It's spring, the rainy season in Midwestern states like, Michigan.

Finally, the snow of winter is subsiding, but that precipitation has now thawed enough to just be wet, rather than more solid and ice cold.

As you sit through another storm on Friday night watching a movie you hear your sump pump kick on. Ah, that gives you peace of mind as you depend on that pump to keep your basement dry during such a rain storm.

Unfortunately, sometime in the middle of the night while you were sleeping the sump pump stopped working, but the rain kept pouring down.

The next day, instead of enjoying a nice Saturday morning breakfast with your family, you're bailing out water in the basement because the sump pump failed.

From your initial look at the pump nothing seems out of the ordinary or broken, however you spot some raw sewage, which could mean the sewer line is plugged causing the flooding in your basement.

The good news is that you know exactly who to call for a sewer inspection in Downriver, Michigan:  Downriver Plumbers.

Downriver Plumbers offers fast, 24/7 emergency service with detailed estimates from their licensed master plumbers. 

And your life can get back to normal as quickly as possible.

Photo credit:  Pexels

It's my pleasure to introduce Lucy Reed, creator of GigMine, as today's guest post author.
-Nick Venturella
owner, tinycareer.com

I’m Lucy Reed and I’ve been starting businesses since I was a kid, from the lemonade stand I opened in my parent’s driveway at age 10 to the dog walking business I started while in college. I created GigMine because I was inspired by the growth of the sharing economy and wanted to make it easier for entrepreneurial individuals like myself to find gig opportunities in different areas.
 
Not too long ago, people dreamed of having a job that combined a flexible schedule with income opportunity. Traditional careers usually require working at an office, where you are rewarded more for your attendance than productivity. Those who wanted to be their own boss were often met with the sobering reality of business startup expenses and the enormous risk of striking out on their own.
 
Then, over the past decade, a revolution swept over the way people find jobs and perform work. Technology and innovations in how people collaborate and connect also facilitated this change. The resulting gig economy allows people to work when and where they want in ways that were unthinkable just a short while ago. Now, over 34 percent of workers in the United States are part of this gig economy, which includes freelancers, remote contract workers, and others with relaxed work schedules. This number is poised to grow close to 50 percent over the next few years.
 
What does it take to earn money in the gig economy? Is it a viable career choice for everyone? Answering these questions requires an analysis of worker personalities and skill sets.
 
The Mind of a Freelancer
 
Success in the gig economy is much like success as an entrepreneur, only potentially easier depending on your field. To start your own business, you need startup capital, living expenses for a certain period of time, and a source of customers. The gig economy reduces or eliminates most of these barriers. While freelance positions lack the stability of a full-time job, some will say that employment stability is an illusion. People are laid off all the time, even from well-performing companies such as Amazon and General Electric. A successful freelancer recognizes the presence of risk in everyday life and views this uncertainty as opportunity.
 
Success in the gig economy requires embracing risk, but it also calls for high-level organizational and sales skills. You need to be able to manage your workflow on your own. And drumming up clients is, for the most part, completely on your plate. Apps and websites can reduce the pitching burden by providing streamlined opportunities for jobs, but sustained success requires stepping beyond these services.
 
Small Business Sense
 
In addition to managing assignments and projects, a freelancer has to run the administrative side of their business. Tracking expenses, handling small business tax matters, and cutting paychecks are all part of the freelancer’s job. So is marketing, ordering supplies, and handling countless other tasks that might be handled by bosses or coworkers in traditional employment.
 
Home-Life Separation
 
Working in the gig economy also requires an ability to work productively from home, and not everyone is adept at doing so. Some tips to create a balance between work and non-work is to create a home office that is separate from the rest of your living area. While it might seem relaxed to work from your kitchen table, the fun ends when the inevitable interruptions begin. If you have a separate room in your house, make it an office. It’ll serve as a work sanctuary that you can walk away from, and you may be entitled to a tax write off if the room is separate.
 
