Image via Know Your Meme

English, like all languages, is riddled with twists, turns, and unexpected idiosyncrasies. Many of which trip up native speakers and second-language speakers alike.
 
Prompted by a series of now-viral memes in which several women talk about how good it is to smell a man’s colon, we decided to delve into a few of the most common mistakes people make in English.


1. Malapropisms - The Specifically Pacific Ocean

A malapropism is when an intended word is misused, thereby giving the sentence an entirely different (and sometimes nonsensical) meaning. Often this is because the words that are mixed up have similar phonetic features.
 
Have you ever heard someone explain a predicament using the word “pacifically”?
 
“I pacifically wanted no cheese because of my lactose intolerance.”
 
The part that’s even more comical about this specific malapropism are the correction attempts. To pacifically do something means to do so in a tranquil, calm, collected manner. But it would seem that the Pacific ocean has robbed it of its meaning.
 
To summarise:
 
●       Pacifically isn’t a real word (Proper Noun)
●       Specific is a real word (-ly)
●       Pacific is a real word
●       pacifically is a real word.
 
2. Double Negatives

You’ve probably heard the phrase “Two wrongs don’t make a right” before. When applied to the English language this means that double negatives are a “no-no”. In writing at least.
 
Prior to the 16th century, double negation was actually a common element in English speech and writing. Just as it is in many languages. In fact, it is more common for a language to display negative concord than not. It wasn’t until the first prescriptionist grammarians began rallying against double negation that it was viewed as “poor” English.
 
Applying basic rules from logic to language, it was decided that two negatives make a positive. This is overly simplistic and language is too nuanced for statements such as this. Nevertheless, the rule stuck.
 
Today, many varieties of English, including AAVE and several UK varieties, make use of negative concord as standard practice; which should go a long way toward proving that it’s not actually such a bad thing.
 
But old habits die hard and the double negative is still viewed as poor style in written English.
 
❌I don’t want to do nothing today.
✔️I don’t want to do anything today.
 
❌We don’t have no more money
✔️We don’t have any more money.
 
3. Preposition Use

Prepositions are used to highlight the relationship between an object and subject. When speaking, however, we don’t realise that some words already have built-in prepositions. Here are some examples:
 
Approach (come near to)
❌ Don’t approach to that building
✔️ Don’t approach that building.
 
Attack (go and fight against)
❌ They launched an attack against the enemy
✔️ They attacked the enemy.
 
Leave (depart from)
❌I left from Germany last week.
✔️I left Germany last week.
 
Reached (to arrive)
❌ We reached at the doctor’s office early.
✔️ We reached the doctor’s office early.
 
4. Awkward Idioms

Idioms are used when we want to take a break from ordinary speech and spice up our routine. These cleverly constructed phrases can tell an entire story in one short breath. But when idioms and phrases are misused or said out-of-context it can prove to be a somewhat embarrassing situation.
 
Here are a few common examples:
 
 
❌To all intensive purposes
✔️To all intents and purposes
 
❌Butt naked
✔️Buck naked
 
❌Hunger pains
✔️Hunger pangs
 
❌Extract revenge
✔️Exact revenge
 
❌It peaked my interest
✔️It piqued my interest
 
❌Per say
✔️Per se

5. The Your vs You’re Tragedy

Poor “your” and “you’re” are so commonly mixed up and misused that an entire article could be devoted to the subject alone.
 
If you’ve spent any time on social media you have probably spotted this common mistake many times. You’ve probably also spotted the commenter who wants to correct the error and the subsequent “grammar nazi” jokes that arise.
 
Here’s how the your vs you’re thing works:
 
“Your” should be used to show possession.
“You’re” is always a contraction for “you are.”
 
❌You’re life is your life, live like there’s no tomorrow.
✔️Your life is your life, live like there’s no tomorrow.
 
6. That vs Who

Okay, humans aren’t objects so this one is easy to remember. The general rule of thumb is that “who” is for people and “that” is for objects.
 
❌There have been people that have passed this test many times
✔️There have been people who’ve passed this test many times.
 
That vs Which is a whole other beast and is to do with restrictive clauses. Generally speaking, British English is kinder to the writer or speaker who isn’t sure which word to use. For more info on that, check here.
 
