Best Activities On The Internet To Spend Your Free Time

As human person our most important resource is time. If we manage our time correctly we can achieve wonderful things. But if we just waste our time by just watching a whole season from a series then we pretty much wasted a whole day.

If you look at the time schedule of a famous person; they barely have any free time. They’ve learned that if you want to achieve something in this life you have to put the effort and invest in yourself.

It’s only a myth that in order to spend your time effectively and be the best version of yourself you have to go to a library or a gym. With the evolution of technology, you can find everything you need on your phone or PC. There are plenty of activities that can make you productive by just being in your living room. Here are some examples:

Listen to a podcast

Listening to a podcast is like talking to someone without actually talking to someone. If you’re an introvert type you can enjoy more listening to another person rather than talking to someone else. But these podcasts are just as good activities for extroverted people as well who always want to be next to other people.

In podcasts, you can listen to some funny stuff that you can use next time you’re in a cafe with your friends. Or if you want to be more professional you can listen to people who work in your domain, like in marketing, videography, architecture, etc. and this way you can become better in what you’re doing. I'm sure you will find the one podcast which fits your style the most.

Visit art museums online

I'm not gonna lie to you, you won’t get the same feeling by looking at your screen rather than to watch these works of arts in real life. But sometimes you don’t have other options. It’s way easier to visit museums online than to fly across Europe and wait hours in a line. So online or virtual museums are way more accessible and you can become just as inspired and cultured as if you were there IRL.

Play online casino

If you find these activities “boring” and you need something more active then don’t close this tab yet. We got something for you as well. When we say online games we didn't mean something that you’ve played years before with some silly animations. Nowadays grown-up games like online poker, blackjack or slots are just one click away from you. With such online casino games, time will pass incredibly fast. Also, if you play online casinos live with others you can sharpen your social skills as well, by learning about human interactions.

Read Comics or Ebooks

Maybe you want to read a good book but you don’t feel like leaving the house. Don't worry, we got you. There are plenty of sites that provide youebooks, and you don't even need a separate ebook reader, you just need an app or program on your device and you can access your favorite books anywhere anytime. Or if you’re not so much into reading but you still love some action (like myself) you can read some comics as well. It doesn’t have to be something superhuman related. When it comes to comic books, there are plenty of topics and if you do a bit of research you will surely find the one you will need.

Start a blog

You may think that this section is nonsense because you won’t become a famous blogger or anything. But that’s not even the point. By writing a 500-600 word long blog post daily you can learn a lot about yourself. You can find some areas in your life that you have to improve. For example, if after 2-3 days you find out that you don’t have any experience to write about then maybe you have to live a more exciting life than that. Your welcome.

Wrap up

The key phrase in this article is: just do something. You don’t have to go outside to be a better person or to fight against boredom.  Find areas in your life where you have to improve and be the best version of yourself. Learn from others, from the world, and from your own experiences.

Commonly Used Excel Functions and Formulas With Examples (Screenshots)

Are you looking for excel functions to fasten your office or home work? Here we have some easy to understand excel functions and formulas with lots of examples that will make you work with MS Excel like a pro. Excel is a widespread tool used in public finance offices. Using Excel functions, tools, and various shortcuts not only expedites the time it takes to perform analyses, but can also create outputs that are more dynamic and engaging to stakeholders.

GFOA’s Excel webinar, “Excel for Budget Analysis,” provides a more detailed demonstration and application of pivot tables, graphs, debt calculations, and scenario analysis and this guide serves as a supplement to additional Excel features that can help users within the finance office.

GFOA compiled this list of excel functions and shortcuts with the assistance of member and instructors’ feedback and staff research.

While this guide does not offer a comprehensive list of all the features within Excel, it does include some of the ones commonly used by Excel users within the public finance office. For comprehensive explanation on all excel functions follow this link.

Most Useful Excel Functions and Formulas

It is important that we make a distinction regarding formulas and functions for the purposes of Excel.

