December 13, 2022 - The Chicago Journal

A sustainable choice: Goodordering is a premium brand for retro travel bags

The Chicago Journal Staff on December 13, 2022

Sometimes simple solutions to our day-to-day problems can give way to revolutionary business ideas. This is precisely how the story of Goodordering begins. It all started when Jacqui Ma was working at Puma and used to ride a bicycle to work. It not only saved her a lot of money but also increased her fitness and mental well-being too. She fell in love with cycling and also asked her flatmate to ride a bike to work. One day, she got home from shopping and informed her that she had spent the entire day finding a bag to attach to her cycle, but she was unable to find one. Out of frustration, she said, you should design one. That’s when the penny dropped for Jacqui Ma, and she started sketching without wasting any time.

Hence in 2012, in a flat on top of a bike shop in Hackney, East London, Goodordering was born. “The inspiration for the business was to create fun, vibrant colored cycling bags with a distinctive look,” shares Jacqui Ma while talking about how it all began. “These bags would appeal to commuter cyclists who are looking for something less sporty and more fashionable as an accessory for people riding their bicycles. Back in 2012, people were only starting to ride bicycles in London. My aim was to improve visibility and hence safety for cyclists as well as providing a bag that is functional but also fashionable,” she adds.

Founder and designer Jacqui Ma has designed bags for brands like Puma, Virgin Atlantic, Microsoft, and Debenhams. Originally from Australia, she has been residing in London since 2002. After working at the leading trend forecasting company WGSN for almost eight years, she now consults in trends independently and runs Goodordering.

An accessory that you can attach to your bicycle, Goodordering bags can also be used even if you don’t ride a bike. The concept is to encourage people to ride bikes more in order to reduce pollution, traffic, and most importantly, stay fit. However, the best part is that the bags are not overly sporty or serious. The bright, fun colors are all about making cycling more accessible to everyone, even people who would not normally ride a bicycle.

The majority of people who ride bikes also go out after work for chores or other activities, so rather than having a separate bag for everything, Goodordering bags cater to all types of activities both on and off a bicycle. Rest assured that you will make a statement to people passing by as they are fun and trendy to carry around. Hence, it becomes more useful and convenient for everyone.

This is not all! These bags have health benefits too. Carrying heavy backpacks can distort the natural curves in the middle and lower backs, causing muscle strain and irritation to the spine joints and the rib cage. This may lead to hunched or rounded shoulders, making a person lean forward and hamper balance. However, Goodordering bags encourage heavy loads to be carried on the bicycle’s pannier rack and takes the load off your back and onto the bicycle.

Adding to the benefits, Jacqui Ma is also focusing on using recycled material for her products to reduce waste and encourage an eco-friendly environment. Her latest collection is made from upcycled festival tents and tarpaulins. “An estimated 250,000 tents are left at music festivals in the UK each year. The average tent weighs 3.5kgs and is mostly made of plastic, which can take up to 10,000 years to decompose,” informs Jacqui. “We started this range because we wanted to reduce waste created by products made in the UK that could be recycled for reusable purposes. This way, the products are even more sustainable because they are not shipped or transported from overseas,” she elaborates.

These multi-functional bags were originally inspired by Japanese school bags and 80s retro travel bags, giving them a nostalgic touch. Even though they enjoy the nostalgia, they also understand the importance and love for the technology of today’s users. Hence, each bag is designed with high-tech gadgets and gizmos in mind, with padded compartments and pockets of varying shapes and sizes. At the same time, there is no compromise in quality, and the bags are water-resistant, hard-wearing, and versatile.

In these current times, when climate change and the environment are one of our major concerns, Goodordering bags comes as a fresh breath of air, providing comfort and style as well. The trendy designs, chic colors, sustainable and eco-friendly material and, above all, functionality, Goodordering bags are creating waves in the fashion industry today. What started off as a project for cycling enthusiasts has made its way to people who are environmentally conscious and require sustainable solutions to their commute or travel needs.

Carla Garcia Helps Clients Navigate These Tumultuous Financial Times With My Plan Keeper

The Chicago Journal Staff on December 13, 2022

No matter what we do, the future is always deemed to be uncertain. Preparation and planning are instrumental in securing our futures, especially when it comes to retirement and financing. As such, Carla Garcia has established her company, My Plan Keeper, to help anyone plan ahead for whatever may be in the cards. Now more than ever, Carla’s services have become a dire need for many individuals as the worsening market conditions, global inflation rate, and looming recession have left many people feeling financially lost.

Carla Garcia has devoted much of her life to helping other people through her craft. Over the past two decades, she worked as a financial advisor and relationship manager to a wide variety of clients. Working with people from all walks of life, Carla has educated many types of individuals, such as business owners, professional athletes, healthcare professionals, and government employees, to name a few.

Throughout most of her seasoned career, she worked a six-figure job at Merrill Lynch and Citi Personal Wealth Management within the Miami and Fort Lauderdale markets. Without any prejudices or personal biases, Carla Garcia treated all of her clients with the utmost care and concern, prompting them to call her their keeper. Eventually, the name would stick, and Keeper Carla became a prominent figure in the financial industry.

