How To Make Your Backyard A Fun Place For Your Kids

Guest Post by Hannah Jones

Lately, it’s almost too easy for kids these days to lose hundreds of precious hours to gadgets, video games, and the Internet.

Using technology is inherently not a bad thing, however, having grown up in a different generation, you would know that playing and being active outdoors offer unique learnings and experiences that even the most educational phone games can’t match.

Give your kids a chance to spend their time outside by turning your backyard into a fun zone with all sorts of games and activities. Here’s how:

1. Set up a swing or a silly spinner

If you want something simple yet still fun, the best thing would be to set up a swing or a silly spinner instead.

Now, although these should ideally be attached to a high tree branch, it’s alright if you don’t have a tree in your backyard since you could also purchase ready-to-use swing sets.

You could also opt to buy playsets that have slides, monkey bars, and mini treehouses as well.

Visit intopten.com to browse through your possible options.

2. Build a treehouse

Here’s a classic trick that’s as old as sliced bread, or maybe even older.

Nowadays, the number of kids asking for treehouses in their backyards is growing smaller, which is no surprise.

Why would they want to spend their time building and later staying in a significantly smaller version of their house if they could watch TV all day instead?

The trick to convincing them is by giving them the slight illusion that the treehouse will be their own space where they could impose their own rules.

For instance, if you don’t allow them to build blanket and pillow forts in your expensively-decorated living room, tell them that they can have their forts up 24/7 in their treehouse.

Building a treehouse with your kids is an experience rich with subtle teaching moments.

Additionally, once they’re already in their treehouse, you can slip in some lessons on responsibility and safety. It’s a win-win for everybody.

3. Host original plays

Are you looking to cultivate the creativity in your children?

An excellent way to accomplish that would be to build a mini theatre in your backyard where you can host plays with or for your kids.

you could recreate classic plays, it will be even more fun to ask your kids to write their own stories and choose their own roles.

You could easily set up the stage and curtains with some cloth.

The former could be made out of a simple rectangle of fabric laid out on the grass and put into place with some corner bricks or some other heavy object.

If you want an elevated stage, you could take the extra step and build a custom wooden platform.

Meanwhile, you could make curtains out of a clothesline, red cloth, and two poles.

4. Build a mini athletic course

The idea here is to build a kid-friendly version of the courses that athletes take on in the show American Ninja Warriors.

So, this is perfect if you’re kids are already into sports or other physically competitive activities.

If you’re not familiar with the program, its challenging obstacles are similar to the ones kids encounter at camp, including monkey bars, stump steps,
and climbing tires.

Indeed, this would take a significant portion of your time, money, and energy.

However, if you and your kids are genuinely committed to having this experience, then all the work will be worth it in the end.

Some of the Ninja Warrior obstacles that you could re-imagine in your backyard include the following:

  • Quintuple Steps
    This obstacle consists of tilted panels laid out on parallel sides.To get through this, one would need to jump on the panels one leg at a time in an alternating fashion.
  • Tire Swing
    As the name suggests, this obstacle involves a tire and a rope, which one would use to swing from one point to another without touching the ground.
  • Warped Wall
    Perhaps the most iconic obstacle of the show, the warped wall is an upwards-curving platform that one needs to get on top of using their running momentum.

5. Put up a chalk easel

Create an opportunity for your kids to write and draw freely by making a chalk easel for them.

The great thing about this project is that you could control the size of the easel and your kids could use whatever color they want to write with.

Just be sure to use materials, like the chalk paint, that could stand being outdoors.

Spending quality time with your kids is crucial for them to have a fulfilling and enriched childhood.

By building a treehouse, setting up an obstacle course, or making a mini theatre, you could turn the space in your backyard into an avenue of fun, learning, and bonding.

Just don’t forget to set up all the necessary safety precautions before you do any of the things stated above.

The Commercial Kitchen Look, For A Keen Cook

Guest post by Sarah Williams

Do you dream of running a Cafe?

Perhaps you see yourself having a home restaurant on ‘My Kitchen Rules’

Do people tell you your preserves are good enough to sell?

