So you’ve been there done that and you’ve managed to find the courage to do it all over again.  One of the first steps would be to put together a business plan.  There are various views on whether or not a business plan is helpful for new businesses.  Whatever side of the argument you stand, some level of planning is absolutely necessary and non-negotiable if you want to give your business a good fighting chance.

Most times, business plans are prepared in a perfunctory manner; treated as a ‘fill in the blanks’ puzzle as opposed to an investigative exercise; whose results are unknown at the start.  Strategies that are not based on facts will get you nowhere.  The business plan cannot be largely based on assumptions and here lies the key.  Even if you do not feel a business plan is necessary, the elements of the plan will take you through exercises and thought processes which will either validate or nullify your business ambition.  It would simply be a poor decision not to do one.  Successful businesses who claim not to have had a business plan at the start are exceptions and not the rule.

There are key elements of a business plan which once answered, should give a good indication whether or not you should proceed with your idea.

Do you have the right product/service?

Everyone thinks they have a good idea when starting a business.  Whilst passion is a great ingredient to have, if it’s not tempered, it’s also the one thing that is responsible for making businesses veer off course.  You only have the right product or service if people will pay for it.  It is therefore imperative that before you go any further you prove that people want it; otherwise it’s not a good idea.  Conduct surveys, show buyers and potential customers your product, speak to professionals, etc.  Make sure you have compelling evidence to take things further.

Do you know your market intimately?

Before you think about selling your product or service, you must know your target market.  Who is going to pay for your product?  It is not good enough to say, for example, that your product is for women.  You must be specific.  You’ll need to know how old they are; where they eat; what type of coffee they like; how much they earn; their marital status; do they have children; where do they shop and so on and so forth.   The more you know your market, the easier it is to find the customer as well as determine the qualities required of the product, the price, where you are going to distribute it and how to promote it.  It is obviously no good have a great product if it is out the reach of the customer.

What is your unique selling point? 

It is important to know your competition and understand the industry you are in.  It is quite possible to have a great product/service that people are willing to buy but there are many competitors in the industry offering the same thing.  All you have is a great plan and no means of executing it as you are not offering consumers anything different.  By understanding the environment of your potential business (employing a SWOT and PEST analysis) you will know whether or not your product will thrive in the environment or be squeezed out.  If you don’t have enough of a ‘uniqueness’ to your product/service, your business won’t kick off talk less of survive.

Is your product/service priced right?

Before considering a pricing strategy i.e. whether to price for the mass market or luxury market; you’ll need to find the balance between making a decent profit and what the target market customer is willing to pay.  Frankly, the customer dictates how much the product should be; unless, of course, you have a niche product with unique attributes that are exclusive to you.  However, with pressure from other competitors and possible substitutes for your product, it’s imperative that the price is right.  Once again, this is one aspect that you can’t afford to base on assumptions.  You must know the actual costs associated with your product and ensure that you are able to cover your costs.  If facts reveal that you will not meet the cost of your overheads at a certain price and to increase it would mean to price yourself out of the market, STOP.  If you are unable to bring the costs down, then it simply won’t be worth your time and effort to continue.

Have you tested the market?

Prove that your plan works by starting out on a small scale. To all intents and purposes, you’ve got a good plan.  However you don’t know whether it’ll work or not.  The best way to build confidence in your plan is to test the market by starting small before investing loads of money into the business.  For example before you open up a patisserie, take some cupcakes to the local farmers market or fair and sell them there.  Assess people’s interest in them; get their feedback; analyse your pricing and costs.  If it works, then you’ve got the basis for starting this business.

Good luck

If you have learnt anything from the failure of your previous business it would be not to rush the process.  It’s not unheard of to find that some people spent two to three years putting together a business plan.  Sometimes we sabotage our progress by not taking the time to plan properly.  With hard work and a little bit of luck, it should work out.

I want you to know something. Starting your own business is wonderful. You wake up when you want, work from where you want and never have to sit through a boring-ass ‘weekly planning meeting’ EVER AGAIN. Rocking.

However. This freedom does not come on a platter. You don’t wake up one and go ‘oh I seem to have stumbled on the perfect life. Ho ho. Tea and toast, Jeeves’.

(Because that’s just what my mornings look like. Ahem)

So let’s take a down-and-dirty look at what really goes on in a fledgling business. This isn’t a negative article, it’s just the less sexy bits that get left out of the ‘how I made it stories’. I think you deserve to know it all so today I’m sharing these 10 truths with you.

The below is your psychic ball to know what’s up ahead so you can be ready to ride through this messy, beautiful journey and make your free range life happen.

Let’s get to it:

1. The business you start with won’t be the one you end up with.

The first version of your idea will be wrong. People won’t want it, or you won’t want to do it. More than likely:

Your first website won’t be your last

Neither will your first brand name

And that’s a good thing.

Your business is a living creature, not a statue. Until you’re in the field it’s hard to know what it’s really like to live with, and when you get there you’ll soon learn what you need to change. Sometimes the answer is ‘almost everything’.

So don’t spend too much on that first logo.

2. You will want to quit

More than once you will think you have made a huge mistake even starting this.

You will think you were crazy for even contemplating that you could run a business.

