Why Vaping is Better Than Smoking*

There are very few things in life that are entirely risk-free, and when you decide to smoke or vape you already know about the risks and make an informed decision based on that.

However, many people use vaping as a way to quit cigarettes for good despite there still being some, albeit it lesser risks; that begs the question, why is vaping better than smoking? 

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

Chemical 

We know that cigarettes are jam-packed with chemicals, and most of the time that won’t bother a smoker. But when you hear that it’s things like arsenic, ammonia and lead – it might give you reason to stop and think. 

When it comes to vaping, you don’t have any of those chemicals in a typical liquid. 

Most vaping liquids will have VP and PG, which are food colouring ingredients – and nicotine if you choose to add it. 

Flavours

Cigarettes come in two flavours – regular and menthol (although the mint ones aren’t available as they once were). But with vaping you can choose any flavour you like and when I vaped this was a big part of the appeal.

Feel like smoking blueberry pancakes? No problem. Fancy some strawberry cheesecake? Also possible – check with your local Vape Supplies store what they have available. 

Ease of use

Early models of vaping machines were often fiddly and felt awkward to use. However, modern vaping devices are easy to use, and some have a vast array of options. 

You can buy powerful vape machines that billow big thick smoke clouds or discrete ones that fit in the palm of your hand. It’s up to you what you choose. 

Helps reduce smoking

Many smokers want to quit, but when it comes to it – it can be pretty tricky. It’s not just about the chemicals in the cigarette; it is also about the actions. 

Sitting with a morning coffee and a cigarette – you need something to occupy your hands. You are heading out with friends who smoke? The temptation can be too much – even with supportive friends. 

Vaping can and has helped millions of people reduce how much they smoke or quit entirely. 

Read more about the progress of quitting smoking using vaping and other vaping reviews here: Vaping

Less addictive

It is much easier to stop vaping than it is to stop smoking. Many people start with a vape juice with some nicotine and slowly go down until they just have the experience and the flavour. 

This means that it becomes easier to simply stop vaping if you feel like it. 

If the overall goal is to stop smoking and vaping altogether, then vaping makes it possible to get down to zero nicotine. 

No butts

Even if you don’t personally drop cigarette butts, they are still everywhere. Since there are no butts with vaping, they don’t have the same kind of impact on the environment that smoking does. 

Compared to the smoke that a cigarette emits, what comes from a vape machine is essentially steam, which isn’t harmful to the environment. 

Smoking is a tough habit to kick to the curb, but the more you know about vaping the more you can see why many people have successfully made the switch. 

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Does Your Restaurant Business Actively Do Enough For Its Customers?*

The recipe for business success relies on many different ingredients, but happy diners hold the key to whether your restaurant will thrive. Therefore must ensure that it is doing all that it can to win guests over and convert them into regular visitors.

A great menu with amazing dishes and fresh ingredients will naturally feature at the top of your agenda. Still, all the other factors are equally crucial. Here’s a checklist to keep you on track.

Pleasant Staff

Dining isn’t just about the food. The experience is vital too. As with any customer-facing industry, it’s vital that employees represent the brand (your restaurant) in style. A chef who is consistent with their creations and personality will be beneficial. However, it’s the service staff that can truly lighten up a diner’s experience. Invest in their development, pay them fairly and go the extra mile to create a good vibe. Positivity is contagious and will significantly aid your business.

Positive Surroundings

As well as people, visitors will judge the restaurant based on the surroundings. A positive ambience can influence the way they respond to the food. Interesting decor pieces that tell a story, either about the restaurant or the area can work wonders. Meanwhile, table decor should rank highly on the list of priorities. In the post-pandemic era, a dining layout that promotes social distancing is advised while good hygiene is essential. When supported by an engaging store sign, you will attract business.

Clear Information

A growing number of diners will research restaurants before booking a table. They want to know that a venue can cater to dietary needs. Meanwhile, they may want to check opening times and availability in the post-pandemic era. Some prospective diners are happy to call up, but many prefer to speak online. Visit this website to see how your restaurant’s website can become a tool for customer care as well as brand marketing. Of course, it’s a good idea to promote your awards and testimonials. 

