June 16, 2021
Construction Industry Calls on Government for More Support

Construction Industry Calls on Government for More Support

A panel of industry experts gathered to discuss how the construction industry can and will meet zero emissions targets. The clear message was that the opportunity to reach this target is there, but more support is required from the Government for this to cascade at pace throughout the industry. Support

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How To Have A Successful Construction Project

Building and developing land is a rewarding career but also requires a lot of hard work. Creating any type of structure requires careful attention to detail and the right skill set and knowledge. If you want to have a successful construction project and outcome then there are a few steps

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Latest Issue
Issue 323 : Dec 2024

June 16, 2021

Edinburgh Living celebrates housing its first 250 tenants in affordable and energy efficient homes

250 households are now in mid-market rent accommodation, thanks to Council’s mid-market rent partnership, Edinburgh Living The new Edinburgh Living website will provide more information about the partnership and signpost those looking for a mid-market rent home to what is currently available and under construction. Launched in January 2019, the housing delivery partnership has a strong programme to deliver homes, and will provide 500 households with affordable, secure homes by the end of 2022 Edinburgh Living, the City of Edinburgh Council’s mid-market rent partnership, is celebrating hitting a key milestone with more than 250 families now in quality affordable homes thanks to the initiative, developed in partnership with infrastructure experts, Scottish Futures Trust. Now in eight sites across the city, Edinburgh Living’s 250th tenant moved into their new home in Craigmillar last month. Let and managed by Lowther Homes, part of Wheatley Group, Edinburgh Living has also launched its new website this week which will provide information about the initiative and help more individuals and families find their new home through links to what homes are available and what is coming soon. Danielle Beatson, 42, who has recently moved into a three-bedroom home with her partner and three children, said: We love our new home; it’s in the perfect area and is so spacious. The community is great; it’s a really family-friendly area, and my children are often outside playing with friends. The home has made a big difference to Danielle’s life:  Our landlord was selling the home we were renting and we were struggling to find another suitable property at short notice. Mid-market rent was a fantastic, affordable option for us. The application process was simple, and we were able to move in quickly after applying.” We feel so settled and secure now; my partner and I are really happy, and so are the kids, which is brilliant. Launched in Jan 2019, supported by the Scottish Government, the Council set up Edinburgh Living to address the lack of affordable housing available in Edinburgh by offering mid-market rent homes to households on low to middle incomes that were struggling to access property, either to purchase or rent, on the open market.  The initiative is also supporting homelessness prevention, working together with Council services and Lowther Homes to raise the profile of mid-market rent as an option for lower income households at risk of homelessness.  The Council and Scottish Futures Trust have strong ambitions to continue to grow Edinburgh Living, with an acquisition target of 500 homes by the end of 2022, and the long-term aim to provide 1,500 new mid-market rent and market rent homes over the next few years. The Council is proactively identifying more homes to achieve this ambition, delivering well-built, well-managed and energy efficient new homes through its own housebuilding programme. Councillor Kate Campbell, Edinburgh’s Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener said: Hitting this big milestone and now having 250 family households in safe, warm and affordable homes, with more homes being identified to double that figure by the end of next year is just fantastic. Also hearing what a difference these bright and modern homes are making to people’s lives is the reason we started this programme in the first place. Making sure everyone has access to an affordable and energy efficient place to live has long been our priority. We have ambitious plans to grow the number of properties we own which we’ll do by purchasing homes, and by building homes through own housing development programme, delivering 20,000 affordable homes by 2027. As a Council we’re also committed to ending poverty, becoming more sustainable, while helping to foster greater wellbeing and inclusion, and so Edinburgh Living is just one of the ways we’re doing that for our residents and the city of Edinburgh. Councillor Mandy Watt, Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Vice-Convener, added:  It’s a real joy to have families moving in and settling into their new homes through Edinburgh Living. And it’s great to see the new website provide more information about the partnership and signpost those looking for a mid-market rent home to what is currently available and under construction. We now have homes in eight locations which puts Edinburgh Living homes in three quarters of the city. These homes provide quality, stable accommodation to families, improving the diversity of communities and helping with the regeneration of parts of Edinburgh. Christa Reekie, director Development and Housing at the Scottish Futures Trust, said:  As infrastructure experts, we’re always looking for new and collaborative ways to maximise the delivery of affordable housing and boost the impact they have in communities right across Scotland.  Edinburgh Living is a case in point – a joint venture that is working towards the delivery of 1,500 much-needed, affordable and market rent homes in Edinburgh. Today’s milestone marks a significant step in the programme that is now benefitting 250 families and is increasing the supply of high quality, energy efficient homes for many years to come. Heather Voisey, Lowther Homes Managing Director, said: We’re delighted to mark this important milestone in our partnership with Edinburgh Living. Mid-market rent flats offer much-needed affordable housing in sought-after locations, and it’s great to see the 250th tenant move in. We look forward to continuing to let and manage affordable Edinburgh Living homes across the city. Edinburgh Living has homes across eight locations including Clermiston, Hailesland, Pennywell, Greendykes, North Sighthill, Royston, Dumbryden and Craigmillar.

