Exeter University GEW EventMonday 12th November 2012

Agenda

• About me

• Business West

• Starting a Business Check List

• Ready for Business Programme

• Next Steps

• Any Questions

About Me

About me

• 20 years in the hotel & events industry– Director of Sales at a

Heathrow Hotel– Set up a National Sales

Centre for “Jockey Club Racecourses”

– Ran my own consultancy business and event management company

• Over 2 years working at Business West

Business West

Business West is the 4th largest Chamber of Commerce in England, employing over 180 staff with an annual turnover of £20m and

delivering over 30 business services.We represent and work with over 16,000 businesses.

For more information on our services visit our website www.businesswest.co.uk

Starting a Business Check List

Starting a Business

What kind of Business should I start?

How do I research my Business Idea?

Writing a Business Plan

How can I finance my Business?

Prepare – Business Training, Skills &

Support

Getting the right people on board

Naming my Business

Starting a Business

Registering my Business

Setting up Shop

Marketing – website & social media

Getting Suppliers and Distributors on

board

Get the nitty-gritty right

Almost ready to start selling

Start selling

3 Key Areas

Business Plan

Keep it simple, clear and concise include Marketing objectives and financial forecasts (including cashflow)

01

02

Finance

Get your finances in place from the start, as lending bodies will want to share the risk!

03

Action

Get on and do… don’t over plan or complicate, learn as you do (make money as you learn!)

Ready for Business Programme

• Individuals at threat of redundancy• Under 24’s (Graduates)

Why are we doing this?

Why are we doing this?

More people than ever want to start a business 9.8% of working age adults in UK expect to start a business within the next 3 years.

More people are having to consider business start-up due to changes in life and work – ‘necessity-based start-up’ doubled between 2010 and 2011.

But getting access to finance is a real blocker – it is frequently cited as by far the biggest barrier to people starting a business.

And fear of failure is still strong: 41.4% of people who spot an opportunity say fear holds them back.Source: Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, United Kingdom 2011 Monitoring Report

Why might this matter to you?

Why might this matter to you?

Around half of all this years graduates will struggle to find full-time jobsIf current employment trends continue

Entrepreneurship & InnovationCould you be the next Steve Jobs or Alan Sugar? Utilise the support organisations to make this a reality.

Ready for Business are start-up specialists, and we can help for FREE! Our workshops help you to understand if your idea can become a commercial venture.

How does it work ?

3 ways to get started

Attend a workshop

Tuesday 13th November 2012

Tuesday 11th December 2012

10.00am – 4.00pm

Barclays Bank, 3 Bedford Street. Exeter

Cost: Free of charge

01

Speak to one of our Advisors

We are happy to discuss your business idea and signpost you to relevant support partners.

(all conversations will be confidential)

02

Support in getting Funding

We are working with the Start-up Loan Scheme (support for under 24’s)

We can help you get a loan to start your business

03

Main benefits

Free to start and no obligation to continue0

1National movement, with networking opportunities0

2Improved chances of getting bank funding to start up

03

Personal, tailored support through first year of business to improve chances of success

04

Fast-Track to further business support programmes like Starting a High Growth Business and UK Trade & Investments Passport to Export

05

A FREE years membership of Business West – tapping you into our network of members

06

What next

Contact the team

Book yourself onto a FREE WorkshopSee if self-employment is for you

Get adviceSpeak to one of our advisors and see what steps are best for you

Seeking Funding?We can evaluate your position and get you access to banks and programmes available to you

Tara GillamProject Manager – South West Delivery

T. 01275 376 233E. readyforbusiness@businesswest.co.ukW. www.businesswest.co.uk/readyfor

business www.startupedge.co.uk