Bright Chameleon Blog
Startup? Where do I begin?
Starting your own business or any enterprise can bring about a variety of feelings; Excitement, Anxiety, Stress, Happiness just to mention a few. This is certainly something I am sure any start up business or entrepreneur can relate to.
Every business on this earth at some point will have felt any of these feelings; It’s a normal human reaction. It’s what makes us human; If we did not have these feelings then MAN would be in the same unfortunate position as the DODO.
"REMEMBER you are not alone".
Okay so where do you begin? You have an idea and you have the skills, where next? What’s first? There is probably not a right or wrong answer for this but to have a strategy in place is certainly a good starting point and organisation is the key to everything and one of the most proven strategic advantages anyone can have is getting a decent contacts network but this takes time.
Networking events are important to establish links
Get yourself out there and meet like-minded people. If you look around in your local area you will most probably find some sort of Networking Event. Networking is a great place to discuss ideas, ask advice and find work. Here are some of our local events
Thurrock Network Group Ikea Business Events
Most networking events have a code of etiquette and you will pick these up as you go along, but the best attitude to have at any event is an open mind, certainly the worst thing to do is treat it simply as a business card swapping event which will in most cases get you nowhere. Be relaxed and professional and resist the temptation to pitch your business ideas to everyone in the room as this is probably the best way to turn people off. A good proven way of building contacts is to be more interested in other people and let them do the talking, because this is your opportunity to establish the worth of potential clients or partners. Don’t worry you will get your chance to offer information about yourself, but wait to be asked and treat it as an intelligence gathering exercise at first, after all from little acorns…
Getting the right advice
At any starting point when setting up your business you will need to ask yourself some honest questions;
"do I want to be a Sole Trader, Limited Company or limited liability partnership"?
"How do I collect money from customers"?
"How do I get customers"?
Undoubtedly at any networking event there will be an accountant or two at the ready to provide limited free advice with the hope of business, but it never harms anyone to get a bit of free advice.
Your corporate image
Naturally you will need something to show your potential customers. Logo, Business cards, Website; and it might all seem daunting and a great expense. Not necessarily, if you find the right people to work with they will be willing to help. REMEMBER they started from scratch also. We are currently working on some packages with our close friends at dotty hippo design to enable start-ups to get on the ladder. Just contact us and we will have a chat, no obligation we are just happy to help.
How do I get a nice info@mycompany.com email address? Just ask, we will help
Need to get your name out there a bit more?
With the way technology is today it’s so easy to spread the word. 1 tweet can start in your bedroom and end up on someone’s phone in Hollywood. This is of course a reality but it’s also important to know what and when to tweet. You need a marketing expert. Oh more money!! It may cost a little bit but it only takes 1 job to come in per month from that source of marketing for it to pay for its self.
Get in touch with your local council; they will be more than happy to point you in the direction for business advice.
We believe that working with others gives you focus and direction, it enables you to grow. Don’t be the person sitting in their spare room who thinks that work is going to fly through the window. It won’t happen!!! Be the person who wants to succeed and is not afraid to ask for help.
Here are some people we like to work with, they may be able to help you. Even if it’s only advice you need.