Business Advice, do you need it?
The UK has actively promoted small businesses for many years
now. With various start up grants and various government help.
But facts show that over 90% of small businesses are still set
up through necessity rather than a conscious decision to go into
business. It is not until redundancy, or struggling to get a job
or falling out with the boss that most so called entrepreneurs
decide to go it alone and set up business. This means however,
that hard lessons are learnt very early on in the start up
process. The 5-year plumbing apprenticeship did not include
marketing, cost controls, VAT and many more new skills that any
first time business owner has now go to master.
There is truth in statement that many businesses are good at
their profession but not at business. It could be for this
reason that a huge chunk of businesses will fail in their first
year. What may be true as well is that businessmen or women who
have studied business but do not have a profession are more
likely to be successful by hiring the right staff for the skill
base, while they do what they know, running a business. Did
Richard Branson know how to fly a plane when he went into the
airline business? He decide what he wanted, then hired the right
people to do the job that he couldn't do.
Hopefully you are getting the message here in that if you want
to be successful with your business and survive the first few
years of ownership you need to know about certain business
subjects before you go into business. If you don't then you need
to get help from those who do know and have actually run
successful businesses. When choosing a business advisor make
sure he or she has been in business before and hasn't just read
the right books and knows all the latest phrases.
Ask them personally rather than looking at their CV. CVs can be
made to look more impressive than the actual experience they
have. However getting the right person to work with you can make
the difference from success or failure. The actual cost is less
of a factor than receiving more back than your costs in savings
and or extra sales. The last thing to look for is commitment to
your cause and someone who cares about their reputation. Most
business advisors get their business from referrals, if you fail
they fail. If you are about to go into business then good luck
and if you already are, take time out to review if you are where
you though you would be. If you are, fantastic but if you are
not then maybe its time for some hands on experience and advice.