You have enough money for startup

Defense, Paris

Yes, you do. Having not enough money is one of the most common arguments for not starting a business. The truth is – it is just an excuse. When we have a business idea, we want it now and here. In many cases it requires a significant capital. In most cases it means borrowing and this leads to sleepless nights. We put together all pros and cons, and continue to spend money on lottery tickets on our way to cubicle. But let’s look at our dream idea as a goal we want to reach in certain time. I am sure that there is … Continue reading

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Healthy business mix

Most of us are used of having one job at a time and one education in life. If they decide to change something, it is major shift in their lives. Just around 5% of working population has more than one job. When said this, most of us think about crazy busy tired poor neighbour we all have. But think about children or artists. Kids never play the same game all day long, 5 days a week, month by month, year by year. And artists switch mediums, they are involved in several creative projects at the same time, some have regular job, but most of them … Continue reading

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How to love your business every day

La Defense, Paris

Did you know that it is possible to burn out even doing things you love most? If somebody told me that 5 years ago when I was still in the big office doing small things, I would think that this person has had a really bad day. Now I would agree. And this post is about serving the most precious customer – the business owner. Even if it is lifestyle business and the truth is – especially if it is lifestyle business. When we start our business, it is like falling in love, experiencing affair, caring about newborn – full … Continue reading

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Passing the exam of getting first customers

Tuileries garden, Paris

Getting first real customers is like passing an exam – will the world like and accept my idea, will people buy from me, will they return and will they tell about me to their friends. Usually people think like this – here is a problem, I will create a product or service that solves it, then I will open a shop and wait for the first real customer to arrive. Wife and aunt don’t count! Real customer is one who pays the price because he needs service or goods not because he/she likes beautiful shop owner. Let’s step a bit back and … Continue reading

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Trend watching

pigeons bathing in fontain, Genova, Italy

Like bird watching it takes some time but is very enjoyable and valuable activity. There are  many good resources for trends, such as www.trendwatching.com, www.trend-strategy.com, www.smallbiztrends.com, www.trendbible.co.uk and many others. They give a very nice overview of what is happening worldwide. And even if “world” sounds too big and far away, with current speed of information, the trend will come to our town very soon. What to do with trends in business? Like with fashion trends – it is good to know, follow or break them, or be ahead. Depends on business, wishes and personality. Or like with weather forecast for holidays – … Continue reading

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Business designing

Eifel at night, Paris

We all love good design. We love to see it, to touch and feel it. We like to talk about it, discuss and even argue. Design is a piece of art in our everyday life. There are excellent design elements, good design things and I would say crap, but somebody still thinks it is design (just can’t understand who are those people). The same we can say about businesses. That we love, speak and feel good businesses. Those that are designed businesses. There are plenty of different design principles – every design guru, design school, researcher and even every designer have their … Continue reading

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Laboratory series 7 – end of season one

fog, mist, forest

After a slow summer we applied to an Innovation Idea Cup. For no good reason – mainly just to see if we can get some attention. We had to write different papers, so we did. After a couple of weeks we had to show up in a university – and we passed the first round. We were acknowledged as innovative team and consultations with cup experts showed that they found the idea very interesting. Despite the optimism, we didn’t get into last round but it was worth every minute spent on it – if not for anything else, then at least for our … Continue reading

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Funeral and Loving You

musician playing guitar brown tones

Here is a story written by Kristaps - musician and freelancer movie translator who used to work in a bank. For more colourful reading, you can turn on one of his songs. Enjoy! Funeral Funeral Loving You Loving You Let me tell you how I got to the point, where I dropped a suit and tie, grew beard and started wearing torn jeans, just like when I was 18. At that point I was 25 and I was working in the bank. I was young and already the head of my department with good salary. But as days passed, I started to feel more … Continue reading

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Crafting a soul for the business

car wash beauty

Have you noticed that some businesses have a vibrant soul, some are “just another” businesses and some are real zombies? It is the soul that makes the difference. One can argue that business is just a form of human being behind it. I would agree. And would add that business is a special form of expression of people behind it. And like a fine piece of art – it has its own life and soul. I believe that it is possible to create a soul for the business, event or artwork. And do it consciously. Business gurus and books are stating that all good … Continue reading

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Sheep farm series 4 – it is a real sheep farm!