You’ll think you’re an imposter.

That’s when you know you’re on to something good.

3. Your family and friends won’t get it

Start your business and more than likely:

Aunt Maude will think you made a mistake.

Your buddy Sam won’t hold back letting you know how many businesses fail.

Others in your life will be ‘supportive’ but never actually understand what you do.

Many will miss the days they could put you into a box and say “she’s a lawyer”.

At least some of your friendship groups will change.

Honey let’s get real here. What is more important: your happiness every day, or someone else’s mild discomfort at introducing you at weddings? Sticking with the friends who count or the ones who only empathise because you both hate what you do? Following the beige army’s footsteps or living your real life? (you only get the one, you know)

Isn’t escaping from a box that doesn’t fit precisely the reason you are here?

4. There’s no such thing as an overnight success

You will work your butt off to get your first 10 clients. They will be the hardest ones to get.

You might look at a successful person in your field and say “I want what they have… but without doing the graft that let them achieve that”. They will look back at you and say “good luck, and if you find that easy button let us know”.

What counts is DOING (smartly). You can learn all the strategies in the world but unless you DO them they are worth nothing.

Are there overnight successes out there?

I admit it, the successes, they were ‘made overnight’: over many, many nights of late toil. With coffee and the company of streetlights.

They wanted to quit, they thought they made a mistake but they kept going and going until one day someone said “hey you’re an overnight success, I wish I could be as lucky as you!” (you can be, by the way. Just do the above.)

5. Your number of Twitter followers doesn’t count

There are a lot of things you can buy to look like  a business: you can rent an office, get good business cards, have a nice website made up by a hot designer, and yes you can even ‘buy’ Twitter followers and Facebook fans.

There might be good reasons for you to do all of these things. I’m not judging. However. None of these are enough on their own. You can easily sit in your office with nice cards, 10,000 followers and a cutting edge website… with no clients and no money.

A business ‘shell’ is not a business.

It is one thing to build something that looks like a business. It is another to build that moment of magic where people love what you do, get it, and hand you money to do it some more.

Know the difference.

6. No one owes you a paycheque

I once heard someone say “no one is buying my ebook. I wrote it and created a website but no one is buying. I put so much time and effort into it already, I shouldn’t have to put any more into promoting it!”

Yes, you should. You are not an employee.

No one owes you a paycheque. No one owes you their money. No one owes you their attention.

It’s up to you to make your offer worth their attention, work their money and work a paycheque.

Showing up to work is not enough.

The value you bring is not just the content or the service. A huge whack of your value is presenting what you offer so GET IT. Don’t set yourself up to be ignored as one of the shouting hordes, but create an environment so people WANT what you have on the table. Desperately. Enough to pay for it, now.

Learning how to sell is 50% of the journey (so don’t waste all your start up time on creating a product you have no idea how to communicate and waiting for a paycheque). Instead, live in your clients’ heads. Learn how to show them the value of what you do so that they want it, really want it, and pay to prove it too.

7. It’s not all cocktail parties and CEO moments. 

In the early days you will do it all. Forget the glamour of ‘having your own business’. For the first few months that just means “I sweep the floors, as well as meet the clients”.

Later you can (and should) outsource the parts you don’t love. But if you outsource something before you understand it, you’ll find it slide to a halt all too soon.

The only way to understand something? Do it yourself, first time round. Keep notes on how you did it and the mistakes you made and what you learnt. Then pass it on. Of course, by then you’ll be taking control and acting like a free range human.

You will also be handy with a broom.

8. Your dream life does not come with your dream business

You’re not doing this just to ‘be an entrepreneur’ (you’d be reading another blog if you were).

You’re doing this for a reason: to build a life that you love. To spend time with the people and places that mean something to you. You have a vision of what you want to contribute to the world, of doing something that makes you come alive every day, and your business is your vehicle to get it.

Never lose sight of that. That groundwork, knowing what you’re in this for, is crucial.

If you just ‘build a business’ without considering ‘you’, then you’ll end up in a cage of your own making. This time there will be no boss to blame.

Getting free is a conscious decision, not a gift that comes with self employment or a job title.

More important than just “I have a business” is sticking true to what you want and crafting each element of your business to suit you and your life.

That takes guts.

You’re not building a business, you’re creating a life. And that, my dear, starts with you.

9. You wouldn’t give this up for the world

Once you get into the free range life, you’ll know two things

1) the above is true

and

2) you wouldn’t give this up for the world.

The payoff of being your own boss is bigger than a paycheque.

I read some research recently showing that self employed humans are happier than employed humans, and it clicked instantly.

When you are self employed, you get validated every time someone likes you enough to hand over money and buy from you (when did you ever feel that praised by your boss?).You get to do every part of the business you want to (see that chicken logo at the top? I drew him, cause I wanted to). And you get to be YOU every day.

It’s like becoming a grown up for the first time.

You’ll get addicted to this life. And that’s when you know you’ve made it.

10. You get to make your own rules.

Hey you’re a free range human! Want to include 10 points when the article asks for 9? Do it. Like this

Seriously. I want you to know this honey: the hardest part is understanding, truly understanding, that you make up your own rules. And then grasping that opportunity with both hands.

