performance and detecting skill gaps, if any.

Onboarding new hires can be a bit difficult, laborious, costly, and sometimes become unsuccessful if not done with proper planning. The poor onboarding process can demotivate new hires while they are trying to adjust to the new work environment. Employee onboarding should be seen as an opportunity to bring new hires up to speed with what they need to know on day one and provide them with a roadmap of what to expect in the first few months.

Looking at the benefits that LMS can bring to the onboarding process, more and more companies have started using LMS for employee onboarding. Using an LMS for onboarding is a great opportunity to save a lot of time, effort, and money.

We have mentioned some of the ways LMS can help in creating an effective onboarding process.

· Provides Streamlined Tracking and Assessment

With the help of tracking and assessment tools in the LMS, you can track the performance of the individuals and key performance indicators (KPIs) with accuracy. This process will encourage accountability among the new hires. An LMS enables you to generate performance reports of the new hires’ onboarding progress; this lets the employer make amendments to the training modules on personal and organizational levels.

· Easy Accessibility

As soon as the learning materials and training modules are created and uploaded on an employee onboarding LMS software, the new hires can access them any time and from anywhere at their convenience. The new hires won’t have to worry about carrying the hard copies of the training material as everything is available with a click. They can take up the course using any electronic devices, such as – mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops. Easy accessibility is one of the biggest advantages of the LMS-based employee onboarding process.

· Helps Save Time and Money

By using LMS for employee onboarding, you can reduce the cost of appointing an instructor for taking up the onboarding process in a training room using printed learning material. This will help you save money that you would have had to spend on an instructor, booking a training room, and getting the training material printed. As the learners will not have to travel anywhere for taking the course, you will be saving on transportation costs as well. Since there is no need to travel, learning can take place online, thus, saving time.

· Easy Scalability

You can provide consistent onboarding training with LMS to any number of employees, as the software is easily scalable. Hire a few hundred employees or even a thousand, without worrying about providing them the same kind of training, as the scalability feature will help you give unified online training material to all the employees. With the help of computerized training software, you can set a process that will ensure everyone receives their courses at a scheduled time.

· Higher Employee Engagement and Retention Rate

By using an LMS for onboarding your new hires, you will definitely increase the employee engagement rate, as the chances of employees taking up the courses on an LMS will increase and in turn engagement with the workplace will also increase. With a structured and planned onboarding process, you can boost your employee engagement rate and employees are more likely to stay with the organizations, for more than 3 years. Thus, having an onboarding process in place with the help of an LMS is highly recommended.

There are four different onboarding phases that will help you create a strategy to engage the new hires, improve their retention rate, and help them adapt to your company’s organizational practices.

Phase I – Pre-Onboarding

This phase begins as soon as the candidate accepts the offer. During this phase, all the necessary paperwork is completed. To smoothen their first day, you can send a video that will provide a brief idea about how the organization works and what will their first day look like.

Phase II – Orientation

In the orientation, you can introduce the new hires to the organization and key the team members. Educate them about important policies regarding compliance materials, values, and the culture of the organization. Keep the first day as simple as possible.

Phase III – Role Training

The phase is very crucial and directly correlated with how well the new hires will perform at their jobs. This is when the LMS plays an important role. You can even include blended learning and microlearning along with providing training on an LMS, this will smoothen the process. Store the onboarding material on LMS so that it can be easily accessed by the new hires at their convenience.

Phase IV – Easy Transition

This phase helps in the easy transition from being new hires to becoming full-fledged employees. Set your expectations clearly for the new hires so that they know what they are expected to do and what they are and will be responsible for.

Conclusion:

Always remember the productivity and efficiency of the employees are directly related to the growth and development of the organization. Thus, the employee onboarding process must be highly effective, engaging, and enjoyable. The employers must make the new hires feel comfortable and motivated from day one.

EU targets shift to renewable energy by 2027, says coal might be used ‘a little longer’

NY Weekly Staff on May 20, 2022

Photo: ABC News

The European Commission has announced its commitment to attaining sustainable and renewable energy by 2027. The document detailing these steps was published on Wednesday.

The REPowerEU plan details Europe’s “clean energy transition.” The document emphasizes energy savings and its importance and local energy sources. However, the Commission has announced that they will be utilizing existing coal power plants longer than expected in order to cover up for increased consumer demand. There’s no definite date on when they would stop depending on the facilities, only that the Commission stated they might use it a little longer.

The Commission sets 210 billion euros as the budget ($220.87 billion) for the plan, which is set to start this year and will be completed by 2027. The Commission also changed the current target of their renewable share of energy from 40% to 45% by 2030.

The governments of Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands have announced their intention to find renewable energy sources. They aim for a combined target of 65 gigawatts from offshore winds by 2030, with an additional 150GW reached by 2050.

Problems during transition

While Russia remains the largest supplier of oil in Europe, its supply has been cut because they are currently invading Ukraine. According to the Commission, it would require an estimated 1.5 to 2 billion euros to secure sources that would meet consumer demands.

According to the Commission, “…shifting away from Russian fossil fuels will also require targeted investments for the security of supply in gas infrastructure and very limited changes to oil infrastructure alongside large-scale investments in the electricity grid and an EU-wide hydrogen backbone.”

Further, “In parallel, some of the existing coal capacities might also be used longer than initially expected, with a role for nuclear power and domestic gas resources too.”

The Commission’s climate chief, Frans Timmermans, has admitted that coal might be needed ‘a bit longer’ — posing threats to emissions.

“If we can actually do what I say — reduce our energy consumption in combination with a speedier introduction of renewables — we will bring down our emissions even quicker than before,” Timmermans explained. “Coal has a substantial effect on the environment, with Greenpeace describing it as “the dirtiest, most polluting way of producing energy.”

However, the European Union explained that there is no other option considering that there are increasing demands and supply chain management is being affected.

Day: May 20, 2022

Rachel Kennedy, Founder of The Kennedy Curate and 2022 Ambassador Ms. International

Charlotte’s Best Cleaning Company Puts Quality into Cleaning Services

The Future of New York’s Transportation

TECOBI: The Innovative Auto Software Empire Founded by Jason Girdner

Why Hiring a Professional Web Design Agency Is Important in Today’s Times

Know how LMS can help in Creating an Effective Onboarding Process

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