Formulas are mathematical equations used to perform calculations in an Excel worksheet or workbook.

Excel Functions are predefined formulas that perform calculations in an Excel worksheet or workbook.

Both need to be written in a specific way, which is called the syntax, in order to calculate properly. Both also need at least one argument, which on the most basic level identifies the values for which to perform the action.

For formulas, the basic syntax is equal (=), function name (AVERAGE, in the example below), and argument.

=AVERAGE (A1:A28)

For excel functions, the basic syntax is equal (=), function name (ROUND, in the example below), argument, and argument tooltip, which is an additional action to perform (2, in the example below represents 2 digits).

=ROUND (A1, 2)

Excel offers hundreds of functions and categorize them based on their functionality. This guide will cover only a small portion of the functions, including math and trigonometry, statistical, date and time, lookup and reference, text, and logical functions. To learn more about the various categories, please reference the Microsoft Office Support page on Excel functions (by category).

Commonly Used Excel Functions

These include Math and Trigonometry Functions

Several math functions can help expedite analysis. This section highlights on a few.

ABS
When there is a need to get the absolute value of a number, the ABS function is helpful.

ROUND, ROUNDUP, and ROUNDDOWN

There are various options with rounding, depending on the need. The functions’ argument tooltip specifies how many decimal places or to which nearest integer it should round.

ROUND – This function helps users to round to the nearest value.

ROUNDDOWN – This function helps users to round values down to the nearest value based on the desired decimal place or integer.

ROUNDUP - This function helps users to round values up to the nearest value based on the desired decimal place or integer.

Excel Statistical Functions

When presented with large datasets, it is helpful to sort and summarize the information at hand.

COUNT, COUNTA, and COUNTBLANK FUNCTIONS

The counting functions are especially helpful with large datasets to identify anomalies and to get general summary statistics.

• COUNT – This function counts the number of cells that contain numbers.
• COUNTA – This function counts cells containing any type of information, including error values and empty text (as shown in the example below, it counts the cell marked “VOID”).
• COUNTBLANK – This function counts only the empty cells within the dataset, with no information contained in the cells.

 These are some of most important functions for a startup business person to know in Excel.

AVERAGE, MEDIAN, MIN, and MAX FUNCTIONS

With large datasets, it is often helpful to run basic summary statistics before doing further analysis.

• AVERAGE – This function calculates the average value in a dataset.
• MEDIAN – This function calculates the median, middle value, in a dataset.
• MIN – This function returns the lowest value in a dataset.
• MAX – This function returns the largest value in a dataset.

QUARTILE

The quartile function helps users to understand the distribution of values. The first argument identifies the values or cells that users want to calculate and the argument tooltip identifies which quartile (0 – minimum value; 1 – first quartile or 25th percentile; 2 – median value or 50th percentile; 3 – third quartile or 75th percentile; and 4 – maximum value). Quartile is also one of the most Used Excel Functions you may not know about.

AND RANDBETWEEN

This function is helpful when needing to create random values. Note that the random values Excel generates will recalculate as the fields are altered.

• RAND – This function generates a random value between 0 and 1.
• RANDBETWEEN – This function generates a random value between a specified ranges of values.

Excel Date and Time Functions

Sometimes when we export data from a database system, the date does not extract as neatly. Other times, we are looking to calculate the duration from one date to another.

DATE

This function is useful when information related to year, month, and date are in separate cells and the preference is to have the date in one cell.

YEAR, MONTH, and DAY Functions 

These functions are helpful to capture the appropriate piece of information in a date cell.

WEEKDAY

This function returns the day of the week for a given date. The argument tooltip defines when the week starts, with 1 being the first day of a given weekday.

DATEDIF

This function calculates the interval between two dates. The second argument specifies the type of interval, e.g., day, month, year, etc.

Lookup and Reference Functions

Sometimes we need to identify and search for a particular value in our dataset. This is when lookup and reference functions are helpful.

VLOOKUP Formulas With Examples

The excel vlookup function returns a value based on reference information presented in a vertical layout. In the example below, Columns A and B represent reference information. Columns D through F represent data we want to review.

