Written communication starts and ends many parts of a startup’s business. It’s an email in which someone introduces you to future business partners, it’s confirmation that funds have been deposited, or it’s a teammate’s resignation letter. Much of written communication is informal, but the big stuff is always written and it needs to be perfect.
Back in my former life as a consultant I had a spelling mistake in an email. I wrote “It is a please to meet you” instead of “It is a pleasure to meet you.” I recall one of my bosses being extremely angry. She thought I made the whole firm look bad from that one mistake. I thought she was exaggerating–but she had some merit. People look at you a bit differently if you’re sloppy with your written communication. So, take a few seconds and proofread your email before sending it. The few seconds it takes is well worth the time because it could lead to great things for your business.
—Liz Kammel is co-founder and CEO of ZipFit. She developed an algorithm that matches men to their ideal pair of jeans based on their size and specific fit preferences.
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