Entrepreneurs Should Hone Their Skills, Writing Included

Wednesday, June 20, 2007 at 11:53am by Gina Laverde in Operations

I know that running your start-up can be a costly and painstaking experience that forces you outside of your comfort zone. Sometimes you’ve got to stand at the front lines and negotiate deals, answer phone calls, or God-forbid, host an event or speak in public – when maybe you’d rather be behind the scenes doing whatever you do best. But, the stress leads to thrill, and you’ve got to admit that you’re damn proud of yourself.

But, every unfamiliar task need not be a struggle. I’ve always felt extremely lucky that I decided to improve my gift for writing. I feel blessed that I had the instinct to run with a passion and become good enough at it to get paid to do it. But, becoming a good writer has far more benefits.

It takes a special individual to make words dance on the page – to intrigue a reader. Just as it takes a special person to invent a great new product or run a business. But, just about anyone with the drive to communicate and engage others can become a writer.

Unless you have a very gifted indentured servant who is willing to write newsletters, speeches, blogs, e-mails, snail mail, ads, mission statements, grant proposals, Christmas cards and web content – you pretty much have no choice but to develop your writing skills. You and only you are the best voice and face of your business because you love it and live it. Every word you write is forever imbedded in your company history.

Here are some practical tips to make you look better in writing.

Keep a journal: This is very basic and almost corny. But practice does make perfect. A daily personal journal allows you to exercise your skills and clear your mind.

Create fake ads: Come up with mock ads for your company and others. The point is to really stretch your imagination.

Read: Read whatever interests you, but read each day. You will get a handle on how the paid writers do it.

Start a blog: Every entrepreneur should have a blog nowadays. This is a free way to communicate with your public and get feedback. You want them to view you as a professional and expert in your field. So, good grammar skills are a must. I think it’s completely okay to break the rules of the English language as long as you know the rules.

Get Help: Buy a thesaurus, a grammar handbook and find a friend/reader who will swap stories with you. That means you should never let any written correspondence leave your desk without being proofread by SOMEONE else. I am notorious for not catching my own mistakes.

One day you will hire more professional writers to take over some of the dirty work. But, you will retain more control of the written quality of your business if you continue to improve your own writing skills. It’s really not some mysterious craft – most writers just want you to think that.

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