If any of these questions apply to you perhaps you should go for the commercial kitchen look for your new house.

Design

A key component of commercial style kitchens is that they are easy to clean, have large clear preparation areas and have safety as a major consideration

By designing it effectively, with planned workflow you will manage to finish up your work very fast and efficiently.

Refrigeration

Good large refrigeration with plenty of storage is a key element in a commercial kitchen.

It enables you to do a lot of food preparation earlier in the day or even the previous day; something that will make catering for dinner parties in your home much easier.

Commercial Refrigeration units lowers the temperature quickly which helps preserve taste as well as preventing food borne ailments.

Many commercial refrigerators also have glass panels which allow you to check the contents without opening the door.

Stoves

Suitable ovens, cook tops, and grills of a commercial standard will be much larger than standard domestic models with greater heat output to cook larger quantities.

This means a higher standard of extraction equipment will be needed.

Dishwasher

You need a dishwasher that has a high temperature range to wash your kitchen equipment and ensure it is sanitised

Materials

Stainless steel is preferred for all surfaces as it is easy to clean and sanitise.

Plastic chopping boards mean you can sanitise them in the dishwasher

The Workflow and Layout of Commercial Kitchens

Local health departments only address themselves to the layout of commercial kitchens as far as food safety is concerned. For work to flow easily, these kitchens are designed in an effective manner. There is a need for having spaces in between the equipment to enable the workers to carry out their duties effectively without hitting one another.

Operating a Catering Business?

If you want to be more than a keen amateur cook you will need apply for a license that will need to be regularly inspected. 

 

Acquiring Properties and Getting Value for Every Dollar Spent

Guest Post by Sarah Williams

We work smart to get the best of what life has to offer but in the end, we save money to purchase some assets.

Having something to call our own is the greatest pride to show for the work at hand.

While searching for what to buy there are various factors to consider which includes the amount of cash that one has at their disposal.

A person may look to acquire the cheapest house and land packages to save some money.

However, while going for this package one may want to consider value for their money.

In order to get the greatest satisfaction, there are various things to have at the back of one’s mind.

It is crucial to survey the market.

Suburbs enable one to escape the noise of the city and its commotions.

You can choose a contemporary look, or go for a more traditional look to stand out from the rest. 

New Estates and the Builders

It is important to contact land developers who come up with new estates.

Even when dealing with a developer property agents are important people to consult about the most valued houses and land.

They are the middlemen between the owner and future buyers and also connect landlords to potential tenants.

Agents have great market knowledge and they know which packages would serve their clients well.

When you find a development in a good area you will find builders offering package deals. 

While building a home, a person has to also focus on the future.

It is important to build houses that can be comfortable during hot and the cold weather.so orientation is important both to the block and the house design

Conclusion

Any house built can also be used as a rental residence or as a business premise.

It is best to check the areas that are likely to develop within a short period of time and attract people.

As a business entrepreneur, one must go for the best value house and land packages.

This ensures that although they need to keep costs down it’s important to have an asset that will gain in value.

Applications of Heat Pumps in Domestic Hot Water Systems

Guest Post by Michael Tobias

Heat pumps have a significant potential to reduce building emissions, which represent around 40% of global emissions.

Having a much lower operating cost than electric resistance heaters, heat pumps are a viable alternative to gas heaters. In addition, heat pumps can achieve synergy with solar photovoltaic systems.

In simple terms, heat pumps can be described as refrigerators or air conditioners operating in reverse.

While cooling systems remove heat from an enclosed space through the condensation and evaporation of a refrigerant, heat pumps reverse the process to deliver heat instead.

Based on the medium used for heat exchange, heat pumps can be classified into air-source and ground-source installations.

Since underground temperatures are more stable than outdoor air temperatures throughout the year, ground-source heat pumps offer a higher efficiency, particularly for colder climates.

However, air-source heat pumps have a much lower upfront cost thanks to their simpler installation.

