How to Get a Good Startup Team?

A good team and a bad one may often spell the difference between a successful startup and a failing one. How do you get a good one, though? 

Here are a few tips to guide you through the landmine: 

1.   Hire right.

Startups, by necessity, have to be a lean team. Resources are limitedand have to be maximized. This is often why for startups, like those in Singapore virtual office arrangements are ideal.As more and more startups launch in Singapore, virtual office or even serviced office set-ups are also starting to become the norm for these companies. 

This is also why a single bad hire could have negative repercussions on everyone. Imagine you have five people on the team. If even one or two out of those five aren’t delivering on quantity and quality, you already have a big problem. Your team could miss deadlines. 

And if one or two of the good employees you have need to take over or help the non-performing employees, then that’s also a waste of time and effort for those employees since they could be doing something else already—instead of fixing the work of someone who really does not have the right skills for the job—and who got hired only because it was urgent and there was no one else available. 

2.   Choose passionate people. 

Passion and drive often set great people apart from the rest. They don’t give up. They work the hardest. And they invest, they put a lot into their work. These kinds of employees are the backbone of every successful company. So if you find a team of these people, don’t ever let them go. 

3.   Nurture excellence and attitude. 

Excellence is good. But excellence coupled with the right attitude is better. Positivity is often a great motivator. People respond better with positivity. This also improves the quality of communication among your people, one that is often reflected in the output. You have teams reaching their targets, finishing way before their deadlines. Those are admirable and should be encouraged. 

4.   Permit mistakes. 

Do this not because you want to encourage mistakes but because you want to encourage learning. Teach them not to dwell on those mistakes but on how to fix those mistakes and move on from there. This will not only train your team not to fear mistakes, it will also teach them the value of focusing on what can be done rather than waste time looking for someone to blame. 

5.   Build a culture of teamwork. 

Build a team whose members care about each other. Admittedly, this is not going to be obvious when you hire your people. But if you hire right—that they share the same vision and work ethic that you have—it won’t be long before you have employees that are friendly, even close to each other, and who will be all too willing to help out even before you ask.

4 Tips on How to Survive a Fall in the Office

Say you’re changing a light bulb at the office. You have the height for it. You volunteered. There was no one else around to do it. For whatever reason it happened, for however it happened, the story ends the same way: you find yourself at the top of the ladder, changing an errant bulb and screwing the new one in place when suddenly, something jostles the ladder—the wind, your officemate, a mouse—and the unthinkable happens. You start to lose your balance. 

Next thing you know, you’re falling off the ladder.

What do you do?

1.   Brace yourself.

Emotional preparedness is key. Know that you are going to fall. The sooner you accept that, the less time you spend on thinking “no, this can’t be happening!” Be in the moment. Be prepared. 

2.   Don’t grab at anything.

It’s a normal impulse—to grab at something when you start to fall. But we’re telling you: don’t. If you happen to grab at something—a wire for instance or box—chances are, these will fall after you. Not really such a good idea, especially if whatever you took down with you weighs a ton. That will hurt. A lot.

3.   Find a great spot to land

If your workplace runs to a system office furniture that includes huge sofas, urban chairs and wide acres of desks, well you would obviously be lucky if you land on any large furniture piece that’s soft (like a couch) that won’t break or shatter under your weight—and that it should, of course, be empty. There are plenty of office system furniture Singapore is known for—urban, classy, with great emphasis on comfort. If you see a viable landing space, twist around and position your body in such a way that you’ll end up on that comfortable sofa, desk or, if all else, fails, the carpet. This doesn’t happen automatically so you have to have the quick reflexes to check which spot is good for you to land on and twist your body around in order to hit that site. 

4.   Next time, don’t do it.

This is the wisest and best course of action to take. If you should find yourself in a situation where you had to choose between changing a light bulb or leaving the office to ask for professional help, pick the latter. You might get lucky once and land safely this time around. But that won’t always be the case. Stay safe by not tempting fate.

3 Types of Fresh Tofu You Should Know About

Tofu—also known as beancurd—is a handy byproduct of soymilk production. When soy milk is coangulated and the curds that spring from that are pressed, tofu is the end result. While it has many types and forms, there are two major categories of beancurd that currently exist:

• 1.   Fresh Tofu

• 2.   Processed Tofu

Fresh tofu comes from soymilk. Processed tofu, on the other hand, is what comes from fresh tofu. Fresh tofu has 3 major types. 

a.    Soft Tofu. 

Also known as silken tofu, this is the undrained and unpressed form of tofu. It has the best moisture content of all types of fresh tofu. Because silken tofu breaks easily, one must be very careful in transporting and handling it. Spoons are a better partner with this dish than chopsticks. This is a staple in many parts of Asia like Malaysia, China and Japan. Some often serve it chilled. Cold beancurd, not surprisingly—with a few sweeteners, flavors or soy sauce—is a popular dessert. The gelatinous consistency only adds to its appeal as a snack or dessert.

b.    Firm Tofu

Though drained, there’s still plenty of moisture left in a firm tofu. Expect, though, that the outside skin is a bit more resilient than the inside. Since the texture is firmer, this can be eaten with chopsticks. You won’t have to worry that it’ll collapse if you don’t use a spoon. 

