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Crypto IRL: Mexicoโ€™s only Bitcoin Bar

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cryptocurrency โ€“

Weโ€™re speaking with individuals who are leading the charge in the crypto revolution by using cryptocurrency in real life to drive financial inclusivity, enterprise, and innovation. blog by Sammy

Weโ€™re kicking off this series in La Condesa, a leafy neighborhood in Mexico City where youโ€™ll find Mexicoโ€™s only dedicated Bitcoin bar,ย Bitcoin Embassyย Bar.

Lorena Ortiz is the Director of Bitcoin Embassy Bar. A self-described punk, she immediately aligned with the values of a decentralized self-sovereign currency when she was first introduced to bitcoin by a friend back inย 2015.

โ€œMexicoโ€™s economy has a direct relationship with the US, so having lived through the economic crisis of the 1990s, itโ€™s always been important to me that individuals have accessible forms of value protection that do not depend on theย state.โ€

ย 

cryptocurrency

A social psychology major, when delving further into the crypto space Lorena recognized the importance of building community around new ideologies. So in December 2018 at the very dip of the bear market, Lorena opened the Bitcoin Embassy Bar to support the cryptocurrency movement inย Mexico.

โ€œIn Latin American culture we learn most effectively in face to face scenarios, so the idea of โ€‹โ€‹a physical space dedicated to learning and developing a community made perfect sense toย me.โ€

The pairing of crypto and remittances is also a huge area of interest for Lorena.ย According to the World Bank, remittances to Latin America and the Caribbean are estimated to have grown 9.3% from 2021 to 2022 to $142 billion with a 15% increase for Mexicoย alone.

โ€œMexico receives the most remittances in Latin America but the current remittance services have very high commissions that end up decreasing the received value. Tools like Bitcoin really can help families whose income depends mostly on remittances by helping them to avoid costlyย fees.โ€

Drinks are not the only thing on the menu as the space is also a dedicated education venue which teaches individuals about how to use bitcoin and keep itย safe.

cryptocurrency

โ€œWe try to hold weekly meetups in which members of the same community, with or without experience, share their knowledge with everyone in a completely relaxed and free environmentโ€.

In these 4 years, we have also organized several workshops to teach tools for the security of handling Bitcoin in a more structured way. Within this space you can also find books, crypto paraphernalia and even an ATM where you can buy and sell Bitcoinโ€.

Lorena has a core group of community locals who remain faithful to this space, returning week after week to learn more and share withย others.

โ€œSince crypto ventures related to crypto have grown exponentially, I believe that in the not too distant future Bitcoin will strengthen inย Mexico.โ€

We canโ€™t wait to see what Lorena does next with Bitcoin Embassy Bar,ย ยกsalud!

Do you have an example to share of how cryptocurrency is being used IRL? Tweet us!ย @blockchain


Crypto IRL: Mexicoโ€™s only Bitcoin Barย was originally published inย @blockchainย on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Revitalize Your Body: Exploring the Power of Nutrient Therapy for Increased Energy

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Nutrition and mental health โ€“ Weโ€™re in the middle of a low-energy epidemic. One in five doctorโ€™s visits are down to fatigue, and itโ€™s estimated that tiredness-induced mistakes in the workplace cost the UK up to ยฃ240 million a year [1]. That money is enough to buy 800,000 tired people an overnight stay at The Ritz.

Even if you donโ€™t visit the doctor or make a professional blunder, low energy can dampen everyday life. Do you recognise yourself in any of the following?

  • Not feeling refreshed after sleeping
  • Experiencing less excitement than you used to
  • Frequently feeling overwhelmed
  • Finding it difficult to concentrate
  • Feeling physically weaker or less capable than before

Fatigue can be caused by many things, and itโ€™s important to get checked out by your GP if you believe you have a medical issue.ย 

However, you canโ€™t ignore the role of your lifestyle. Along with adequate sleep and appropriate exercise, a key influencer of your energy levels is your nutritional intake.

IV nutrient therapy for energy

As we wrote aboutย here,ย IV nutrient therapy is a practice in which nutrients are administered directly into a personโ€™s bloodstreamโ€”making it easy to provide the body with high concentrations of health-boosting nutrients.