Convenient Experiences

Every aspect of the dining experience should be enjoyable. Convenience should play a key role. Most restaurants allow diners to book tables in advance. However, it’s important to ensure that payments are handled with compliance. Introducing mobile POS will make it easier to maintain social distancing while also making the whole process easier. This is especially true when it can process contactless payments. Consumers are now accustomed to making payments in this way. You do not want to fall short.

Rewarding Loyalty

If you provide a positive dining experience that’s underpinned by great tasting food, guests can’t complain. However, the true key to success is to keep them coming back for more. This is especially true now that the passing trade is reduced as a result of the pandemic and how it has changed our lives. If you can capture their contact details during their visit, this data can be used to remarket. Learn more about this concept here. Offering loyalty reward cards can work wonders too. If it works for a certain peri-peri chain, it can work for you.

Do all of the above, and the sweet taste of success will follow.

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Degustabox- September 2021*

Box gifted by Degustabox
This is a PR box, this means there will sometimes be additional flavours or products than you’d get as a subscriber, I will highlight this within my post.

This is going to be my last Degustabox review post for a little while as I’m going to take a couple of months off to settle in to life with a newborn (now there’s a scary thought!) so I was delighted that the September 2021 box was jam packed full of fantastic products, ensuring my final experience of the year was one to remember.

Prince biscuits are something I always seek out on holidays without fail, I bloody love them, so the fact you can get them easily (and cheaply) here now pleases me greatly. I was already familiar with the chocolate ones, but white chocolate was new on me and there is a part of me that wishes I had remained ignorant as I am well and truly obsessed. Biscuits have got me through this pregnancy, I suspect they will get me through the early weeks and months too! £1 per pack from Asda.

I don’t usually stray away from Pepsi Max or Diet Coke, but I really enjoyed Sumon Passion Fruit. It’s super refreshing with a maximum of 25 calories per 100ml. It also comes in Pineapple or Orange flavours, both of which I’d be keen to try.
Bob is the fruit juice drinker in this house so he sampled the Orange Algarve from Compal and rated it very highly. He said it was super sweet and nicer than our usual supermarket buy.
Sumol 99p/can and Compal £1.99/carton from Portugese stores and delicias-uk.com.

I love noodles, more than pasta or rice so I always get excited when I see a new to me brand included in Degustabox. This month it was Katsuo Udon noodles from Kelly Loves. This is a huge, flavourful lunchtime treat with plenty of unami flavour, I could barely move after these! Available in Sushi Daily kiosks in Waitrose and Asda for £2.90.

Sometimes I like to snack on plain crackers. Other times I like them to dip in soup or hummus. Either way these Ciabatta Original from Carr’s, in handy snack packs do the job perfectly. I probably should try topping them in a more normal way, but why break the snack habits of a lifetime?
£1.59 from most major retailers.

Can you believe I’d never tried Toffifee before? I see them everywhere, all the time and always think they look so good, but never seem to get around to picking up a box. Well, now I can say I have tried them- and they are good, although they make me fear for the safety of my teeth. I’ll pick some of these up for the Christmas stash now I know they are as tasty as they look, they are perfect for sharing (or not!)
£1.43 from all major supermarkets.

I haven’t actually tried this Nature’s Heart almond, peanut and double chocolate protein bar yet- it’s been stashed in my extensive bag of snacks for when I go in to have the baby. It looks delicious though, and boasts 10g of plant protein…hence why I thought it’d be the ideal labour snack! These have an RRP of £1.59 from major supermarket chains.

I won’t lie, I’m not sure what the point of a Jonut is, but pointless or not, it is delicious! It is essentially a rather large Jaffa Cake with a hole in the middle…but it works and it’s a fun treat!
50p each in major supermarket chains.

I’ll happily snack on Brioche at any time of day. Brioche Pasquier is my go-to brand and they’ve just made it even better with the addition of dark chocolate chips for a more indulgent taste. Great with a decaf coffee mid-afternoon! £1.50 from major supermarket chains.

