Funkerstation » Spell checking is just the start of your

The "spark" for many entrepreneurs is seeing an opportunity that doesn't yet exist. Ted Turner Adam Thielen Vikings Jersey , for example, launched CNN because he perceived that people wanted more television news than they were being offered. It took a lot of patience on Turner's part to realize the vision, but he had read the market in a way that few "experts" did at the time.


In realizing the promise of CNN, Turner demonstrated another facet of the entrepreneurial spirit, persistence. There are a lot of bright ideas that never reach fruition; taking a "raw" idea and converting it into a successful business model is very hard work.


And that work never stops. No matter how innovative your idea, the competition is always just behind you. With anything less than constant creative effort on your part, they may not stay behind you.


Are you still with me? Here is where I reveal why everyone isn't an entrepreneur:


No opportunity is a sure thing Adam Thielen Kids Jersey , even though the path to riches has been described as, simply " make some stuff, sell it for more than it cost you... that's all there is except for a few million details." The devil is in those details, and if one is not prepared to accept the possibility of failure, one should not attempt a business start-up.


It is not indicative of a negative perspective to say that an analysis of the possible reasons for failure enhances our chances of success. Can you separate failure of an idea from personal failure? As scary as it is to consider, many of the great entrepreneurial success stories started with a failure or two.


Some types of failure can indicate that we may not be entrepreneurial material. Foremost is reaching one's level of incompetence; if I am a great programmer, will I be a great software company president? Attitudinal problems can also be fatal Adam Thielen Youth Jersey , such as excessive focus on financial rewards, without the willingness to put in the work and attention required. Addressing these possibilities requires an objectivity about ourselves that not everyone can manage.


Other types of failure can be recovered from if you "learned your lesson." A common explanation for these is that "it seemed like a good idea at the time." Or, we may have sought too big a "kill;" we could have looked past the flaws in a business concept because it was a business we wanted to be in. The venture could have been the victim of a muddled business concept, a weak business plan, or (more often) the absence of a plan.


When small businesses fail, the reason is generally one, or a combination Adam Thielen Womens Jersey , of the following:


* inadequate financing often due to overly optimistic sales projections;


* management shortcomings,


-- such as inadequate financial controls, lax customer credit, inexperience, and neglect, and;


* misreading the market,


-- indicated by failure to reach the "critical mass" required in sales volume and profitability Authentic Adam Thielen Jersey ,


-- usually due to competitive disadvantages or market weakness.


In a recent Wall Street Journal article titled "Why My Business Failed," Ken Elias cautions that "even if the concept is right, it won't fly if the strategy is wrong." Still, on being asked whether he would start another business today, he answers: "Absolutely. The experience is fabulous, exciting and the possibility of success is always there."

How to avoid mistakes that undermine your credibility

You're probably already familiar with the spell checker built into your software. Some work automatically as you type, others only run when you activate them.

Spell checking is just the start of your proofreading tasks. Don't let simple grammatical errors Adam Thielen Jersey , or text omissions, sabotage your message. Here are some things to check for that go beyond the capabilities of your software program's spell checker.

But, spell checkers are not infallible! Know what yours checks-and what it doesn't check. Does it check text imported from other programs? Does it flag words containing numbers?

Spell check limitations

Monitor your spell checker's recommendations. Make sure each suggested replacement is a correctly spelled version of the original word, and not an inappropriate substitution. Double-check the spelling of proper nouns and industry-specific terms. Use care adding them to your custom spell check dictionary, or they will be misspelled forever!

Grammatical errors

Watch for homonyms-correctly spelled, but misused words-such as to, two, and too, or affect and effect. Most spell checkers are not context sensitive. Watch for singular nouns paired with plural verbs, and vice versa. Make sure you have used correct punctuation, like Em dashes ' to indicate duration, instead of two hyphens (- -).

Check all dates, times, prices

Have someone else verify dates#7# times, and prices. It's both costly and embarrassing to send out information that you have to immediately correct. Pay particular attention to numbers. Transposed numbers, i.e., 1,324 instead of 1,234, etc.#8# are very difficult to notice. Before submitting a proposal, posting web content or distributing a newsletter, call telephone numbers, visit web sites and send e-mails and faxes requesting return confirmation.

Make sure you have included all ordering information necessary for recipients to respond. Order your own product, to check autoresponder performance.

Widows and orphans

Check for subheads and the first lines of new paragraphs, isolated at the bottom of a column or page. Ideally, at least two lines of a new paragraph should appear together at the bottom of a column.

Likewise#9# edit or rewrite to eliminate word or sentence fragments isolated at the top of a new column or page.

Hyphenation

Check that you have not hyphenated headlines and subheads. These look awkward and are hard to read. Make sure body copy has been hyphenated. In justified text, i.e., lines of equal length, hy. Jimmy Garoppolo 49ers Jersey Jason Witten Cowboys Jersey Jared Cook Raiders Jersey Jalen Ramsey Jaguars Jersey Ezekiel Elliott Cowboys Jersey Drew Brees Saints Jersey David Johnson Cardinals Jersey Dallas Goedert Eagles Jersey Bradley Chubb Broncos Jersey Amari Cooper Cowboys Jersey