In Column H, we are telling Excel to use the value in E2 to find the value for H2 by looking at the information in Columns A and B. This function is one of my favorite and most useful excel functions for data analysis.

The first argument tooltip in our example is a “2.” This represents the Column B.

We have information on the revenue code (Column E) and want to return information on the revenue name (Column B).

The second argument tooltip is for Excel to identify the appropriateness of the match. “False” denotes an exact match, while “True” denotes an appropriate match. We want an exact match for this scenario.

INDEX MATCH FUNCTION IN EXCEL

The excel index function can take two forms. The first form is a reference where users instruct Excel to return values in a table based on headings. The argument first identifies the values in the table (B3:F8 in the example below).

The first argument tooltip identifies the row number within the table of inquiry (4 for April and 5 for May, respectively) and the third tooltip identifies the column within the table of inquiry (1 for Dept_01 and 2 for Dept_02, see the below screenshot on how to calculate index in excel.

The array form returns the entire row or column of table. Note, it is important to first select the cells you want to contain the returned values (in the example below, B11:F11 were selected as the formula was entered).

The argument first identifies the values in the table (B3:F8). The first tooltip identifies the row of inquiry (3 for March).

The following argument tooltip references the column from the reference to which Excel should return (0 for no columns). Note to run the function in array form for a selected group of cells, click Ctrl + Shift + Enter to return values and not Enter.

GETPIVOTDATA

To avoid copying and pasting information from a pivot table, this function helps to return values using appropriate commands. The example below shows the level of details that can be captured using this function. In the first example, we are identifying the grand total of revenues from the pivot table.

To do so, the first argument is the data field of inquiry where the data we want is contained, e.g. “Sum of Revenues ($000).

The first tooltip is the reference cell in the PivotTable to help determine which report to Excel should pull from (this is especially useful when you are entering this function in one worksheet and have multiple PivotTable reports in the workbook.)

The second example builds off of the first, but wants to identify the total for February. This requires additional tooltips on the field name (Month), which is field heading in original dataset, and the actual item name (February).

The third example is more specific than the second and contains additional tooltips to identify sales tax revenues in March. Other tooltips for field name (Source) and item (Sales Tax) is included.

Text Functions

Text functions are helpful when we seek to only get a portion of the information contained within a cell or we are trying to combine information contained in multiple cells.

LOWER, UPPER, and PROPER

Formatting can be an issue when exporting data. Information may be in upper cases, lower cases, or a combination of both. To make clean tables and charts can require formatting or use of the following functions:

✓ LOWER – This function returns text values in a cell in all lower case.
✓ UPPER – This function returns text values in a cell in all upper case.
✓ PROPER – This function returns text values in a cell with the each of the first word capitalized.

CONCATENATE

CONCATENATE is helpful to combine information contained in separate cells into one cell. The function contains arguments referencing the cells containing the information.

The example below shows how the function returns values. In the first example, first name and last name is combined, but look closely because there isn’t a space. By adding to the argument by including spaces (“ “), commas (“, “), and other desired punctuation or words (“ of “) the appropriate desired value can be returned.

LEFT, RIGHT, and MID

These functions are helpful to extract a portion of a larger string. The example below shows is an account structure. The first four digits represent the department/division. In order to retrieve the first four digits, we use the left function.

The first argument identifies the cell containing the account information (A2) and the tooltip identifies how many digits from the left do we want to extract (4).

The RIGHT function follows a similar structure. In the example below, the last 5 digits represent the object. Thus, the argument identifies the cell containing the account information (A2) and the number of digits from the right we want to extract (5).

The MID function requires more details. Similar to LEFT and RIGHT, the argument identifies the cell containing the account information (A2). The first tooltip identifies which digit to start the extraction (5 to represent the fifth digit in the account string) and second tooltip identifies the number of digits to extract (5). Commonly Used Excel Functions.