Take magnesium. Studies have found that taking magnesium supplements rarely raises the blood level of magnesium. Administering magnesium intravenously, on the other hand, can double or even triple of level of magnesium in the blood [2].ย 

By providing a therapeutic dose of nutrients, IV nutrient therapy can help to build your bodyโ€™s store of certain nutrients and enable it to be more adaptable to lifeโ€™s demands.

Itโ€™s perhaps for this reason that people experience feelings of increased energy after IV nutrient therapy. Dr Alan Gaby, the integrative doctor whoโ€™s a key proponent of the practice in the US, has observed that this energy can last for days after a single session [3].Nutrition and mental health

Nutrition and mental health

Key nutrients for energy

Here at the London Clinic of Nutrition, weโ€™ve created a blend of nutrients thatโ€™s specifically designed to support energy levels. Some of these nutrients include:

Magnesiumย This essential mineral is involved in hundreds of reactions in the body, includingย mitochondrial energy production [4]. Itโ€™s also restorative because it can help people relax.

Calciumย You probably know that calcium is good for your bones, but did you also know that it helps you to release energy from your food? [5]. This mineral is found in higher concentrations in animal products, which means itโ€™s often low in vegans and vegetarians.ย 

B vitaminsย This family of nutrients acts as co-enzymes (helpers) for a broad range of functions that keep cells ticking over, enabling you to feel energised [6]. If weโ€™re stressed, we use B vitamins up more quickly.

Zincย This is one of the nutrients weย canโ€™tย store, so we need to ensure weโ€™re getting a regular intake. Itโ€™s essential for hormonal function, which has a knock-on effect on energy levels. In fact, low levels of zinc are associated with chronic fatigue syndrome [7].

Arginineย You can make this amino acid, but itโ€™s much harder for your body to do it when under stress. Amongst other functions, it plays a key role in helping your blood vessels to dilate so energy-promoting oxygen can get all around your body.

Vitamin Cย This nutrient is a powerful fatigue fighter, and is known to be well-tolerated at high levels [8]. During IV nutrient therapy, youโ€™ll receive a full 10g of vitamin C.

Who can benefit from IV nutrient therapy for energy?

The great thing about IV nutrient therapy is that you can use it in a way that suits you. Some people opt to have a single session to boost their energy, while others like to make it part of their weekly self-care ritual.ย 

This energy-promoting blend could be especially beneficial for you if:

  • You workย long hours
  • You have a full andย busyย life
  • You have a healthy lifestyle but are looking for anย extra boost
  • You have suspectedย adrenalย insufficiency
  • Youโ€™ve been through aย stressfulย life period

This list isnโ€™t exhaustive. Our nurse is always on hand to answer your questions and help you choose whatโ€™s best for you.

To enjoy IV nutrient therapy in London,ย click here. For further information about IV nutrient therapy,ย click here.

Nutrition and mental health

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Essential Steps for Aspiring Entrepreneurs: The Pre-Entrepreneur To-Do List

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What is an Entrepreneurย 

Skills you need to develop and learn before starting a home business

Youโ€™ll find a lot of to-do lists and checklists forย entrepreneurs, but what about people who are getting ready to be entrepreneurs? There are a few major things you need to tick off your list before you can go full-force ahead with your entrepreneurial dreams. This prep time is critical and can determine whether youโ€™ll be successful or not. For starters, write down exactly why you want to be an entrepreneur and reflect on whether these reasons are valid. If itโ€™s to prove something to your parents or because you hate your current job, being an entrepreneur may not be the answer.ย The โ€œrightโ€ answers are along the lines of encouraging your creativity,ย working for yourself, flexibility, making a positive impact and the like. If your list falls into that category, great! Now hereโ€™s what you have to do to make it happen:

Get Into the Risk-Taking Mindset

Having a job means having securityโ€”entrepreneurs donโ€™t have that, at least not in the same way employees do. You need to take calculated risks to achieve success as an entrepreneur. That doesnโ€™t mean you donโ€™t research, plan or evaluate. But sometimes you need to jump in and hope for the best. Embrace risks, study them and learn how to minimize them. Even with planning, there are times your risk wonโ€™t pay off but even failed efforts provide important feedback you can use to grow your business. Get in the habit of stepping out of your comfort zone and taking risks, even just little ones to start building your fortitude and courage.