With no boss to hold you back, and no boss to blame, it’s down to you to make magic happen on your own terms.

To me that is the most wonderful thing in the world.

About the Author: Marianne Cantwell runs Free Range Humans. She helps women create and tweak their business to fit their personality and lifestyle, while growing their profits. A self confessed geek on both marketing and happiness, Marianne is combining these two usually very different topics into a book about free range businesses, (to be published in 2012). For more tips on breaking the rules and making your business work for you (not the other way around), subscribe to her blog and Friday ‘love letter’ at http://www.free-range-humans.com (and follow her on Twitter @freerangehumans)

I write this from New Zealand where I have had to quickly come due to the sudden death of my father. Being so far away from my London home, friends, business and the routine of life to face the death and burial of my father has left me questioning many elements of my life that I had taken for granted.

I feel deep grief and sometimes the numbness that this loss can cause one to experience. My children have lost their last remaining grandparent and I feel bereft. Yet here we are, half a world away from our home, having Christmas in summer and travelling around the country visiting family. I feel disassociated from my normal life in London and also my business.

It has been hard during this time to find a silver lining to this experience.

What it has given me though is the chance to deeply reflect on what I want my life to be about, where I want to be and what I want to be doing. It has given me a sudden wake-up call to reappraise all aspects of my life.

It is as if a blank piece of paper has appeared in front of me for me to create the life I want from now on. Could this be the gift I have from this shock?

I haven’t been one to amble through life aimlessly but I have noticed in recent years as a business owner, mother and sole breadwinner, that my perceived options have become more limited. It is now, from all of this, I realise that it’s time to shake my perceptions up and broaden my horizons!

When I coach and mentor my clients, if they perceive their options to be limited, they start to close down their thinking and their opportunities. As their coach, it is my role to open their minds to other possibilities and alternatives.

I have had a shock to get me to reappraise my options and this is not something I would recommend! So as we start the new year, this is the perfect time for you to take stock of where you are in your life and business and take a blank piece of paper to create your own future, free of any thinking that may be constraining you. This is a wonderful opportunity to imagine ‘what if’ and ‘if only’ and ‘maybe’.

Really stretch your thinking and your imagination as the further you are stretched and removed from your current reality, the more options you will perceive.

The one thing I have truly learnt in the last two weeks is that we do only have one life, so we may as well enjoy it and make it a life where there is pleasure in every day.

This is your life, your future, so you take an afternoon to ponder, imagine and design! Follow the steps below as your guide.

Step One: Throw Away Your Inner Critic

All of us have a little voice in our heads, our ‘inner critic’. That is the voice that may be telling you ‘you don’t deserve this”, or ‘you don’t have the right experience to be successful” or that ‘the economy is so bad, how will I survive”.

This inner critic does a great job of protecting you but it also holds you back and stops you from living up to your true potential.

So, for this exercise, put that voice on hold! You can control your thoughts. Practice silencing your inner critic as you let your imagination unfold!

Step Two: What Do I Love About My Life?

Take a piece of paper and write down all the things you love about your life and business right now.

Consider the following as you start to write your list:

• what has gone really well for you in the last five years
• what experiences have given you fabulous memories
• what’s made you laugh
• when were you filled with pride
• the people you have connected with
• special moments that you cherish
• how you love to fill your day

Are there any photos, mementos or objects you would like to add to your list to make this life-love audit three dimensional?

Step Three: When I was Little I Used To Dream Of……..

Cast your mind back to when you were younger and you truly believed the world was your oyster. What did you used to dream of doing?

I dreamt of travelling the world, living in an orange grove in Spain and working in New York. Considering I grew up on a farm in country New Zealand, these were pretty big dreams!

What were your dreams? When you were 21 what did you imagine your future to be?

Jot down your memories and thoughts on a fresh piece of paper.

Step Four: If I Could Be, Do or Have Anything……

Time to get your imagination into action!!!

Imagine you had no limits, no financial constraints and time is on your side……what would you love to be, to do and to have?

Where would you be living, what would you be doing, what would a week in your ideal life be like? Who would you be friends with? What type of business would you be doing – how would you be making an income? What would you do in your spare time? What passions would you be following?

You may want to think about people who inspire you, what would you love to emulate about their lives?

What legacy would you like to leave behind? What do you want people to say about you when you have passed away?

Often when we do our business visioning we forget to consider our whole life yet as business owners we are our business and our life needs to be integral to all of our considerations.

Dream away and again, jot down your thoughts and ideas…..remember no judging!

Step Five: Gathering It All Together

Now you have had a chance to recollect your dreams, imagine your future and think about what you love about your life now, let’s pull it all together onto your new blank sheet of paper for your life!

Again, remember to silence your inner critic!

Review all of your jottings and notes from the previous steps.

• What key themes are you noticing?
• What stirs you?
• What makes your heart sing?

Take your blank sheet of paper and write (you may prefer to draw) the description of your future.

You may wish to use these questions as a framework to pull together your thinking from the previous steps.

