Take a leap of faith
“Just go for it. Have belief in yourself and have a positive drive. If you allow doubts to creep in, it won’t work. Just jump into it – what’s the worst that could happen? If it doesn’t work out, that’s how it’s meant to be for you right now.”
Denise Parpworth, Therapeutic Counselling with Denise, Churchill Square Business Centre.
Resilience and adaptability
“Before you even start, research a support network. They're not only good for a referral point of view but you get so much support which – when you’re a sole trader – you need.
"Money is the biggest thing. Businesses take one and a half to two years to establish and you don’t earn consistent money during that time. I would warn people that their enthusiasm is good, but to have a cushion behind you and not to set your expectations too high.
"You have to be resilient and you have to be so adaptable. The saying that the fittest survive is not right – those who are willing to adapt will survive. You have to be willing to go out on a limb and learn new things. My business would not have thrived if I had stuck to one thing.”
Catherine Overton, Booker Wyatt Accounting, Churchill Square Business Centre.
Invest in IT and marketing
"Save some money first before starting out. Marketing is also key, get a professional website and be prepared for some late nights! Also don’t skimp on IT – it will pay off in the long term; in my experience, poor IT decisions can lead to business failure.”
Richard Bentley, The IT Consultants, St George's Business Park.
Utilise a business plan
"You need to do your research before you start your business and identify potential people (customers) that you can work with. You need a good business plan and you need to give it long enough to succeed, but don’t be scared to change it.
“One of the things you need to include in your business plan is how you propose to develop, what your identity as a company is and what do you want to be. And you need to read your business plan regularly to remind yourself why you’re doing it.”
Louise Mingay, director of ETS Health and Safety, Churchill Square Business Centre.
Your staff are as important as clients
"Hard work is the key to any business. You also need to be flexible and treat your staff as clients – if you just focus on clients and not keeping your staff happy, that doesn't help. So, staff are key to success; if your staff are happy, your clients are happy."
Prashant Setia, director of Ready Care Services, Greenway Business Centre.
Be innovative and stay true to yourself
"Challenge convention, be innovative and work tirelessly to demonstrate what can be achieved. Learn more from criticism than you do from praise and stay focussed on the business's reason for being. Also, accept that it's OK to choose your customers as much as they choose you!”
Kirk Wells, founder of PALS, Waterhouse Business Centre
The Capital Space community harbour between them a wealth of knowledge and experience, so if you ever hit a rough patch or need some guidance, don’t be afraid to harness the strong business communities that call Capital Space their home.
You can read more business tips here.