Nowadays, through My Plan Keeper, she continues to do good through her renowned financial keeping services, offering clients a one-stop-counsel for their financial goals. Carla Garcia’s services have become a breath of fresh air in today’s current financial climate. In this year alone, market volatility has been at an all-time high, with stable investments seeing an unusual downward trend and shifting the fundamentals.

“We are in an outlier year. We have both the equities market and bond market down in double digits for annual returns for the first time in over 30 years,” shared Carla Garcia. Panic is running rampant among the general population, who have put most of their life savings into these supposedly stable markets. This has become a generational issue, as more and more people are suffering under the immense pressure of the overturned markets. Carla’s advise is for people to not loose hope, stay focus and seek wisdom, which sometimes if you are smart and you have a great money manager it does not mean you are wise.

My Plan Keeper has positioned itself in the industry to help curb its clients’ financial worries. With a hands-off approach to asset management, Keeper Carla Garcia brings her retirement expertise and safe money strategies to the table for all the people who are in need of her services.

“My Plan Keeper is for the people that want to be part of a different approach, who seek to learn and apply strategies to protect them from what previous generations were not able to secure,” explained Carla Garcia. “What worked in the past is not going to work moving forward,” she added. Is also not about firing your financial advisor or taking a huge step out of your comfort zone, it is about understanding that when you are at a certain stage in life, changes or shifts in strategies are necessary for success.

By putting an emphasis on planning and fool-proofing financial management strategies, My Plan Keeper helps clients make wise decisions, identify foolish ones, and secure their finances through Carla Garcia’s knowledge and experience. As we all know, life comes in phases, and it is always better to prepare for each phase and always look ahead. My Plan Keeper helps clients realize this fact and protects them from inflation, long-term care cost, sequence of return risk, taxes, market volatility, and even Medicare.

“When a person turns 65, there are so many decisions to make, and most people don’t address their concerns with their advisor because they don’t assimilate them with risk protection,” shared Keeper Carla. My Plan Keeper fills that gap in the industry by being a trusted partner and holding the hands of its clients while they feel free to make their decisions without fear.

Can you add this quote I always say?: Planning is key to success, wise planning is the actual code to secure success.

Ultimately, My Plan Keeper is safeguarding the future for generations to come. Navigating one’s financial journey is always an arduous task, but with a Keeper at bay, things will become a lot clearer, and the hopes for a better tomorrow will no longer have to wait.

Jonathan Brierre Carves a Path to Happiness and Serves as a Source of Inspiration Through His Several Initiatives

The Chicago Journal Staff on December 13, 2022

Many factors serve as a person’s driving force to succeed. Some are motivated by the idea of generating wealth, while others are fueled by the ability to create a legacy. In the case of Jonathan Brierre, the thought of serving as a source of inspiration has continued to empower him, encouraging him to create ways that transform his vision into action. As Jonathan rises through the ranks, he hopes to catalyze change, spark action, and make a difference in other people’s lives.

Jonathan Brierre is a man who has dedicated his life to becoming the light that guides others to greatness. While some go-getters strive for success to make money or gain fame, this power player’s ultimate goal is to solidify himself in order to strengthen others. Today, he runs multiple initiatives to materialize his vision of creating a better world for those who continue to struggle.

Jonathan Brierre currently runs a private consulting business that helps people manifest joy, love, and abundance. He closely works with his clients, either in an individual or group setting, while putting their needs and preferences above anything else. Most importantly, those who engage with his services may also find themselves comfortable because Jonathan takes it upon himself to create and maintain an atmosphere that inspires growth and happiness, no matter which stage they stand in their lives.

While providing comfort and inspiring hope are two of Jonathan Brierre’s priorities when handling clients, he also aims to help them achieve both their personal and professional goals in their lives. Jonathan has spent years researching the nature of human consciousness, enabling him to craft a strategy that is not only brilliant but also foolproof. “With my knowledge of human consciousness and modern psychology, I have developed a three-step system that allows people to let go of any self-limiting thought patterns. In this way, they can raise the frequency of their thoughts and begin manifesting the life of their dreams,” he explained.

Aside from his consulting enterprise, Jonathan Brierre has also released a book that has translated his strategy into words. A Short Handbook for Happiness was written as a means to carve a path toward fulfillment. It delves deep into the philosophy of Stoicism, which empowers people to seek happiness from within.

A Short Handbook for Happiness was written briefly, in less than 70 pages. It was made this way because Jonathan Brierre believed that the truth did not have to be expressed in many words. The handbook can be read in less than an hour, but the principles it holds have the capacity to change one’s life forever.

With everything that Jonathan Brierre has launched over a short period of time, it is clear that this is only the beginning. His vision of making a difference in the lives of many continues to live on, with an intention to expand his horizons in the years to come. He wishes his methods will significantly help those who strive to become better versions of themselves in the years to come.