• Where am I living?
• What do I do in my spare time?
• How do I earn an income?
• What type of people do I interact with?
• Who are my customers?
• What does a typical week hold for me?
• Am I travelling?
• The passions I am following are….
• What flexibility do I have?
• What new experiences do I have?
• What type of close relationships do I have?
• When I fall asleep at night what am I most happy about?

Now you have created your future, what next? Ponder your creation for a month, add to it, refine it, make it real. Next month my article will be about bringing it to life.

About the Author: Wendy Kerr is an expert in Corporate Crossovers^® –  women who have left corporate careers to start their own businesses. Her company, Corporate Crossovers^®, offers coaching, mentoring and resources to enable these women to thrive in their businesses and their lives. For more information, and your free guide on “Discover the Four Blocks that Stop You From Earning What You Used To and How to Overcome Them ”, visit http://www.CorporateCrossovers.com

Wendy has been coaching for over nine years and has worked with hundreds of clients to help them achieve their goals.  Before she became a Corporate Crossover herself, she spent 20 years in corporate, including as General Manager of high profile internet start-ups, FT.com and Quicken.com.au and marketing global brands including Apple, Smirnoff, Tia Maria and Colgate.

Through her company, Corporate Crossovers^®_,Wendy works with women business owners to help them get more focus in their business, feel more in control of their work and to make more income. For more information, and your free e-book to “Discover the Four Blocks that Stop You From Earning What You Used To and How to Overcome Them ”, visit http://www.CorporateCrossovers.com

Recently I have been thinking how relevant or rather how-not-so-relevant a business plan is for a start-up in this present economic climate. In my mind a business plan ‘is a document that lays out the plan of how a business (product or service) will perform over a given period – usually 1-5 years within a given market’.

Map your route

I remember years ago – 6 years to be exact, when I was setting up my social enterprise; and everyone said I needed a business plan to demonstrate I knew and understood my business – I needed a roadmap. I found this a daunting task I have to say, and reluctantly ‘learnt’ how to write one with the help of some experts.

If you are a start-up and feel any anxiety about writing a business plan, you are not alone! Chances are you have been to see a business advisor and have been given a format with the ‘list’ of things you have to include; you sigh and say ‘if only there are more hours in the day’! Or perhaps you’ve found a template online which has helped you outline your business roadmap. If you think you really don’t need a business plan, well, technically you need some sort of documentation (which you could call a business plan) that outlines some key details of how you are going to achieve your objective – to grow your business.

Should the future be written in stone?

A traditional business plan requires you to outline where you see yourself in 3-5 years and how you plan to get there. In my opinion, they are rigid and inflexible, and prevent start-ups (and any business really) from reacting quickly and creatively to unexpected changes in the market place – a hindrance rather than an advantage; especially in these trying economic times. Nobody can predict tomorrow let alone one, three or five years; so I think it is unrealistic to write any plan for that long.

If you listened to the analysis of the ‘autumn speech or statement’ by the chancellor recently, you will have gathered that 18 months ago, the government laid out their plans of economic recovery for at least the next 4 years; assuring us that we will feel the ‘pinch’ for 4 more years only – a tough pill to take, but really everyone had to get on with it.

Come November 2011, the government has had to revise that to a 5-6 year recovery based on ‘other forces’ – mostly the events in the Euro. The UK has no control over the Euro, although we are not in the Euro, we are linked with Europe in many ways as you know. Some analysts say, we could ‘dip’ back into another recession – a thought I don’t want to contemplate! But it goes to show how planning that far ahead has its consequences.

When you think about it, how far ahead can and should you plan in this economic climate? The lesson for me is to plan, but for short terms – very short terms. It is great to have a vision – the end destination, but your plans and actions should be short towards the end goal.

Forward planning

For any start-ups seeking external investment, you probably have to write a business plan; and my suggestion to you is to plan for 18 months. Be bold and demonstrate you understand the economic situation and base your projections on 18 months; with a clear strategy on monitoring and adjusting things as you go along. Your investor will appreciate that, and have more confidence in you as being pragmatic rather than being overly optimistic (as most start-ups are).

While writing an 18 month plan may suit your investors, the day to-to-day, practical running of your business should be for a shorter period 6-12 months; and if it can be helped, shorter. That way, you are not only pragmatic; but you can react and change direction quickly and effectively if you need to. When we commit to a longer period on paper, it seems ‘set in stone’ and we have a harder time changing direction when we need to.

Small is better

Keep goals, plans and actions ‘small’. Most of your plans would centre on your marketing goals, marketing strategy and marketing plans (Michael E. Gerber says in the ‘E-Myth’ “Your Marketing strategy starts, ends, lives and dies with your customer”); but before you do that you should already have worked out the basics:

• The problem your idea is going to solve
• The product or service to solve it
• Your target audience (primary and secondary markets)
• How you will reach them
• Your competitors
• Price

I say basics; because these are the key elements that tell you if you have a viable business to start with; and create a good foundation to assess what you need to do. Creating a marketing plan is great, but without a solid foundation, all your efforts will be in vain – sadly. So take the time to do that and you can project to reach your targets within your set periods.  Some people may argue these elements are what’s in a business plan, well I would say, some business ideas are not yet viable enough so don’t require a ‘business plan’ or any plan just yet. This is a key point to starting up – having a good foundation.

