Social media Archives | The CV Branch

4 frustrations when establishing your own business

24th September 2016 By The CV Branch

Remember I wrote the article on how not to let your mind explode while establishing your own company? I mentioned that it was to be a four-part series. As promised, this one deals with the frustrations I’ve encountered and often still do.

1. Websites and Web developers

I believe that I can relieve a small nation of their national debt with all the money I’ve spent on Web developers. If I remember correctly, I’ve tried five of them!

My point is: Be prepared for frustration. I had two websites, and no, not because I’m so important, but because the scope of my company has changed. The result was more frustration with having the site published, gaining an internet presence, and here we go again.

2. Google

It seems to me that without Google, humanity might experience a soupçon* of agony. Did you know that it has transformed into a verb as well? Now that’s having ‘arrived’ if you ask me. And remember, if Google can’t find you, nobody will. Your company might not even exist for that matter.

It took me about a year to figure this out, to understand how The Thing works and then to realize that It obsessively changes Its algorithms.

3. Social media

I should probably have started with this frustration. Do you have ANY idea how many platforms there are? It’s nauseating. And the entire world clamours for attention. ‘Does inconsequential me have any prospects of being seen/recognized/read/gain attention?’

I have a list of all the platforms where the company has a presence because it’s becoming ridiculous how many there are. (And all to satisfy the Google-beast.)

So remember now: you like on Facebook, you follow on Twitter, you connect on LinkedIn, you pin on Pinterest, and I can’t remember now what you do with Instagram or Google+.

I trust that my problem is clear.

4. Uncapped ADSL, expenses, etc.

During the last two years, money have* been growing feet and walked out my front door. Promise.

My uncapped ADSL shouldn’t be mentioned here; best decision I’ve made in the recent past. Between Telkom, MWeb, and of course my host, my problems have been negligible.

So between continued education, running expenses, a bit of wine, design, and books…it’s constant toil.

But man am I having fun!

*Quick French lesson

Soupçon means a dash, a bit, a tad, etc.

You will notice the ‘ç’ symbol; it’s called a cédille or in English ‘cedilla’. It shows that the ‘c’ should be pronounced as an ‘s’ and not a ‘k’.

If you are interested in the influence that French had, and has, on English, Emeritus Professor Antoinette Renouf of English Language and Linguistics at the Birmingham City University wrote a (long) article as a contribution to a book on the subject of Gallicisms; Shall we Hors-d’Oeuvres? Uses and Misuses of Gallicisms in English.

*Quick English lesson

Uncountable nouns (like ‘money’) fall into one of the following categories:

substance – air, wood, water, gold;
feeling – love, happiness, fear;
quality/characteristic – patience, strength, beauty, kindness;
activity – soccer, karate, chess; and
idea – democracy, freedom, peace.

Unaccountable nouns only have the plural form and are not used with a/an or numbers.

I have written a post about uncountable nouns after a colleague of mine pointed out that this description is not entirely accurate.

How NOT to go crazy while creating your own business

18th April 2016 By The CV Branch

Yes, you read it right; I seriously don’t believe that I am the first entrepreneur who has been overwhelmed, on the verge of an astonishingly senseless meltdown, or suffering from too-much-to-learn syndrome.

My particular problem is the constant cry for attention on the internet and the fact that I must succumb or die. I have to ‘put myself out there’ at an alarming rate and it’s not something I’m decidedly comfortable with.

The plan is to share the lessons I’ve learnt over the last year and a half or so:

the frustrations,
the victories,
the good lessons,
the bad lessons, and
the often pure enjoyment.

I’m hesitant as to which topic I should start with. You mustn’t be disinclined to read the rest of the articles if the first one is about something too negative.

So let’s begin with the Good Lessons.

1. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice

I am truly amazed at how eager people are to offer advice and guidance. All my friends, all my family, and my peers, have enthusiastically responded to desperate shrieks for help. Clearly you are not going to ask your language friend to help with designing and vice versa, but everybody has something to offer. (Always good to remember when dealing with people.)

