UBCNews

SHIFT: A New Program Helping Men Reclaim Mindset, Money, and Manhood FORT WORTH, TX — A new men’s initiative called SHIFT has officially launched, providing a transformative pathway for individuals from underserved backgrounds to rebuild critical areas of life, including mindset, financial stability, manhood, health, and family structure. Developed as a solution to recurring cycles of poverty, incarceration, and unstable leadership in households, SHIFT — an acronym for Structure, Healing, Influence, Finances, and Transformation — is built for men who have faced adversity and are seeking long-term personal and generational change. The program was founded by Texas-based entrepreneur and transformation mentor Corey Allison, whose own life journey inspired the creation of a blueprint that serves men from all racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. Whether reentering society after incarceration, overcoming generational trauma, or transitioning from street life to structured living, the SHIFT ...

Local bookkeeping services now cost small businesses an average of $500 to $2,500 per month, while remote bookkeeping options can deliver the same quality work for 40-60% less. This price gap keeps getting wider as local professional service costs climb faster than inflation. The Hidden Costs of Local Bookkeeping When you hire local bookkeeping services, you're paying for more than just the monthly fee. You're covering their office overhead, local wage premiums, and dealing with limited availability during tax season. Many local bookkeepers also lock you into long-term contracts or hit you with premium rates when you need rush work. Local services can also leave you hanging. When your bookkeeper goes on vacation or quits, you might face delays or have to start over with someone new who doesn't understand how your business works. How Remote Bookkeeping Changes the Game Remote bookkeeping cuts out many overhead costs that make local services expensive. Remote professionals w...

Despite intensifying outside pressures, many small businesses in the US remain hesitant to outsource even the most routine tasks. Bridge Hiring, a global talent sourcing firm , says this resistance stems from a range of concerns: perceived loss of control, quality assurance issues, and fears around cultural or time-zone mismatches. “These are not unfounded,” it says. “However, while business owners focus on what they think they are preserving, they often overlook what they are forfeiting.” The post-pandemic economy has intensified the need for agility and cost efficiency. Larger companies have responded by leaning further into outsourcing models, using external partners to handle everything from IT services to accounting. These firms benefit from broader access to talent and scalable operations. In contrast, small businesses that avoid outsourcing are often burdened by routine tasks, which limits their capacity to innovate. “Many owners assume outsourcing means losing control, but base...

As education continues to evolve to meet the fast-moving demands of today's world, many teachers and families are exploring how to develop students who are not only technically skilled but also ethically grounded. Christ Church Academy is one school that believes that STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) and Christian education offer one such path— combining innovation with moral clarity and preparing students for real-world challenges from multiple perspectives. Understanding the STEAM Model STEAM is a multidisciplinary approach that blends the analytical power of STEM fields with the creativity of the arts. Together, these disciplines help students become curious, engaged learners who can ask insightful questions and develop meaningful solutions. Science encourages observation and reasoning, technology introduces students to digital tools, engineering fosters innovation through problem-solving, the arts inspire creativity and empathy, and mathematics s...

Buzz off, pests! A fly swatter will do just fine, just the once - but that fly likely won’t be the last. It’s pretty much the same with most pests, as experts can attest. Professionals advise that a one-time procedure can get rid of critters for now, but there’s more where they came from. Here’s why pest control specialists recommend that you make treatments a regular event if you want to keep your home or business blessedly pest-free. NOVA-Pain! The sun is shining in NOVA - and as Northern Virginia locals know, that means the pests are out and about. Summer brings light and warmth, the perfect conditions that encourage critters to start swarming. It’s no surprise they've found their way into your property. The main culprits?  Termites Mosquitoes Rodents Are you tired of seeing these irritants this time of year? You’re not alone. Professionals have a list of pests, and these are in red - underlined. They’ll check it once, and then they’ll check it twice - oh!  That’s right, mul...

You spend thousands on brand awareness campaigns, but your sales keep declining. Your social media followers grow, but nobody's buying. Sound familiar? Here's the uncomfortable truth: your brand awareness strategy might be working against you. While you're celebrating vanity metrics, you could be accidentally pushing customers toward your competitors or creating the wrong associations with your brand. Most businesses make the same mistake. They assume any awareness is good awareness, but that's not how consumer psychology works. The wrong kind of brand awareness can actually damage your business in ways you never see coming. Here are five warning signs that your brand awareness efforts are backfiring: Sign 1: You Only Track Vanity Metrics You celebrate when your social media mentions increase, but you have no idea what people are actually saying. More awareness means nothing if people associate your brand with negative experiences or high prices. If you're only tra...