So keep things small and simple, so they are achievable, and you can realise quick ‘victories’ to motivate you on. For instance consider making shorter ‘to do lists’ rather the long ones that almost never get ticked off. Make small ‘decisions’ rather than those that seem so intimidating or daunting and are often put off; and finally allocate small ‘time frames’ to tasks so you can achieve them quicker and move on to the next. Small bite sizes of actions, allows and gives you the momentum to keep on going. Try it, you will be surprised the difference it will make to you as a business owner and to your business.

After lots of surprises of our own, we were intrigued to know what had surprised you the most once you had started up your own business. So we asked “what has been your biggest surprise since you started running your own business?”

So what have been the unexpected perks, pitfalls, attitudes and opportunities that our Linked-in members have encountered on their business journey so far? Here are the things that have surprised you the most:

How good it feels to work for yourself

There was one other surprise which I think I’ve gotten used to ….. how much fun it is even when you’re biting your nails waiting for the phone to ring
Narmeen Narmeen

I’m surprised by how much more I love working for myself than for someone else. I just really don’t make a good employee!
Odette Laurie

I can’t believe how quick the days go by. When I was working in a work place for somebody else the time use to drag.
carol curley

A big surprise was that for the first time in my life, I didn’t feel like I was ‘working’. Ease and grace became two common feelings I started to associate with my work – I found my groove. My pitfall, or challenge as I like to put it, is creating structure in my working life. In my previous corporate life, structure was a given, but now it’s something I have to manage for myself as I have so much more flexibility now. I am a person that works well within a structure as long as there’s loads of room in the middle to be creative, so creating my own structure can be a challenge especially as I work independently.
Anne Loyd

Customers

The nicest surprise is how many people LOVE the boutique. The decor, the ambience and the products too. An American customer exclaimed “wow, it’s like The Great Gatsby in here”. That made me smile. 
Rowena Howie

One of the biggest surprises was that my clients received such huge results (and that isn’t to blow my own trumpet but more I believe because I was finally doing something that felt completely natural to me)
Anne Loyd

Making Money

That I can actually earn a good living from doing what I love. I was terrified to leave the corporate world – I’d never known anything different. To actually be able to spend time with my family AND earn money has meant I’ve had the best 18 months of my life.  I’ve met some wonderful and inspiring people that I never would have done otherwise and stretched myself into places I never thought I’d have to go – or fit!
Mary Keeley

The best surprise is how many people are still spending. Revival Retro dresses are on average £160 but I’ve been very pleased to find that my customers are happy to pay the pricetag because they can see how well designed, well made and stunningly flattering our dresses are.
Rowena Howie

A great surprise is that I am getting paid a good sum to write website, press releases, social media and public relations marketing plans. And, I am getting paid to copywrite training webinars and modules for sales and marketing professionals in assisted living communities. This is wonderful because I have realized that I am getting paid for all the training that I received while working as a sales and marketing director at senior communities prior to starting my social media marketing and public relations business.
Diane Castro

Feeling Lonesome

My worst surprise was discovering how lonely it can be running your own business. Being in retail it’s lovely to chat with customers but when it comes to the behind the scenes decision making, never ending admin, targets etc there is only me.
Rowena Howie

Support from Others

I’ve received tremendous advice and support from the people that I’ve met both offline at networking events and online too. It’s also been a lovely surprise to get recommendations and clients via word of mouth, sometimes from people who I’ve met over a year ago! I remember someone telling me in my early days of business that you never know where your next client is coming from and it’s true!
Valerie Eaton

My biggest and best surprise has definitely been the amazing amount of very special, inspiring and wonderful women out there running their own venture too. I love meeting them at networking meetings, helping them and sharing with them. It’s almost like I have a new set of colleagues, but without the politics. I thought I’d be lonely….
Inge Woudstra-Van Grondelle

I agree with some of the previous comments here about all the support I am receiving from other business-owners. This is my 2nd business and it is much different this time around because it seems that I have a much larger “support group” of other business owners. This is a wonderful surprise!
Diane Castro

During and after the launch of GemStone Tech, I was and continue to be surprised at the sheer amount of good will passed around. Having only ever worked in Finance/Banking in the City prior to this, I’m still taken by surprise.
Narmeen Narmeen

Me! I Can Succeed

The other surprise is finding out what you’re actually capable of. I’ve learnt so many new skills since setting up in business such as public speaking, online marketing, writing blogs – things that I would never have contemplated doing or thought I could have done in my previous life in the corporate world.
Valerie Eaton

This may sound daft but my pleasant surprise was that my solutions actually worked! They worked for my own business and then for my clients. Then I became confident about the value I offer and developed a teeny bit of “swagger!”
Oma Edoja

Thank you, ladies for sharing all your useful and inspiring tips!  Please do share more of your surprises in the comments section below. Don’t forget to check out Big Surprises Part 1!

After being inspired by The Business Start Up Show which took place at Earls Court last week we thought we’d keep you feeling motivated too with this fantastic business start-up article by Viv Oyolu:

There’s something about making that decision of being self-employed that’s so empowering – it really is. There’s a rush when you have a vision of a product or service you are dying for the world to see and use.

