First Step Marketing

For many people, the selection of equipment for their new business is both challenging and exciting. There is a real sense of progress being made and dreams becoming a reality. However, it is important not to become so focused on this aspect of starting your business that you neglect other, more important, aspects, such as starting to make sales. There is unfortunately a natural tendency to become engrossed in the selection, installation, and commissioning of new equipment — it is fun, under your control, and, as you are the customer, the sellers treat you well. It is easy to put off starting to trade because you tell yourself that you are not quite ready yet. Read the rest of this entry »

Make sure the results are believable

If employees have seen the results collected, know how they are compiled and have evidence that it was their customers who gave the information, they are more likely to act on it. If the information comes down from management, represents random sampling and anonymity, employees tend to discount it. Read the rest of this entry »

Here is a quick list of pointers to help you create a top-notch performance-measurement feedback system.

Begin with your service strategy

If it’s well designed, you will find a number of measurable premises in it. A company with a ‘zero-defect forty-eight hour turnaround on all orders’ has a strategy that is eminently measurable. Read the rest of this entry »

Advice from an Agent

“You must be reliable. The agent and shop owner are working on trust. Don’t let them down. So you must be geared up for producing quantities. Read the rest of this entry »

An agent will take your articles and find retail outlets for you, charging you a negotiated commission on orders taken and goods sold. This is a good option if your product is easily manufactured and plentiful, and you prefer making to selling. Read the rest of this entry »

Business Background research

You will be amazed how much information is available on your chosen trade, if you only look for it. There is a mass of statistics, surveys, forecasts and so on to be found in trade journals and the like. The latter can be very useful; for instance, they report the opening of new shop premises. Visits to new businesses which are accessible to you would teach you much about the latest ideas in layout, presentation etc. Read the rest of this entry »

The Employment Protection Act is a much maligned piece of legislation. However, its complications can make life difficult for the small businessman if he does not understand the rules. Read the rest of this entry »

Although mail-order exists, it is relatively small and undeveloped. The potential for growth is great. The market includes people who have neither the time nor the inclination to go shopping, as well as people living outside the major consumer centres. Read the rest of this entry »

Copy others

A successful business in an unsaturated market may sometimes be copied. However, it must be copied well: there is a real risk that you will neglect to copy one or more important elements of the original success. Remember that successful small businesses tend to attract clones, so it is likely that other people will take advantage of the opportunity. An increase in competition drives down prices, and profits begin to fall. If this happens, the business may only exist for a short time. Read the rest of this entry »

Some of the small-business ideas which follow, are familiar businesses which can be differentiated in innovative ways. Others are new ideas which have not been subject to thorough investigation. The intention of this listing is not to provide ready-made business ideas, but to set you thinking; ideas breed new ideas. Read the rest of this entry »