Stay Connected
 
Some freelancers fizzle out when they realize they miss having coworkers. The gig economy presents several replacements for office banter. From freelance discussion boards to meetup groups to traditional networking methods, you can enjoy camaraderie of other professionals.
 
Freelancing in the gig economy presents real opportunities to pave your own way on your terms. The extra work may not be right for everyone, but for those looking for a challenge, self-employment has never been easier.

These days there are a growing number of women role models for other women. 

However, there are not enough, which is why it's my pleasure to introduce The Goalden Lady.

The Goalden Lady is a website and blog geared toward the ongoing growth of women of any age.

The idea is to provide useful, practical and positive content that helps empower, motivate and inspire women to live the life they want no matter what their current situation.

This concept takes shape by encouraging site visitors to begin their 'goalden' journey from where ever they currently are with whatever resources are currently available. Read the site’s content, take action, join the email list and be a part of a larger group of women taking charge of their lives to live on their terms.

I encourage you to check out The Goalden Lady (TGL) website. Here are TGL guidelines to give you a preview of your future empowerment.

1.  No excuses
   
2. Keep it moving
   
3. No complaining
   
4. Accept responsibility for everything you do
   
5. Only compare yourself to who you were yesterday
   
6. Avoid distractions
   
7. Know your money
   
8. No worrying – do something about it
   
9. Think for yourself
   
10. Help somebody

posted by: Nick Venturella

When Michigan's weather warms up, that's when exterior home repairs and improvements start to become top of mind.

Those first few nice weather days of spring and summer when you're outside doing some light yard work, cleaning out the garage and summer-izing the snowblower to ready it for next winter is often when you notice things about the exterior of your home.

You notice the shutters on either side of the windows are drastically sun faded. In fact, the siding in the entire front of the house is sun faded compared to the side of the house. The front of your home is south-facing so it gets a lot of direct sunlight, and over the years that sunlight will fade your siding and shutters.

So you come to the realization that it's time to replace your home's siding and shutters, but you're not sure where to start in terms of finding a local contractor to do the work.

You hop online and head over to DownriverRoofers.com where you find All Point Construction who are fully licensed and insured contractors for siding installation in Downriver, Michigan.

Unfortunately, there are many unscrupulous roofing contractors out there.

These are people with fly-by-night operations that prey on home owners who don't understand enough about the work and/or repairs needed for their home, so it's easy for some less-than-honest contractor to take advantage of them.  

The shady contractors do this by providing a great price and getting the work done in no time, yet the quality lacks. However, by the time you are aware of the quality issues your roof has already started shedding shingles and the contractor and his company are no longer available or even around.

To make matters worse, often the roof that was installed needs to be drastically repaired or even replaced because of the poor quality work done in the first place. As a home owner, you're now paying substantially more money for the total overall cost of your entire roofing project.

If you need a new roof for your home, the better route is to simply hire a legitimate, licensed and insured roofing contractor who does quality work, in the first place. And when you live in the Great Lakes State you want the best roofing contractor in Troy, Michigan.

Check out TroyRoofingPros.com to get started.

Can you imagine a home without windows?

That seems pretty dark, both figuratively and literally.

The fact is, homes have windows, and they need to be considered when you’re contemplating improvements to your home.  

With Midwestern cold winters, wet springs and hot summers, what’s going on outside your house can impact your home’s comfort on the inside. On homes with older windows that could mean high heating and cooling bills.

That’s why it’s important to consider new windows to help with your home’s energy efficiency and/or to better protect against various weather elements, not to mention the asthetics of how windows affect your home’s curb appeal (something to consider if you’re moving toward selling your house).

Let’s say, you’re in the market to buy new windows for your Downriver, Michigan home. With so many available window brands to choose from, how do you know which brand to go with?

According to HomeWindowsMichigan.com, it makes sense to go with the #1 windows manufacturer. That’s Pella windows in Downriver, MI.