7. Apostrophe Placement

Yes, apostrophes are aesthetically pleasing to the eye. But we can’t always just throw them at the end of a word and hope for the best. Many people make the mistake of using apostrophes in the place of a plural ending.

Apostrophe Dos and Don’ts 

●       Do use them to contract words such as do not, can not, should not, have not, etc.
●       Do use them to show possession or ownership
●       Don’t use them to pluralise a word.
●       Do remember that “it’s” always means “it is” and never marks the possessive.
 
❌The duck’s are swimming in the pond.
✔️The ducks are swimming in the pond.
 
❌It’s mechanism is complex.
✔️Its mechanism is complex.
 
8. The Infamous There/Their/They’re

Like its cousin the “Your vs You’re” tragedy, the misuse of there/their/they’re is abundant. This is perhaps unsurprisingly considering each sounds very similar.
 
Without getting too complicated, let’s break this one down:
 
“There” is to do with location or an event in time.
Look over there!
There is a sale at the mall tomorrow.
There’s my hat!
 
“They’re” is always a contraction for “they are”.
They’re going to the movies tonight.
They’re hilarious.
 
“Their” is used to show possession. It’s kind of like the modified version of “they”.
Their class schedule is very busy.
Their ice cream was delicious.

9. And We Can't Forget About Our Homophones To/Two/Too

Who would’ve thought that there would be a homophone for signifying numbers, prepositions, and excess at the same time? Clearly English did… To that end, let’s take a look at how to use these little words right.
 
To and too specifically are used interchangeably in today’s society. But the good news is that “two” is rarely misused, mostly because it has a ‘w’ in it and is a number. 
 
The rules are fairly simple for this:
 
“To” is used to make the infinitive verb form.
To swim, to run, to walk, to eat, to sing, to look, to watch.
 
“To” is also used to mean going “towards.”
I am going to the movies.
Want to go to the park?
To boldly go where no man has gone before**
 
“Two” (2) refers to the number itself.
Two cups of ice cream, please.
You need a number-two pencil for this exam.
 
“Too” mean "also" or represents an excess of something.
I like pizza too.
That is too much sugar!
 
And that’s enough grammar for one day! Did we miss anything? Any common mistakes that you see a lot? Let us know in the comments below.
 
 
**Don’t worry, we won’t go into the split infinitive!!
​

by Samuel Gitukui

Starting a business is never easy. As an entrepreneur, you need to be willing to go the extra mile. This means waking up earlier than usual, and sometimes working more hours.

Maintaining this lifestyle can often cause stress that is detrimental to one’s health.

That is why it’s important to maintain a healthy entrepreneurial lifestyle.

Let’s take a look at 5 ways to ensure your body and mind are always ready to deal with the rigors of the next business day.

1.      Exercise everyday

Working out every day will help to keep your mind revitalized and fresh. The resulting positive outlook on life is a major determining factor on successfully accomplishing your daily tasks.

Considering all the challenges that entrepreneurs face on a daily basis, any morale boost is welcome.

Most people who exercise in the morning find that they approach the day with zest and have an improved ability to solve problems.

2.      Eat healthy

Making small positive changes to your diet can bring a lot of benefits to your health.  Take soda for example. You can replace it with water and make huge improvements on your body’s overall health which can also help you lose weight by reducing your sugar intake.

Instead of buying processed foods, why not carry a healthy meal to the office which includes nutrient rich foods and have this in place of fries and burgers.

Being healthy means you are better able to deal with the challenges of the day and you can concentrate on moving your business forward.

3.      Take time off

There is no denying the fact that managing and running a business is stressful. To prevent you suffering from burnout, you need to take time away from the business to relax.

As much as you need to put in the time and effort as an entrepreneur, you should also know when it’s becoming too much for your body to handle.

Watch a movie, go to the golf course or engage that hobby that you like. Every once in a while, take a vacation. Some really great business ideas were thought of when on vacation.

4.      Maintain a schedule that works for you

An excellent way to keep everything on track is to maintain a schedule. When you have a plan of how your day will start and everything you need to do before it is over, you are more likely to finish what you need to get done.

Maintaining your schedule for the first few days is always the most difficult part but once you start to get used to it, everything gets easier. Think about setting an alarm at 5.00am every day. Getting out of bed might be difficult initially but soon your body gets accustomed to this and you will find that you naturally get up during this time.