blue tractor in work

At the end of May 1st 30 lambs arrived. When I look at these words, they are so simple – just a few words. But the life in farm, and now you can really call it a farm, has changed upside down. Suddenly you are responsible for 30 lives. 30 little lambs that are a little afraid, a little shy, all standing in one corner of a gorgeous pasture meadow. After a few more weeks another 30 sheep arrived.They were standing in the other corner of the meadow. Also shy and reserved. With every day, even with every hour they … Continue reading

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What’s so special about Art and Business?

old mansion door steps

Process of creating something is special. Giving new meaning to things is special. Combining two pieces to create something that is much more than just two pieces joined together is special. Art is special. No need to prove anything. Business. Robust next to art. Pulling down to earth. Still they do exist next to each other. We sell art and we buy art. I will not use terms “goods” and “to produce” although I have heard and wondered how one can use them when talking about art. It took me a long time to find this one single piece that … Continue reading

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Sheep farm series 3 – the fence building

water drop,park, public water supply

The last months of winter and early spring my dad spent calculating of how many sheep they need to earn enough money to live the way they want. How much space those sheep might need in summer and in winter. What is the ideal number of sheep to start this year with. Which products – lambs, meat, wool, tourism etc. -  to produce. Where and to whom to sell. What services, e.g., doctor, they have to buy. After how long time the herd will be big enough to reach break-even. How much money they need to invest and how to manage … Continue reading

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Branding: other way of thinking

House doors in Burano, Italy

Today brands on their own are no longer enough. Consumers demand that they should be treated like people and that both their customers emotional and functional needs are addressed. Whilst consumers may have historically purchased products, people now want to plunge themselves in positive experiences that address their needs, concerns and hopes. We live in a world where people are becoming more and more concerned about the world and about their personal terms of reference in daily living and in the way that companies interact with that world and with them as people. Marketing a product to people therefore needs … Continue reading

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Mix & match skills & love to find a niche

painted boat in Venice, Italy

Do you still love Lego? I do. And not just because my kids are in the Lego age, but also because it is extremely creative to see how many things can be made of the same few blocks. Lately I started to “Lego” other spheres of my life. For example, for almost ten years, I was painting and photographing, but considered them as separate disciplines. A few months ago I discovered that it is possible to reach a different level of creative flying by combining them together. Thinking a bit further, I found that “legoing” can lead us to an awesome niche expertise. All … Continue reading

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Positioning starts long before even thinking about business name

boats in Venice, Italy

When one thinks about starting a business, sooner or later he or she will talk about it to other people. Most of us would start with our family and friends. And at the very same moment we are starting to position our company-to-be. Most probably family and close friends will listen to the idea behind the words, but when the listener is not a close relative or friend, he will first hear the words and only then the idea. It might seem a bit too early or weird, but actually we are talking to our future customers, competitors, employees or … Continue reading

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Maintain flexibility

Tuileries garden, Paris

Entrepreneurship involves entering uncharted territory. Doing so means that by its very nature, unexpected things will happen. You can’t possibly plan your time with complete precision when you don’t know the exact direction a business will take or what demands on your time will be made. You do know, however, that at least a few unexpected things will happen. Though underplanning is more of an issue for lifestyle entrepreneurs than overplanning, the latter is still a danger. I insist planning is important. I’ve never seen a business that was able to stick to its initial plan without significant modifications along the way. Planning … Continue reading

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From IT to wine boutique

wine glasses

His name is Mārtiņš. He is a wine shop Via Vino owner. I would call it a wine boutique since they have one of the best wine selections in the city. A little bit more than a year ago he was still an IT specialist in a large telecommunication company. Now together with his spouse they are selecting and importing wines from all over the world for their shop. His wife is still working in a large corporation and calls wine shop her hobby. Mārtiņš has always wanted to have his own business. Since he was working in IT most of the ideas … Continue reading

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Kangaroo thinking

Australian Kangaroo, roaming free in the outback bush

I know that there are people from Australia reading this – is it true that kangaroos can’t go backwards? At least this is what people say from time to time. Whatever is the truth, we can use this myth or fact when thinking about our businesses. When we start the business, there is no way back. Like for almost everything in our life – we can’t turn the clock backwards. And in business there is only one possibility – to go forward. It can be faster or slower, it can take highways or dirt roads. There can be loops and serpentine. … Continue reading