What is an Entrepreneurย 

Get Smart About Finances

Ultimately, staring a home business is about making money, but itโ€™s very easy to lose or waste money when starting and building your business. There are many ways to learn about finances, from working with a financial advisor to taking a class or an e-course. Peruse the various ways to learn about finances and find the right outlet for you. Thereโ€™s no shame in starting with a โ€œDummiesโ€ book, and there are no stupid questions when talking to an advisor. If you can find a mentor whoโ€™s also financially savvy, thatโ€™s even better.

Use Technology (Not the Other Way Around)

Tech can make you lazy, so actively fight this trend. It can also be a distraction, which is death for an entrepreneur-in-the-making. If you find yourself checking Facebook when you should be generating a report from Mint or marketing your home business, youโ€™re not working smart or efficiently. Although tech tools can streamline activities and help organize data, you donโ€™t need to use it for everything. For example, you can use a whiteboard for note-taking instead of your smartphone.

Stop Being 100 Percent Employee

Even if youโ€™re a manager in your current job, youโ€™ve probably been an employee of some kind your whole life. Now, you need to focus onย becoming the boss, which requires a different mindset and character traits. You need to be self-motivated, informed, decisive and confident.

Optimize Your Tech Knowledge

While you donโ€™t want to rely on or waste time using technology, you do want to use it help you save time. It can be helpful to learn tech skills such as HTML and other applications that can take care of busy work, such as social media scheduling.ย The more you know, the less youโ€™ll have to pay โ€œexpertsโ€ to do the work.

You wonโ€™t become an entrepreneur overnight, but you have to start somewhere. Changing your mindset and skill-set is crucial. Not everybody is cut out to be an entrepreneur, but you can learn the skills and develop the needed mindset to ensure your success.

About the Author:ย Drew Hendricks is a tech, social media, and environmental addict. Heโ€™s written for many major publications, such as Forbes and Entrepreneur.

A Guide to Finding the Perfect Work-From-Home Opportunity

Best online home jobs โ€“ 3 Steps to Finding the Best Work At Home Option for You . Best online home jobs

There are as many reasons to work at home as there are people looking toย designย a home-based career. Maybe you just had a baby and donโ€™t want to leave him in childcare. Perhaps you are a victim of a layoff and are done riding the unreliable job roller coaster. Or maybe you are just sick and tired of the nine-to-five grind and ready to do something you really love on your own terms. Whatever the reason prompting your work-from-home dream, you can make it a reality if you do your due diligence.

Making the decision to work at home is easy. The hard part is finding theย best work-at-home optionย that fits your goals and plans. Too many people go to the Internet seeking home income information without knowing if they haveย what it takes to succeedย or if they should even consider starting a home business. Working at home isnโ€™t for everyone, and there are many reasons one shouldnโ€™t consider starting a home business.

Instead, home businesses wannabes should start by learning about home business, and taking time to find the right business option for them to insure success. Here is a three-step plan toย help you figure out what type of work you can do from home.

Best online home jobs

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Step 1: Is Working from Home Right For You?

In theory, working at home sounds like the ideal situation. Do what you want, when you want, and how you want. Theย reality of running a home business can be quite different. While you have freedom and flexibility, a home business also has a lot of stress. Youโ€™ll likely expend more hours and mental energy than you can imagine. Your family may not be as supportive as you need. You may discover you donโ€™t have the tenacity and determination required to be a success. So before you head off to buy your business license, read these resources to help you decide if you have what it takes to be successful in a home business.ย 

Step 2: Brainstorming Ideas

The most successful and fun home businesses are those that suit you and your goals. So donโ€™t start your home business search on Google. First assess your skills, interests and passions. If you study all the most successful home businesses, youโ€™ll discover their owners werenโ€™t just about the money, but they were passionate about their idea, as well.