As a start-up, you put in all the hours possible to bring your vision to life! My motto was (still is!) – Whatever it takes! And I mean that literally! As a start-up, I was consumed with my passion to get the end; and hadn’t figured out what I would do in between to get to the end without burning out and loosing perspective. Here’re some things to take into consideration:

Motivation

There comes a point when you start feeling low on energy and not sure how you keep going. You start doubting your initial optimism and wondering if you’ve made the wrong decision starting your business. You are not alone! Everyone at one point or another has felt the same; but the key to stay focused and keep motivated. A few things you can do are:

Attend networking events

Some start-ups ignore the importance of networking at an early stage of the business. It’s not only when you have your product/service ready for launch that it is crucial. This is an expense that should be included in the budget from the start. Depending on where you are based, there are a number of events organised that are worth attending. Be clear what your objective is/are attending each one, otherwise you may waste your time and money. I would suggest investing the time to research the ones best suited for you and your business because events vary.

Read books

I am a huge advocate for start-ups reading business books along the way. Agreed there are so many available and it can be a daunting task trying to figure out which ones are worth your time and money. The starting point should be ‘Amazon’ (over Google in my opinion) and search for business books; and you can narrow it down to a specific area of interest. The reviews are very helpful and you will have a gut feel about what’s relevant to you and the stage you are at in your business.

You don’t have to buy everyone; you could ask friends and or visit your local library to see if they stock them. A very good start-up book a lot of people recommend (and I would too!) is ‘The E-Myth’ by Michael E. Gerber; as well as ‘Start With Why’ by Simon Sinek.

Watch short videos

As well reading, a ‘quick fix’ for the afternoon is to watch videos of people who have overcome challenges – may not necessarily be in business, but have the same message. The one place I have found such videos is www.TED.com. It is free and has a way of inspiring just about anyone.

Manage the workload

If you don’t have a business partner as a start-up, then you hold all the roles required to make your business work, and be successful. Honestly there are not enough hours in the day. You have two options – to either do it all yourself or pay someone else (with the expertise) to take on some tasks if you can afford it.

Both options have their pros and cons, but you have to decide what best suits you. If you prefer to hire someone else, then shop around for the best value for you. Start-ups are fortunate today to be in an era, where there are a plethora of services targeted at start-ups and small businesses.  If you know other start-ups that require the same service as you do, then pool together and approach a provider with an offer – don’t be afraid to negotiate; you will be surprised.

However, if you can’t afford to hire anyone to do the things that can be hired out, then you have to manage your time more effectively, so you are not snowed under. I would suggest the following:

1. Write a list of all the tasks you do
2. Specify what requires your daily, weekly or monthly attention.
3. Mark up your calendar with each daily, weekly and monthly task. For instance, if one of your goals is post a weekly blog then you know what day of the week you have to write and schedule it. You should also be as specific as possible, with the time in the day you would complete that task. Be sure you include meetings and networking events into your calendar.
4. Some people (like me) can only handle information in small chunks. If that’s you, then make sure your calendar reflects that. Schedule in regular breaks away from the computer. Maybe 10 minutes to browse on Twitter or Facebook; or a 20-minute walk round your block; and even if you are working away from home, it should apply. You will be surprised how much clarity and refocus that does to your day.
5. Have a cut of time when you stop work! Give yourself the time of the day when you will switch off for good. Admittedly there will days when you have deadlines etc; but mentally be aware of that time.

You may think it’s too regimented, but like everything else once it becomes routine, it is easily to manage and you’ll be glad you did.

You and your personal time

As you know, it’s easy for you to forget most important person in the jigsaw – you! You need your R & R (rest and relaxation) time. It is essential for every business owner and even more so for a start-up. For instance, you could decide to take the last Friday – full or half off to meet up with friends; or do something you really love by yourself – shopping, reading (a non-business book!) or catching a movie and yes during the day! Sounds decadent, but I assure you, you need to reward yourself with such simple pleasure. This is crucial to maintaining a great relationship with yourself, your friends and family over time; and more importantly prevents you from resenting your business when you haven’t started realising the profits you’ve forecast.

There has been a sharp increase in the number of small business start-ups in the last few years … it’s the one positive that’s come out of the financial meltdown we suffered two years ago. It’s fantastic to see People are taking action to secure their future.

If you are one of those looking to join the increasing number of the self-employed, you probably got an idea you’ve been working on and mentioned it friends and family who have given very positive feedback; so you are now writing a business plan. Or perhaps you are at the very early stage of an idea, and not sure what you should do next.

Either way, you should consider investing the time to investigate your idea further to make sure it is a viable option by making sure that there’s a market ready to receive your product or service with open arms.

Getting feedback on your ideas

Brainstorming is not a new technique and is mostly used by existing businesses these days to:

• Gather information
• Stimulate creative thinking
• Generate and develop new ideas
• Solve problems
• Establish closer working relationships between teams

For start-ups, brainstorming is useful exercise to help gain a fresher perspective on an idea. Often times business start-ups are so consumed (and rightly so!) with their new product or service, that they can miss little things, because they are too close to it.

