New Start – ups
INTERVIEW 39
New Start – ups
What were the main challenges or obstacles that you faced prior to establishing the business?
Claudia – When I first began, I had to learn about dealing with suppliers and speaking their language very quickly and confidently. There is an art to negotiation and you prove yourself to suppliers if you speak clearly and confidently about your business and theirs. I remember being completely lost when calling a shipping company because of the language and technical terms they used. I limped through that conversation but afterwards scoured all the websites I could find, talked to contacts for advice and developed my knowledge. When I went back to that company I could confidently ask for what I needed. Convincing people to do business with you when you are so new can be awkward and tough but it is really rewarding when you have persuaded someone to give you what you need.
Marlene and Nicola – Financing our business was a major challenge at conception and we are sure that juggling the finances will continue to be an obstacle that we have to overcome during our early developmental stages; we would like to expand our advertising and marketing activity and have a wider range of stock.
We would like to be in a position where we employ staff and have sales agents and representatives throughout the country. However, all these things have financial implications and so as we develop, we assess activities against turnover and monitor the situation monthly to ensure we meet and maintain our monthly overheads. Any surplus funds can then be redistributed to aid the business development.
Jenni – One of the main challenges was working with mainstream companies and organisations that believed that just because you are black and own a business didn’ t necessarily mean that you were only equipped to provide a professional service to the black community.
“ I limped through that conversation but afterwards scoured all the websites I could find, talked to contacts for advice and developed my knowledge.
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ISSUE TWO 2006 engage