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Building marzipan intelligence

Corsica, France

There is a period during springtime when almonds are in blooms all over Spain. We spent a week in a shepherd’s house in mountains around that time, visiting smaller and bigger villages nearby. Looking at blossoming almond orchards and crushing almond fruits after breakfast, I was wondering why there was no marzipan anywhere. I didn’t have time to investigate, but it was impossible to find and buy marzipan in shop. And I wanted some so much! Such a desperate feeling can lead to lifestyle business. If just in case it happens that my family buys house in Spain and if … Continue reading

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Wishlist or goal setting?

french garden, south France

We are 5 friends that met while studying photography. A year ago we had met to discuss our plans for upcoming year, wish lists, hopes – call them as you want. One of my friends said that she was making next year’s wish list by collecting pictures, in this way defining, what it was she really wanted and creating a collage from that. And we all agreed that it was very important that you specify the tiniest detail of what you want. If it is a perfect holiday, try to visualize the place itself, what you see, what you eat … Continue reading

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Girl with a coffee shop at age of 23

fresh cappucino

My name is Liene, and I have been very lucky to fall in love for a wonderful man who is coming from the other side of the world – United States. He is the main reason I am about to make the biggest leap of my life – move to California. Hence, I had to give up on some of the things I loved in hope that I would be able to do or have them again someday. One of those things was my love, my job, my hobby and my lifestyle for the last two years – my art … Continue reading

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Prioritising your time

Seagull walk in town

“Time is your most important asset” – we hear statements like this so often that they’ve become clichés. Nevertheless, if you are running your own business, the cliché is also the reality. One of the hardest things for beginner entrepreneurs that have come from large organizations is to get used to making all the decisions about their own time allocation. No authority is assigning projects or doing anything else to budget their time for them. It is incredibly easy to abdicate your time management responsibility by letting the most immediate demand take priority over endeavors that might be more important. … Continue reading

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Slow business

Morning in Milano, Italy

This picture is from Italy. World loves this country. And one of the main reasons is… its slowness. Have you ever wondered how fast our life can become? Every year, every month, even every day seems to pass by quicker than previous. Is it my or your age? Or technological development? Or maybe our way of thinking? Many theories of economics and business include variable “speed”. If we do something faster, then we receive larger income or have smaller expenses, it is our competitive advantage or efficiency, business profits and so on. So, for the last hundred years every “good” businessman was … Continue reading

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Evaluating your business idea

rusty key

You’ve got a great business idea. Most probably you cannot sleep any more, you forget to eat and it is very similar feeling to falling in love. You can spend some days living with it, but if you want to find out if there is a business potential or not, then some simple calculations could help. I had an idea about teddy bear shop some time ago, and I still love it, just numbers don’t look nice. But maybe someday they will change. Here is one way to check business potential for the idea. In business world it is called business … Continue reading

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Run the business?

rudens_2010 516

A friend of mine who had started a business to design and create clothes, once said: “With managing finances, organizing customer meetings, putting together promotional materials, and everything else, I hardly have time to do the real work.” As far as she was concerned the only “real work” was designing and creating. Business management for her was annoyances at best or necessary evils at worst. Many highly skilled professionals share this attitude. After all, if you have attended college for years to acquire a profession, it may seem somehow undesirable, perhaps even demeaning, to spend the important time on matters … Continue reading

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Selling emotions

hands - father and kid playing with sand

When was the last time you were excited about some place? Was it something revolutionary new or just a regular place but wrapped beautifully? There is always place for new products and services, but we already have everything in this world. We can steal some ideas from another place on earth and bring it home or we can put together something a bit different than our neighbor has, but if we are looking at just pure products and services, they are not so unique. What makes them unique are emotions. Emotions that arose with the product or service. And this is a playground … Continue reading

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Value people

steps of old shephard's house

Lots of big companies sponsor internal and external public relations campaigns touting such  slogans as “Our people are our most important asset” or “Our people make our company  great.” In reality, though, it would be a rare manufacturing company that values employees more than it values a factory. Despite the PR, most employees are seen as replaceable commodities. People come first only to the extent that the company finds their labor and services cost efficient. It’s not that corporate managers are mean-spirited. The stated purpose of large companies is to increase the value of stocks for shareholders, not to provide … Continue reading

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Is it so safe to be employed?