If as a start-up, you are wondering what exactly you may gain from using brainstorming as a technique, here are 3 benefits:

Identify a ‘gap’ in an existing idea

Because the brainstorming process is about ‘collecting’ all ideas, some of the ideas could spark and stimulate additional ideas within the idea.

Focus the mind

In addition to above point, hearing someone else’s perspective could help crystallize the idea and improve the existing offering. This could generate additional revenue not previously considered.

Save money

Most importantly, the No. 1 objective for any business is to keep cost as low as possible. Through the brainstorming process start-ups can save money (and time) in the long run by identifying little things at the initial stages before they become magnified further down the line, and cost a lot more.

When you think about, you’ll probably wonder why you hadn’t done this before; and if you can find volunteers – preferably not related to you and your business (family and friends are more likely to think the same way you do, so will come up with similar suggestions); then invest in the process.

Before deciding to organise a brainstorming session, you should plan properly to make sure that you use the time effectively.

The objective

Your main objective is to find out if there are any gaps in your offering and if so, how to fill it. But before that, here are a couple questions you should ask yourself and be able to answer confidently about your offering:

• The problem you are trying to solve – i.e. why you have created your offering
• Your target audience – do you have a primary and/or secondary market?
• How you will reach your audience – online, offline or via a 3^rd party
• Who your competitors are
• Your price point Vs what your competitors offer
• What potential obstacles you could face
• Timescale to market

Be honest and realistic about your answers and while you think these may seem basic, you’ll be surprised how a simple exercise like this will give you have a clearer picture, so you can plan properly for the next stage of organising your brainstorming session.

Specific questions to ask

Once you can answer the above questions, you should have a list of specific questions you want your volunteers to answer for you; but be willing and prepared to accept what people have to say – the good and not-so-good. You shouldn’t see this as a ‘bashing’ exercise of you and your idea, but more like having ‘critical friends’ are giving useful advice. Always keep in mind what your overall objective of the exercise is – ‘to fill any gaps in your offering’; and in the end get the best offering out to your audience.

Keep a record

Make sure you are either recording the session or you have someone else recording all that’s being said on a flip chart or some other form of recording – this is gold dust!

Next steps

Now you have all this information, you should spend a good amount of time analysing all that’s been said during the session; you shouldn’t be in a hurry now to rush to market. The true value of this exercise is in analysing and grouping everything said against each question you asked; and deciphering what’s useful or not-so useful, realistic or unrealistic and what fits or doesn’t fit with your offering.

Perhaps the exercise uncovered an additional revenue stream you hadn’t considered, what will do you? Ignore everything you’ve working on and pursue it? These are decisions only you can make as the creator of the product or service, but be honest with yourself and realistic with what you can accomplish within the time you’ve set yourself.

After this process, you are a much better position to start your business plan and confidently approach investors with your offering.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Viv Oyolu runs Bounce Point Consultancy based in London that helps start-ups brainstorm and test their ideas. Bounce Point runs 1-2-1 and group sessions. You can find out more at www.bouncepoint.co.uk

Running your own business has a number of benefits, but one of the biggest drawbacks can be a  feeling of loneliness and isolation, especially if you have left the corporate world to start up on your own.  Suddenly that infrastructure of supportive colleagues, water cooler conversations and sandwich lunches has gone. No more Christmas parties or Friday nights at the local pub to cement that feeling of belonging.  Before you know it the loneliness has become an unwelcome guest in your new existence. So how do you go from being deprived of support to having a wealth of it to call upon? The solution is to create your own community of like-minded people. Taking action and having a positive attitude is key; you can’t wait for them to turn up of their own accord.

If you follow these recommendations you will soon find that your unwelcome guest has left.

Approach the Competition

Try to attend at least one networking meeting a week.  Set yourself a target to speak to a certain number of new people at each meeting.  You need to determine into which category your new-found colleagues fall; identify those you want to follow up in order to get business and those you want to add to your support network. You may just find that those people who become part of your support network become clients – people buy from people they like.

Moxie Business Club

Women Unlimited has a great business club for SMEs called Moxie. It is unlike those networking associations where you are force-fed the business cards of everyone else sitting in the room and then put under immense pressure to sell these services and products. At Moxie things are very different. Not only do you get the opportunity to network in a relaxed atmosphere but also draw upon the wealth of talent in the room to act as a sounding board for your business.  How often do you get the opportunity to have three or four successful people in their own field spend quality time helping you think through the challenges you are facing and how to arrive at a successful solution that works for you? At Moxie you get real insights from businesswomen who know that being successful matters not just to them but to all fellow Moxie members.

Try something new

Join social groups and make sure you try something new.  There is nothing like stepping out of your comfort zone to make you realise just how fantastic a human being you are. Imagine the richness you will bring to your conversations as well as the new friends you will make.

Social Network

Social networking is a great way to reach out, not just to people in your own field or geographic location but all over the world who share common business interests. You will be amazed at just how many people work independently and how encouraging they can be when you are having a tough day, especially if they have been through the same thing you are going through and have come through successfully at the other end.

Add interest to your working environment

There are spaces in and around London that provide touchdown work spaces and meeting areas, such as Hub at Kings Cross. Not only do they provide you with an opportunity to work but also to connect with people and learn. Don’t forget about the convenient wireless connection available at your local cafe. You can work uninterrupted for several hours and hold a meeting in its convivial surroundings.