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CONSTRUCTION SECTOR NEEDS TO MAINTAIN NEW TECHNIQUES ADOPTED IN PANDEMIC TO ENSURE IMPROVEMENTS, SAYS STEPNELL BOSS

The UK construction sector was heavily impacted by the disruption caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. Tactics, which were speedily adopted by the industry to keep sites open, will no doubt continue post pandemic. TOM WAKEFORD, joint managing director of 154-year-old family firm Stepnell, which operates throughout central and southern England, says the industry needs to work collaboratively to keep the recovery juggernaut on track. “’Build, build, build!’ was the rallying cry last June. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a new deal to put infrastructure at the heart of the government’s economic growth strategy. Johnson said he was committed to build, build, build – in order to fix not just problems created by the pandemic, but issues that the UK had experienced for three decades. “Johnson said he was committed to building new homes, fixing the NHS and tackling the skills crisis – as well as mending the gap in opportunity, productivity and connectivity between the regions of the UK. All the time, the construction industry needed to build back better, greener and faster. “Seen by many then as the industry to help lift the UK out of economic gloom, construction is vitally important to the UK’s recovery. In December, the government issued its Construction Playbook – a blueprint of how the government saw local authorities working more closely with the construction sector. It came at the right time and is being adopted by thousands of organisations across the UK – Stepnell included. “Looking back to March 2020, COVID-19’s impact was immediate. Within a few days of lockdown, remote working was the norm. For some contractors, work on site stopped overnight – and the construction sector stood blinking as companies took in the huge catastrophe before them. “But, despite not being able to assess the future, the construction sector did what it always did – rolled up its sleeves and got on with the job in hand. Projects usually delivered from the board room were now being designed in people’s living rooms and kitchens, which meant contractors looked for new ways of working to ensure projects kept on track. “Alongside government support through furlough and other initiatives, there was stronger collaboration among contractors, supply chain and agencies. This unity meant a camaraderie and a strong sense of everyone having their part to play to achieve the common goal of delivering projects and keeping sites open. “Many contractors, including Stepnell, continued to work on site – and very quickly adapted to new ways of working to ensure colleagues’ safety. “By their very nature, contractors are agile, with their number one role being a problem solver for clients. This agility enabled us to swiftly adjust to solve a very different set of problems during lockdown one in 2020. As an industry, we moved at speed to meet clients’ expectations and we worked closely with clients to manage risk, ensure project delivery and overcome the many hurdles COVID-19 presented together. With our clients, we focused not just on project delivery, but also health and safety and wellbeing. “We also turned to managing our projects in an even more innovative way – using digital technologies and closely looking at new ways of working in order to achieve the results we needed. As well as taking a ‘partnership’ approach with clients, we also worked even closer with our supply chains. Again, working in partnership with supply chain partners, we were able to pay suppliers as early as possible and work together to achieve the results we collectively needed. “Stepnell had a flexible supply chain, which could also adapt quickly to demand. This, like many other factors we have adopted because of the pandemic, will be in place post-pandemic. The ‘not just for COVID’ approach means that the industry will continue to look at new technologies such as cloud working. The industry was way behind in terms of new technologies prior to COVID-19 – one of the positive things to come out of the pandemic for me is to see how crucial we view technology in the long term. “And of course, the pandemic has highlighted an issue that has been present in the construction industry for years – colleague wellbeing. Before the pandemic, the industry already had above average rates of divorce and suicide. Colleague mental health is something which became even more of an issue in 2020 – and will no doubt need to remain a focus for the industry once the worst of the pandemic is over. “On a positive note, the industry could potentially use the recent changes to ways of working to diversify its workforce. The pandemic has plunged the industry into the quickest and deepest possible experiment in flexible working — which has proved to be a success. “Not only that, but the construction industry was in the news during the first part of lockdown – not always for the right reasons as the public could see working sites when others had to stay away from workplaces. But the news pages highlighted construction and the way it was adapting, as well as new technologies. Construction companies’ ability to adapt to these changes, and so quickly, could make the industry more accessible and attractive to a wider talent pool – including young people. “Another key factor I see is the real importance of social value. Something that may have been seen as an exercise to tick boxes and score points against competitors pre-pandemic has been brought to the forefront during COVID-19 to show the genuine benefit to communities which our construction projects can bring. Whether that’s sandwiches for construction workers from a local café which has been closed for months or CSR projects to engage with local schools, which were also forced to lock their doors. “Continuing to bring young people into the industry is crucial. Stepnell has 14% of our workforce as trainees and apprentices – we see opportunities to give young people (an age bracket affected by the pandemic like no other) a great opportunity in a fantastic rewarding

