Tips to keep those leads and sales coming in

This article tells the beautiful and tragic tale of how Noel Bako struggled in his pursuit to be a musician and singer despite facing adversity. Falling in love with an Englishwoman in a wildlife park in Zimbabwe his destiny was set to change forever with a new life beckoning on English shores with wife and baby. Then the BBC discovered him and his music hit the radiowaves.

News Update From Gold Viking!

TIPS FOR BUYING PRESENTS IN THE WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS!

Life is an ocean. Waves come crashing in, some lift us up and some knock us down. The trick is to get back on your metaphorical surfboard and keep on going. On March 11, 2020 the World Health Organisation officially declared a pandemic. It has affected people in different ways. Emotions ranging from fear, sadness, anger, frustration, and for some plain boredom. It grinds on and we groan that our world was turned upside down. Looking after our mental and emotional health in these times is critical. Here are some of the things I did and do: 1) Hypnotherapy audio I have been a fan of hypnotherapy for years now. About 6 years ago, I came across a Scottish guy called Andrew Johnson who creates mp3 recordings . Well, I started with Quit Drinking and that worked a treat. Then I started to use other ones. Nowadays, my three favourites are: • Beat Procrastination • Build Confidence • Visualise Success He has free ones on You Tube and his website. I highly recommend you start with Power Nap. I usually listen in the afternoon but in the darkest days of lockdown, I would listen to one upon waking. First, I close the door to avoid disturbances from our two crazy cats! Whack on the headphones and lie down. The session lasts about 30 minutes. Don’t forget to turn off your phone’s internet connection and mute calls during the session. His voice helps me go into a deep trance state as he puts positive suggestions into my conscious and subconscious mind. The power of hypnotherapy is stunning. I have felt the change inside. I am more relaxed and confident. The important thing is to listen each day for at least 3 weeks to feel the effects. At £2.39 a pop this is a great and inexpensive way to stay positive! 2) Binaural Beats Music Binaural beats are something I have been listening to for years. My mind can jump from one thing to another or I can sometimes feel down. The perfect solution is binaural music. I have written about this method before on one of my Wordpress blogs. Binaural beats are basically music set at different beats and wavelengths. Depending on the hertz wavelength they have different effects on your brain. Some overcome fatigue, others combat worry and stress, some release seratonin, dopamine etc. Use headphones as binaural music works on both ears with different sounds. Try different ones until you find tracks you are comfortable with. I use ones for concentration , overcoming fatigue and to release the happy chemicals! 3) Nature and Exercise Over 80 days in strict lockdowns was tough in Istanbul. I live partly in the UK and partly in Turkey. We were only allowed out to the shops once a day and some days not at all. The only nature we saw was the odd passing tree and birds flying by. Now we have freedom of movement, I speed walk up the hill to a wonderful tropical park with palm trees and wild parrots. My little corner of paradise with a variety of exercise machines there too. Overlooking the sea and the football stadium of Besiktas, Macka Park is heaven. 90 minutes speed walking and working out is the perfect way to get my happy chemicals. 4) Avoid Heated Debates Online and Doom and Gloom Merchants! With a pandemic raging on, the last thing you want is to waste your time and energy in a heated debate online. A lot of people seem to be getting more polarised. Don’t get involved. Post positive and moving content. Avoid politics and other heated issues. In real life, don’t let your headspace be brought down by people who are always negative. Avoid people who live in perpetual fear and doom and gloom. We all have off days but stay away from people who constantly make you feel low. They are often using you as a dumping ground for their own fear. Don’t let this happen! Take control. 5) Burn Sage Burning sage is a tradition that goes back centuries in many countries. Sage has scientifically proven properties for cleansing the atmosphere of impurities. We use it every day. You can burn sticks of sages and waft it around the house or smaller pieces. It really changes the energy of your space. Try it and see. Also, I love to make sage tea or drink it at my friend’s café. It gives me a buzz. But don’t drink too much as it can affect your hormones! Lol. 6) Meditation Easier said than done. I know. Well, I have been meditating for 30 years now, so I don’t even think about it. It becomes part of your everyday routine. Look online for a method that suits. Keep it simple. Do the same thing every day. Meditation is all about routine. A basic way to meditate is to breathe in through your nose on a count of 5. Then to breathe out through your mouth on a count of five. Do that for at least 10 minutes and relax as you breathe. Check my blog post for meditation tips . 