Join forces

Create your own distribution group of professionals. For example, if you are a freelance web designer join forces with an accountant, a PR specialist, a marketing consultant and an IT specialist, amongst others. You can recommend each others’ businesses and meet on a regular basis so that you support each other and share information from a business perspective.

Get Support

A coach can be instrumental in helping you to solve the loneliness issue by working with you to think through your plan of action and your approach to creating your community of support. Your coach can challenge your thinking and make sure you widen your network and the parameters within which you operate. Make this one of your coaching goals so that in every session a few minutes are used to explore your progress.

One Step at a Time

At first all of this may seem a little bit daunting and time consuming but it can be achievable if you take one step at a time and plan effectively. You’ll be surprised to find how quickly you can enrich your environment and ensure that your self-employed status is vibrant, energised and no longer a lonely one.

About the Author: Carole Bozkurt, The Blueprint Practice.  I have over 20+ years marketing and sales experience. In addition, I worked in a business coaching company for nine years; they pioneered executive coaching in the UK. The focus of their coaching was on helping people achieve succcess in both the corporate and SME world. I am also a business coach and a number of my clients are SMEs.

carole@blueprintpractice.com

With backgrounds in recruitment and business development, and with a keen desire to work flexibly, my business partner and I were very familiar with the part-time employment market. We knew there were large numbers of highly skilled parents looking for challenging, well paid jobs that would provide them with a healthy work-life balance. We also knew of the many employers who struggled to source from this talent pool. Highly confident of success, we launched our very own niche search and selection agency focussing on this market in June 2011.

What’s in a name?

How many cups of tea does it take to come up with a business name? More than either of us ever anticipated.  The dilemma was to find a company name that told people what we did but was memorable and around which we could build a brand and logo design.  Several cups of tea and afternoons of café torment later, we agreed on ‘3P – Part-time Professional People’. It does what it says on the tin and feels good when you call someone and say, “It’s Amanda from 3P!”

To tweet or not to tweet

It seems remarkable that at the beginning of 2011, we were so cautious about social media: its prevalence and perceived frivolity were off-putting; clearly this was something we needed to investigate and get to grips with.

Thankfully we did. Sam went to a seminar hosted by Julie Hall (@julie_hall) on the importance to business of social media and I have a long-standing friend who is something of a ‘guru’ in social networking circles (@annemcx).  An early pioneer of Twitter/Facebook et al, I learned some valuable lessons from her. The best pieces of advice we received? If you start ‘doing social media’ stick to it and do it properly; find ways to add value to your followers’ experience rather than just selling yourselves; be aspirational – make people want to hear what you’ve got to say!

Our first few tweets did little more than alert friendly tweeters to our presence; however gaining confidence and having fun we found our voice and were delighted as strangers began to follow us. We agreed on a strategy to tweet twice daily as a minimum and less than a month on we have a growing band of followers to @3Ptweets. Ok, maybe it’s a long way before we match Stephen Fry for followers but as virgin tweeters, we’re very pleased with this result.

Selecting who to follow has been an interesting challenge and we are learning as we go along but the main thing is it’s fun and has given us a couple of superb leads and some great exposure. We firmly believe that our candidate audience is of the tweeting variety and by adding our tweet name to our email sign offs, we are encouraging more followers. All our new jobs are released on Twitter first which we think is the best ‘added value’ for our candidates of all. Watch this tweet….

LinkedIn v Facebook

This is a tough one. I’m not a big Facebook user but Sam does ‘Facebook’ her friends and family. Is ‘Facebooking’ now a verb in the Oxford English I wonder? However, we used it recently to promote a new job opportunity outside of London; I was able to do this whilst on holiday in Spain and it was amazing to be able to talk to people about a role in Windsor from the poolside in Valencia. Got us a candidate as well!

As professionals, we were aware of and already big LinkedIn users. We chose to use their paid for advertising option for one of our first roles and the response was overwhelming. What great value it has turned out to be; advertising for £125 sourced us 50+ candidates in one hit. We’ve set up 3P on LinkedIn and all our tweets automcatically update to the company’s page. This in turn links to email signatures and our website. Some joined up thinking that means employers and candidates have a range of ways of experiencing 3P – and it’s up to them which suits them best. We ensure consistency of brand and voice across all media.

As we progress the business of sourcing more great candidates and engaging with companies looking to hire from the part-time professional market, we are starting to see the amazing impact that social media will have for us for us.

About the Author: Sam is mum to Freddie (9 months) and full-time step mum to teens James & Charlotte and I, Amanda am mum to Daniel (14). We make the business work for us on a part-time basis, covering Monday to Friday between us, ably assisted by a great virtual office company @OfficeFront.

3P – Part-Time Professional People is a company specialising in search and selection for organisations primarily in west London and the Home Counties who are looking for fantastic candidates to fill mid-senior level part-time roles. In the current economic climate, the message to employers is that they can hire an experienced and reliable individual for a fraction of the full time salary.

Part-time doesn’t have to mean low skilled or low paid. It’s simply a lifestyle choice.