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Will Rising Summer Temperatures Disrupt Indirect Free Cooling Processes?

The popularity of indirect free cooling of data centres in the Nordics region could place facilities at risk of corrosion if conditions are not correctly controlled this summer, according to temporary solutions specialists Aggreko. According to a recent market report by Arizton, the Nordic region can facilitate up to 8,400 hours of data centre free cooling annually due to its colder climate. Though incoming ambient air is filtered before entering the controlled data centre environment, this process can result in temperature rises of two to four degrees. When combined with rising summer temperatures, data centre sites may experience higher moisture levels that could lead to condensation forming and rising water temperatures. Keeping key data centre components like electrical distribution systems dry and within a certain temperature band phase is crucial to ensuring its continued running. According to Aggreko, not taking steps to account for changing temperatures during the construction phase could lead to long-term damage that could impair functionality and void warranties. “The ability to use the climate as a resource to help free-cool facilities is one of many reasons the Nordics region appeals to organisations looking to construct data centres,” says Greger Ruud, Sector Development Manager – Nordic Datacenters at Aggreko. “However, it must be noted that like any other region, there are fluctuations in temperature depending on geography and the seasons, so conditions will occur that make free cooling more challenging. “Site managers must therefore be aware that a rise in ambient air temperature will be reflected in the data centre environment, especially with filtration processes generating added heat. As such, plans should be put in place to cool facilities and maintain controlled conditions during the upcoming warmer months.” Additional cooling solutions like chillers and dry coolers may be used to ensure controlled temperatures during warmer periods. But with this further cooling capacity only required for a short but critical time period, expensive new equipment bought for this purpose will likely be redundant for long stretches. An innovative strategic hire approach may therefore represent the best way of alleviating both financial and humidity risks. “Optimum conditions for free cooling occur in the Nordics for the majority of the time, but crucially, not all of the time,” Greger concludes. “These temporary conditions require a temporary response, so hiring data centre cooling equipment like chillers and dry chillers may appeal. “Taking this approach can help site managers to alleviate damage risks without being shackled to expensive, permanent equipment that will not require year-round use. With COVID continuing to constrain budgets in all sectors, this freedom can allow contractors to be more dynamic as pandemic-enforced social restrictions are loosened and demand rises further.” For more information on chiller and dry cooler solutions for your data centre site, visit www.aggreko.com/datacentre.

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B&M Waste Services receives RoSPA Gold Medal Award 2021 for health and safety achievements.