LEN and TRIM

LEN is helpful to return the length of a string in a cell. The function contains one argument and that is the cell of inquiry. Note from the example below that Excel calculates extra spaces in the string in the length number. For example, the name Eli is shown as having a length of 5 and Tina has a length of 6.

One common use of the TRIM function is to remove extra spacing. Following the example above, the TRIM function is used below to remove the extra spacing, which shortens the length of the cell. The function contains one argument and that is the cell of inquiry.

TEXT and VALUE

When exporting data, numbers can sometimes appear with formatting issues or come in as text rather than number.

TEXT converts a numeric value to text. There are also different ways users can specify the display formatting by using special format strings. 

The first example below shows a figure with many decimals, but we want only the whole number.

Thus, the TEXT function is used to identify the cell that contains the information (A2) and specifies it should be the nearest whole number (“0”). 

In the second example, the figure is 21.3, but we want it to display as a dollar value. Using the TEXT function, A3 is identified as the cell that contains the information and “$0.00” is specified as the display.

Above in A4 contains a number, but Excel recognizes it as text (a simple way to determine that Excel has identified this as text is the green triangle on the upper left corner). If the figures are recognized as text instead of numbers, then calculation and analysis cannot be performed accurately. The VALUE function contains one argument, which identifies the cell that contains the information (A4).

Excel Logical Functions

Logical functions are useful when we are seeking to perform conditional actions or calculations.

COUNTIF FUNCTION IN EXCEL

This function counts the number of cells that meet a criterion. The two examples below show how COUNTIF operates. The argument is the range of cells that we want Excel to review. The tooltip specifies the criterion, e.g. code 100 and vendor ABC, respectively.

SUMIF

This function sums the values in a range that meet criteria specified. The two examples below show how SUMIF operates. The first part of the argument is the range of cells we want evaluated based on our criteria. The first tooltip is the criteria itself, e.g. code 100 and vendor ABC, respectively. The following tooltip is the range of cells for Excel to perform the summarization function, e.g., amount in both instances.

IF

If statements are helpful to return one value if the statement is true and another if the statement is false. In the example below, we are comparing the payment amount (C2:C7) to the invoice amount (B2:B7). If the payment amount is greater than the invoice amount, then Excel returns a value of “Overpayment.” If the payment amount is not less than the invoice amount, then Excel Commonly Used Excel Functions return a value of “Not Overpayment.”

Please note the attention to the value we selected to return if the statement is false because the logic statement is also capturing instances where the payment amount equals the invoice amount (Rows 3 and 6).

AND

Similar to if statements, the AND function returns a value of “TRUE” if the statement is true and “FALSE” if the statement is false. The function tests multiple criteria. In the example below, the statement is testing two criteria. The first is whether there has been an underpayment (Column E is less than Column C) and whether the payment took more than 30 days from time of invoice (Column D minus Column B is greater than 30). Both conditions must be true in order for Excel to return the value “TRUE.” If only one of the conditions is true, either there is an underpayment or payment took over 30 days from time of invoice, then Excel returns the value “FALSE.”

OR

This function tests multiple logic criteria and returns a value of “TRUE” if one criterion is true. The example below is similar to the one for the AND function. However, if one of the conditions, e.g., underpayment (Column E is less than Column C) or payment taking more than 30 days from time of invoice (Column D minus Column B is greater than 30), is met, then Excel returns the value “TRUE.” If both conditions are not met, then Excel returns the value “FALSE.”