working tools on a ship

If you look at global statistics, you will see that ~12% of workforce is business owners or self-employed people. And this number has a tendency to increase over time. Most of us think that having your own business is risky and unpredictable. But let’s have a look at how safe employment is. The most common argument in favor of employment is stable and predictable income. In the best case your employer is able to pay and he has long-term relationships with employees. But even the most stable companies can be destroyed by external circumstances. And suddenly you are free. Or … Continue reading

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Fear named financial stability

La Boqueria Market in Barcelona, Spain

Financial stability is one of the most common reasons why people don’t make the decision about starting their own business. I agree, it is threatening when you are used to certain cash-flow, when you have to pay your bills and you are responsible for somebody else in this world – is it your family, kids, parents or even a cat. Being on both sides – with a good salary and with my own income, here is a short analysis of the fear. You have to be ready for irregular income. Every business has some fluctuations caused by many reasons – season, … Continue reading

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Sheep farm series 2 – gathering the puzzle

cars in snow piles

It was mid February, still the middle of the never ending winter with a lot of snow, difficulties to dig out the car from a pile of heavy snow every morning and park it later, when my dad called and asked what I was doing. He was in the city center and had some free time. I said that besides having a photo session within a few hours, I was flexible and we could have a lunch or just coffee. After 20 minutes, this time no digging and parking turned out easy too, I saw my dad. No hat, no scarf, no … Continue reading

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Why?

  Great article that puzzles me this morning…   Questions for a new entrepreneur   What are your answers to these precisely conrete and simple questions?          

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Laboratory series 6 – slow summer

gypsy apples

Finally we got into laboratory. It was amazing – like travelling back and forward in time. Back because it all felt like returning to school or university. The building, the atmosphere, the way things happened there, when laboratory assistant was the most important person (and not the professor we were working with), the cantine, the smell and so on. And we were travelling into future because we had time to dream about perfect cosmetics we would make some day. It would be so desirable and irresistible… It would smell wonderfully, it would apply like second skin, it would… So we … Continue reading

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Laboratory series 5 – spring madness

yard in Barcelona, Spain

It was one of the first days in a spring when you could sit outside and enjoy spring sun, nice meal (again), beauty of life and a good company. This time we were too business oriented. We put together really detailed project plan, set deadlines and responsibilities, I even created excel table for it. Our decision was to open the laboratory for public in autumn. We had had discussed our idea with our husbands. They both were supportive and it meant much, because we both needed safe back -  just in case. Our strategic idea was to make the laboratory … Continue reading

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Sheep farm series 1 – Bill Gates in a dream

AGN_9353

This is my dad and his first sheep. And this will be story of how one’s life can change within a half of year. It was a cold winter day around Christmas when my dad and his wife came to visit us. We were sitting, talking about this and that, my little daughter was playing around, when my dad as a joke told his dream he had one night. They were walking in mountains, with civilization far away, without any industrial noises, fresh air, just sounds ofnature, mountains around and life seemed to be more than beautiful. So they both … Continue reading

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What is lifestyle business?

colourful pegs on ship in south France

When was the first time you heard term “lifestyle business”? When I went to business school, nobody talked about lifestyle business. They were talking about large companies, extraordinary success stories, like Microsoft, Starbucks, McDonalds, Wall Mart and other giants or genius businesses. Now they talk about Google, Facebook and Apple. But it doesn’t help when you are just tired from going to the office every day and hate vacation day counting tables (we had one in my company – it was depressive to see “9″ or “11″). I found the term Lifestyle Business just after I had lived in it for three years. There … Continue reading

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Disadvantages of Self-employment

rudens_2010 397

Being a manager and subordinated. Being employee and self-employed. Everything has two sides, both pluses and minuses. Yesterday, I thought about disadvantages and stressors related to the self employment. I challenged myself to find those drawbacks that bother me the most. Here is my list:  No fixed income / running out of money I used to have fixed monthly income on what I had built on my cash flow. Loosing stable inflow puts me into uncertainty and stress. Further, at least in the beginning I need to invent strict cost control.  May feel isolated. The life can seem lonely if … Continue reading