5.      Managing the stress

Stress goes hand in hand with managing a business. And the more the business grows, the more the entrepreneur has to deal with. The good thing is that it is possible to manage your stress levels.

Stress if left unmanaged can have negative consequences to your business. Find a way that works for you and apply it when running your business.

by Samuel Gitukui

Ask any experienced entrepreneur and they will tell you that one of the best ways to get consistent customers is through referrals.

In fact, top performing sales people are aware of this fact and include it in their sales pitch. Surprisingly, some sales people are afraid to ask for referrals even after learning the benefits that they bring to the business.

Think about it for a second.

What do you have to lose if you asked for referral? I’ll, tell you—zero. On the other hand, not asking means failed opportunities, and missed customers.

Simply put, referrals are an excellent way to optimize your sales. So, cast away your fears and let’s find out 3 ways entrepreneurs can take advantage of referrals.

1.      Ask for introductions

The best and most effective way to get referrals is to avoid asking for referrals. Wait, what?

What we are saying here is that simply asking customers for referrals can come out as a bit ambiguous as they may not know exactly what you mean.

Instead ask your customers and prospective clients to introduce you to a few more people in their field. This is much clearer for them and will help them understand exactly what you want.

As long as you are maintaining a good conversation with them, your customers should be more than willing to connect you with other people they know.

2.      Ask for 1 a day

Take time every single day to ask for a new introduction from any of your customers, friends or family. there is a high chance that they know someone who would require your products or services.

The good thing is that this is a relatively simple thing to do and will not take too much time. In fact, 15 minutes a day is all you need to get a new referral.

Asking for one a day may not sound like much, but imagine how many you will have received by year’s end. Well, 250 referrals by the end of the year can translate to a full sales pipeline and decent revenue.

3.      Hold events

One of the single most effective way to network with big players in the same industry is to hold an event. Choose a good venue and ask your customers to connect you with some of the big performers in the business.

Here you will be using your client base to get your name recognized as another major upcoming player in the industry.
When you finally invite these high-end clients, ask them to bring along their networks. Ensure you offer value in the information you pass across. Entrepreneurs can boost their business image and make lasting connections with important industry shakers.

You stand to gain bigger clients that will propel the business to the next level of growth by ordering large quantities of your products.

Referrals are a great way to boost your sales, keeping the client pipeline full and maintaining regular business. So why not implement it today and reap the rewards!

by Samuel Gitukui

Research has it that sales reps make an average of 46 calls each day. If, however, they do not produce any substantial results, it may feel like a demoralizing waste of time.

To increase the odds of making conversions, the phone calls need to be made to qualified leads. But I’m afraid things don’t get any simpler.

What exactly is a qualified lead?

In fact, most companies lack a proper definition of this term. For those that do work with a definition, 53% of phone calls leads to a first discussion. Compare this to 34% for those that lack a definition and the significance of it becomes clear.

It all comes down to the nature of your business. A qualified lead is an individual who is already showing interest in the services or products of the company without even getting a phone call. These are guys who have put a product in their wishlist in case of an ecommerce store or have recently done a Google search.

Once the business identifies such leads, the next thing is to provide their contacts to the sales team. In this way, the sales reps avoid barking up the wrong tree.

This is how.

1.      Use geotargeting
Geotargeting allows businesses to sift through many people and connect with only the ones that show genuine interest in the products or services of the company.

Think of it this way. Assume you were offering dental services in your city. Instead of focusing on the entire city, you could narrow down your leads to individuals that are just 30 or 45 minutes away from your clinic.

Targeting people that are more interested in your products mainly due to the area they live in is another way that geotargeting can assist businesses create qualified leads.

2.      Send personalized messages

With the advancements in communication, businesses have no excuse to sending generic messages to leads. There is simply enough information out there to research on a lead and send a more personalized message.

In fact, personalized messages have been shown to increase conversion rates by 10%.

3.      Use simple language

Many sales people might think that using complicated language makes them look more professional and better informed, but their efforts amount to little if the target customers don’t understand half the words that are being spoken.

Customers should understand the worlds easily to be able to see the value that the service or product you are selling adds to their lives. Otherwise, everything may sound so complicated that the lead avoids any communication with the company.

What’s more, the leads that remain are likely to be unreliable.

