They say the best things in life are free but let’s take a quick survey: who here would drive a car that didn’t cost any money, live in a house that was on the market for $0 or go to a university where everything is completely free? (okay, maybe not that last one). When you start off as a freelancer you’re often faced with a difficult decision: do you accept to do work for free or do you only agree to gigs that will help you make enough money for food and rent? We’ve broken down the situations where it’s okay to be a starving artist and when you should always make your champagne an caviar dreams a reality:

Do you keep a drawer of sugary snacks at your desk? Miss the days of pumping iron instead of pumping out emails? Most business owners and employees have little time to go for a coffee run, nevertheless a run on the treadmill, so why not try new techniques to stay committed to your fitness while you’re committed to your business?

Typically when you start your own business it’s hello stress and goodbye vacations; but what if you could start a business where every day was spent in an amazing destination? These days, the lines between business and pleasure are becoming increasingly blurred as entrepreneurs are cashing in on tourism and hitting the road to form their own travel-based businesses. If you love racking up tourist visas and don’t mind adding a work visa or two to your passport here are four of the best businesses to begin for all you adventurers out there:

This is the moment you’ve waited 3 years, one summer Olympics and four seasons of Game of Thrones for: you’ve grown a successful business out of your garage and now it’s time to take it to the next level. Now it’s time for investors. Out of the 20 or 30 or 50 or so lenders you’ve contacted you’ve landed a meeting with one down the block. Score!

On your big day you make sure to arrive 20 minutes early to relax and dry off the visible beads of sweat on your forehead. You ignore your doctor’s advice to take the stairs and hitch a ride on the elevator instead as not to spill your coffee on your freshly ironed white button down shirt (did you think I was going to call you lazy? You are a hardworking entrepreneur after all!). As you enter through the steel doors a familiar face appears: it’s the investor you’ve been stalking on LinkedIn for the past three months. You have three options: you can press the emergency stop button to give them your full presentation (which may or may not be illegal in your area), hide in the corner hoping they won’t notice you, or give a concise pitch about your company to sell yourself before you reach the tenth floor. Here are our tips on what to include in your speech when you go for the last (and best) option:

You’ve worked everyday for the past year without taking a vacation. You dream of snorkeling in Spain, hula-dancing in Hawaii or trekking in Tibet. But what if your job allowed you to be on vacation everyday?

Since 2014 the job market has exploded with “digital nomads”- people who fund their traveling by working online as bloggers, web designers or even managing social media accounts (who doesn’t get lost in wanderlust from travel Instagrammers?) While it may be an easy decision to quit your corporate 9-5 to live the good life, with over 4,416 major cities in the world how can you possibly choose where to work? We’ve broken down 5 of the top cities for digital nomads (as listed by nomadlist.com) by cost of living, lifestyle and most importantly wifi potential that will encourage you to hit the road and leave your cubicle in the dust.

Spent all of this month’s rent payment on shoes? Have crippling student loan debt from your four year film degree? Don’t count yourself out of starting your own business just yet. These days, it’s easier than ever to create a business for free (or less than the cost of your daily grande frappuccino). We’ve compiled a list of five businesses to begin for less than a buck:

If you’re like the typical worker, the sad reality is that you probably spend more time at your desk than you do with family. How you work is based largely on where you work, so chances are if you are working in a disorganized space your work is disorganized as well. Here are some tips on how to organize your desk for maximum productivity so you can get your work done quickly and get home even quicker.

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On November 8th 2016 I visited a local bakery for my daily bagel and ridiculously oversized coffee after my trip to the polling station. My eyes were drawn to a sea of red and blue in the display case where there were donkey and elephant shaped sugar cookies along with the sign: “who will win?”. Turns out the bakery was more accurate than the polls as the number of democratic cookies outnumbered republican 3:1. But that didn’t stop me from buying a dozen and leaving without my lox and schmear. And I don’t even like sugar cookies…

This case is the perfect example of how businesses can make an easy profit off major events. There’s no event more talked about or loved, well, globally, than the World Cup and as it comes to a climax, now is the perfect time to cash in on the craze. Here are four easy ways for your small business to make money and get in the game during the World Cup (and other events):

©Ruth Black /Adobe Stock

Would you ever buy a toy for your toddler in solid black packaging? Would you trust your hard-earned money with a bank with a bright kiddy logo? Wouldn’t it feel odd to be biting into a burrito surrounded by greenery?

We live in a colorful world and, believe it or not, color has an enormous impact on business and consumerism. Don’t buy it? According to research 93% of purchasing decisions are made on visual perceptions with a whopping 80% of people agreeing that color increases brand recognition. Luckily, you can use this information to design the perfect logo to attract the right customers to your brand. We’ve broken down ROY G BIV to give you the tools to design your perfect logo:

© victoria /Adobe Stock

Always a bridesmaid but never a bride? Why not capitalize on all that wedding experience and start your own business? Here are the four steps you need to take to go from giving away money for bread makers to newlyweds to raking in the dough yourself: