insideKENT Magazine Issue 63 - June 2017 | Page 183

BUSINESS
HOW TO START A BUSINESS
FROM SCRATCH
SO, YOU’VE HAD YOUR LIGHTBULB MOMENT AND FOUND A WAY TO CONVERT SOMETHING YOU’RE
PASSIONATE ABOUT INTO A VIABLE BUSINESS, WHICH WORKS…IN THEORY. STATISTICS SUGGEST
THAT ALTHOUGH OVER 500,000 NEW BUSINESSES GET STARTED EVERY MONTH, MORE BUSINESSES
SHUT DOWN THAN START UP, BUT THIS ISN’T BECAUSE ALL OF THE IDEAS ARE TERRIBLE, IT’S MORE
TO DO WITH THE FEAR FACTOR THAT SETS IN AS SOON AS WE ALL START WONDERING HOW ON
EARTH TO CONVERT OUR IDEAS INTO REALITY. THERE ARE NO HARD AND FAST RULES ABOUT
HOW TO START A BUSINESS, BUT IF YOU DON’T TRY YOU’LL NEVER KNOW, SO WE’VE GATHERED
TOGETHER SOME HANDY POINTERS TO SET YOU OFF IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. by Polly Humphris
Test your idea Pick the perfect name
“If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research,
would it?” The words of Albert Einstein, and a quote that should become
your mantra when beginning your brand new business journey –
testing your initial idea through research is essential, it’ll help you shape
your business plan and fine tune how and who you plan to target, as
well as help to clarify points on pricing. The internet and social media
are hugely effective tools when it comes to determining trends and
garnering opinions from far and wide, but don’t underestimate the
impact and importance of field research: speaking to your potential
customers directly and testing your idea personally. Surveying,
focus groups and face-to-face interviews are all areas you should look
further into. Remember when ‘Jif’ changed to ‘Cif’? Uproar. Many still shudder at
the thought of buying a ‘Snickers’ instead of a ‘Marathon’ too. it is
absolutely essential to think long and hard about the name of your
business or product, so that it resonates with as many of your potential
customers as possible and not just you. Your business name, which
will become your branding, shouldn’t just be memorable therefore, or
simply sound good when you say it out loud, it also has to be
recognisable, uncomplicated, easily associable with what your business
does and be able to be visually represented for the purposes of your
logo. You should definitely like saying it, like hearing it and like looking
at it, but it’s important not to make it too personal, or long winded –
make it snappy and inject some humour if that’s relevant.
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