Samsung LPC250SM Review

PROS / These solar panels are sturdy and can withstand being pelted by hailstones in winds up to 52 mph.

CONS / The warranty for this panel provides only five years of coverage for materials and workmanship.

VERDICT / The Samsung LPC250SM panels are durable and offer a reasonable amount of solar efficiency, but the panel warranty is somewhat insufficient.

Although it is well known for its semiconductor manufacturing, Korean-based Samsung also has ventured into the world of solar panels. These solar modules come with tempered glass covers and anodized aluminum alloy frames. The 60 monocrystaline cells contained in each panel can produce a solar efficiency at 15.62 percent, certainly a reasonable standard within the solar industry.




Each panel can produce 250 watts of power during maximum output.(more than RENOGY 200 watt )  Each can offer 30.5 volts of power at maximum levels, as well as 8.2 amps of current at the maximum power current level.

These panels have sufficient resistance when it comes to impact situations, especially the ever-worrisome hailstorms. The specifications for the Samsung LPC250SM panels indicate they can withstand hail that is just slightly less than 1 inch in diameter being blown by winds at approximately 52 mph. These panels can withstand temperature changes that range from 40 degrees below zero to 185 degrees F. The panels offer good quality resistance to pressure and are capable of handling a load equivalent of 113 pounds of snow per square foot.

The manufacturer recommends cleaning these panels once or twice yearly, using water and a soft cloth or sponge.

With these solar panels, you get only a five-year limited warranty on the materials and workmanship. While this is not an unusually short period of time for the materials and workmanship portion of a solar panel warranty, it is not among the best compared to others on the market that offer10 years of coverage.

Samsung’s warranty also promises 90 percent of the guaranteed power for a period of 10 years and an 80 percent power level output for 25 years. Each module is 64.17 inches long, 36.66 inches wide and 1.85 inches deep. Each weighs 41.9 pounds. If you need any help from the company, you can call or email to get answers to questions.

Summary

The Samsung LPC250SM solar panels feature a good solar efficiency percentage and a respectable amount of wattage. Although the warranty is a bit disappointing as far as the workmanship and materials coverage, it would nonetheless be worth investigating these panels for your solar energy needs.

How to build and keep a positive image for your business

If image is everything, entrepreneurs have their work cut out for them in this Internet-first world. As soon as you publish a well-written blog on your website or Facebook page, a critic may step in to undermine it. The same goes for Twitter feeds and other social media platforms as well as old-fashioned media outlets. Establishing a solid brand identity and maintaining a positive reputation is challenging at a new company's launch, but there are ways to make sure you build a foolproof strategy. Here are ideas on doing it right.

Covering all the channels

Posting a press release announcing your company's debut online is not enough to let the community know about your business's arrival. In fact, a full offensive both online and offline should be in the offering when you want to make a new company's presence felt. Whether or not you are an active social network user, the process should include a widespread campaign across these platforms in addition to networking among your business contact.

A good place to start is an announcement to members of your LinkedIn network. LinkedIn offers a forum for entrepreneurs and thought leaders to discuss movements in the industry among people who are career-oriented. Your business needs a strong presence on less formal social media outlets as well. Every business — from gourmet pizza to specialized crafts — ought to have an ongoing dialogue with the public online on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus.

A business image for the long term

When establishing an identity for your business, think of the long-term implications of every post. The Internet does not allow things to disappear. Old sayings about "all publicity being good publicity" never anticipated the type of firestorm a negative viral sensation may cause. As you launch a website and social media pages, imagine the principles you establish blossoming over the course of 10 years. Claim your business listings on customer review sites so you have the credibility to respond to all feedback. Businesses can change elements of an identity over time, but the long-term strategy should be durable as well as promising.

Having a social media marketing team like Vionic (available in The UPS Store) manage Facebook and Twitter accounts to set and maintain a positive image for you takes the stress out of the equation and lets you ponder the big ideas for your company's future. At the end of the day, a reputation is only a reflection of your larger business model. Your company's foundation must be strong enough to support the publicity you send out to the world. Before publicizing a business for all to see, make sure you have your brand identity and overarching goals in place.

Managing a reputation when times get tough

There will be times when you find a reputation dinged, often through no fault of your own. The Internet has a way of magnifying negatives out of proportion. Once a negative story goes viral, it can be difficult to stop. Today's publicists and social media experts believe (as doctors do) that early detection is the key when it comes to negative publicity online. Fortunately, there are analytics designed to catch a wave of bad publicity so you have time to build a response. Always address it promptly instead of hiding from it.