4.      Add gated content to your website

The information on your business website should be valuable. Once clients see this, they will be more willing to answer a few questions and offer their email address for more information about why your products and services will add value to their lives.

Sales reps can then use the information to contact a customer. The trick here is striking the right balance between valuable free information and gated content.

Ultimately by following the steps above, cold calling will result in better conversions and improve the businesses bottom line. 

by Sarah O.

How do you view your business?  Are you looking through the binoculars of society?  Are you viewing with the eyes of scrutiny, looking ONLY at the monetary figures that your business may be acquiring?  The society we live in today is ever fixed primarily on the financial aspects of a business and it seems that, this is how businesses are unfortunately measured.  You may have noted yourself that, you might just be viewing your business in the same light.  Well what can be done about it?

According to adequate research, there are many ways to measure the success of your business.  Have a look at some ideas:

1.  Your Network Flow

If you manage your business online, the amount of traffic you receive from visitors may tell you just how well you are doing…or not.  As this platform serves as a means of communication between you and your customers – this could be a way of measuring your success and to see just how well you are doing, if at all.

2.  Feedback

If you are providing specific services to people and you have a system whereby you have allowed your customers to give their thoughts and comments on your business and its services, you can use this feedback to help you gauge how well you are doing as a business.  Granted, it may not be to the fullest degree that you will gain a full coverage of the public that make use of your site, but it will provide you with a guesstimate of what you are already doing and how you can better your performance.

Since you will receive both negative and positive reviews, make sure you take note of all comments and adapt it to see how it can benefit your business.  It becomes a great measuring tool in your communication with your audience and how much you value what they have to say which in turn again, will determine the success of your business.

3.  New Customers

Are you receiving an influx of new customers your way?  Customers that want to do business with you and that are interested in working with you - this is a sure way that allows you to measure the success of your business.  The reality is that if you are under the frame of a successful business, this is recognised and noted by other businesses who then want to ‘come under your umbrella’ as it were, to engage in business activities.  At this point, in their eyes – you are successful. 

In doing this, they bring in new clients and customers who are then added to your list and your business is then promoted.

4.  Profit

For the masses, this is a general way of knowing whether your business is successful or not.  Your yearly, monthly profit margins are to be considered.  If you have more coming in, then for sure your business is doing well.  For many people, this is a very important and crucial way of determining the success of your business because it means that your business is not only profiting but also allows you to continue to provide the service or product that it is already giving.

5.  Reviewing Your Current Market

Is your business expanding?  Does your business allow you to dive into different markets?  You will need to keep up to date with the various markets to ensure that your business stays afloat and stays current to attract new customers and to retain your current customers.  If you are able to introduce new products and items to remain fluid through your market – this may be something that will help your business and you can review how that would affect your business, which will then in turn allow you to determine how successful you are.

6.  Performance Reviews

Are you reviewing your business performance yourself?  You might initially think that the success of your business lies externally.  This is not always the case.  As the business owner, you would need to take it upon yourself to conduct performance reviews to ensure that your business is staying in the direction that it needs to stay in.  This will allow you to check your objectives, your targets and your goals and you will be able to see if you are reaching them.  This contributes to your success in an internal way – and this is a very different approach that some may not even realise. 

Measuring the success of your business involves honesty.  It involves being able to decide whether your business is really doing as well - as it might appear.  You might wonder though, how would you measure business honestly?  Well, after reviewing the many different ways of measuring the success of your business,  I can say without a doubt that the best way to do this is to examine your business yourself. 

This is YOUR business…

If in your mind and your eyes, you feel that you are successful – then that is what you have made it.  YOU are successful.  It’s true that the examples above do aid in analysing success, but it only does so from external angles and even then - you just cannot always be certain.  The reality is that, success really is what YOU make it.  You can be given advice and you can receive the best of feedback and criticism but if you know in your mind that you have given your best and you see that you have progressed from when you first began, then you have succeeded.

Please DO NOT allow anyone to tell you otherwise.  Let me remind you again – This is YOUR business.  Success is from within and no one can ever take that away from you.  This means that even if you receive negative reviews and words from others, your passion for what you love motivates you to continue.  Do make use of the tips above, they still remain very helpful.  Use it as a guide but don’t ever forget that success depends on you, not on anyone or anything else.