B&M Waste Services is celebrating after landing an internationally recognised award for demonstrating high health and safety standards for five consecutive years. B&M has received a RoSPA Gold Medal (5 consecutive Golds) Health and Safety Award for working hard to ensure its staff get home safely to their families at the end of every working day. Organisations receiving a RoSPA Award are recognised as being world-leaders in health and safety practice. Every year, nearly 2,000 entrants vie to achieve the highest possible accolade in what is the UK’s longest-running H&S industry awards. B&M Services Director, Mick Ashall said: “We are thrilled to have upheld our excellent health and safety performance and to have been awarded RoSPA Gold Award for the fifth-year running is an amazing achievement. The last year has been tremendously challenging due to the COVID-19 pandemic but our team has been steadfast in its commitment to ensuring safety at work for all our colleagues.” Julia Small, RoSPA’s achievements director, said: “The RoSPA Awards scheme is the longest-running of its kind in the UK, but it receives entries from organisations across the globe, making it one of the most sought-after achievement awards for health and safety worldwide. “RoSPA is very proud of the achievements of its entrants, and with this award we recognise the best of the best, those organisations that have gone the extra mile, raising the bar for the delivery of safety in the workplace. Employees, wherever they may be, should be able to go to work safe in the knowledge that they will return home unharmed and healthy at the end of every day. Our RoSPA Award winners are central to achieving this goal. By entering they are driving up standards and setting new safety benchmarks for organisations across the world. Currently, around 7million people are directly impacted by the RoSPA Awards, but the scheme’s global influence is even wider – with nearly 2000 organisations from 46 countries represented this year. I would also particularly want to thank our main sponsor NEBOSH, the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health – for their continued support for the 16th consecutive year.”

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Vaillant wins contract to supply over 230 air source heat pumps to eco-friendly housing project

Vaillant has announced it has been awarded the contract to supply 239 of its low carbon heat pumps to a new build housing development in Swindon, which is being led by Nationwide Building Society. Located on the outskirts of Swindon, the off-gas Oakfield development, a 239-plot development, is being managed by property developers, Igloo Regeneration, and construction partner, Mi-space, and the first homes will be available in 2022. With a focus on sustainable living, this forward-thinking development features a range of properties from one-bedroom apartments to 2, 3 and 4 bed houses. In addition, the project has also committed to ensuring 30 per cent of properties are allocated to affordable housing. All properties regardless of tenure have been designed to run as energy efficiently as possible ahead of the Government’s 2025 deadline for the Future Homes Standard. As part of this eco-friendly project, Vaillant will be supplying 221 of its aroTHERM plus air source heat pumps. The remaining 18 properties, which are in an apartment block, will use Vaillant’s aroTHERM split air-to-water heat pump. Here, properties located on the ground floor have had heat pump units installed on the ground, while the remainder have been installed on the roof of the apartment block. The aroTHERM plus and aroTHERM split heat pumps offer an ErP rating of A+++ and A++ respectively and are Quiet Mark accredited, meaning they were the ideal solution for the eco-friendly Oakfield project. Working closely with Igloo and the project design consultants, CBS consultants, Vaillant has been involved in the project, to ensure the heating systems selected were able to run as energy efficiently as possible both now and into the future. Steve Cipriano, Commercial Director at Vaillant said: “With government targets to reduce carbon emissions in new builds by 31 per cent by 2025, we’re increasingly seeing housebuilders and developers invest heavily in low carbon technologies, such as heat pumps, to reach these objectives. “The specification of our aroTHERM plus and aroTHERM split heat pumps at the Oakfield project is a shining example of how property developers are looking at innovative ways of sustainable living both for today and into the future. By working with the team at Igloo right from the onset of the project, we have been able to ensure the project and its future homeowners are benefitting from the most sustainable heating solutions available.” In addition to the heat pumps, Nationwide Building Society has also committed to ensuring each property achieves an EPC-A rating. To achieve this target, the properties on the Oakfield development will also benefit from the installation of other sustainable technologies such as solar PV. Houses will be wired to allow residences to add their own electric car charging points and batteries to store energy. To find out more about the range of products and services available from Vaillant for housebuilders and specifiers, please visit here.

