Guest Mickyblueeyes Posted 21 February 2014 Posted 21 February 2014 I started a business about a year ago. I started in area which Iknew a lot about. I am not the oldest member of my profession. In that I didnt have 15-20 years experience in the field. I got a lot of criticism from colleagues in choosing to go alone without the "right experience". I ignored them. Even though I had been doing my job for 3-4 years, while I didnt have all the experience in the world I had enough experience to know where to look if things went wrong. I had a model which was outside of the norm for the area. I offer a service which the public wanted at a reasonable price. While there is a lot of competitors fighting for trade in the area (your going to meet competitors in a capitalist society, the sooner you get this the better) what I offered allowed me to so far make a decent profit (yes profit in the first year woohoo!!). As someone has already said, work out a business plan, get your legals and accountatnts in order (do not go to the local high street conveyancing firm) go a deal with the big boys (for the first couple of years at least) the expense is worth it. I am lucky in that As someone told me on this when I said I wanted to start a business , be prepared for anything! Literally, you will have things come up in your email box where you will sit there and think WTF. Its part of running a business, just ensure your in line with any regulations you have to adhere to and everything will have a solution. Dont start for the sake of starting, reputation is important, if you start as a small scale operation, you will always be viewed as a small scale operation. Get your layout prepared, your marketting toold in order, dont skimp on this stuff. The business worl is different to how it was 20 years ago. The internet allows people to search the worldwide for services you offer on your doorstep. Image is everything, it doesnt matter that the normal consumer walks past you on daily basis or that you/ve met the managing director of large scale potential customer at a meet and greet. What you offer has to be priced reasonably and the service delivered has to be faultless. Once you establish yourself in the market, you can then start charging a higher amount as what I have found once you get a customer and ensure the service you deliver is top notch, they will keep contact and you will start to get a decent amount of work/orders. Your going to have to work damn hard. However, working hard for yourself and working hard for someone else is two completely different things. I have a young family and as much as it hurts me, my wife and child have hardly seen me this year. We spent our aniversary having dinner in my office while i went through stuff paperwork . Understanding of your close ones is very important. The buzz is when you look at your accounts for the year and realise your not only established something but something sustainable. I have reinvested into the business and i will not be going on Holiday this year. However, if my projections are right this time next year I will be having a well earned break with at least three new staff members to ease the work load on me. In short, it is the best decision I have ever made. If you have a business you believe in and you have done reaearch go for it! Good Luck.
Tommy G Posted 21 February 2014 Posted 21 February 2014 I Know a guy who in 2008 was employed as white van man. He left and started to do it himself, he is now an established logistics firm with about 150 drivers and a turnover of £10m+ You just need to know what you are doing, get a bit of luck and have the right market and the right contacts. You also dont have to have any qualifications to start a business which is the best thing about it
Guest Mickyblueeyes Posted 21 February 2014 Posted 21 February 2014 I Know a guy who in 2008 was employed as white van man. He left and started to do it himself, he is now an established logistics firm with about 150 drivers and a turnover of £10m+ You just need to know what you are doing, get a bit of luck and have the right market and the right contacts. You also dont have to have any qualifications to start a business which is the best thing about it Agree with this a lot. Make sure you know your area and where to find your clients/customers.
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