Traditional office buildings with a reception area, cubicles, corner offices and conference rooms can reduce productivity and hurt job satisfaction. This often makes working from home a tempting option, especially for those looking to avoid the notorious Los Angeles traffic. For a growing company with multiple employees, however, working remotely can stifle collaboration and finding space for meetings with clients can be difficult.

As a result many Los Angeles companies now realize the value of replacing cubicles with communal work stations, where employees on the go can drop in and plug in their laptop to squeeze in a couple of hours for work and catch up with colleagues working in the office. In addition, common areas where employees can grab a glass of water or coffee and discuss ideas with each other are becoming increasingly common. Architects are also placing more value on increasing natural light in the office to improve the quality of the work environment.

BLANKSPACES, located at 5405 Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles, is a modern, flexible workspace designed for start-ups, entrepreneurs and creative professionals that embodies many of these principles. As a growing number of business executives and architects come to understand the impact that both form and function can have on employee productivity and a company’s success, it is likely that Los Angeles will see more office spaces like this developed in the near future.

The first new asset you will have to make your work a lot easier is a live preview of the Email as you create it.  With this tool you can add text, images, and place all items wherever you like.  Additionally, the software automatically saves your work so you can log in later and continue working.  When you’re done organizing all the items on the Email you can pick a professionally designed template completely free.  If you don’t like the templates offered, there is also an option that allows you to add custom templates.

Another great tool is the control the software gives to the sender.  From Email address to subject, to email forwarding, you will always have control over who sends and who receives.  When you’re all set and done, the software automatically works out things like people who unsubscribe and bounced emails.  Once you’re ready to send, you can send yourself a test and program the software for the time and date when you want the newsletter to be sent.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly if you’re starting a business and your budget isn’t too high, Whack’s pricing model lets you never pay a penny until you actually send something.  There is no paying for setup and no monthly payments.

Whack Seedmail is perhaps the best software out there for creating email newsletters while saving lots of time and manpower.  Whether you are looking to start a business or have already established one, Seedmail can be useful no matter the case.

If one focuses on the biggest brands in the business world, there is a very visible trend in the way they handle their logos, marketing and brand.  The reason for this is the brand can and should be the most valuable asset of the company.  If you start your business with amateur logos, business cards, etc, your brand will not turn into an added value.  Starting off small can unveil a harsh reality for several reasons like instability, looking too small, or an unfocused approach.

Stability is probably the best quality a business can have when it comes to brand and logos.  The less you change your logo, colors, fonts, etc, the more clients will trust and respect you.  Therefore, if you start off amateur and then change things around when you become larger, it creates a gap between you and your initial clients.

Additionally, when you start off with rough looking images, business cards, and designs, you will probably look like a very small business and will never compete with your larger, more established competitors.  Your company needs to have a big initial impact in order to be able to compete with the big boys.  Designs can never look rough or unpolished because it creates a feeling in the clients that you’re not completely focused on the company, therefore you’re not focused on them.

About half of the small businesses that are started in the US fail in the first few years, and the biggest reason is bad marketing.  Your strategy, including logos corporate imagery has to stand out from the beginning, or you will be swallowed whole by your competitors.  Considering this, the question shouldn’t be can you afford a good logo to start your business, it should be can you afford not to have one long-term.

This new bill follows state-sponsored gas guzzler rebate programs in California and Texas, two states known for their congested roads and love of cars, to help rid the country of thousands of vehicles with poor miles per gallon ratings and save consumers money at the pump.

However, there are some criteria that need to be met before this “cash” can be put towards the purchase of a new or used SUV or car. First, the gas guzzler in question must be over five years old (2004 or older) and must have an EPA rating of less than 18 MPG combined street and highway. The vehicle must also be in working condition and registered for at least the past 120 days.

If all of those bullet points are met, there is another hurdle in the gas guzzler rebate- finding a new or used SUV that gets 25% more MPG than the government’s 21.3 MPG minimum for a light truck. That may seem like a nominal figure, but that would require the owner of say, a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee that gets a combined 14 MPG, find a vehicle that gets at least 28-29 MPG in order to utilize the voucher. Currently, only four vehicles fall within that category.

For passenger cars, the buyer would be required to find a vehicle that gets 25% better mileage than 27.5 MPG. Quite a few vehicles fall within this range, but hybrid cars can be pricey and small, making the deal unappealing for shoppers wanting a family van or large sedan.