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| Business
in a Box |
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 Thinking
of starting up on your own? Have an idea burning
inside you but not sure how to get going? It's
frustrating and can lead to a lot of "if
only" further down the road. I know because
it took me a long time to make the change.
That's why I'm passionate about "business
in a box" I am prepared to give 3 hours of
my time (free) to discuss your idea with you help
you see it in context and advise you of the steps
you need to take to get going. If you decide to
proceed we'll agree a charging structure that
works for you and is loaded towards the back end
of the process so we share the risk of your start-up
being successful. Assuming you are still working
we will meet at a time to suit you either at a
weekend or in the evening.
My associates are all specialists in their field,
contacts built up over long years in business.
I know them to be the best at what they do. That's
why I know we can help you. From a coffee shop
to a cake factory , we can provide the support
you need to help get through those initial, critical
weeks of the start-up.
Step
1: Market Research
- I'll help you challenge and quantify this to
see how realistic your expectations are. If you
have not done any market research I'll make suggestions
about how you can go about this and then mentor
you through the process. You will need this information
as a key plank in your business plan.
Step 2: Business Plan
- I can help you write this document suggest suitable
structures depending on the type of business and
the amount of cash you will need to get started.
For very complex businesses I can bring in associates
to build you interactive computer models of your
business so that you can test your assumptions
and answer what-if questions? (e.g. if you plan
to start a high tech manufacturing business)
Business plans can be as little as a few pages
to as thick as a government manual. The important
thing is to make sure the plan addresses your
ideas, market research, resource needs and how
you plan to support yourself and your business
until you make profits.
Step 3: Cash flow projections
- These need to be accurate, reflect what you
have said in the business plan and be realistic.
Whoever is funding your project will need to be
convinced by these numbers. Even if you plan to
self-fund you need to be convinced by the numbers.
Step 4: Legal form of
Company - What works best for you?
What are the pro's and cons of each form? What
is it likely to cost? What are your obligations?
Do you need to VAT register? What about Tax? I
can provide a host of information to these questions
but in the end it's up to you to decide. There
are also issues of indemnity and liability to
consider. It's unwise for anybody to be in business
these days without basic liability insurance cover.
Step
5: Finance
- should you approach a bank, Venture Capitalists,
friends? Try for a grant? Of course it depends
on how much you might need to get going. It also
depends on how much ownership of the company you
want to keep. Are you prepared to start small
and grow slowly? Does your idea demand a bigger
initial investment? Are you going to develop a
concept and then licence it? All of these things
effect how you approach funding. I can introduce
you to associates who have the appropriate city
contacts to support you or help you through the
initial meeting with your bank manager.
Step
6: Premises
- Will you need factory or office space? If so
how much? Do your growth plans suggest you need
to change premises early in the life of your company?
Can you get short leases on the premises you need?
I can help with everything from helping you find
the right spot for your start-up to putting you
in touch with associates who can prepare and check
lease agreements for you.
Maybe you have thought of working from home -
what are the pro's and cons? Do you need you pay
business rates, how do you find out? What about
health and safety. Full guidance and support for
all of these things can be provided as a free
service.
Step
7: The Start-up
- Do you need decorators, builders, electricians,
stationery, shopfitters. I can obtain quotes,
select contractors, recommend suppliers of the
business basics for you. Leaving you to concentrate
on getting the business going.
Need staff? Associates can support you with job
description writing, screening interviews, finding
those rare people who never have to apply for
jobs in the normal way because they are always
in demand.
Step 8: Business systems
- Need help with IT infrastructure and support?
Associates can provide anything from bespoke network
solutions to ERP systems to leased equipment.
Surprising amounts of grant assistance and cash-flow
friendly solutions are available in this area.
Step 9 Marketing
- I have access to some of the best marketing,
graphics, web design associates you would want
to find in Wales. Like me they all share a passion
for small business. They all run their own organisations
and they all know how to keep costs under control.
They can help you with anything from marketing
you new boutique to international launches of
complex high tech products.
Step
10: Ongoing support
- As your business grows you will be able to do
more and more for yourself and need less support
from msa. That's the whole point of the concept.
We absolutely don't plan to become leaches on
your business as it goes forward. However if we
do a good job then you may want to seek more help
as you grow and we'll be there - that's our promise.
One other thing that may surprise you - we care,
we will have grown with you through the early
weeks of your start-up. Your "baby"
will be our "baby" too. So you can be
sure we'll be dropping in from time to time to
help you celebrate your success.
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