We haven’t tried these Fajita and Taco seasoning mixes from Santa Maria yet….Bob and I decided to keep these on hand for a couple of quick and easy dinners once baby arrives. We’ll share our creations if we get time though, I’m most excited for the tacos, way more excited than is normal to be honest!
£1.05 each from a variety of retailers.

This month’s product of the month was these tomato and basil hummus chips from Eat Real, and I agree. I often have these in the house, or the veggie straws and can’t get enough of the super crunchy texture and good, strong flavour. I never feel too bad about how many of these I eat, either as they are made with good, honest ingredients. Available in all supermarket chains for £1.80- I stock up when on offer!

If you’re persuaded to give Degustabox a go (and really, you should) you can claim £5.00 off of your first box (making it just £7.99!) by entering the code XOQGC at the checkout. It’s been a pleasure to work with the brand regularly over the last couple of years and it’s without a doubt something that I will continue to purchase long after our partnership ends. I love the monthly surprise and excitement as well as the chance to discover products I’d otherwise pass up on the supermarket shelves.

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I Got Married

There’s been a distinct lack of actual blog posts over the last couple of weeks, with our wedding looming everything else had to take a bit of back seat.
Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, our big day arrived and it was everything we could have hoped for and more! Held at the wonderful Bristol Harbour Hotel (who were full on amazing) the day passed by in a blur. It’s going to be several weeks before we have the official photos but here are a few snapshots from the day…

Now to await the next big event in our lives…the arrival of Baby Connell, due in approx 5 weeks, eek!

Expert Advice to Keeping Your Business on the Fast Track*

If you are an entrepreneur looking to keep your business on the fast track then it is essential to make sure that every aspect of the company is in line.  

Many entrepreneurs focus too much time on increasing traffic to their site without paying attention to what happens once they get there. It would help improve conversion rates when designing your website because it is one of the most effective ways for businesses with limited resources to increase revenue.

Prioritize Critical Functions

Some of the most common ones are audits, accounting, and tax filings. These are all things that your business needs to stay operational, so they need to be the priority when you’re starting.

Ensure that you have the right team for each of your critical financial functions. You can also choose to outsource some accounting responsibility to accountant melbourne, where you can feel at ease due to their performance and exquisiteness. 

Balance Your Strengths and Weaknesses

To achieve success, you need to be aware of your weaknesses and strengths, as well as those around you. This move will help your business stay on the fast track. For example, if one person in a group has experience with marketing but doesn’t have many technical skills, they should take charge of the marketing side.

Be Flexible; Not Everything Goes As Planned

As a business owner, you can expect that there will be challenges and roadblocks along the way. However, it is essential to keep your company moving forward despite these setbacks.

Business owners need to ensure that they don’t get too comfortable with their current situation and approach because the market is constantly changing and evolving to remain relevant. Being flexible about your plans will allow you to keep up with these changes and ensure that your company remains successful in the long term.

Hire the Right People

Hiring the wrong people is one of the quickest ways to kill your business. Not only can it lead to low productivity, but it also harms job satisfaction and the work culture that teams are trying so hard to build. You must take time when hiring someone because if they don’t fit in with your team, it can be a massive waste of time and money.

Prioritize Customer Experience

In today’s rapidly changing business environment, you need to be careful about how much time and money you dedicate toward developing your products. For example, suppose a product development does not directly improve the customer experience or differentiate your company from other companies in its space. In that case, it may not be worth doing at all. 

Be Adaptable to New Markets 

By constantly staying on top of the newest trends and using new marketing techniques to reach a wider audience, you can successfully keep your business on the fast track.

An excellent example of adapting to new markets is implementing an online marketing campaign and immediately seeing results. The problem with traditional advertising such as newspaper ads or billboards, for example, is that you can’t see how many people viewed it unless they come into your store or call you directly. With online marketing, you can get a clear view of how many people look at your website. 

Conclusion

Keeping your business on the fast track is easier said than done, but if you follow a few simple steps and dedicate yourself to them, then success will find its way into your life. However, following these tips alone won’t guarantee that everything else falls into place. There’s still hard work needed for growth to happen. All the effort you put in will be worth it, though, because your business won’t only feel like a success – it will become one.

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