Shortcuts

Formatting Shortcut Name	Keystrokes	Purpose
Border	Ctrl+Shift+7	Places border around selected cell(s)
Remove Border	Ctrl+Shift+–	Removes border around selected cell(s)
Clear	Alt+H+E	Opens clear editing features. Keying additional letters will perform the functions listed below:
Paste Special	Ctrl+C, Alt+H+V	Opens paste special features Keying additional letters as indicated in the underlined word performs the functions listed below:
Change Font Size	Alt+H+F+S	Goes to font size dropdown
Format Cell	Ctrl+1	Opens format cell window
Group rows or columns	Alt+A+G+G or Shift+Alt+→	Opens group window
Ungroup rows or columns	Alt+A+U+U or Shift+Alt+←	Ungroups grouped rows or columns
Highlight Row	Shift+Spacebar	Selects entire row

According to Microsoft Official blog, the INDEX function applies to the following  versions of Ms Excel:

Excel 2016, Excel 2013, Excel 2010, Excel 2007, Excel 2016 for Mac, Excel for Mac 2011, Excel Online Excel for iPad, Excel for iPhone, Excel for Android tablets, Excel for Android phones, Excel Mobile, Excel Starter 2010 Less.

This really are most commonly used excel functions and formula with examples.

Hope you enjoyed the article? Do share with friends and leave your comments if any questions.

7 Ways General Management Can Increase Your Productivity

Management is the process of developing an organization’s resources to achieve specific aims through the functions of planning, leading and controlling. In other words, management deals with how we can utilize available resources to achieve planned objectives or goals.

This article highlights some basic steps you need to follow so that you can manage several businesses successfully with ease.

From the above definition and illustrations of management, the following features are important to know:

• Organizing: organizing means allocating work to people and directing their doing so that the objectives of the business can be proficient.
• Control: this involves making sure that people carry out directives according to plan.
• Leading: it refers to the way in which mangers help their employees or assistants to achieve certain goals of the business.
• Planning: this is mainly concerned with setting objectives and devising the necessary course of action to achieve these objectives.

And that is why business management is considered a good major processes for every organization or a business firm.

The Functions of Management In a Business

The main functions of management are planning, organizing, leading and controlling.

Planning Process In General Management

Planning is significant because it helps in the establishment and completion of objectives; provides performance standards that facilitate control; reduces uncertainty by anticipating changes; gives a focus and sense of direction to the business; helps n the allocation and utilization of business resources, and precedes the execution of all other managerial functions.

Here are some of the process involved in management planning, guide here would make you not to ask how does one create a business plan? Below are some of the things you need to know.

i. Identify opportunities and threats;

ii. Formulate objectives;
iii. Make assumptions and draw up plans of action accordingly;
iv. Identify alternative plans of actions;
v. Analyze and consider alternative plans of actions;
vi. Choose a final plan;
vii. Draw up a budget;
viii. Implement and evaluate the plan.

Kinds of Plans In Management

Plans can be branded into the following Kinds:

1. Time prospect: in this case plans are classified on the basis of the time factor. On the basis of the time factor, we have long-term plans, medium-term plans, and short-term plans.
2. Level of management: the types of plans according to levels of management are strategic plans, functional or tactical plans, and operational plans.
3. Continuity basis: by this, we are referring to whether the plans will continuously be used or whether the plans will be used just once.
4. Functional plans: these are the types of plans according to the functional areas of business.

Advantages of a Good Plan In Management

A good plan must have some the following advantages:

i. A good plan must be realistic
ii. Must be futuristic
iii. Must be goal – oriented
iv. Must be considerate in the course of action
v. Must be flexible in nature.

Disadvantages to Effective Planning In Management

Here are some of the stumbling blocks to effective planning
i. Rigidity of plan
ii. Wrong timing
iii. The poor inspiration of workers
iv. Environmental factors
v. Inadequate resources.

Organizing Method In Management

Organizing is the management purpose by means of which a business structure is well-known through the distribution of responsibilities, the allocation of resources and the coordination of activities to achieve the objectives of the business.

Leading Process Of Management

Leading is the management function which monitors the people within an organization in such a way that they will cooperate or work together towards the accomplishment of the goals of the business as efficiently as possible.

Management Control

Control is the formation of accurate standards against which the actual act of the employees and the business can be measured and, whereby, any abnormalities from the business’s standards can be detected in good time it entails verifying whether instructions are carried out according to plan.