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Construction Industry Calls on Government for More Support

Construction Industry Calls on Government for More Support

A panel of industry experts gathered to discuss how the construction industry can and will meet zero emissions targets. The clear message was that the opportunity to reach this target is there, but more support is required from the Government for this to cascade at pace throughout the industry. Support in the form of legislation and incentives around Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) were outlined as the driving factors for real change in the construction industry. With Government support a clear path forward will become apparent rather than developers scrambling to make this reality at the final hour. This legislation must be brought forward in the form of ensuring the building materials that are used in construction are renewable and sustainable. Cement contributes 8% to the overall 40% of the carbon emissions in the construction industry. Timber is an obvious renewable alternative that is a regulated building material, with many homes in the UK constructed with timber frame. The Welsh Government have committed to all affordable housing being built with timber frame by next year. The panel was unanimous in agreeing that this is the kind of leadership seen in Wales is what is needed across the board. “There has never been a better time to change how we build our homes in the UK. The pandemic has given us time to stop and consider our industry’s impact and as the world regains some normality, we, as an industry, should want to move forward rather than simply returning to how we have always done things, as it is clear from the figures that this is devastating the planet,” said Panellist, Andrew Carpenter, Chief Executive of the Structural Timber Association (STA). “There are two things that will drive this forward and two things that will drive the change. The former is a collaborative culture and an integrated supply chain. The later, regulation and legislation from the government, and housebuilders getting on board with the larger vision. MMC is the answer to achieving a carbon neutral construction industry.” In a traditionally fragmented industry, the resounding notion in the room was for all sectors within the construction industry to come together to inform a collaborative approach to really move towards carbon neutrality. The last 12 months have been a time of reflection for many, with industries across the globe forced to pause and take stock of their impact on the planet. With the government’s net zero by 2035 initiative, this reflection has been vital for the construction industry. “Legislation will give the industry clear direction in how exactly we will move forward to meet the government’s targets, but in order to change the mindsets of the decision makers in the industry, this needs to be incentivised. The benefits for building with timber frame are widely known, if the government is truly behind building back greener, then buildings constructed from timber frame should be subsidised or at the very least incentivised,” added Richard Swayne, Managing Director of Paramount Timber Group.

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How To Have A Successful Construction Project

Building and developing land is a rewarding career but also requires a lot of hard work. Creating any type of structure requires careful attention to detail and the right skill set and knowledge. If you want to have a successful construction project and outcome then there are a few steps you must follow in the process. Your goal is for all to go smoothly and run into as few issues and glitches as possible. The right approach and considering particular factors that play a role in how it goes will be key to a successful end result. Make A Plan As a property developer, you must have a business plan in place and an idea of what you want to achieve before you tackle your construction project. Write it down and be specific about the details about how you’ll get from one step to the next. Make a to-do list and a timeline for what needs to be done and by when. Outline how you want the structure to look and who you’ll work with to design it. Think through all the resources and requirements you’ll need to ensure your project turns out well and on time. Create A Budget You can have a successful construction project by creating and following a budget. Your end goal is to be profitable and not struggling to make up for losses. You must know what money you have to work with and how much funding you’ll need to make your vision a reality. Consider turning to a company such as Salboy to get the money you need to follow through with your construction project. You need the right support and financing if you’re going to be able to meet your goals and objectives. Hire the Right Team Your construction project will be more successful when you have a skilled team of workers to help you get your structure up and running. Make sure you vet the right people for the job and hire workers who you trust to get the project done efficiently and correctly. Conduct interviews and know your worker’s skill sets and abilities so you have people assigned to the project who can execute the plans properly. You want to minimize the risk for any errors or setbacks so you can stay within budget and your projected timeline. To streamline this process, consider partnering with a construction staffing agency. They can provide quick access to pre-vetted professionals skilled in commercial construction, ensuring your project stays on track without the hassle of extensive individual screenings. This way, you focus more on the project’s progress and less on the complexities of workforce management. Monitor Progress You want your construction project to go smoothly and as planned so you can market your property one day in the future. The reality is that there may be glitches to deal with or obstacles you need to overcome along the way. What’s most important is that you take an active role in your project and proactively monitor the progress throughout the entire build. It’s your job as the person in charge to anticipate any challenges and have a game plan for prevailing in the face of adversity or uncertainty. Go back to the drawing board or business plan if you need to and make necessary changes as you see fit. The better you can keep track of how the project is progressing and what needs your attention the most, the better outcome you’ll have in the end. 