I’m perhaps more fortunate than what I realize, but in my inner circle I have a designer (Linda), a language specialist (Carlin), a business manager (Helé), a web developer (Retha) and a fabulous peer group (the Professional Editors’ Guild), all of them ready to share their expertize.

Remember to say thank you!

2. You are better than what you think you are

When I look back on my journey I’m aghast at how ignorant I was. Frankly, I knew nothing.

I understood that I wanted to establish a company that offers professional CV writing, copy-editing, translation, and Web content. I imagined that all I needed was a name, corporate identity, and a website. Seriously, is that what I thought?! ‘Oh you poor girl’ you might reckon.

But now, let me tell you, I can manage social media, make minor changes to my websites, understand the importance of keywords, and how to increase an online presence for The Language Tree and The CV Branch. And most of it is autodidactic.

So remember, your ability to grasp new concepts and skills is limitless.

3. Customer service, customer service, and then some more customer service

I suppose this is not really a lesson because I have always been in the client service industry. And I am confident that the foundation of any successful business is offering clients, both new and existing, a satisfying, professional experience.

Answer enquiries immediately, realize that when you work for yourself, normal business hours do NOT apply. Having said this, I strongly believe that the client is not always right but…the client is king.

4. Remain current

Be intimately familiar with your subject and be in a position to present your client with the most current and best advice possible.

Don’t think that because you know how to do something extremely well today, that the same will apply tomorrow. Read, subscribe to blogs that offer the kind of content that you need, attend workshops, network, and never, ever assume that you know everything. Set aside some time to research your industry every day.

Years ago, I was advised to know your opposition, but not to become obsessed with them.

5. Remember to give yourself credit

Try not to become mired in your problems or your perceived shortcomings. If you have achieved something great, be proud of yourself. Perhaps treat yourself with a little grandness (I have a bottle of champagne in the fridge, permanently).

And be kind to yourself, always.

Look out for the article on frustrations!

New English: interactive (lol!)

25th July 2015 By The CV Branch

A grammatically correct sentence; ‘No problem, I’ll see you later.’ turns into: ‘np cul8r’…

The internet has presented different audiences and purposes for writing. It is now so much more interactive than paper.

In the book Working with Texts, Adrian Beard (ed.) says that:

'Keyboard symbols, themselves the basis of new art forms in the shape of emoticons, can take their place alongside sound files, video clips and animations where text can sing, dance and play.'

Online writers can now boast of being textual designers, creating a vibrant assortment of bricolage (tinkering about / odd jobs). When writing a blog for instance, readers are able to click on various links or sections, able to view new pages (permeable writing). An online writer’s work may be read by a mass audience, different to writing a book intended for publishing.

When we read online, we don’t necessarily read in a linear fashion. Reading non-linear, is not reading a text from the top to the bottom of a page, but only sections of a page.

'An immediate consequence [of the World Wide Web] for English was the emergence of a new range of language varieties, as people learned to adapt their language to cope with the linguistic constraints and opportunities provided by the new technology.' – The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language

Online languages are more expressive; providing opportunities for creative self-expression and interaction, with new scopes for presentation. And just as the printing press was viewed with grave suspicion, so is this (new) language deplored by linguistic purists. They have a point; visual communication is much stronger, causing literacy and linguistic skills to lag behind.

Writing has to be brief because the competition for attention is fierce. The message has to come across strong and quickly, leading to the occurrence of highly abbreviated customs and styles. There is also the emergence of text messaging to contend with: ‘…exploiting the very limited communicative possibilities made available on tiny cellphone screens…’, according to the Cambridge Encyclopedia. In fact, texting and SMS (Short Message Service) messaging have led to a new, identifiable English in less than five years. Have a look at a few examples:

gmta: great minds think alike
swdyt: so what do you think?
b4: before
gr8: great
msg: message
and so the list goes on.

In fact, texting reminds us a little of the telegram, does it not!

The Author: Believe it or not, as a traditionalist, I still ‘compose’ messages in ‘proper’ English, to the extent that my teenage stepson does the same, but only to me. Probably afraid of the wicked stepmother…