Comparing the Efficiency of Water Heating Systems

The operating cost of a water heating system is determined by two main factors: the cost of the energy input, and how efficiently that input is delivered to the water as heat.

Since heat pumps can harness thermal energy from outdoor air or from underground, their heating output exceeds their electricity input.

A resistance heater must use one kilowatt-hour from the electric supply for every kWh of heat delivered to the water. However, most heat pumps can deliver between 2 and 4 kWh of heat for every kWh of electricity consumed.

The exact performance varies depending on the model and its operating conditions, but electricity savings above 50% can be expected in most cases.

When an electricity grid is dependent on fossil fuels, a heat pump simply replaces emissions at the point of use with power plant emissions.

However, there is a benefit nevertheless, since emissions are moved away from urban areas.

Also, if the power grid is gradually decarbonized, water heating systems that use heat pumps automatically become greener.

Note that heat pumps are also viable in space heating and air conditioning applications.

These units have a very different appearance from heat pump water heaters, but their underlying principle is the same.

These heat pumps can be an excellent home upgrade when the owner wishes to upgrade both air conditioning and space heating, since a single piece of equipment can replace two.

How Heat Pumps and Solar Power Systems Achieve Synergy

The combination of heat pump water heaters and photo voltaic arrays results in some interesting possibilities.

While solar power systems have become much more affordable than a couple decades ago, they are still limited by a variable electricity output.

Unlike a diesel generator, a solar power system cannot deliver power when requested, only based on the availability of sunlight.

Residential solar power systems tend to have surplus production around noon, when most occupants are away in workplaces or educational institutions.

This surplus production is exported to the grid, but power companies only give partial credit in many cases.

On the other hand, if surplus electricity is stored for later use, homeowners save the full value of each kWh.

A heat pump water heater can act as an energy storage system. . . .  Basically, each kilowatt-hour of solar generation can yield 3or more kWh of heat in a water tank.

The water tank can hold its temperature with adequate insulation, and homeowners can use hot water without activating the heat pump at the same time.

This configuration is especially useful for homeowners subject to time-of-use electricity rates, which have changing kWh prices throughout the day.

A heat pump water heater can store hot water using surplus solar generation, which is then used to offset consumption at hours where the kWh price is high.

Alternatively, the heat pump can heat water when the lowest kWh price are applied, saving the price difference with the highest kWh rate in the day.

In the case of Australia, both heat pumps and solar power system are eligible for cash rebates, in the form of Small-scale Technology Credits (STC).

This incentive program reduces the upfront cost of both technologies, providing yet another reason to deploy them together.

 

Michael Tobias, PE, LEED AP, CEM.

Michael Tobias is the founder and principal of New York Engineers, an Inc 5000 Fastest Growing Company in America.

He leads a team of 30+ mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection engineers from the company headquarters in New York City; and has led over 1,000 projects in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland and California, as well as Singapore and Malaysia.

A Guide To Updating Home Interiors

Guest post by SuperSize Digital

When you’re updating your home interior, there’s a lot to consider: defining your style, planning out colour schemes, endless hours online saving inspirational photos…and then there’s the eco-conscious perspective that so many of us are working hard to implement in our lives.

When you’re trying to keep your environmental impact light, and you and your family’s exposure to potentially harmful chemicals to a minimum, there’s so much to think about.

Here are some tips on how to update your home while keeping it green.

Floor level finesse

Balancing durability, looks, low-VOC features, and sustainability aspects can be a potential headache.

Look at your lifestyle – would you rather trade sustainability for savings?

Do you have pets and kids that will require something that’s easy to care for?

If you’re blessed with hardwood flooring, consider the ultimate in low-impact choices – simply refinish it with a non-toxic varnish.

If it’s time to replace it entirely, and your choice is wood, choose flooring that utilises lumber from sustainable forest sources.

Examples of this are plantation rubberwood, teak, and even bamboo. No matter what your choice, either use or look for a natural-oil hard-finish coating.

If you need something durable for a kitchen or workshop space, an eco-conscious choice that may surprise you is linoleum!