7) The Miracle Morning Hal Elrod’s best-selling book is all about a positive routine to start your day. The first thing is to meditate, then visualise your goals in business and personal life. After that you repeat affirmations for success. Next, you read something inspiring, either business related or more general. Following this, write a daily journal about your thoughts, intentions, and goals. Finally, exercise to keep your happy vibes flowing. I mix up the order. In fact, I usually start with exercise first. The order doesn’t matter, the repetition is what is important. Miracle morning is a great way to start your day with a buzz. The 6-Steps For a Miracle Morning : 1. Meditation/Silence 2. Visualisation 3. Affirmation 4. Reading 5. Journal 6. Exercise 8) Reading My thirst for books has grown even more. Reading a great book immerses you in a positive mindset. Here are my three favs of recent times: 1. ‘The Courage To Be Disliked: How to free yourself, change your life and achieve real happiness’ by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga 2. ‘The Happiness Trap’ by Russ Harris 3. ‘The Art of Saying No’ – By Damon Zahariades 9) Be Creative and Try Something New During lockdown, I worked on 9 songs for a second album for our band Nexus Xiii . A friend called Clyde Martin and I make Alternative Electronic music. Also, I also I kept a business journal. More recently I have been researching how to make a music video with a mobile phone. Whatever your creative preference is, transform negative feelings into positive art. Paint, write, draw, film, sing, dance etc. Art is the perfect medium to change your mood! 10) Perspective and Small Victories World War Two went on for 6 years. During that time people must have been terrified. But in their hearts, they knew that it would end. We lived through a year of terror attacks and a military coup in 2016 in Istanbul. We had attacks every two months. You could never really recover from one attack before another happened. 3 major incidents were within a few kilometres of our place. In that time, I learned to cope under extreme stress and with a very real threat to our lives (100 people died in our area in those 3 incidents). In the same way, we will get through this pandemic. Keeping perspective is vital. Live each day at a time. In a time of great uncertainty cultivate the art of living – celebrate small victories each day. Don’t look too far into the future. Live each day to the full. So those are my top ten tips. As the waves of life come crashing in, let’s surf high and wide into better days. Stay happy, safe and keep your mental and emotional health tip top!

Now I thought I was pretty sharp. In fact, I usually sniff a scam a mile away. But yesterday I got caught hook, line and sinker. Now I am feeling like a plonker and also trying to calm down my rage and indignation. So, what the hell happened you’re probably thinking? Well, to cut to the chase, I run a small UK business and I specialise in Content and Copywriting for SMEs. Anyway, I have profiles on numerous job and freelancing sites. I am a one-man set-up. Times have been hard during the pandemic and in truth the work had dried up recently. I guess there is far more competition online for remote work with people losing their jobs due to lockdown. Nevertheless, it is important to remain stoical and positive during a recession. And yet I have to admit at times we can all reach that point when we say to ourselves ‘What is the point of it all?’ after doing lots of lead generation and getting no hits. You can reach a low point, then some more work comes in and you pick yourself back up and carry on. Resilience and belief are the tools of the entrepreneur. Thankfully, business is now returning to normal after a slowdown in lockdown! Suffice to say it was a grind for many freelancers in lockdown and I was conscious of keeping my physical and mental health tiptop during this world crisis. Walks by the sea in the sunshine and little timeouts from the gruel of trying to get new clients in a turbulent time. With this in mind, a scam interview yesterday has made me absolutely incensed and defiant that I will work even harder at lead generation. Plus, in sharing this fraudulent experience with fellow online workers, I hope to stop others from being deceived. So, it was late Wednesday afternoon on September 30th, 2020 and I suddenly get a message on Upwork from a potential client I put a proposal into for Content Writing. This was the original post. Please note no mention of Harpers Collins Publishing: "500-700 word blog article on "How to tell your origin story" Content & Copywriting Posted Sep 25, 2020 Only freelancers located in the U.K. may apply. Hi! I'm looking for a writer to write a blog post about "How to write your origin story" - what it is, what it is not, and examples of good ones companies use. The audience is small business owners/marketing and branding professionals interested in branding and storytelling. Maybe you could title it "3 Tips to Make your origin story stand out" or something like that. If this works out I'd be looking for help 2-3 times a month writing articles. Thanks! Kenny ." Having written a proposal on Tuesday, on the