| Starting your own business can be one of the most | | | | Something that worked well for me was taking |
| daunting things you can do. It takes courage and vision, | | | | advantage of the free help and advice made available |
| bucket loads of hard work, cart loads of determination | | | | through government programs. At first these meetings |
| and a pinch of good luck, all of that and you're still only | | | | can feel like a waste of time, talking about business |
| half way there. No one prepares you for what it's | | | | plans and projections when all you want to do is go |
| really going to take and I'm not going to try to either. | | | | out and make things happen. I was patient and it paid |
| What I am going to do is begin to share my story and | | | | off. Several business advisors that I met during these |
| my experience of starting my own business. By | | | | embryonic stages are still working with me today. |
| reading this series of articles you can begin to | | | | Significantly these advisors are very up to date with |
| understand the trials and tribulations you're considering | | | | what government funding is available and many will |
| facing when you contemplate starting your business | | | | walk you through application. Whenever I am |
| from funding and premises in this first article to | | | | considering a new project I always consult my |
| problems, suppliers, customer care and more later on! | | | | business advisor - I had no idea how well spent this |
| So, as the saying goes, let's start at the very | | | | time would actually be. |
| beginning........ | | | | Premises |
| In the beginning.... | | | | Having talked to many colleagues and friends who |
| In early 2005 I decided to leave university and launch | | | | have started their own businesses, we all seem to |
| my own company Inthepaper. I didn't find it a hugely | | | | enjoy looking back at our hunt for premises. This is |
| difficult decision because I'd always wanted to do my | | | | such a big thing in your mind when you are starting a |
| own thing, run my own business and be my own boss. | | | | business, you have a vision of exactly what you want |
| I guess up until that point I'd assumed it was something | | | | but finding it and affording it are completely different |
| that everyone wanted but that some people just did | | | | things. |
| and others didn't. I'd never taken the time to understand | | | | Obviously the nature of your business may well dictate |
| that some people genuinely don't want to run their own | | | | the sort of premises you're looking for. Mine didn't. I |
| business and that it is something that touches only a | | | | knew early on that In the paper was going to be an |
| few. | | | | online business for birthday gifts etc which I could |
| First Steps | | | | basically run from anywhere. Having a relative in the |
| I had my 'idea' as it was at the time, basically a | | | | property market helped here and he was kind enough |
| concept for a product that no one seemed to be | | | | to show me a few local offices. I took a small office in |
| offering at the time and that was it. That was all I had. I | | | | a rural village about 30 minutes from my home. |
| knew my product would be hugely popular as birthday | | | | Looking back there were a lot of things I didn't consider |
| gifts or anniversary gifts so I started looking around | | | | when taking this office that later became problems. |
| other websites offering these. The first few steps are | | | | Firstly, space. I took a small office because it was all |
| the hardest because you don't really know where or | | | | that was available and all I could afford but it wasn't |
| how to start. It's so easy to give up before you even | | | | long before I didn't have enough space for stock. |
| start at this point. I so often hear people say 'I just | | | | Secondly, I didn't consider expansion at all. While I |
| wouldn't know where to start' and this is the first hurdle | | | | dreamed of running a successful business with a |
| to overcome. I got round this in a few ways; firstly I | | | | dozen or more staff I didn't hold this in my head when I |
| talked. I talked to everyone who would listen about my | | | | was looking for premises. I took the 'I'll be chuffed to |
| idea and my plans for a business, some people just | | | | have that problem to deal with' attitude - guess what, I |
| offered encouragement but the odd one had some | | | | wasn't! When I'd expanded to 4 staff and no space to |
| gems to offer and even the odd contact to share. | | | | produce orders I realised I should have thought about it |
| One thing I garnered from one such conversation was | | | | a bit more. At this point I got so lucky and a company |
| that there was a lot of free advice and help out there | | | | moved from a large office on the floor below me. I |
| for business start ups. Call me naïve but this hadn't | | | | was more thoughtful this time and considered further |
| occurred to me. So I immediately began contacting | | | | expansion. The landlord informed me that there were |
| organisations such as Businesslink, Access for | | | | 2 offices adjoining mine that I could expand into in the |
| Business, the local council etc and found out what was | | | | future and that the side of my new office had a |
| out there in terms of advice and funding. | | | | plaster board wall which could be removed for stock |
| Funding | | | | storage in the future if I needed it. A few weeks later I |
| This brings me to my next hurdle; funding. Yes, it's a | | | | had too much space and only had to move down a |
| biggie and one I get asked about all the time. The fact | | | | flight of stairs. |
| is that if you are going to start your own business you | | | | One thing to consider before taking on premises (and |
| are going to have to put a lot of money into it both at | | | | this really stung me!) - check out grants and funding |
| start up and once its up and running. I was lucky to | | | | before you sign! I applied for a grant and was |
| have the support of family and friends and my own | | | | approved only to be turned down after they found out |
| savings to get me started, add this to the grant I was | | | | I had an office. I didn't realise that this was one of the |
| hugely pleased to get from Businesslink and I was set. | | | | criteria but there are a lot of grants available towards |
| Many are not so lucky in terms of start up funding. A | | | | premises so it's well worth looking into that before you |
| lot of people I have spoken to over the years have | | | | start looking into buildings. |
| had to beg and borrow to get the business going - the | | | | Location was something I didn't have to massively |
| basic message in all the success stories has been | | | | consider. Because Inthepaper was going to be an |
| determination. You can make things happen, you just | | | | online company I didn't need a high street presence nor |
| have to keep trying. | | | | a city location. Being in such a rural village did (and |
| If you are going to approach banks make sure you | | | | does!) have its downsides but nothing major. You |
| are completely prepared before hand. This is a bit like | | | | choice of premises depends so much on the type of |
| Dragons Den in as much as - you need to know your | | | | business you are starting but do consider practical |
| figures. Be careful not to book an appointment with | | | | things like: proximity to a bank, broadband connections, |
| your bank manager and go along asking for £20,000 | | | | neighbours, parking, mail collections etc. |
| without a precise plan and idea of where it's going. | | | | Next |
| Particularly in this economic climate you need to show | | | | That concludes the first of my Business Start Up |
| you will succeed and that you have some security to | | | | series. Still to come: problems, suppliers, customer care, |
| offer just in case. | | | | recruiting, staff issues, expansion, credit crunch. |