Options include selling more current products to existing customers, attracting more customers with current products and introducing new products to current or prospective customers. How well do these promotions match your current product and customer mix? Can you replicate the promotions? Do different promotions promote sales to different customer groups, or move different product categories?
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One-sentence summary -- Decide how best to promote your products and services, and estimate the number of customers you anticipate reaching. List how you plan to grow your business. Review past marketing approaches to see which yielded the best results. Match the promotion, product, and customer base to estimate how much you anticipate selling as you move forward.


Index funds are low risk investments. They are a form of passive investing where you invest in a portfolio that tracks a market index like the Russell 2000 and S&P 500. With this type of set up, your fund manager will pick individual stocks for you to invest in. Invest in IRA and Roth IRA stocks, as well as socially responsible investments (SRI) like the TIAA-CREF Social Choice Equity Fund (TICRX) if you are a new investor. Investing in individual stocks takes a lot of research and time. You will need to research a company's earnings, management, and future prospects, among other things, to be able to distinguish between a good and bad investment. After you invest, you will also need to monitor your stocks.  You can find this information through the business section in the news, stock analysts' research reports, social media, or the research platform provided by your stock brokerage company. If you cannot spend a few hours a week or more to research your investments, then invest in index funds instead of individual stocks. The buy-and-hold approach is a low risk, passive form of investment. A buy-and-hold investor buys stocks for the long term, letting their value appreciate over a period of time like 3 to 5 years or more. If you want to reap the benefits of your investment at a later date, try the buy-and-hold approach. Depending on what kind of brokerage service you have, a broker may help you decide which stocks to invest in. Trading stocks involves buying and selling stocks within hours or days to make gains based on short-term price volatility. It is an active form of investment that typically requires experience. You will not only need to be knowledgeable about the companies whose stocks you are buying and selling, but also experienced in actively trading stocks.  You can become an experienced trader by taking programs and workshops provided by your stock brokerage company. You must have a brokerage account to be a trader. Although you will have control over when to buy and sell different stocks, your broker will be the one who is making the actual trade. The broker makes a commission off of the trade.
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One-sentence summary -- Be an index funds investor if you are a beginner. Invest in individual stocks if you understand the market. Take the buy-and-hold approach if you are a beginner. Be a trader if you are experienced.


It’s possible for a lump to look like a lipoma but really be something else. Since lipomas aren’t painful, experiencing pain might be a sign that your lump is something else. Similarly, it’s best not to try treating a new lump or an area of swelling until you’ve had it checked by a doctor. Your lump is most likely not a cause for worry, but it’s good to be sure that it’s a lipoma rather than something else. These tests will help your doctor make sure what you have is really a lipoma. In most cases, your doctor will do your diagnostic tests quickly in their office.  You shouldn’t feel any pain when your doctor takes a biopsy, but you may experience discomfort. Before taking a biopsy, your doctor will numb the area around the lipoma. Then, they’ll use a thin needle to take a small sample from the lump. Finally, they’ll examine the sample under a microscope to make sure it’s a lipoma. The X-ray, MRI, and CT scan are all imaging tests. In most cases, your doctor will just do one of them. An X-ray can show a shadow where the lipoma is located, while an MRI and CT scan can show the lipoma in more detail. If you have a small lipoma that is interfering with your daily life, your doctor may be able to remove it using liposuction. To do this procedure, your doctor will administer a numbing agent near the lipoma so you won’t feel pain. Then, they’ll use a needle to suck out the fatty tissue in the lipoma. This simple procedure is quick and doesn’t require much downtime. However, you might experience soreness, discomfort and bruising. If your doctor thinks surgery is the right option for you, they’ll usually sedate your before surgery. To remove the lipoma, they’ll make a small incision and then extract the lipoma from your body. Finally, they’ll stitch up the incision.  After surgery, you may have some scarring around the area. However, the scar likely won’t be very noticeable. Additionally, discomfort and bruising are common in the days after surgery. You might also consider surgery if the lipoma is affecting how you feel about your appearance.
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One-sentence summary -- See your doctor if you feel pain or discomfort, have a new lump, or see swelling. Expect your doctor to do a tissue biopsy and an X-ray, MRI or CT scan. Ask your doctor if liposuction can treat a lipoma that’s bothering you. Consider surgical removal if the lipoma restricts your movement.


Aspirin and ibuprofen may work well to alleviate some pain and swelling. Follow the recommended dosage on the bottle and don’t exceed the daily limit. If you find your pain doesn’t get better or if you keep taking more and more medication, it may be time to call your doctor. If you take a blood thinner, always check with your doctor before using pain medication. They may want you to take something different so it doesn’t interfere with the blood thinner. This is the one type of hernia that sometimes doesn’t need surgery, especially if its symptoms can be managed through diet and over-the-counter antacids. If your symptoms increase over time, though, surgery may become the best solution.  Enjoy multiple small meals throughout the day instead of 3 larger ones. This will put less pressure on your stomach so you’re more comfortable all day long. Avoid caffeine, chocolate, garlic, tomatoes, and other fatty or fried foods that can cause heartburn. Don’t lay down after you eat for several hours. A truss is a supportive undergarment that helps keep your hernia in place—it’s a temporary solution to help relieve pain until you can have surgery. You can buy a truss online, but it’s best to visit your doctor so they can make sure it’s properly fitted.  Most inguinal hernias do need surgery to be repaired, but if your hernia is really small and not causing you pain, your doctor may be okay with waiting and keeping an eye on it. Surgery may sound scary, but these procedures usually take less than an hour and should quickly help relieve your pain. Straining your muscles can aggravate your hernia, and constipation can make things worse. Add lots of fruits and vegetables to your daily diet, and consider taking a fiber supplement to help things move smoothly. Oatmeal, nuts, beans, popcorn, chia seeds, and whole grains are also great high-fiber food choices. This can be helpful for all types of hernias; the less weight you’re carrying around, the less strain your muscles will be under. Try modifying your diet by eating leaner proteins and more fruits and vegetables, and try adding in some gentle exercise every day to lose weight. Hernias can be really uncomfortable and it may be hard for you to imagine exercising. Try going for short 15-minute walks when you can, or go to the pool and slowly swim laps. Be gentle on yourself, though, so you don’t aggravate the hernia more.
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One-sentence summary --
Take over-the-counter pain meds to help relieve your discomfort. Avoid heartburn-causing foods and large meals if you have a hiatal hernia. Relieve discomfort from an inguinal hernia with a truss. Eat a fiber-rich diet to make bowel movements softer and easier to pass. Lose weight to take pressure off of your abdomen.