Wednesday I received an urgent message in my Upwork inbox. It was from a Kenny Hubert and contained a pdf invitation to connect on Google Hangouts or Skype. He said he was from Harpers Collins and that I had been selected for an urgent interview. Looking back, I now realise I was rather stupid but when you have written 20 proposals a week and are striving to get your next contract, psychologically an offer for up to 30 hours a week is a great proposition. I made contact and was told to stay online as an interview would be conducted. Then a person claiming to be a Director of Harper Collins Publishing, Simon Green, came online and asked me questions. He typed in the Google Hangouts chat box and said that, although unorthodox, the interview would be carried out via chat box on Google Hangouts to begin with. At the time I thought as it was a freelance position for a Content Writer, so they were initially testing my ability to write under pressure to a time limit. Also, the questions were congruent with the type a big corporation would ask. Having worked as a college manager 10 years ago, I was familiar with these types of questions, so it seemed legit. I assumed a video interview would take place if I passed the test. Again, I should have realised it was a scam at this point. I was just so excited to have landed a potentially great gig. Then I had the 40-minute timed test/interview which I really enjoyed. I had to write and answer about 10 questions about my professional experience and then another set of questions about payment, banking, availability etc. I really went for it and gave a succinct but confident account of my history of writing e-books, Curriculum Design and Content/Copywriting. It felt great to be sharing my successes and speaking openly about how I could contribute to the team. I now realise how dumb I was to be drawn into this scam. It was a very intense process, but I assumed they were testing my ability to write quickly in a short time. I took the test seriously and gave some solid answers. Then at the end of the test, the person called Simon Green said that I had done extremely well and he thought that I was the right candidate for the work. He said he needed 20 minutes to check my answers to confirm but that overall, he thought I would be perfect. He also said the training would start on Friday. Upon reflection of course a Director of Harper Collins would not conduct a freelance interview via Upwork. I was truly not thinking clearly! He said to check back in 20 minutes. In those 20 minutes I started to wake up to the fact that a big corporate publishing house would not operate like this. Then I started to realise that Harpers Collins would not use a Gmail address and would have a professional recruitment process carried out by a HR department. Therefore, they were highly unlikely to need to use Upwork for their freelance positions. After all, they are a massive organisation with a worldwide marketing machine. I was so excited about telling my mum and wife the great news that I would be working with such a prestigious organisation. The realisation that it was all a scam was a massive kick in the guts. In truth, I felt sick inside and anxious about being so naïve. My drive and burning desire to be writing quality content for a big brand had clouded my judgement. I was a manager in a corporate college years ago, so how I could have been so stupid to fall for this scam? In addition, some of the capital letters and wording in the original pdf and in the chat box were a bit odd and not in keeping with a top company. Clearly, I should have woken up to this fraud from opening the pdf invitation in the first place. Fortunately, one hour after taking the test and waiting for the 20-minute period I knew it was an elaborate scam. I assume they were either going to try and get my bank details which I wouldn’t have given. Or they would have set me content to write and then not pay me and disappear. Realising it was fake, I wrote in the chat box to the fake Simon Green that I knew it was a scam and I was reporting it to the police and Upwork. They didn't reply. Then I blocked them on Google Hangouts, Skype and Upwork. I am concerned that it was a phishing scam; that the test and waiting time were to give them time to hack my pc. There was a password reset attempt on my bank account but nothing since. However, I didn't give them my bank details. I just wrote about the names of the banks I use for business and personal banking. I know it sounds stupid but the test and interview questions were very professional and I was fooled for a short time. To be honest, it was a horrible experience that made me feel disturbed to the core, but I am undeterred. I will not allow scumbags like this to break my spirit. In sharing this, I hope other freelancers out there can be made aware of the scams that are taking place. These scammers are absolutely the lowest form of life cheating people during a world pandemic. But rather than allow this to disturb my psyche, I am defiant in the face of adversity. I will continue to work hard to build my business during a turbulent period of world history. I hope this post alerts others to such schemes and stops other freelancers from being duped.