Not only does the long-lasting flooring stand up to decades of use, it’s also derived from natural materials.

The hint was right there in its name all along: It’s made from linseed oil, limestone dust, pine resin, and wood shavings. It’s biodegradable, too!

Wall wisdom

Painting your walls is an easy way to change your home’s look – and it’s a top choice for many remodelers.

However, the concern over its VOC (Volatile Oil Compounds) emissions has caused a lot of concern, creating a market for greener options.

The good news is that manufacturers have responded with zero and low-VOC paints that perform just as well as traditional versions.

Check your favourite brands for versions that give you great coverage with little-to-no emissions. (They usually smell better, too!)

There are also companies that specialise in alternative formulas that are made from sustainable materials such as lime and clay.

If you’ve avoided wallpaper in the past because of its reputation for the vinyl leaking VOCs and other gases, you might want to check out some of the new versions that use eco-friendly water-based inks, recyclable papers, and even recycled ingredients.

Coupled with low-impact and healthier wallpaper paste formulas, the new wallcoverings can be the sort of change you’re looking for in your home.

For another affordable, highly textured option, consider using burlap.

That’s right – the humble fabric now comes in a huge palette of colors, can be purchased by the bolt, and looks amazing on your walls.

If you’re drawn to the look of grasscloth wallcoverings, but are shying away from the price, burlap will make your home’s walls look quite luxurious for a fraction of the cost.

It can be done as a DIY project with glue, or handed over to a wallpaper installer – think about it!

Furniture features

Just like any other wood product, consider the source of the lumber used in your new furniture.

Just like wood flooring, it’s possible to use timber harvested sustainably.

Seek out woods like Rubberwood, Mountain and Victorian Ash, Mountain Gum, and Tasmanian Oak.

Pieces using reclaimed wood are clearly taking the high road on the green approach.

There are as many creative reuses out there as you could ever think of – and many more!

Pieces utilizing recycled railroad sleepers, teak roots, and architectural components like doors and screens are just a sample of the innovative uses that furniture makers have employed.

Purchasing antique and vintage furniture pieces can be one of the most rewarding ways to go green.

Not only are the woods used of better quality than inexpensive new pieces, there’s also the opportunity to upgrade pieces to your own style.

Wood can be refinished in non-toxic finishes, and upholstery can be updated with your choice of eco-friendly foam choices and fabrics.

Check out the reupholstering option by replacing old polyurethane foam with natural latex or coconut fibre foams, as well as wool or cotton stuffing.

If you’ve been looking at the new mattress materials, you are already familiar with the type of springy alternatives that are out there for your stuffed furniture.

Once you’ve re-stuffed your piece, you can select from more eco-conscious fabrics that use recycled fibres,

Tencel (made from wood pulp), natural ones like hemp, or even recycle your own fabrics by sourcing vintage curtains (they were often made of upholstery fabric), old wool blankets, or deadstock upholstery fabric.

Take care of your new environment

Don’t let your dedication to a greener household end with your fabric and wood choices.

It’s possible to treat and protect them with safe products, too.

Keep your carefully chosen fabrics protected with a next-generation product like protectME.

This is a truly eco-friendly spray that repels moisture and stains for up to 2-3 years.

If you’re thinking that this is the type of product that could be used all over your home, you’re right!

Any fabric can benefit from a treatment – mattresses, pillows, rugs – it lasts for up to 30 washes, makes spills roll right off, and is completely safe for kids, pets, allergy sufferers, and the chemically sensitive.

You’ll never have to deal with that strong odour that fabric protector sprays always have – because protectME doesn’t use any of those toxic chemicals that produce that smell.

Keep your wood pieces clean and polished by sticking with greener alternatives, too.

Look for plant-based soaps and oils for maintaining your floors and furniture. and, just like the technology advances that make a product like the protectME spray available, look to fabrics with microfibers to allow you maximum efficiency with your household cleaning.

Going green in your home interior updates is a great way to care about the earth, as well as your family’s health.

