Top 3 Laptops For Entrepreneurs & Business People  

If you're in the market for a new business laptop, then chances are that you've already looked at the MacBook Pro, the Surface Book and the XPS 13. These three machines are certainly three of the more popular business laptops right now, and all three are solid choices. Each of has something to offer, so look at what each has going for it.


Apple MacBook Pro

Apple's MacBook Pro offers the most traditional user experience out of all the high-end laptops on the market today. This might be a bit ironic considering that Apple has long been known for innovation, but the Cupertino-based company took a more conservative approach when designing their newest portable. That doesn't mean that the specs are shabby by any means. OLED touch strips, fingerprint scanners and Type-C USB ports are about to be standard on all of Apple's business laptops. Most importantly the newest MacBooks all feature powerful sixth generation Skylake microprocessors from Intel. If you're looking for a machine with a headphone jack, then you may want to buy one before Apple removes it from this line like they did from the iPhone.

Microsoft Surface Book

Unlike the MacBook, Microsoft's new Surface Book has much more in common with mobile devices than with traditional business laptops. The NVIDIA GeForce graphics card comes with a 1GB GDDR5 video RAM plugin, which is ideal for playing videos during business presentations. That's on top of the up to 16GB standard RAM module that offers blazing fast performance. Two full-size USB 3.0 ports and a full-size SD card reader give you the option for plenty of external storage. Storage shouldn't be a problem anyway considering that it comes with a 128GB SSD NAND disk that's upgradeable. In theory you could fit a 1TB solid-state drive in a Surface Book.

Dell XPS 15

Unlike most other business laptops, the XPS 15 is modular. You can select whatever modules you like and have Dell build the machine you need from the ground up. Choose between a 4GB or 8GB RAM module, a 128GB or 256GB solid-state drive and a powerful sixth generation Intel i3 or i5 microchip to get the computer your business actually needs. Dell even offers touch options for those who need them, but they won't force it on you if you don't.

Any of these business laptops could work well in any sort of business environment. MacBook Pro units are most like traditional laptops, the XPS 15 is tailored specifically to your needs and the Surface Book has the highest clock rate. Give some thought to the type of work you plan on doing, and you'll be able to pick the best machine for the job.

Must-have iPhone Apps For Business Owners

Owning and running a business can be a big chore. However, there are many different iPhone Apps available to help keep things organized and running smoothly. Stay coordinated in the palm of your hand, everywhere you go with these Apps.

When it comes to general organization, Evernote is leading the way for iPhone. This App allows you to create and track to-do lists, scan and upload documents, and store contacts and Twitter posts. It also works as a virtual scrapbook, giving you the ability to clip, tag, and notate content from across the web, such as articles and photos. It also keeps all this information organized, handy, and synced to your mobile devices and computer.

Wunderlist is also a great to keep projects organized. This App lets you create task lists, share the lists and even assign specific jobs to employees and set deadlines. The lists also automatically sync to keep everyone on top of what is done and what is left to do.

Keep payments to employees and from customers simple and easy by using a finance App. PayPal, the originator of online payment options, offers an App and card reader to connect to your iPhone to take credit card payments on the go. You can also use the App to pay your employees and all transactions are kept organized to view on your mobile device or desktop computer.

Whether it's keeping in touch with customers, employees, or associates, communication is an integral part of your business. Skype has held the edge in communication for years, but newer Apps are breaking through as well. Slack allows you to create separate message groups and organize them by theme or project. It also uses a handy search feature so you never have to worry about trying to find information from a conversation again, just search for parts of a message and see the results. You can also send and receive files directly to your iPhone with this App.

Also in the category of communication, Addappt has messaging features, but more importantly, keeps contact information updated. This App automatically updates phone numbers and email addresses for your contacts as soon as they make the change. This can be a huge life saver, since you will always have the most up-to-date information for everyone you communicate with. It also keeps track of how you last communicated with a person, so you never forget if you sent the email your friend asked you about on your last phone call.

One of the advantages of running your own business is that you get to make your own schedule. But sometimes this can cause you to lose track of time. Time management will never been an issue for you if you use RescueTime on your iPhone. This App tracks time spent on each application and website so you can better evaluate how you spend your time. Try out the free version, and if you like it, you can upgrade to a premium version, which has alerts and the ability to block distractions.

Book review- "Awaken the Giant Within" by Anthony Robbins

Anthony Robbins is the most renowned self-improvement and motivational spokesperson. Although his very first book 'Awaken the Giant Within' was released more than ten years ago, it still has great relevance in current society. This is a book replete with a lot of strategies on how to take control of your emotions, health, relationships and finances. It is a broad based book that offers classic philosophies that can assist you to reach your actual goals and uncover your actual zest in life.

From the renowned author of Inner Strength, Unlimited Power, and MONEY Master the Game, Anthony Robbins, the nation's pioneer in the science of ultimate performance, shows you his most suitable strategies and techniques for controlling emotional and physical health, personal relationships, finances, and your total life.

The renowned expert in the psychology of transformation, Anthony Robbins offers a schematic program professing the basic techniques of self-control that will empower you to unleash your actual motto, take charge of your life, and tap the forces that form your future.

I first read this book in the early 90's and ever since Tony Robbins has published more books and more audio systems but the basic philosophies remain the same. This book served as an introduction to Neuro Linguistic Programming which achieves good results if one practices it. Tony speaks extensively about his personally experiences also and some of the conflicts he faced while growing up which permits the reader to compare to their recent situation.

The only thing that should be emphasized about this book is that it will not offer you a process in discovering your purpose in life. Tony has many an equipment in the book to help you in taking charge towards achieving your goals but one has searched for what you should be actually doing is completely up to you. The only reason why one says this is that one has read reviews in the current past where people walk away unhappily because they have enough fuel and no vehicle to put it in. Such as life, it's up to us to get a hold of the car.