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Make a list of all the skills and experience you have from your jobs, volunteer work, and hobbies. Write down your interests and passions. From this, youโ€™ll need to figure out what can be turned into a home business. In other words, what ideas lend themselves to be sold as a service or product. If you have a passion for rose gardening, you can offer a rose maintenance service or sell roses. You can write a book about growing roses or start a rose blog,ย 

If you need help finding ideas that excite you, here are a few articles to get your creative juices flowing:

ย 
ย 
ย 

More Home Business Ideas

If you need more help coming up with an idea, here are moreย home business ideas. Check out this comprehensive list of overย 25 home business ideasย or review some of the many other suggestions listed below:

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Step Three: Start Right

Thereโ€™s a lot of research, planning and work that goes into building a successful home business.ย Itโ€™s true in home business that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Home business success has many moving parts, and if youโ€™re not on top of all of them, your business can fail before it even starts.

Along with insuring you have the stamina and commitment to go the distance, you want to make sure youโ€™ve plotted out your success, have the financial resources to keep you going especially during the start up, and you have a comprehensive plan to find customers and clients.

Below find a list of resources that guide you through the research, planning and initial start up phases, plus tips to marketing and growing your business.

Getting Started

Marketing ideas:

  • Marketing Plan
  • Marketing In Mintues
  • 10 Ways to Market Your Business for Free
  • 9 Social Media Ideas to Engage and Entertain Your Audience

Success Strategies:

  • Adjust to Working At Home
  • Habits of Successful Business Owners

Whether you are dreaming about the day when you can work from home or you have given yourself a strict deadline on when it will happen, homeย business ownershipย is possible. It can also be very satisfying if done the right way and for the right reasons.Best online home jobs

10 Signs a Business Is an MLM Scheme

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A Few Red Flags Will Help You Spot an MLM Scam

What defines a MLM? , Of all the home business startup options, the most feared and misunderstood is network marketing orย MLMย (multilevel marketing). The reality isย direct salesย (of which networking marketing and MLM are a part of) is a viable way to start a home business quickly and affordably. But like all other facets of life, there are shysters and itโ€™s up to you to research and do your due diligence when investigating an opportunity.What defines a MLM?

What Is MLM?

Multi-level marketing, sometimes referred to as pyramid selling or a pyramid scheme in some cases, is a marketing strategy aimed at selling products or services where a non-salaried workforce provides the revenue. Rather than selling products to consumers, the products are presented as a business opportunity that the purchasers would then sell to another group of people on the same premise, and so on. Relationship referrals and word-of-mouth marketing are a big part of MLM.

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Before signing on the dotted line to start a home business with a direct sales company, make sure you can spot these 10 warning signs of an MLM scheme.What defines a MLM?

1. No or Low-Quality Product or Service

There are many red flags that should warn you away from a business or financial opportunity, but the biggest is a lack of a product. Programs that push recruiting over the sales of a product or service might be aย pyramid scheme. If a company isnโ€™t focused onย acquiring more customersย to buy its products, but rather itโ€™s interested entirely in โ€œbuilding a teamโ€ or membership of sales reps, consider it a red flag.What defines a MLM?

Theย foundation of any good MLM businessย is about getting products and service to endย consumers. Whileย building a team can be a part of that, income is based on goods sold by the team, not in the recruiting itself.ย 

become a Freelancer,What defines a MLM?

2. Outrageous and Unfounded Product Claims

Wild claims is seen most in health and wellness companies in which reps boast that their products cure ailments or work miracles. Outlandish hype is a red flag in any industry, including direct sales.

A successful business is founded on quality products. If the company youโ€™re consideringย joining has bizarre products or products that seem too good to be true, use caution. The last thing you want your name tied to is a faulty product or a product which is the focus ofย litigation.

3. High-Pressure Sales Tactics

The most common high-pressure tactic is the lure of getting in on the ground floor. But in direct sales, a goodย opportunityย is a good opportunity no matter when you get in. In fact, youโ€™re safer to go with aย company that has been around for more than five years (the longer the better) than a start-up.

Any effort a representative makes to prevent you from studying the company, talking to others, or โ€œsleeping on itโ€ isnโ€™t someone you want to work with.ย 

4. Pressure to Buy and Stock Inventory

All MLM businesses will have someย start-up costs. You canโ€™t buy a McDonalds without investing money, and the same is true for direct sales, although it is much less expensive.

