You matter!
The vast majority of businesses in the UK are very small. Amongst the whole population of businesses, 95% are micro businesses (have less than ten employees) and 75% are sole traders, freelances and the like (Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/business-population-estimates-2021).
If you’re amongst them, or plan on joining them, we’re here to help. We’ll
- listen and look at your business through a fresh pair of eyes
- offer an extra pair of hands to move things forward
- bring you two decades of experience of starting and running small businesses.
A few tips
We’ll always tailor our help to fit what you and your business need. That said, there are some basic principles that are always worth applying in almost any business.
The customer – put yourself in their shoes. Focus on the benefits your product or service offers the customer. Organise everything in the business to suit the customer. Arrange things to make it as easy as possible for them to find what they want and buy from you. Check every point of contact with your customer and make sure you’re offering the very best service.
Build relationships. Look to build relationships with customers, suppliers and other businesses. Avoid the hard sell. Focus on how you can help people and you’ll find the goodwill you generate can help your business survive and thrive for years to come.
Don’t sell yourself short. There’s a big temptation to offer rock-bottom prices when you’re starting out. Avoid it! You’ll attract customers who’ll desert you as soon as a cheaper offer comes along and you’ll put off the people happy to pay for excellent products and services because they equate low prices with poor quality.
Test and measure. Try something on a small scale so you’re not risking too much. Check the results and ask for feedback so you can judge how well it works. Scale it up if it’s working well.
Some sources of help
If you’re starting a business, we help deliver support services in North Derbyshire through Clowne Enterprise. Even if you’re not based in the area, there are some great resources available on their Learning Resources website.
You can also look for help from
- your local Enterprise Agency
- your local Chamber of Commerce
- Startup UK and Enterprise Nation more generally
- Small Business Saturday UK
.
Can we help?
We’re happy to help anyone trying to start or develop their own business.
Call us today to talk through how we could help – there’s no charge (other than from your ‘phone company!) If we are able to help you, we’ll invite you to say thanks by dropping some cash on our ‘Buy Me A Coffee’ page. We’ll even invoice you if you insist but, either way, you decide what you pay.