Protecting your online reputation doesn't have to be a mysterious effort when in the hands of the right professionals. On top of responding to bad press and crafting an alternative for Web visitors to encounter, reputation experts can court the bloggers and brand advocates who guide conversations in the right direction. By posting your own positive content such as blog posts, helpful how-to videos, and testimonials, you can help balance any negative content online. Steering the conversation back to a fair place is not manipulation per se, but rather a way of controlling what can become lasting damage for a business when the Internet does its bidding.

Perception is everything, but you can manage perception by crafting a positive image for your business from the start. Use the modern tools at your disposal to get it right.

Guest Post: Antique Pocket Watches - Where to Find Authentic Vintage Pocket Watches

If you enjoy antiques there is not doubt that somehow you are looking for the vintage watches for sale. But finding and purchasing it truly challenges you. The first step that you need to do is to get familiar with the different styles and manufacturers of vintage watches. It is important that you now how to maximize your investment and assure that the watch you buy will have the best value.

The most reputable and dependable watches is the one created by the Waltham watch company. Located at Waltham Massachusetts, the company has been manufacturing watches way back 1800. During this time watches are very collectable and worth a lot of money to the perfect investor. It includes some of the famous vintage pocket watch including the 1853 Barlett watch. Originally this watch is sold for $40 quiet large amount of money at that time. If you happened to encounter one, don't hesitate to purchase it without hesitation. Some watches such as the Bostom Watch Company this is the older name for Waltham are also collectable. The watches are marked Dennison, Davis and Howard.

Again if you happened to find one grab the opportunity while you can because they are in demand. Waltham Company has gone through many changes throughout the 1800 and with every change it usually comes up with more unique watches. However, the most collectable vintage watches come from the time before the century turn. Waltham was able to change the name and continued to create some of the best examples of vintage pocket watch the world has ever created. Because of lack of demand the company was forced to close out in the middle of 1950's.

Elgin National Watch Company which is founded in 184 has produced watches until the middle of 1960's and is another example of the finest technology of watches prior to 1900. The company began to produce watches in the city of Illinois which is highly desirable in the watch antique market. The image of the father time holding a pocket watch is the company logo.

Over the century many companies has created the best watch ever created in the century. Vintage watches became very expensive as the time pass by. Each model are remodelled and revolutionized to create the best watches ever. Waltham and the rest of the companies that manufactures pocket watches has made clock making in the history. Even the new name in clock making has making a big leap in clock making. Rolex which is known for its distinct design has able to produce the most expensive and most desirable clock ever. If before it was Waltham not it is Rolex time to prove that they are among the best maker of pocket watches in the world.

Business planning — identifying goals and defining a direction for growth

In thinking long term, you have to maintain a business plan that identifies your business goals while defining a road map to the next stages of your business. Business planning is essential to your business growth. You should regularly review your business plan to ensure it continues to meet the changing market environment.

Prepare a business plan for growth

The blueprint for today's small business owner is still a business plan. There are several reasons why you have to ensure your plan is up to date:

Your strategic plan needs to be realistic and achievable.
If you will need outside investment to bolster your operations, most potential investors will require that you show them your business plan to help them decide if and how to fund your business.

A good business plan helps you allocate resources appropriately, whether you are reinvesting your profits or using a bank loan for expansion.

A dynamic plan can help you monitor whether you are on track and achieving your business objectives. It gives a clear indication of where you are now and what needs to be prioritized to maintain the desired growth direction so that you meet certain key targets.

You should state the time frame on your plan, typically the next 12 to 24 months. The document should ordinarily include elements about what your business does, the direction you want it to go, and your strategy for sales to achieve your desired growth. Consider the following when drafting your plan:

Marketing objectives. You should have a clear picture of your anticipated customer base's size at the end of the period. Define a marketing strategy that enables you gain the extra customers.

Operation and management. This component should describe how your business functions on a continuing basis by highlighting your logistics such as where your business is based, the premises and equipment needed, who your suppliers are, management responsibilities, specific tasks assigned to each department within the company, and capital and expense requirements for business operations.

Financial information. The three financial statements that are integral to your business plan — the income statement, cash flow statement, and balance sheet — will provide forecasts for sales, profit and loss, and cash flow, as well as audited accounts.