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Life-style business advantages

rudens_2010 508

  I have been working for other people all my working life which has been more than 15 years at this point. During the last few years I started to feel trapped in an office cubicle and used to dream about running my own business. No more putting up with someone else’s rules and regulations, no more commuting, and no more office politics, and so on. At the same time I wonder whether it is not just day dreaming like ”what a wonderful life I could have if….”. I have talked to people who are self employed and those who have … Continue reading

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Laboratory series 4 – business trip to future or things are starting to move

small boats in Tuileries garden, Paris

Action plans – even if they are not very detailed and long – make the world turn faster.  Without „being hard”, with many breakfasts and lunches,  in a short time we: -          visited health inspection to be sure that our idea is achievable according to all regulations ; -          raised interest from a wonderful lady in University of Medicine, Pharmacy faculty who besides Pharmacy also loves cats and dogs, -         started to attend Open University in Pharmacy (who could believe that several months earlier???); -          went on our first business trip to a place that is called Future if translated … Continue reading

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Laboratory series 3 – Frangipani breakfast at 11 am on Thursday and more

watermelon in sunny brunch

It is such a nice feeling – to agree to meet a friend for a relaxed and long long breakfast on the morning of a working day… I  left the office 4 years ago, but I still love this sweet luxury. So one month later  Ildze and I agreed to have a nice breakfast in a newly opened restaurant. We had to settle for the frangipani thing. Ildze had told me that she just loves that aroma and since I was ordering some essential oils for my first perfume project, I added a frangipani to my order as well. We … Continue reading

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Laboratory series 2 – “cooking” first creams

cherry tomatoes and lavander decor

So we met a few weeks later. I arrived with a big basket full of oils, butters, waxes, essential oils, scales, mixers, mixing bowls etc. We had an excellent breakfast that slowly transformed into lunch and then into an afternoon tea. Our little girls were playing by themselves, they had a lot to discuss and to do. So did we. We both love cooking. I was listing Ildze’s cookbooks and we talked about our latest discoveries in that area. Then we switched to cosmetic „cooking” and made a cream.  I was telling about the Aromatherapy and natural cosmetic course I was … Continue reading

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Laboratory series 1 – the very beginning

little girl in daddy's boots

It was 17 September 2010, 10am. I had parked the car and, I think, for the first time in my life I was waiting for a cafe to open in the morning… A few days ago I had sent a message to one of my little models mom that the picture with her daughter has received an honorourable recognition in one of the largest photo contests in Europe. And we decided to meet for breakfast coffee and cake. We were the first customers in the cafe that day, and chatting went on as usual when two ladies meet for a … Continue reading

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Corporate vs lifestyle business thinking

mountain path

Most of you have been travelling to some foreign country, aren’t you? And before the trip most of you have had some imaginations and expectations about your own feelings when you get there, right? Did they match with reality? This post is about tiny things that surprised me in lifestyle business life. When you live in a certain environment for a longer time, you easily learn to accept its written or nonwritten laws, behaviors, even values and beliefs. After a longer period of time you already live according to them and don’t ask questions any more. There is more or less … Continue reading

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How to find a good business idea

Teddy Bear by sea

Have you ever thought – where all good business ideas are born? Or how couldn’t anybody done this before – it is so obvious? And why it didn’t come to your mind? Some time ago I was wondering too, but then suddenly I realised that they are coming and coming and coming to my mind. Here is my recipe. As any recipe, it is adjustable and changeable to everyone’s taste until it is perfect. Sitting in corporate cubicle really takes a lot of your time and even more of your thoughts. Even when you are out, your brain continues to think … Continue reading

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From manager in the bank to children photography

summer bath

This is my story - how I left well paid and respectful job in a bank and started my own photo studio for children. I have lived two lives after my last rebirth. One of them has been very business oriented. I have MBA degree, 10 years experience in a large international bank, where my career started from the ground level. I started as a teller, and ended up quite high – I was the head of sales and development department. But all that time I have had a second life – my passion for photography.  The first salary I spent on my … Continue reading

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Am I right for self-employment?

IMG_1992

As a self-employed, I’m the one who will have to deal with whatever the crisis is and solve the problem. I’m the one who will have to make the decisions. No one’s going to drop work on my desk or point out what needs to be done. The days may be filled with unpredictable activities. Does it sound like a scary nightmare or as a wonderful dream? I have learned that self employment is not for everyone. The transition can be the hardest thing, and for some people it is even impossible to adjust to the differences. What traits are … Continue reading

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