Make it a healthier place for you, them, and even your pets by choosing from our list of ecologically sound alternatives, and carry on your good work by keeping your choices clean and looking new with products like protectME.

Steamy Solutions

How To Get The Most Out Of Your Steam Cleaner

Guest Post By Hubert Dwight

The steam cleaner has simplified house cleaning, especially when it comes to cleaning your floors.

It has taken the work out of scrubbing with harsh soaps and elbow grease to ensure that you have sparkling floors.

More importantly, these gadgets have proven themselves to be invaluable in that they can be used for a variety of tasks.

It is hard to fathom that such a technologically advanced cleaning tool could deep clean floors so effectively.

If you are in the market for steam cleaners, you will find that there are handheld as well the standard upright models from which to choose, each with features that can do a number of things beyond cleaning floors.

As is the case with flooring, hard, baked on, ground-into-the-surface debris is easily loosened with a steam cleaner.

Keep reading to learn how you can get the most out of your steam cleaner and keep your home sparkling clean.

In The Kitchen

Your kitchen is a favourite place for grease and oil to build up caking up oven tops and exhaust fans.

The steam cleaner can loosen up the grease that accumulates on and in the stove after repetitive cooking.

It can also help you with cleaning hard, baked on food that sits in the microwave for a while simply by using steam to soften it up.

While a sponge or scrub brush might clean the debris off, your steam cleaner can soften up the food particles making it easier to wipe off.

Around your sink and countertop, the steam cleaner can remove hard deposits that build up around both areas.

Often, the sink and the countertops are plagued with grimy, filmy, brown spots on your fixtures and counters.

Once again, your steam cleaner can come to the rescue and remove these deposits leaving your counters looking fresh and clean.

The Bathroom

Toilets, tubs, and the sink are other areas where hard water deposits and lime build up, making even the most attractive bathroom appear unattractive.

The steam cleaner loosens up the crystalline structures in the deposits making it much easier to clean bathroom surfaces.

Furthermore, if you have a yucky, black tub in bad need of cleaning, your steam cleaner can take care of removing the discolouration around the tub.

Living Spaces

Windows are one of the major places where your steamer can be used to clean the surface.

They can be used to straighten out wrinkly, wayward curtains making them appear smooth and can also be used to clean a mattress and other furnishings.

A fabric couch, for example, would benefit greatly by being steam cleaned once in a while.

Around Nooks And Corners

For the price, a good steam cleaner can do wonders for the areas that are often missed or ignored.

Air vents, mirrors and other fixtures, and window blinds are perfect places to use your steam cleaner to remove excess dust.

If you are looking for an effortless way to remove wallpaper, consider using the steamer to soften the adhesive that attaches the paper to the wall.

Baseboards are also another place where your steamer can help to clean your home effectively by loosening and pulling up hard to remove debris.

How To Maximise Your Steam Cleaner

The best way to maximise a steamer is to find one that has the features needed to clean all of these areas.

Shoppers should look for cleaners with large nozzles, that have highly-pressurised steamers, can hold a large volume of water, provide users with a lot of control without having to hold the handle down, and that have modern conveniences like extension cords.

If you can find an affordable one with some or all of these features, not only will cleaning your floors become effortless, but housework will soon be a breeze.

3 Ways You Can Use Your Home to Build Wealth

Guest Post by Martin William

Ever wondered whether your home can bring you wealth? . . . . The answer is a definite yes.

If determined enough, your home can actually bring you wealth by taking advantage of the various opportunities there are.

Buying a home was for a very long time considered the best way to go due to its return on investment abilities, as compared to renting.

Real estate business will always remain one business that hardly depreciates in value and if you are determined to make some cash over time, follow these top 3 ways and you will live to thank your home for taking care of you.

Rent out your extra rooms

This has been a very common method of many home owners to get the extra cash out of their homes.

One can easily rent out their basement or even a ‘Granny Flat’.

If they are not independent of the main house, it might be time to make those arrangements. Have the either the basement / ‘Granny Flat’,  renovated and furnished to look presentable.