Some of these are manufactured with seawater—instead of the more traditionally known solution, nigari or magnesium chloride. The firmer consistency of this beancurd makes it ideal as a food for places where travel is often hard and difficult. If you live in a remote island, faraway mountain village or in an area that regularly experience snowfall each year, then this beancurd (since it is able to survive harsh conditions of travel) is a popular protein source and a staple in many kitchens and households. 

c.    Extra Firm Tofu

This is the dry version of the tofu. Copious amounts of water have been drained from the tofu already to give form to it. If you slice it thinly enough though, the tofu turns extra crumbly as well. Tofu this way can be prepared stir-fried—in long, thin strips like a noodle—or cold, like a big block of white.

For an enjoyable combo, try noshing on silken cold beancurd while you drink a cold glass of soymilk. It’s got to be one of the most perfect combinations out there, health-wise. 

What is the Best Laser Treatment for Skin to Eliminate Scars?

Acne scars is one of the most persistent problems of twenty-somethings. While acne itself only lasts through puberty, deep or dark acne scars can sometimes last until after the last zit is gone. Some may fade with time, but others may not... and this would require a more unconventional solution to the problems.

Where creams and washes fail comes laser treatment for skin. In the last few years, laser treatment for skin imperfections have become very popular among the yuppie market, because it promises a long-term solution with results seen in a reasonable amount of time. In fact, there are a couple of treatments in the market today that are effective at eliminating scars, regardless of the origin.

One of the best treatments available in the market today is Laser Skin Resurfacing. Good for facial scars, this uses a CO2 laser to remove the top skin and allow for healthy growth of new skin underneath. This type of treatment is reported by users as very effective. While it has a two-week recovery period or downtime, the promise of glowing skin afterward is enough to go through the procedures.

Another treatment for more intense scars is laser scar removal. It is a nonsurgical, non-invasive approach to remove very deep scars all over the body. It is the more preferred laser treatment since it does not have downtime compared to surgery. It uses fractional laser technology to soften and improve the look of scarred skin in a few treatments. It is widely available at skin clinics, with users reporting very favorable results.

One thing you should know about laser scar removal is that whichever treatment youprefer, it may be costly. Be prepared to shell out more money than you usually do for serums or creams, but be assured that you will see more dramatically improved skin in less time.

If you are interested in having your scars removed via laser treatments, be sure to consult with a reputable doctor or dermatologist so that they can accurately evaluate your condition and be able to inform you on all the steps involved in laser scar removal. There are several aesthetic clinics in Singapore offering this kind of skin treatment. 

5 Uses of Dispensing Valves

Are you familiar with a dispensing valve? People who work in manufacturing industries might encounter this every day without knowing what it really does for them and the efficiency of their production system. Dispensing valves systems are used to provide reliable fluid control dispensing solutions for various machines. This ensures that mass manufacturers have help in getting the most cost-effective option for their automatic production lines.

Dispensing valves are used to accurately control the flow of low to medium viscosity fluids used in production machines. There are also high-pressure variants that are designed to operate at higher pressures with thicker industrial fluids like grease and silicone.

You might be surprised to find that dispensing valves are used in so many different industries which have manufacturing our automated production lines. It is a very vital piece of equipment that helps keep these specialized machines going. Here are some uses of dispensing valves in various industries.

Medical industry - Most medical manufacturing companies produce medicines, implements and other related items with the use of automated machinery, to avoid contamination and ensure the clean, sterile state of these products at all times. Dispensing valves help transfer liquids like medicine syrups, sterile solutions and the line to their containers. Dispensing valves may even help in the sterilization process itself, as they are found in machines that make syringes, sterilized gloves and the like.

Food service industry - How do you think those little ketchup packets get filled? Dispenser valves are extremely useful in dispensing items in packaged food products that are liquid or have liquid components.

Cosmetics industry- Soaps, shampoos, facial washes, serums--all these get produced and packaged with the help of dispenser valves in the machines used to produce them. This ensures that the product that is passed on to the consumer is absolutely clean and sterile, with no active ingredients compromised.

Technology industry- Many components used for computers, laptops, cell phones and other gadgets require dispenser valves so that they can be created with great precision. Even consumables like CDs, USBs, CD cases and other incidental items will need dispenser valves in order to be made.

Beverage industry- This one is a no-brainer. Bottled and canned liquids are delivered to consumers in fresh, untainted form thanks to the help of dispenser valves which transport and aid them in packaging. This way, no human hands or parts have a chance of coming in contact with these liquids, which may cause early spoilage.