I’m a novice article writer and generally write for pleasure more than profit. I submit work to AC, however it doesn’t take much to get AC approval. The recent economic factors are making me consider getting into more serious/profitable content creation (selling directly to clients), but I would like to know if I need to change my current writing style or maybe specific details/habits. I realize that there are reputable content writers here whose time and advice costs money, so I’m not asking for a hand-held school session on how to be a good writer. Maybe a few quick tips or advice? Thanks guys. Oh yeah, here’s a sample article. How to Avoid Conflict in Family Business When it comes to family business there are generally two common situations 1) Family members are unable to manage a successful business because of existing family relations (either positive or negative). 2) Family members are able to create an especially successful business structure due to their personal relationship. What may be surprising is that both situations are commonly encountered. So what is the reason for two opposite situations under seemingly identical circumstances? Reasons for difficulties in family business The first characteristic situation for a problematic family business occurs when a single family member is intensely engaged in business. His business aggressiveness and worry soon becomes part of his character. He becomes so engaged in his work that his relationship with his family suffers. It is then, in an effort to repair relations and bring the family together, that he offers family members to join him in his work. This kind of decision is generally a mistake, since it brings with it a lot more problems than it solves. The previous misunderstandings and disagreements do not disappear, but now comes the pressure of business performance from the side of the businessman, and the need for attention and recognition from the side of the other family members. This typically creates even more conflict in the family, as well as impacting the performance of the business. To avoid such problems, it is advisable for family members to enter into business together only when they feel it would essentially benefit the business, not because of their desire to mend family relations. Another reason for family business troubles is the inability to separate business and personal responsibilities, and appointing family members to important business roles due solely to personal relationships. Failure to clearly distinguish that business has its own rules and requirements leads to misunderstandings, hurt feelings, and contempt, which in turn leads to complete failure in either the business or the family. By appointing relatives to high-ranking business roles even though they may not possess the necessary skills for such, you are both weakening the business and hurting your relationship with the relative, as he will likely always be responsible for failures and blame you for not providing enough support. It is better to first appoint relatives to posts appropriate for their skills, and as their skills and knowledge improve, promote them in the business structure. Benefits of family business A Family business is beneficial only when it is properly organized, and all members involved are satisfied with their own roles and results, as well as everybody else’s. The most noticeable benefit of a family business is that all profit stays within the family, thus the investment made from the family budget returns much faster. Correctly structured business relations and shared interest can in fact bring the family closer together in their personal relationships. Family members are generally more informed of each other’s personal plans, thus business suffers less unexpected problems due to inconvenient absence of employees. Another major benefit of a family business is that kids can be involved from a young age, and have the opportunity to learn from your personal knowledge and experience, rather than theoretical principles. A stable and profitable business can be passed on from generation to generation, thus providing future generations with a stable future. How to avoid conflict in a family business There are several steps that should be taken in forming a family business that will assist in its success and provide damage control in case of failure. 1) The roles, responsibilities, and privileges of each member should be clearly outlined in legal binding contracts. This will help prevent conflict in the case of a negative outcome. 2) The business structure should be clearly outlined and agreed upon, to prevent relatives from taking on unnecessary authority and responsibility. 3) Business and family decisions should be clearly separated. Outline which decisions concern business and are made by the business leadership, and which decisions concern, and are made by, the family. 4) Follow a written work graphic to prevent excessive absence or excessive working hours, as either will harm your business or your family. 5) If your business has grown to such proportions that you feel you are no longer able to control it, consider moving down in the structure and appointing a relative that has proven his abilities and skills. 6) It is important to involve children in family business early. However, to avoid conflict, the interest of the child should always be placed before business interest. The idea of “the family business†should never be forced upon the child, and his interest and curiosity should be satisfied in your personal work as well as the principles and practices of business. Who knows, perhaps it will be your child who takes the business started by you, and elevate it to a world-wide empire. /end Thanks again.
This a very subjective topic and, as artists, we all have our own style to answer to. But since you asked... 1. You may be trying to fit too much into one article, and not really discussing the points thoroughly. I envision this as 2 separate articles. 2. Your sentences are a bit of a mouthful. There are some great resources on the web and at your local library that can teach you to "say" more by using fewer words. Now, short sentences are bad too- but there is a happy medium. As an example: "Another reason for family business troubles is the inability to separate business and personal responsibilities, and appointing family members to important business roles due solely to personal relationships." vs: "The inability to separate business responsibilities from personal roles and the resulting nepotism can be another source of strife." I wouldn't necessarily suggest this sentence with the way the rest of the article is written, but I want to give you some sort of example 3. While the overall piece certainly has a theme, I don't feel a core. You might want to try outlining a couple of articles to learn how to construct them so they have a start and a finish and a sensible format. Outlines can help keep your articles more cohesive rather than haphazard. I don't advise a college term paper approach to professional writing, but until you develop your style it could help you. Hope that helps.
You should define the goal of every article before you ever start writing. For this article, I'd say the goal is to inform readers of the role family relationships play in family business conflicts and give solutions. Every word, sentence, and paragraph you write should help accomplish your goal. The paragraph explaining the benefits of family businesses doesn't do that. Instead, it's an unnatural break in the flow of the article and distracts the reader. While it's true that there are benefits of small business, that information doesn't inform readers of the role family relationships play in family business conflicts or give solutions.. I would expect the first paragraph to give me an introduction as to how family conflicts arise, but that information isn't really there. Your first sentence "When it comes to family business there are generally two common situations" doesn't give enough information about the two sentences that follow. I might rephrase the entire first paragraph as something like: A family's relationship can help or hurt the family business. Some families have a personal relationship allows the business to flourish. While other families' relationships lead to the detriment of their businesses. What is it about family relationships that leads to conflict in the family business? That's not perfect, but it's cleaner and more concise. Sometimes it helps to write your first paragraph last, that way you can better introduce the rest of the article. If all else fails, refer to the goal of your article and phrase your introductory paragraph around that. Besides the "benefits" paragraph, the topics in the rest of the article flow well. However, I think you should spend more talking about how to avoid the conflicts. You have a full two paragraphs explaining the "why" of family business conflict, but only a few sentences that talk about avoiding the conflict. Last few points, I agree with Y.L. that your sentences are too wordy. You have too many multi-syllable words close together. Remeber to KISS - Keep It Simple, Silly (really it's stupid instead of silly, but I think that's a mean word to say). Hope that helps.
I think this is probably right. I like your writing, and it's not unlike my own natural style. Unfortunately, that's not always ideal.
If your keyword is family business and you want to sell something I don't think it's good one, it is too generic. Conflict in Family Business is better one, I see some google ads on the side, not many and 19 mill. searches.Competition is amazing, start small,pick more targeted words for your product.First find group of people that have some kind of problem, write about it and offer solution as your small priced product. By small priced, I mean $7-$19 for 10-15 pages ebook or just review somebody's product and create affiliate link. "How to overcome writers block?" "How to write article that sells like a PRO?" "Learn copywriting skills in 5 easy steps" ... and so on... Your affiliate link in the resource box. You have to start somewhere,try,we all fail 100 times until we make a progress and know what to do.