New businesses
Do you run an exciting and innovative business? Have you just launched? Drop us a line and tell us all about it and we will include it in our new business section. If you have a question or a dilemma, then let us know and we will ask our panel of experts what they think.
All businesses, new and already established, face some dilemmas at some point in their development. New business owners often have the most to cope with, as learning curves can be steep and entrepreneurs are often still holding down a full time job, or juggling family commitments at the same time.
At VENUS we understand all this only too well, and to try and help businesses with their problems we have enlisted a panel of experts who are all prepared to offer their advice and support.
Our first small business clinic tackles the problems faced by a new and unusual online business, that has certainly found its niche but needs more people to know about it.
Sarah Groom runs www.musicroomdirect.com,
a specialist web-based company offering unusual, musically themed accessories for the home, and gifts.
Sarah said: “I have just launched a new web based business called
Music Room Direct. I am in the early stages of trying to get the business
name established and am tackling all the classic new start up problems - how
to get a presence on Google; how to promote the business with a tiny
budget; where to go for advice and even some funding; should I try selling
the products face to face at large craft fairs, or stick only to the internet, and so on.
“I am also a busy mum of three with a house and family to run so I
can't spend all the hours in the day working as new start ups are supposed
to!”
Music Room Direct specialises in home accessories and furniture
all based around a musical theme and appeals to both professional and
amateur musicians, as well as anyone who just wants a special gift for a
musical friend or something unique for their own home. All the products are
hand made by UK based craftspeople, and are unique to Music Room Direct.
Sarah added: “I think the areas I would love some help in all boil down to two basic difficulties, which I know will be shared by many others.”
Sarah’s first business dilemma concerns getting more traffic to her website.
She said: “At the moment I don't know how many people are looking at the site, all I know is that orders are slow. I know there are ways to measure visitors,
but don't know to get this set up. Building awareness via media coverage
is key, but although I have a background in PR, it's very different when you
are your own client!
“For example I would love to do product giveaways and competition prizes in order to earn editorial, but simply can't afford to give my products away in the volume or value that most magazines want.
“Advertising is also out of the question as it's expensive, and I think
that good editorial is much more powerful anyway. Therefore I am just relying
on free editorial, but I am going to have to be cleverer than I am being
at present to earn more that I'm getting right now! In addition, what other
things could I be doing to raise the awareness of the site?”
Sarah’s second issue surrounds the use of technology.
She added: “I'm not the most technically minded person, so using websites, search engines and e-newsletters are proving a steep learning curve! I want to
gain a presence on Google and other search engines so that people who are
browsing, or trying to find my site but don't have the exact site
address will find me, I want to be able to keep the website updated regularly, and I want to develop a good looking e-newsletter to keep my customer mailing
list up to speed with what's new and send to busy journalists who don't want
lengthy press releases or picture attachments.
“How can I learn this stuff quickly and easily? I have been shamelessly canvassing help from friends, and I'm trying to teach myself, but it's time consuming. I've love to know if there were good online tutorials out there. Many advice sites seem to be American which is hopeless.”
www.musicroomdirect.com
Our business expert Michelle Elizabeth runs a company called Wiggle and Giggle with ME. Her company provides training for women who want to get fit and empower themselves by learning to pole dance.
Michelle has this advice for Sarah:
"TO REDUCE COSTS VISIT YOUR LOCAL NETWORKING GROUPS – ASK FOR HELP -FIND SOMEONE WHO WILL ENSURE WEBSITE OPTIMISATION FOR A PERCENTAGE OF REVENUE GENERATED
CONTACT YOUR LOCAL BUSINESS LINK/CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TO FIND OUT:
WHAT FREE ADVICE IS AVAILABLE
WHETHER YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR ANY GRANTS – HI GROWTH/ BUSINESS START-UP
DO THEY HAVE A SPECIALIST IN THEIR TEAM WHO CAN HELP POINT YOU IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK AND ASK FOR HELP
IF BUDGET ALLOWS EMPLOY AN EXPERT TUTOR FOR A MINIMAL TIME AND LEARN AS MUCH AS YOU CAN – BUT REMEMBER WHAT IS THE MOST COST EFFECTIVE USE OF YOUR TIME AND SKILLS?"
What do you think of Sarah's business idea and dilemmas? Drop us a line on the contact us page and let us know!