Here are five great tips for developing your English. There are also lots of free websites to help you improve. 1) Reading and Listening Reading and listening are the input skills. Spend 20 minutes each day listening and 20 reading. Do it every day. After a few months, you will see a big improvement. Try the websites below: Suggested Reading websites: 1. BBC Newsround: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround 2. BBC News: https://www.bbc.com/news 3. ESL Bits: http://esl-bits.net/main2.htm 4. Breaking News: https://breakingnewsenglish.com/ Suggested Listening websites: 1. British Council Podcasts A2 to B1 Listening materials: https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/general-english/podcasts 2. ESL LAB exercises at three different levels: https://www.esl-lab.com/easy/ https://www.esl-lab.com/intermediate/ https://www.esl-lab.com/difficult/ Ted Talks (B2 to C2): https://www.ted.com/ 2) VOCABULARY Words are so important. The more words you know, the easier it is to speak and write. Also, learning words improves your listening and reading. Everyday listen and read. Write down new words from audio, video and texts. Set yourself a daily target. For example: • I will write down 5 to 10 new words each day in a notebook. • I will test myself every three days on all new words. Remember active reading and listening helps you learn new words! VOCABULARY PRACTICE WEBSITES 1. British Council Vocabulary tasks: https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/vocabulary https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/vocabulary/beginner-to-pre-intermediate https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/vocabulary/intermediate-to-upper-intermediate 2. BBC Learning English – Vocabulary: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/eiam 3) PRONUNCIATION Clear pronunciation is important. It is important people understand you. Pronunciation of new words can be difficult. We suggest the following: • Write down problem words each day. • Then use a free dictionary website. • Type in the word. Listen and repeat 10 to 20 times. • Repeat this every day. • Repeat the following week until you know each word. PRONUNCIATION PRACTICE WEBSITES 1. Cambridge Dictionary https://dictionary.cambridge.org/ 2. Macmillan Dictionary: https://www.macmillandictionary.com/british-and-american-pronunciation.html 3. Oxford Dictionary: https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/liable?q=liable 4. BBC Learning English: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/pronunciation/introduction 5. BBC Learning English – Tim’s Pronunciation Workshop: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/pronunciation/tims-pronunciation-workshop-ep-30 4) GRAMMAR Grammar is the framework for language. It helps you really understand language. Good grammar is important for work and life. Knowing the rules can be hard. Online exercises are a fun way to learn. They can help you understand the grammar. With daily practice you will become a grammar master! GRAMMAR PRACTICE WEBSITES: 1. A4ESL: http://a4esl.org/ 2. Perfect English Grammar: https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/grammar-exercises.html 3. BBC Learning English: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/basic-grammar 5) SPEAKING AND WRITING These are the ‘output skills.’ Speaking practice improves fluency and confidence. Regular practice builds your speaking skills. But often the big problem is finding a conversation partner. There are free options like: https://www.conversationexchange.com/ Or you could find a speaking buddy on social media. Also, there are free websites with discussion questions: 1. The Internet TESL Journal Archives: Conversation Questions for the ESL/EFL Classroom: http://iteslj.org/questions/ 2. ESL Conversation Questions: https://www.eslconversationquestions.com/english-conversation-questions/topics/ 3. Fluent U- 28 Discussion Topics Adults Really Enjoy: https://www.fluentu.com/blog/educator-english/esl-discussion-topics-for-adults/ WRITING PRACTICE WEBSITES Writing is essential for business, social life and for academic exams. Three possible websites are: 1) Cambridge https://writeandimprove.com/workbooks#/wi-workbooks 2) British Council Learn Teens: http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/skills/writing/elementary-a2-writing 3) The Virtual Writing Tutor: https://virtualwritingtutor.com/ But the best way to improve speaking and writing is: Online lessons with a professional teacher. Why Study Online? Learning with a professional online teacher is the best way to improve. 1 to 1 support helping you grow in confidence and skill. You need a professional to show you your mistakes in grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. Also, to help you develop your reading, listening, speaking and writing. Get that dream job. Move to another country. Increase your salary. Pass that exam to get into university. Improve your speaking and listening to travel or work abroad. Online learning means: • You save time travelling. • You can study comfortably at home. • Your speaking will become more fluent, accurate and confident. • Your writing will get better and improve your work and life choices. • You can understand your errors. You will speak and write with better variety, structure and ideas. MESSAGE JAMIESON NOW FOR A FRIENDLY CHAT: Email: jai@goldviking.online Whats App: 0090 549 449 0034 Tel: 0044 1905 570838 (Skype Voip number) Jamieson Hill, 20 years’ experience teaching English and inspiring students. DELTA certified, University of Cambridge ESOL DMS Advanced Diploma in Business Management. Certificate in Education, University of Plymouth. Cert TEFL, Open College Network.