Pella windows are known for…

• being energy efficient
• beautifully designed / asthectically pleasing
• well crafted
• and have a limited lifetime warranty

It’s important to note that reputable licensed and insured window installation contractors use Pella windows as a mainstay option for their home-owner customers.

That said, if the contractor you’re dealing with is not a certified Platinum Pella Windows contractor, consider a second opinion from a contractor who is Pella certified.

In this day and age it’s unlikely to find anyone who doesn’t own a computer — their own computer or one for their household. Many people, often have multiple computers.

All those computers are extremely helpful for efficiently completing various tasks. That’s why when your computer stops working the impact is painful.

Anxiety sets in, “How will I complete my presentation in time for the big meeting?”

Confusion, “I have no idea what I did. It just stopped working.”

Anger, “I hate this machine!”

It is cautioned that if you are in the Reno, Nevada area and your computer stops working, before reaching the anger stage where you may physically damage your computer out of frustration, please be sure to seek out Reno Laptop Repair.

Reno Laptop Repair provides you with computer repair professionals that have years of experience and more than 20,000 parts on-site and in stock available to fix your computer.

Even the most challenging of PC or Mac computer problems can be overcome by Reno Laptop Repair’s knowledgeable and experienced staff.

The business is family owned and that’s how they treat their customers, like family. Customer satisfaction is of the utmost importance, and it’s why customer rate Reno Laptop Repair number 1 in the area.

When your computer all of a sudden stops working, avoid the paralyzing anxiety, confusion and anger of the situation. Instead, seek out Reno Laptop Repair to restore your computer and your sanity.

Do you know the quality of siding that is currently on your home?

When you buy an existing home, you may not know the quality of the existing vinyl siding that was installed on it. However, knowing when it was installed is important information to have.

Often, lesser quality siding is installed to help bring down the cost. While this may be an economical option for a home owner’s budget, the compromise is typically that the life of the siding’s usefulness is shorter.

The weather elements may make it wear faster and direct, daily exposure to the sun can certainly make the siding color fade.

If your home’s siding is 20 years old, it’s finish is likely lackluster, and this happens over time, but it’s a sign that you may want to consider replacing it.

On the flip side, if you’re involved in a new home construction where you have more input about the materials used as your home is built then you’ll want to consider higher quality vinyl siding right from the start.

Okay, so let’s say, you live in Lincoln Park, Michigan and know you need to replace your 15 year old vinyl siding on your existing home. You want to find the best professional siding installation in Lincoln Park, Michigan, so where do you find it?

Look for All Point Construction on the MichiganSidingPros.com website, and get a free estimate from a fully licensed and insured, quality contractor.

When you’re in business, one of the easiest, most trusted forms of marketing is your business card.

The business card is a rather inexpensive tool that is simple, widely understood and convenient to carry and pass along.

If you’re a real estate agent, your business is to connect and build relationships with home owners looking to sell their property and home buyers in the market to purchase a house — real estate business cards are a must as you network with potential clients.

More specifically, if you’re a REMAX real estate agent and need REMAX business cards, PrintElf has you covered.

PrintElf has the fastest online designer, custom made specifically for PrintElf’s process so you spend your time working with clients, not designing business cards.

PrintElf will make your business card designing process easy and painless, and the final product will be a quality, professional look that will appropriately align with your service.

When you run a small to mid-sized business there is no shortage of things to learn to help you run your operation more efficiently.

There are so many apps and technologies these days that keeping up can feel a bit overwhelming, yet you want accurate up-to-date information so you can pick and choose which solutions will best serve your business.

However, being well informed with business-related software reviews doesn’t have to be hard.

The Small Business Blog provides business owners the information they need to make informed decisions that benefit their company.

The Small Business Blog tests and reviews products before writing about them, so you know the information will provide useful, first-hand knowledge that is on point to answer the questions you have.Be sure to check out the site and come back often as new posts are constantly being published.