From Little Acorns ...

Don't judge a book!

Small business acorns grow into big business trees!  Recently I took on a new client who was running a very small lifestyle business. I always maintain in helping a business the size of business does not matter. The principles of business are always there to be questioned and looked for. What you do about that alters with the sophistication and size of the business, but the basics are always there.

My new client had a part time face painting business. Immediately coming to mind will be kid's parties and school fetes. Coming from a corporate background my client had some contacts already and had also done some company events as well as a few parties.

Other possibilities open out when you think about it. Weddings? The bridesmaids have spent a fortune on their makeup and everyone else is made up to the nines. However they won't mind having a pretty design on their arms. The children need a focus anyway so a wedding makes sense as does a corporate staff event.

Add to school fetes some agricultural shows and other outdoor events and you can see the business needs some hired help. Collaborating with trusted painters and recruiting helpers to manage queues,  take money and distribute leaflets means having a well organised operation. Outdoor events can mean anything from rallies and shows of all kinds to athletics and other sporting events, including internationals. This leads on to other collaborations and before long we are organising  events.

Having the right staff to represent you means training and managing. Promotional activity means having equipment sets and materials, banners, gazebos, stickers and leaflets, portfolios etc. etc.

In a short space of time our little face painting hobby business has turned into a full blown entertainment exercise with a substantial capacity for income.  Now we have a franchise-able business!

There are the designs for the various events and festivals of the yearly calendar plus the health and safety training.  Supplying the materials and templates and specialist equipment opens up further income streams for an attractive franchise business. Then the web sites and all the promotional activities become developed and sophisticated for everyone involved.

"Face painting by Irene" in Chepstow and Caldicot  can be Face Painting by Nora for Norwich, Martin from Manchester,  Bridget from Bristol... 

We have a UK wide business!

 

Many thanks to Face Painting By Irene and Irene Quelch who has given me permission to use her business as a basis for this article. She is not there with all this as yet, but is well on the way. Irene can be found at http://facepaintingbyirene.co.uk/ and contacted by phone on 07826 847617 if you are in SE Wales. 

Other areas, Stand by! It's coming!

You Have One minute!

Business breakfasts, business networking events  and similar events often invite you to stand up and have one minute to say what you do!  Where to start? Similarly a common approach when at an event to meet new people is to ask,  'What do you do?' Much the same sort of content is required then as well.

Put on the spot you might struggle. Standing up and announcing to the gathered throng how good you are does not come easily either. Even those who have done it enough times to be relaxed about can and do get it wrong.

Obviously, if you are a new business you do need to sort out just what you do and what you need to say about it. There are some tactics you might adopt to avoid drying up and wishing you were invisible.

1) Have some simple things to say about what you have to offer. (Not so much what you do, but rather the benefit of using your service or product)

2) Rehearse it to check timing and sensible content but do not over rehearse. Never read it out unless you are so nervous you really need to do so. In which case make sure you speak it and don't read it. The tone of your voice when reading will be informational, not inviting.

3) Have a summary line which is memorable. Humorous perhaps, or at least a neat summation of your key message.

4) Speak up but do not shout. You do want them to hear you right?

5) Take a breath as you stand up and sort out your chair before beginning to speak. Face your audience before speaking. If you say your name and business name do so slowly and clearly and pause to let it sink in.

6) You only have one minute. Have an intro, a middle and an end. Sit down having made a clear statement and not distracted your audience away from your message.

7) Avoid saying 'also I do... '  then 'also I do...' with a long list. It's better to keep your content to one area of business.

8) Follow a formula such as this:  You know when..What I do is.. The result is..The benefits are..  (Not necessarily those words)

One of the key things BobShepherd Associates can give is an external view. This applies to networking speeches as much as anything else. Get a view of what you are saying from another perspective. It can always be better.  As a sort of critical friend to my clients it is one of the minor but important aspects we cover together.

It's a complicated thing altogether and worthy of a lengthy book chapter, but simple in its principles. 

Networking Not Working?

For small businesses it is essential and compulsory to get your name out there! There are a number of ways of doing this of course but to make an obvious point - if no one knows you are there you can have the best ideas/service/expertise in the world and no one will see it.

The truth is that the networking meetings you may have thought I was referring to initially are a part of a web of marketing initiatives you can set up. The point is very much that they should all work together.

Presuming that your small business depends on the personality of one or two people for new business then the presentation to the outside world should take advantage of some obvious outlets available to you.

Each one supports and is supported by its neighbour. The marketing web includes a web site.  80 thousand businesses in Wales have no web site I saw recently. These days anyone under the age of let's say, 50 and quite a few over that age will search for things on line. I rest that case.

Moreover if your business intends to catch a younger demographic - then a mobile site is an essential addendum. 20% of searches are now done from mobiles rather than PCs. 

Back that up with references in a chatty way on Twitter and personal facebook. In a more business like way on a Business Facebook page and in a more serious way on LinkedIn.  Also include some longer pieces on blog sites. Now make those refer to some of the others and you are building a net. Have a nice leaflet to hawk around, prepare some quick answers to questions like 'What do you do?'  and you are ready for networking events.

The business message 

The link is a consistency of message. That doesn't mean bang on about the same things incessantly. It also doesn't mean grab someone by the throat until they agree to buy from you. It is all far more subtle than this.

It all has to fit and be part of your brand, your presence and indeed your personality on line. So too does all your communication. Have a nice email heading. Have a nice badge with your name on it for those events. Have a banner to put up. Work up a bit of a talk to make yourself memorable then deliver it. Make a few points on discussion forums.

Once established this all becomes part of your business personality. You will get to the stage when you can mix and match and adapt to what is going on around you.   The result? People will know you, like you and trust you to work for them or to recommend you. You have arrived!

But don't stop at that point. You have to keep up the presence out there. Oh, and you need to find time to do some of that work you have said you are good at....

Bob Shepherd Associates at http://www.bobshepherdassociates.co.uk/marketing.html  builds up businesses by helping you take a practical view of what you have, what you can do, and how it all can fit together. For a monthly sum that won't break the budget (there's another topic to consider) you will save so much time money and effort in developing your business, or perhaps setting up your business, that the investment will repay itself over and over. If you are in SE Wales or nearby, ask for an initial meeting at no charge to explore the possibilities and open the door to a new level of business.