.Press release published 24 June 2020 #DigitalLifeLines2.0 UK based website provider, Gold Viking, has relaunched its solution-focused initiative, Digital Lifelines 2.0, in a bid to continue combatting the devastating commercial implications of the 2019 Coronavirus outbreak. Helping SMEs around the globe bounce back from the pandemic, the Digital Lifelines initiative provides an indispensable toolkit of practical digital solutions for any business aiming to remain present, up-to-date and in the minds of their customers during this period of economic change. Business commentators have observed that after the pandemic, every small business will need a website if it is to survive. Even traditional retailers and companies that have not previously sold online will need the means to do so and some companies which have embraced website and app tools during COVID are now flourishing. The restaurant sector, which now relies on apps to drive 39% of their delivery visits, is part of the takeaway industry which is now worth £4.9 billion per year in the UK alone.* ‘Gold Viking’s Digital Lifelines 2.0 Package’ offers a highly effective and proven website and app features which can provide powerful tools for companies aiming to promote themselves and thrive both in the UK and around the globe. It includes: • Free-of-charge services for two months with no tie-in contract • A 5-page AI website with e-commerce features • A 5 -feature mobile app with food ordering; loyalty options and more Jamieson Hill, MD, and founder of Digital Lifelines said: "Small businesses must ensure that they are well-equipped to deal with limited face-to-face opportunities and continuing restrictions. We have put together a toolkit which offers genuinely useful and practical solutions to keep businesses afloat and make it through. For example, our mobile apps can provide features such as mobile food ordering, loyalty schemes, online purchasing and more, plus our artificial intelligence websites are capable of generating greater numbers of prospects from visitors. Customers will find that our online products are extremely easy to update, even for a non-techie!.” The scheme is set to run throughout June and will finish on 31 July 2020 with spaces limited due to Gold Viking team capacity. Businesses interested in taking advantage of the scheme should register their interest at: https://www.goldviking.online/contact Or phone 0044 1905 570838 Or email Jamieson Hill at: jai@goldviking.online *https://iikosoftware.com/food-delivery-a-technology-guide-for-restaurants-dark-kitchens/

These are 'Unprecedented times!' Since the Covid-19 pandemic erupted on the world scene, that phrase has become like a mantra. Some businesses had to close, but others prospered. We knew that things were never going to be the same again for business worldwide. We had to adapt to a new normal. Business owners' lives across the world that have changed since the pandemic struck. Entrepreneurs are now having to adapt in all sectors, from the travel industry to leisure business, from sport to transport and so many more,. The Covid-19 virus has meant large-scale change. In marketing we’ve seen a huge transition to a world where all businesses know they now need a website that is future proof. If a second wave and lockdown comes, it will be the only way to trade. Therefore, businesses need to be ready. All businesses know they need to be on the web, but what do they need their site to do? More importantly, how can they rise above the competition and maintain healthy sales online should the world experience further pandemonium. Here are five essentials to future proof your business website for future lockdowns and virus outbreaks: 1. Future proof your website. Updating a website can be time consuming and costly. Ensuring hackers are kept at bay and the technology stays up to date is key. Therefore businesses will need to have a pro-active web designer or system that either automatically updates or uses AI technology to ensure the key messages are being delivered. 2. Brick and mortar ONLY businesses will be a thing of the past. Every shop will need way of selling online using e-commerce technology. This may include delivery services too, but at the very least a click and collect function. This includes food, retail and even service based industries that will now deliver their products using website technology, like Zoom or Google Meet. 3. Quick and easy to update. As so much more commerce will now be done online, reacting to the market quickly will be essential. Gone are the days that “Billy back bedroom” part-time web designer updates your website when he get’s around to it. Having a simple interface to do it yourself or reactive low-cost agency team to do it for you will be the norm. 4. Artificial Intelligence. It may sound Sci-fi but cutting edge web designers have been using this tech for years to help deliver the right messages to the right customers, intelligently. Making this affordable and effective will ensure businesses gain more customers and browsers will receive messages that are of interest to them, a win, win! 5. Social media integrates with websites. Since the lockdown some figures are telling us that social media usage is up over 25%. Gaining this engaged audience and pointing them to your website is the perfect way of reaching the right prospects and then converting them into customers on the website. Also, showing a feed of relevant social posts on a website will now be the norm in any modern business. Websites are now recognised, even by the most traditional of businesses, as an essential part of running a company. There has never been more demand for quality, affordable websites and here at Gold Viking Websites, we’ve never been busier and that doesn't look like it will change anytime soon. So don't leave it too late. Get your business website ready for future challenges. Go AI and you'll understand why! For any business owner wanting a free 73 point Marketing Audit to help them discover how well they are digitally prepared, please email Jai at: jai@goldviking.online or call 0044 1905 570 838 for a friendly chat. It takes about 30 minutes online and helps you see if you are ready and future proofed.