Can anyone help me think of a good small business idea? I am fed up of corporate life!

[WideWebWitch]

That's it really. Dh and I are both working full time (well, I was, contract ended so not atm), and would rather work for ourselves but haven't got beyond idly contemplating it and sighing over 'Women doing it for themselves' articles in Eve magazine. So the criteria are:

Low start up costs
Low overheads
Potential

The skills we have between us are:

photography/artistic/IT skills/website design (DH)
Business acumen, finance/acctg/project management skills (Me)
We're both tenacious and reasonably persuasive (so I reckon I could sell an idea to a bank/other backer if it was a good one)
hard working when we have to be

We would like something
ethical
with potential to be sold eventually
Web based maybe?

So, I do realise this is the holy grail of wannabe small business owners everywhere! but hey, I thought it was worth asking you lot for any ideas anyway. Everytime I see some woman who's making a living with a classy caravan site/selling olives/making Grobags I wish I'd done it. I am out of work atm and could spend some time on research etc if I could come up with a decent idea. All thoughts and comments welcome!

I want to do something like this as well www, but haven't got anywhere with ideas.

Thanks Mrswobble, you're right re corporate market. True zippi, but I don't wanna do tacky, those balloons are HORRIBLE! Just looked at the gift site you linked to and they have lots of corporate clients, that's presumably where the money is. But then you get into potentially giving credit which is a pita. Hmm. And it looks like you need a licence to sell alcohol online, another pita. Still do able. Zippi, don't you reckon I could become the Jane Packer of online gifts though?

Jimjams, we should talk then, I'm not averse to the idea of doing something with someone else. I keep thinking that I don't want to use my perfectly good business skills for anyone else any more, I want to have a life and do something I quite LIKE!

www, ikwym about doing something you like, I do like work but felt particularly wistful when i saw a woman sitting in her beautiful wool shop knitting and she does that all day....

you don't need to give credit to businesses just accept credit cards, I've done some corporate stuff but I make them pay up front or they never pay..I started off posh and now do mostly tacky but have posh customers!

Whatever you do, make sure you do your research first, ie, make sure there's a market for it. Check out your competitiors and what you're up against. Try and do some desk research with potential customers regarding what they want, how much they'd pay etc.

Agree with whoever it was who said that fulfilment is key to success of any web-based selling business. That is why Amazon and online supermarkets like Ocado are so brill - they always deliver what they say, when they say - and if they dn't they compensate you, so you feel as though you've won anyway.

Marketing is important, but isn't difficult (although as a marketer I try and make it look as difficult and clever as possible).

Oh, and whatever you do, don't spend all day on Mumsnet when you should be working

Wordsmith, thanks. I'm good at research, so yes, I agree. And also about mumsnet! I would have to cut off my own access!

Zippi, you're right, most cos have cards and can claim via expenses, absolutely, what was I thinking of?! What do you sell (don't say if you don't want to)? Ocado have Waitrose behind them and Amazon have to keep stock given the nature of their business, their warehouse is in MK iirc.

Do you think people would accept you if you had a range of services to sell.
eg delivering the cakes etc - but also do the corporate baby boxes too. and maybe something else - so that you can be kept busy with fairly local clients on a regular basis?

the dreaded party bag stuff and novelties, stocking fillers, Kaloo baby toys and penguin book mugs..I used to sell Haba and pintoy and Plan and Brio wooden toys too but the little things are much more popular

I am very proud of my customer service too!

Wordsmith what sort of marketing do you do?

the dreaded party bag stuff and novelties, stocking fillers, Kaloo baby toys and penguin book mugs..I used to sell Haba and pintoy and Plan and Brio wooden toys too but the little things are much more popular

I am very proud of my customer service too!

Wordsmith what sort of marketing do you do?

the dreaded party bag stuff and novelties, stocking fillers, Kaloo baby toys and penguin book mugs..I used to sell Haba and pintoy and Plan and Brio wooden toys too but the little things are much more popular

I am very proud of my customer service too!

Wordsmith what sort of marketing do you do?

Ooh zippi, do you make a living at it?
Tracyk, I sort of think I should come up with something and 100% go for it rather than try to do too many things at once. I think starting locally isn't a bad idea although actually, delivering personally is prob going to increase costs not decrease them so prob worth doing nationally straightaway. Plus a lot of the market will be London I tihnk.

Well as you asked me three times.... . I'm a freelance marketing communications/PR consultant and copywriter. Stategy and implementation (together with associates in web design, research etc).

or even strategy

Oooh wordsmith, so could I pick your PR brains if I go for it? Or are you v expensive?

I always try and think of services that I find hard to source. eg cakes on a Monday!
But maybe I need to start thinking more laterally. I do like the idea of the jewellery that other couple did. They had a stall in the shopping centre (maybe a more up market one!) it only cost £25 a week and they made a couple of grand. It was the swarskovski crystal - but I don't know how they sourced their stock.

Yes of course you can - if I can't help chances are I'll know a man who can (or more likely a woman).

I don't think I'm expensive, what i tend to do is looks at what you're trying to achieve and then quote on a project basis rather than per-hour or per-day basis.

And anything like web design, etc I tend to use thrid parties and they invoice my client direct (so I don't have to carry their costs) - that way i don't mark up their costs to client. I put something in my quote to project manage the thing.

I also spell a lot better in my professional communication!!

Move back down here www- we could flog something to the Totnes crowd I have a couple of books I've browsed through- running a home based business, and a bit on the side (love the title), am looking for a cheap version of running an ethical business (or something like that- meant to be a bit of a brainstormer). The course I'm doing at the moment is quite useful for applying to market research.

Got to dash - ds3 is waking up- will catch up later and ponder some more.

it has crossed my mind jimjams...Grobags are based in Kingsbridge where we lived for a bit.

ONly got 5 mins but yep- bumpto3.....I'm jealous of them

I've had quite a few ideas - some based round the SN "market" (for example I have designed in my head a feature that would be dirt cheap to manufacture and make our life loads easier- not sure that the market would be huge but have thought of things to mainstream it). Along those lines there is a lot more available in the states- and it would be good to have that in the UK.

Thought along the lines of the yummy mummy/organicy market- but there is a lot out there now. Hard to think how to be a bit different.

Anything internet based has to be stocked well, and have delivery completely sussed.

Thiungs I wish I;d thought of are the Amby baby nest hammock (wonderful!), the chicken igloo thingy for city gardens and Safespaces (oh I'd love a safespace).......

Alos thought about services that can be provided from home. CV writing, but market is saturated I think, would maybe be good for part time work, indexing (yawn! ).

Erm- will ponder more, but think I have to sign off for the afternoon now......

or given my other current thread how about ball pools that don't cost a fortune ??? I'd love to run somehting like spacekraft because then I could try out the equipment.

I had an idea a while ago but don't want to broadcast it on here....

will email you if I still have your address

cd, mine is my real name with a dot in the middle like this, wicked.waterwitch@gmail dot com - if you can remember my surname. Or Enid, Cod, MI, Willow2 all have my other email.