General Management Control processes

Control process involves the following steps:

1. Calculating the actual performance
2. Taking remedial action
3. Assessing and comparing actual performance against set standards

Principles of effective Control In Management

1. It must be understandable
2. It must be elastic
3. It must be correct and timely
4. It must be economical

Other Management Tasks are as follows:

Motivation: it is the procedure in which a general manager or a businessman encourages the employees that they should voluntarily do their work as well as possible. Motivation is a driving force that grows spontaneously in a person and managers must strive to the ways they do.

Delegation: it is the process whereby tasks are allotted to assistants or employees with the needed authority and duty to enable them to do the tasks.

Discipline: Discipline forms the conduct of employees so that their behavior helps to ensure the successful acts of the business.

Communication: people can only exist within the framework or social institutions and through contact and interaction with other people. This interaction takes place by means of communication. Communication is the transfer of messages between the business and its internal and external environment.

Coordination: it is the process in which the numerous business tasks or activities are treated as a functional unit so that the objectives of the business can be successfully achieved.

Principles of Management

A principle is an important fact. Principles of management are the important facts which guide the activities and processes of an organization. They are guidelines that guide the actions of and decisions of managers in their bid to utilize business resources to achieve stated organizational goals.

The principles are as follows:

1. Discipline: members of the organization should respect the rules and agreements that govern the organization.
2. Authority: managers should have the right to give orders and exact compliance.
3. Division of labor: functions should be separated into areas of concentration in such a way that one worker performs one activity.
4. Order: materials and people should be placed and maintained in their proper location.
5. Equity: a manager should treat employees and peers with respect and justice. Managers should be fair and just to all workers.
6. Stability of tenure: workers should be sure of maintaining their jobs for a reasonable period of time.
7. Initiative: assistants should be given the liberty to perceive and carry out their policies within the bounds of their delegated authority and defined jobs, even though some errors may result.

Levels of Management

Basically, there are three levels of management in any organization, namely top-level management, middle-level management, and first-level or lower-level management.

i. Top-level management: managers at this level are responsible for the overall management of the organization; they establish operating policies and guide the organization’s interaction with its external environment. They make key decisions and long-term plans for the organization. Examples of top-level managers are:
a. Managing director;
b. Chief executive officer;
President’
c. General manger;
d. Chairman, the board of directors’
e. Non-executive directors, etc.

ii. Middle-level management: managers at this level are at the midrange of the organizational ladder; they are answerable to other managers and sometimes for some operational employees; the report to more senior managers; they express departmental purposes, rules and plans; they link management decisions and policies to their assistants; and carry out key decisions of the top-level managers. Examples of middle-level managers are:

a. Marketing manager;
b. Production manager;
c. Chief accountant;
d. Chief engineer;
e. Administrative manager, etc.

iii. First-level management: managers at this level are responsible for the work of operating employees only and do not supervise other managers; they are “first” or lowest level managers in the organizational hierarchy; they plan for the day-to-day operations and assign personnel to specific jobs;

Roles of a Manager

In other to successfully deliberate on the roles of a manager, we will love to discuss who a manager is and what he does?

A manager is a person at any level of the organization who guides the labors of their people in accomplishing goals. He is the person who is responsible for making decisions concerning the use of business properties to achieve results.

He is also a substance that makes things happen and the vigorous, life-giving element in every business, without his governance, the resources can never become production.

He launches goals, plans operations, arranges various resources (personnel, materials, equipment, capital, information, time, etc.) leads and motivates people to accomplish, evaluates actual results against the set objectives, and improves people for the organization.

A role is defined as an organized set of behaviors belonging to an identifiable office or position. Roles are those behaviors that can be attributed to managerial position or job. That is the behavioral patterns that managers are expected to display within the unit they are to function.

The roles of a manager are broadly divided into three (3) groups, namely:

• Interpersonal roles: these are the dealings that managers have with other people as a result of their status and position.
• Informational roles: these relay to the sources and note of information which result from manager’s interpersonal roles.
• Decisional roles: these include making organizational choices on the basis of mangers’ status and power, and access to information.

