Have you started up your own business?

[123girlsandboys321]

Hello! I'd absolutely love to start my own business and would love to hear if you have - what kind of business is it? Lessons learned etc? I know it's A LOT of work but I'm very keen!

What is your business idea?

It would be easier to give specific advice if you could say a little bit about what you are planning on doing?

Do something that you are really interested in. The hardest step is deciding what it is you want to do - if you are not passionate about it then it will come across to potential customers. There are lots of saturated markets so don't rush into starting it - create the product first, make it look good and then start marketing it. What is your USP? I sell succulents it took me about a year to actually start my business from when I decided I had to make a go of it.

Make sure you have the financial backing to get it up and running. I paid for my logo etc to be made and my leaflets are done at a professional printer.

I have my own business- I make and sell craft items.
I made my own logo, and did not need financial backing.
You can start small and re- invest into your business.

@JaneyBM

My friend has just started a business as a Pink Spaghetti virtual assistant. She was desperate to wfh and be her own boss after being made redundant.

Did she already have admin experience?

My husband and I started our own business. We invested around £750k, took about 8 hard years to turn a reliable profit. We're now (13 years in) doing pretty well. Eventually hope we'll sell, but its not a foregone conclusion as its quite specialised and (as yet) still relies on us as individuals too much.

It's bloody hard work. It does all belong to us though. And what we have created supports the livelihood of 8 families currently - that is satisfying.

Been running a business since 2000 so more than happy to help with any advice at all, what is your plan?

It's very exciting to set up, I'm always coming up with new ideas and business plans as I miss that buzz of it being all new.

Hi, I have set up and run several businesses mainly in health and social care since 2014. Also deliver entrepreneurs talks so happy to help.

Best advice I can give is don't listen to anyone if you genuinely in your gut feel that it is a god business. Also, there will be ups and downs but hard work and being patient will pay off.

I started a business just before the pandemic... made no money but thank goodness I listened to a piece of advice I read years ago which was "don't invest more than you can pay back"...so the financial damage was very limited. I am not giving up, but I'm taking another direction and do something totally different, from home and with hardly any investment. Previous posts offered great advice, sorry I can't be more helpful, but do follow your heart and choose something you really passionate about and offer great customer service. Good luck!