Advertise them out for renting and you will be getting a clean income after every month without having invested much on it.

Depending on the rates of your place of residence, you will be able to determine how much the rent will be.

Business With a Caveat Loan

To most of you, this might be a fairly new terminology.

A caveat loan can simply be described as leverage or collateral. In the case, a lender gives you money for your own use then places a caveat on your property’s ownership title.

This prevents you from selling your property before the money has been paid back and that you cannot secure any other type of loan until you clear your debt.

A caveat is bound by law and it doesn’t necessarily mean that the lender is now in charge of your property but they have an interest in it. The lender is mandated by law to liquidate the property should you default that caveat.

If you have a great business idea, have performed market research and know you can fulfill the needs of customers, then this could be a great financial vehicle to use.

Caveat lending company Maxiron Capital, say they allow “clients to borrow up to 100% of its Loan to Value Ratio (LVR), within just 24 hours.

LVR is a percentage that is calculated by dividing the loan amount being borrowed to the value of the property that the applicant is using as security.

In simpler terms, Max Funding allows its clients to borrow up to 100% of their property value”.

This is definitely going to work for you if you have clearly set goals and once you have cleared the repayment, you are viable of taking another caveat to either improve your business or to venture into other businesses.

Build on equity

Owning a home, unlike renting it out, will bring you tangible equity that will enable you to call it upon when you require it.

If you pay more on your home, the more money you will have built up as equity. In layman terms, a home equity is the interest of the homeowner in a home.

When one took a mortgage to buy the house, their equity increases when whatever remained of the mortgage loan is paid down or whenever the value of the property increases.

There are several common ways you can use your home equity to create more wealth for yourself including; buying your next home, borrowing against the equity or using it to fund for your retirement.

Conclusion

Many home owners have little or no idea that they can actually make money from their homes without necessarily having to sell them.

Now get busy making money!

Gutter and Downpipe Problems

Guest Post by Asad Shoiab

It’s not just the roofing material that keeps you dry.

An important part of keeping you house dry is the effective operation of the Gutters and Downspouts

For instance, the reason for damp on an outside wall could be a clogged-up gutters preventing the free flow of water to the ground.

Some typical problems are:

Leaves causing blockages.

If there are established trees around leaves can be a real problem.

Large amount of leaves can quickly block pipes and guttering.

Even a few leaves if left up there can rot and with the addition of a few wind blown seeds you could soon have weeds growing up there. . . . which will collect further debris leading to a block.

At the very least you need to get a hose and flush out the gutters after every leaf fall.

A more permanent solution would be to look at getting gutter guards installed.

Corrosion of the pipes and guttering

Although most gutter systems are installed with corrosion protection there are several reason why corrosion could occur including:

  • Age.
  • Wrong fittings.
  • Dirt meaning gutter doesn’t dry between rain events.

With most metal gutters you will first see evidence of corrosion on the underside accompanied by seeping water.

Generally when the damage is discovered most repairs will only be short term and complete replacement will be required.

Failure of the fixings

Generally this reveals itself by seams pulling apart, and/or the gutter bowing and holding water.

Often in cases like this its not just the gutters and downpipes that are the problem, its the fascia boards everything is fixed to.

That is a major problem which will require professional help

Repairs

When it comes to repairing, cleaning, maintenance, and inspection, not many people are confident on ladders, particularly if they have a 2 storey house.

If you aren’t confident about working at heights its better to get a reliable roofing contractors such as roof repairers Dearborn. Michigan.

How to Remove Moss and Mold from Your Roof?

Guest post by Asad Shoaib

If you have seen moss or mold on your roof  which you are worried about, you need to deal with it quickly as it can affect the structural longevity of your roof. 

Here are some of the tips you should follow to remove mold and moss safely and effectively from your roof.

Evaluate the Damage

The first most important thing is to inspect the roof for the damage caused by moss and mold.

You can climb on your roof to inspect it or some of the damages might not be visible with a pair of binoculars from the ground.

Alternatively hire the services of professional roofing contractors for roof repair Macomb county Michigan to perform a mold  removing job.