Managerial Skills

What is a skill?

A skill is an ability to do something well. Managerial skills, therefore, are the abilities of managers to utilize business resources efficiently and effectively in order to achieve stated organizational goals. Though skills are important at all levels of management they are more important at one level than the other. For example, the significance of the technical skill diminishes as the manager climbs up the ladder and vice versa and also the significance of the conceptual skill diminishes as the manager climbs down the ladder and vice versa.

At this juncture, we are going to be outlining three (3) managerial skills namely;

• Technical skill: it refers to the capability of a manager to use a particular information, devices, procedures, and techniques in a specialized arena.
• Human skill: this refers to the ability of a manager to work with, comprehend, encourage and get along with others.
• Conceptual skill: this also refers to the ability of a manager to recognize the difficulties of the overall organization and how each department or unit fits into the organization.

Wrapping Up:
Every business needs good management in order to grow above its competitors and achieve its main goal.

If you have any suggestion, contribution to management, please do not hesitate to use the comment box below. Thanks for reading.

How Digital Marketing Has Breathed New Life Into Bingo

It’s true that with the right digital marketing strategy you can sell practically anything, and an effective digital marketing strategy is absolutely crucial to the success of a new product. Whether it’s utilizing social media channels, SEO or paid advertising, it’s a major ingredient for getting your brand in front of the right people.

But digital marketing is not just effective for new tech, products and services - it can also help revive the fortunes of existing, unfashionable or even forgotten products. One such product that has enjoyed a revival due to effective digital branding is bingo.

The problem

The game of bingo dates back almost 500 years and is today played globally, although in the modern era it has traditionally not been seen as the hippest of hobbies. Often typecast as being slow-paced, bingo is sometimes associated with elderly people.

For decades, bingo has been played in dedicated halls, most prominently in North America and across Europe, where its popularity, though holding steady, has never really exploded to challenge other trendier gambling pastimes like roulette, blackjack and poker.

The opportunity

The rise of online gambling created a huge chance for bingo online to reinvent itself and earn a lucrative slice of revenue in an industry expanding at an eye-popping rate. The aforementioned games, and especially poker, were natural fits for online play, but bingo still had an image problem.

The challenge for digital marketers was to make the most of bingo’s qualities as a game that is casual, doesn't require intense planning or strategy or necessarily require you to place huge stakes to have a great time. By ticking these boxes, bingo could earn a place at the top table of the industry.

The solution

In a crowded marketplace - which is still growing - many of the largest online casino providers pulled out all the stops to offer players the biggest choice, the best odds and the latest technology. And though there were – and still are – a number of websites that have a focus on a particular game, the majority have a range of many available to play.

Propose how you’d propose for a chance to do it with The Pepsi Engagement Ring - the only ring made with real Crystal Pepsi. Really.@Pepsi with #PepsiProposal #contest for a chance to win.
Rules: https://t.co/xRlxcIrYyI pic.twitter.com/OJ5LKyxrre

— Pepsi (@pepsi) February 13, 2020

This allowed bingo to sneak in the back door and brands quickly realised that the game provided a softer and more relaxed environment for players, compared to the more high-octane decision-making of others.

They were also able to adapt the rules to even better suit casual play, creating versions of the game that didn’t last as long, making them even more appealing to players who aren’t interested in making a huge investment in time.

Digital marketers behind the brands have also been able to place focus on the “low stakes” element of bingo. While other games can be a little daunting for players not wishing to risk too much, bingo offers games tailor-made for this kind of player, requiring small stakes and offering small prizes.

By shining a light on the game’s existing strengths, digital marketers have been able to revive the game of bingo online. Today, millions play bingo online include a huge percentage who’ve never set foot in a bingo hall.

How Did Creativity and Innovation in Business Become the Best? Find Out

Entrepreneurs view things in new ways and from different perspectives. They do not follow the crowd. Creativity and innovation are necessary for the birth and growth of a business.