Further, your business plan should include a summary of your business objectives, including targets and dates. Include an exit plan if yours is an owner-managed business — this may include planning the timing of your departure due to circumstances such as sale of business, family succession, or closure.

Strategic planning

Whereas your business plan will concentrate on establishing short- or mid-term goals and defining the necessary steps to achieve them, a strategic plan will focus on your business' mid- to long-term goals and explaining the basic strategies for achieving them.

For a small business, the focus will typically be on a particular product, service, or program. You will need to set your overall business goals and develop a plan to achieve them. If you need help getting started, companies like Wise Business Plans can help. Strategic planning typically involves three key elements:
Where your business is now. This encompasses reviewing and understanding your internal operations, what drives your profitability, and how you compare with the competition.

Where you want to take the business. Set out your top-level objectives for the next five or ten years: vision, mission, values, techniques, and goals. Determine what you want to be the main focus of your business and your competitive advantage.

What you need to do to get there. Determine how you will deliver on your strategic objectives. Do you need to make changes, and what is the best way to implement those changes?

Aim to balance the vision for your business against the practical realities of your present position as well as resource changes such as increased capital investment. Your strategic plan needs to be realistic and achievable.

Set goals and objectives

Goals establish where you want to take your business and will usually tell you when you get there. Carefully defining your goals will likely ensure you do the right things and achieve what you needed to accomplish in the first place. Objectives specify what must be done, and when. They are the specific steps your business needs to take so that you reach each of your goals.

Long-term goals should have a degree of measurability. They should be directional, reasonable, inspiring, visible, and eventual — meaning to be fulfilled at a future date. Short-term objectives lend more precision to your overall business planning activities. They are specific, measurable, attainable, and rewarding.

With these tips, you should be well on your way to creating a successful plan for your small business.

Why you need business insurance: five risks that small businesses face

Most entrepreneurs recognize the logistical challenges that come with starting a successful business. Between studying the market, crafting a sound business plan, and figuring out the local tax code, you will end up spending a lot of time and money getting it straightened out. Make sure to protect that investment by insuring your young business against problems that may arise in the course of operations.

Even if you have no employees and work out of your home, insurance may save your company from a crushing blow. Here are some examples of risks that owners face:

Business insurance for property

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the definition of company property is broad. Commercial business locations obviously qualify as property, but so do company products, investments, legal papers, and equipment, in most cases. Since you must observe a budget while launching any business, decide on your essential needs when shopping for insurance policies. Fires and natural disasters can quickly ruin years of saving and planning, while the loss of business relationships may hurt even more.

Insuring against mistakes

Human error is guaranteed to affect your business at some point. Honest mistakes by you or an employee may range from harmless negligence to serious malpractice in product development or content listings. Since business owners must delegate work to employees when expanding a company's reach, it is wise to insure yourself against any operational errors. Lawsuits arising from business mistakes can be devastating without the proper insurance.

Liability for products and operations

If you have developed a product for the general public, it is impossible to foresee every potential defect or problem. Product liability insurance safeguards against any lawsuit that heads your way as a result of consumer use. The SBA website notes that selling clothing or other less-dangerous materials does not require as much coverage as, for instance, an appliance running on electricity.

Determining the correct level of insurance for your business strikes many entrepreneurs as the most complicated part of the process. Fortunately, insurance companies provide risk-assessment services to prepare you for any possible problems. When you receive policy quotes, keep in mind that insurance companies make more when they sell more coverage, so not every plan will be essential to your needs. You should prioritize for your specific case.

Home-business insurance needs

While running a business from a home office or garage may seem like a safe harbor from liabilities, you still face risks. Slip-and-fall accidents during deliveries could make you liable for personal injury to a postal worker or other delivery worker. Property fires are another risk; even if homeowners insurance covers the loss of property, it usually does not cover the loss of business. You may be hit hard with costs for unfilled orders, breaches of contract with partners, and other business-related liabilities.

Employee insurance

No matter how small your business is at launch time, you will likely hire employees at some point in the life of a successful company. Insurance is mandatory for business owners with employees. Accidents on the job (workers' compensation), issues arising from job loss (unemployment insurance), and disability risks all need separate insurance policies. In states such as New York and California, special insurance requirements exist for every employer.

Research your state's requirements during the planning stages — not when your business is already launched — to get the full picture of startup costs for your venture. Once you have your operation up and running, any lack of preparation could come back to haunt you and your partners.

Understanding business insurance is a crucial part of starting a company. Use the many resources available from insurance experts to cover the risks you could face along the way.