Hello all, so I have decided to go out there on my own as i feel its right for me to do my own thing. Only issue is that I am a little sparse on the ground for contacts and leads and was wondering if any of you guys and lady's may point me in the right direction?? I know it is very cheeky to ask but "we need to stick together??" look forward to hearing from you all.
Bit vague??? :C
What books and research have you done about running your own business?
All the ones I read spoke of a few fundamental principals for ANY new busines...
1/ Suss out what the goods or service is you are intending to supply.
2/ Suss out who your competitors are, and figure out what is your U.S.P. (Unique Selling Point) to make you stand out from your competitors....
e.g. any or all of things like:- quality / reliability / cost / opening hours / local fast response / etc / etc....
3/ Do your market research to check there is a market out there...
You may have a fantastic product or service but if no one wants to pay your price for it you will fail...
4/ Remember 60% of business start-ups fail within the first 3 years and only 20% are still trading after 5 years!
5/ What customer are you looking for??
Private domestic / heavy industry / Schools / Local council / off shore petrol stations airport baggage handling controls...........etc
6/ Myth busting time....
CUSTOMERS ARE NO DIFFERENT FROM YOU..
i.e. Where would you or the people you know look for any goods or services?
How do you find a roofer if your ridge tiles come loose?
How do you find a new greenhouse if a tree falls on your old one?
How do you find someone to make a wedding dress for your daughter?
How do you find the best place for new tyres for you car?
How do you find anything?????????
PROBABLY:-
A) Previous used trader
B) Personal recommendation
C) Local traders advert in home town / newspaper / school / parish mag
D) Phone books / Yellow Pages / Thompson local
E) TV / Cinema / specialist glossy magazine / billboard adverts..
D) Internet search...
Put them in the order you would use....
and the chances are like minded people would also use the same resources...
Then advertise there assuming you have established there is a market for your product.
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