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Top 5 Things That You Need to Take Care of When Starting a Home Business

If you are like most people out there, then you might feel like starting a home business is an excellent way to boost your income. However, it is not that easy. You will have to deal with a number of things, including paperwork, recruitment, budgeting, and marketing. In order to do that properly, you have to educate yourself on the basics of running a home business. Fortunately, this article should help you do just that quickly and effectively! Here, you will find a list of tips for starting a home business! Check it out! Keep Your Business Safe For starters, you will need to make sure that your business is safe. There are many things that you will have to do, such as installing locks on the doors that lead to your office, buying a reliable home security system, and keeping your blinds closed in the evenings. In addition to that, you should keep an eye out for potential thefts in your neighborhood. If a burglar robbed a nearby house, they might try to do the same thing to you. The fact that you are running your own business might make the burglar think that you are rich. Lastly, you should invest in insurance. Most insurance experts out there say that it is one of the most important things that a business owner needs to take care of. There are quite a few types of business insurance, which should make finding one that fits your needs easy. In order to get an insurance policy for your business, you will have to ask your bank or your insurance agent about it. They will help you determine what kind of coverage you need and how much it will cost you. Set Up a Comfortable Home Office It might be tempting to work from the comfort of your bed. However, it is not that great when it comes to work-life balance. It might encourage you to work late into the night, cause sleep problems, and stress you out, among other things. Because of that, you should have a separate room where you will set up a comfortable and cozy home office. It will help you concentrate on your work and keep your work and life very balanced, as well as aid with keeping your paperwork organized. You should pay a lot of attention to the interior design of your office. The walls should be painted in warm colors, such as orange and red. On top of that, you should invest in very warm lighting. This combination should make the office feel welcoming and cozy. Hire the Right People If you decide to hire people to help you with your business, you should make sure that they are reliable and a great fit with your company culture. That way, you will avoid ending up in awkward or stressful situations caused by their behavior or poor performance. You can do that in a variety of different ways. For instance, you can hire a recruiter to take care of hiring people for you. That way, you will not have to spend time on the recruitment process and will be able to take care of other things. Other than that, you can look for employees on your own. There are quite a few platforms that are meant to help you find qualified candidates, such as LinkedIn and Indeed. You just have to be able to write a professional-sounding advertisement! Document Transactions and Pay Your Taxes If you do not want to pay fines or end up in debt, you will need to keep track of transactions in your home business, and that includes both the sales and the purchases. You can do that by collecting relevant invoices and bank statements. Next, you will have to pay your taxes on time.  There are many ways in which you can do it. If you have a bank account and know how to use online banking platforms, you can pay via an electronic funds withdrawal or via a direct deposit. If the options mentioned above are not available to you, you can pay your taxes with your debit or credit card online, by phone, or with a mobile device. You can pay in cash, too! You just have to visit your local participating retail partner. Create a Marketing Campaign If you want your home business to succeed, you will need to advertise it. There are plenty of ways in which you can do that. In fact, quite a few of these options are completely free! You just have to create a website and a few social media accounts. Once you do that, you should start posting relevant content, such as photos of whatever it is that you are selling or blog posts that are relevant to your niche. For instance, if you want to start selling jewelry, you can create a blog post about caring for gold jewelry. Next, you can spend your hard-earned money on advertising. Many social media platforms out there allow for targeting the people that are most likely to buy your products with special advertisements, and it can cost as little as just a few hundred dollars! In Conclusion In conclusion, there are quite a few things that you will need to take care of when starting a home business, ranging from investing in insurance to creating a marketing campaign. If it appears to be a very overwhelming task, do not worry! First of all, there are many people out there that can help you with each of the tasks listed above. For instance, you can hire a professional recruiter, an accountant, and a marketing agency to take care of the recruitment, finances, and advertisements. Second of all, there are many other people who were in a similar situation, and yet they were able to make the most out of it and create very successful businesses! You just have to stay organized and ready to tackle challenges head-on!

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