They know better how to assess the severity of the damage to provide with permanent effective solutions.

Safety Concerns

Once you have inspected the roof damage, you can plan  or the cleaning process taking your safety into account.

Mold and moss removal chemicals can be toxic, so you need to take proper precautionary measures before using any kind of chemicals and cleaners.

You can wear gloves and face shields to protect your hands and eyes from injuries and full length overalls.

You also need to keep your plants protected before you apply bleach on your roof shingles.

Chemical Cleaning

Using chemicals is a riskier yet more effective way of removing the mold than any other regular cleaning method.

The use of harsh chemicals and pressure washing can hoever affect the lifetime of your roof covering.

You need to make sure that the type of shingles you have can withstand the effect of chemicals easily.

If the quality of your roofing materials is already deteriorating, you can opt for other less harmful mixtures or solutions.

However, those solutions would be time-taking and less effective.

Keep Things Ready

You might require some other tools and things to scratch off the unnecessary mold from the shingles.

You need to make sure that you have everything ready beforehand. The things you might need the most would be a garden hose with nozzle spray, ladder, cleaner, and pump spray.

Prevention

It is also important to invest a little time and efforts in preventive maintenance to avoid further mold growth on your roof.

For that, you can install strips or wires of copper or zinc along with your roof covering.

You can find copper and metal sheets at any store in different lengths and thickness.

Once you have bought them, you need to fix it securely.

E-commerce and E-Business: What’s the Difference?

Guest Post by Martin William

Many people use ecommerce and e-business to refer to one thing. This is wrong. The two refer to two different means of doing business.

So, what’s the difference?

Without going into details (which we’ll do later) e-business refers to any business done online while e-commerce refers to online purchases.

With the basics in mind, let’s dive into the specifics.

E-Business

E-Business typically is a business using electronic means to conduct business. Let’s use some examples to get a deeper understanding.

  • Consider email marketing. Email refers to electronic mail, which can be used reach out to potential customers online as an e-business activity.
  • An inventory tracker is crucial to any business in order to track stock. If the stock levels reach a certain pre-set minimum, it’ll trigger an alert. Through this electronic process of tracking your inventory, your business becomes electronic.
  • Human resources are a key pillar in any business and manual management can be a daunting task. For this reason, automating application processes and job listings become a priority to increase efficiency. By using electronic automated methods, this process becomes part of e-business.
  • A final example is a content management system (CMS) which eases workflow between various departments. With the absence of a CMS, one would have to move physical papers from one department to another. When using a CMS, a business becomes an e-business.

For example anewhouse is a publishing E-business with every aspects of the business being carried out on line using WordPress as a CMS.

In most cases, e-business services may be offered by a third-party company which specializes in a certain service.

However, a business may have an in-house team which can handle each of these tasks. . . 

As you can see, the only difference between a common business and an e-business is whether the business is conducted electronically or not.

Ecommerce

Ecommerce, on the other hand, is more comprehensive. In its simplest form, ecommerce involves placing online orders and paying for the orders through an ecommerce platform   online.

For example how anewhouse sells the 4 Guides on various parts of a new house build.

Ecommerce is split into various forms including B2C (business to consumer) – where a business sells its services and goods to customers through an ecommerce platform.

While ecommerce is purely online, many physical stores also have websites where they can reach the online community.

After getting results a business may decide to move their operations entirely online, includes ordering, payment and product delivery.

In other cases, the business may only use ecommerce as a part of its operation.

For example, a customer may order a product online and then pick it up a physical store.

The customer can also choose whether to pay online or at the store when picking up their product, making this type of business a physical business that uses ecommerce, but is not itself solely an e-business.

B2B – Business-to-Business Ecommerce

A huge percentage of ecommerce businesses sell products and services to other businesses.

The most common type of business includes ordering and delivery of supplies to a business through an automated process.

Often, this is set out in a contract.

Once supplies hit a minimum mark, the supplier will be informed through an automated process and the supplier will, in turn, respond to the request by supplying the products.

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