Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Now let's talk about the most important part of your site—the language on the
site—because if this part is faulty, the rest of your work will be largely wasted. Have you
ever been to a site and caught a spelling error? How about careless grammar or punctu-
ation?
Truthfully, since I've written and published several websites myself, I do give some leeway
in this regard; however, the general public does not. There are some amazing spellers out
there, so if you know you're not the best speller, you must have all your work proofread.
Error-ridden text reflects badly on the site owner and it conveys that you're careless, lazy,
illiterate, or just plain sloppy. Would you want to have someone with any of those traits
work on your computer? No way. Most customers would not entrust any of their hard-
earned money to business owners who don't even care enough to check the correctness of
their own site.
You can take steps to improve your writing skills, and you can have a friend proofread your
work. If all else fails, you can employ someone to write the text for you, but be forewarned
that this can be an expensive endeavor and you will be entrusting your ideas and emotions
to someone else's text. As the business owner, make it a goal to be the writer; it'll pay off
in the long run.
Build a Relationship with Your Bank
This is a tough subject and when I first started my business I constantly heard words like
“collateral” and “EBITDA” and “DUNS” that ultimately ended up in “declined” credit re-
quests.
You should consider your banker one of your partners, and if you don't feel this way you
should find another one. Here are a few questions to ask yourself to help determine if you
are working with a banker who is on your side.
n What is your bank doing to provide value-added services? Does your bank provide edu-
cational seminars on topics that will help you do a better job of managing and growing your
business?
Are the products offered by your bank focused on what small businesses need, or do they
seem to be designed more for the bank's convenience and success?
Look for interest-bearing checking and savings accounts, which most banks will certainly
provide for free. In fact some banks make small businesses a priority and will incentivize
with offers and cash deposits for meeting certain criteria. Free money from a bank is not
common but is not unheard of!
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