For example, generation of a feasible business idea requires a great deal of creativity. Also, conversion of a viable business idea into a new enterprise or a new product different from other products in the marketplace requires some degree of innovativeness.

What stands an entrepreneur out from others in the marketplace is his/her ability to offer new and superior products or services to satisfy customers’ needs.

What is Creativity?

Creativity and Innovation are often used interchangeably. However, as similar as they may seem to be, the two terms are different but related. Creativity is the soul of an entrepreneur. It is the foundation upon which entrepreneurship is built.

Creativity is crucial for idea generation and opportunity recognition. It is needed for the development of innovative business concepts.

Also Read creativity and innovation quotes from top entrepreneurs that would motivate you to take your startup business to the next level.

Creativity is the process of generating and solving problems in different phases, seeing possibilities others have not seen, and activating changes to it. To be creative is to see the same thing as everybody else but think differently.

The Processes Involved in Creativity

There are four (4) steps involved in the creative process, namely:

• Knowledge Accumulation: gathering information is the foundation upon which to build creativity and innovation. This is the preparatory stage that puts the individual in a better position to understand what the problem is all about. The individual can acquire information through attending seminars, reading books, workshops, and conferences.
• Incubation Process: this state allows the creative individual subconscious mind to ponder over information, skills or knowledge acquired.
• Idea Experience: In this phase, the idea or answer to a problem revealed. Furthermost, the idea emanates gradually and slowly until it becomes richer.
• Evaluation and Implementation: this is the stage where the idea generated is investigated to regulate if it is attainable. Evaluation ensures that the new idea will work and practical to implement. At this stage, it requires a great deal of courage and perseverance because the idea might not work out in the first place.

What is Innovation?

Innovation is the process of spinning ideas or opportunities into beneficial products, services, or processes. It is the process of fashioning or introducing something new.

Note: Innovation brings creativity into reality.

Innovation Process

Unlike Creativity, Innovation does not just happen by accident; it goes through a method.

Firstly, produce new ideas. This idea could come from diverse sources, such as encouragement, user’s basic need or research. Secondly, hand-picked the best out of the ideas generated. This might sound simple but it can be pretty challenging since innovation is fraught with uncertainty and guesswork. Thirdly, a gadget the idea, by transforming the idea into real product or service that people use.

Types of Innovation

Here are diverse types of innovation. Therefore, the following types of innovation are well-known.

1. Creation: this kind of innovation has to do with the creation of an entirely new product, service, or process different from existing products, facilities and processes.
2. Extension: this includes making an amendment to existing products, service or process.
3. Duplication: this refers to the reproduction of an existing product, service, or process. It does not simply mean photocopying
4. Synthesis: this is the mixture of existing concepts and factors to form a new concept. It involves taking a number of ideas already invented and finding a way that they can form a new application.

In addition, innovation can also be classified as radical or discontinuous innovation and incremental or continuous innovation. Radical innovation means total breakthrough, a break away from existing products, services or processes. Incremental innovation, on the other hand, means, making strategic and significant improvements to existing products, services or processes.

Importance of innovation

Innovation is the key to economic development of any Country or organization. Investigation result confirms that innovation is absolutely related to organizational growth. Innovative energies which result in new products and technologies increase the efficiency of all elements of a society.

Principles of Innovation

Innovation is one distinguishing of entrepreneurship that can be learned. This involves guzzling positive moralities of innovation. Innovation principles, when combined with opportunity, enable individuals to innovate.

• Aim high. Dream big. Continuously see success at the end of the innovative effort.
• It takes effort not intellect to innovate efficaciously.
• Start small. Small, they say, is beautiful.
• Try, test, and revise. This sanctions you to work out any imperfections in the product or service.
• Learn from failures. Innovation itself does not warranty success.
• Reward courageous activity. This applies to people involved in looking for and motivating others to innovate.

Wrap Up:
Creativity and Innovation in entrepreneurship are some distinctive attributes of an Entrepreneur, it makes a business stands out. Introducing something new in an organization is quite beneficial to a firm.