What you want to watch out for are fee-based โ€œfast trackโ€ programs or pressure to have inventory that requires additional investment. Due to this practice, the law now requires MLM companies to buy back inventory, but that doesnโ€™t mean you want to be saddled with debt before you start and truly understand the business.1

Having a few popular products on hand can be nice, but donโ€™t fill your garage with products unless you know for sure, based on your experience in the business, that you can sell them.

5. Poor Company Communication

Donโ€™t be afraid to ask hard questions. If you donโ€™t get solid answers or are chastised for not being aย positive thinkerย or believing in the company, consider it a red flag.

In order to be successful at any business, you need strong support and solid training. The law requires MLM companies give you a slew of information, details about the compensation plan, and financial information about average income earned by reps.2ย Studyย this and ask questions. If the rep isย hesitantย to answer your questions or glosses over your concerns, heโ€™s notย someone to work with. Aย legitimate companyย wants you to be informedย 

6. Expensive On-Going Training or Other Business Items

Some Amway reps got into a bit of hot water for the sales of tapes they (the reps) created and sold. Most representative teams and the companies have free training either locally and/or online. While they may also have additional training (i.e., audio or videos) that you can buy, there shouldnโ€™t be pressure to do so.

Further, most companies have an annual convention, which can be fun and informative, but expensive to attend. If a company routinelyย pressuresย you to pay for trainingย this is another red flag.

7. Poorย Better Business Bureauย Rating

Truthfully, this is a difficult marker because the BBB routinely marks home business opportunities low simply because theyโ€™re involved in working at home, not based on any investigation. However, you can see if there are complaints and how the company dealt with them. If a company is responding to and fixing problems (all companies in every industry will have customer service issues), thatโ€™s a good sign. However, if they fail to respond or offer help, that is a red flag.ย 

8. Deceptive Advertising Practices

Some MLM reps will promote their business as a โ€œjobโ€ or use otherย descriptionโ€‹sย to lureย prospects. MLM isnโ€™t a job, itโ€™s a business. Any MLM rep promoting โ€œemploymentโ€ isย usingย deception and isnโ€™t someone you want to work with.

Other deceptive (and often illegal) practices include making income guarantees or suggesting youโ€™ll make money doing very little work.ย 

9. Cryptic โ€œJobโ€ Interview

Another issue that Amway and other companies were dinged for was how reps would lure people into coming to a โ€œmeetingโ€ to hear how they could โ€œleverage time and money.โ€ Many reps and companies know people are leery of and have manyย misconceived notions about MLM, so they use deception to get prospects to hear their spiel.

However, many legitimate companies, working to safeguard their brand, donโ€™t allow reps to advertise their name. This practice means reps have to find a way to entice people to learn about them without saying the company name, which can seem suspicious.

The important thing for you to remember is to follow your gut feeling. Good reps from legitimate companies that are prevented from using a company name in promotions are usually able to provide some idea about the business, including the company name, when talking to you in person or on the phone, and are clear that it is a business. Anything else should be suspect.ย 

10. Unsettling Feeling

Mindy Lilyquist, a home business expert who was once scammed by an MLM, said she had a bad feeling about the business right away.

โ€œFrom day one, I failed to acknowledge the biggest sign that something wasnโ€™t right โ€“ my gut,โ€ she said. โ€œI felt unsettled from the moment I walked into my so-called interview to the moment I no longer had ties with the company. In further hindsight, the other representatives also displayed unease.โ€

The lesson here is to not dismiss your intuition. If it doesnโ€™t feel right, scam or not, itโ€™s not for you. If you feelย coercedย or conned, then itโ€™sย definitelyย not for you.

Other Things to Consider

While some of these 10 items are flags of a scam, some, such as unsettled feeling, arenโ€™t necessarily a scamย but are an indication that the home business opportunity isnโ€™t for you.ย You canย avoid a lot of mistakesย andย build a successful direct sales businessย by investigating the company, choosing a product or service you can get behind, and having a belief in the product, company, and systemย . What defines a MLM?

If itโ€™s too late, and you think youโ€™ve been scammed, there are some things you can try to get your money back, including contacting your bank and reporting the business to the secretary of state in the state the companyโ€™s home office is located. You can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. What defines a MLM?

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