Make It Happen

The Prince's Trust Guide to Starting Your Own Business

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• Publisher: Capstone
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9780857080455
• eBook ISBN: 9780857081544
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Imprenditoria
• Index: Business

Foreword by Prince's Trust Chairman and founder of Carphone Warehouse Charles Dunstone.

Includes advice and guidance from James Caan, Mike Clare and many more top entrepreneurs.

The first all-encompassing start up guide from the UK's most respected business charity.

The Prince's Trust has been helping people start their own businesses since 1983…now you can make it happen too. Make It Happen brings together, for the first time, these years of wisdom and expertise. Now everyone has access to The Prince's Trust's unique start-up advice…for just the price of this book.

This is a one-stop shop for starting and running your own business – a definitive guide that covers everything you'll need to know and do to start the business you've always dreamed of.   Including:

• Coming up with your business idea
• Getting funding
• Writing your business plan
• Finding an office
• Making your first sales
• Dealing with the finances
• Real life stories from successful entrepreneurs

Everyone dreams of working for themselves and making their own fortune – come on, stop dreaming and Make It Happen.

The Prince's Trust helps change young lives. Founded in 1976 by HRH The Prince of Wales, The Trust works with disadvantaged young people to get them into work, education or training. The Prince's Trust also provides financial and practical support to inspire young entrepreneurs as part of its Enterprise Programme.  It is very proud to have the support of some of the UK's leading entrepreneurs who are committed to supporting the next generation of young businesses.

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Selling yourself

There are many different parts to setting up and running a successful business. There is your idea, your product or service, your finances – and you. How you behave makes a huge difference to your business, your employees and your customers. Everyone you come into contact with – customers, suppliers, even your bank manager – will form impressions and make decisions based on how you present yourself. The more professional you are in your dealings with people, the more faith people will have in your business.

Get the message across

Being able to communicate effectively with staff, partners and the general public is essential if you are going to run a successful business. Don’t worry if this is not something that comes naturally. Good communication skills can be learned, but it’s important to practise regularly in order to be confident in any situation, whether it’s a business meeting, sales presentation or social engagement with a client.

‘Good communication skills can be learned’

The language barrier

The way that you speak to people and the type of language you use can have a major impact on whether people take your ideas and business proposals seriously. People make a judgement of you within the first few seconds of meeting you and how you speak is just as important as what you say. A person will instinctively form an impression based on your tone of voice, your accent and the language you choose to use.

Here are some tips to keep in mind to make sure you communicate effectively:

Speak clearly, in a calm and polite manner.

Focus on the positive. Always give and receive positives rather than negatives because it keeps the conversation upbeat.

Mirror the other person. If their comments are short and succinct, make sure yours are too. This helps to create a relaxed and positive atmosphere where all feel equal.

If you are talking to one other person, make and hold eye contact with them – but don’t stare them out!

In groups, speak to the whole group. Bring your eyes to rest on different people in the group and respond to any questions by including everyone.

Get your point across quickly. Think about the key things you want to say before you say them to make sure that you don’t ramble.

Top tip

Here are some tricks to play on yourself if you’re feeling nervous:

Have a business alter ego to help you get through nerve-racking situations – for example, picture yourself as a world leader giving a powerful speech.

Focus on your tone of voice and your breathing and relax your shoulders as you speak.

Wear clothes and shoes you feel comfortable in.

Know when to take the meeting ‘offline’: i.e. when to continue the discussion privately or on another occasion if, say, too much detail is being discussed.

Avoid slang, jargon and swearing that may cause offence.

Avoid unhelpful clichés, like ‘Failure is not an option.’

Try not to fidget with your hair or clothes – it will distract from what you’re saying.

Be aware of your body. People make judgments based on your body language. You can be supportive when you’re not speaking by nodding your head slowly, making eye contact, facing the speaker and making other gestures that show you’re interested.

My story

David Scott, Phoenix Roofing

I worked for a national roofing company when I left school, but they weren’t offering good service and I didn’t want to be part of it. We were being asked to do things we weren’t trained to do, and they ended up on Watchdog.

I did some leadwork training, and set up my own company doing leadwork for churches and older buildings, and then got into green roofs too. I’ve since gone into partnership with an established pitch roof company.

Teamwork is vital within our company and with other companies. We try and assist each other where we can, as what goes around comes around. Nine times out of ten you will get a favour back.

I think with suppliers, and even with clients, it is good to be firm, but without being rude. In this market, people try and take what they can, and are constantly trying to get us to do a little bit extra. If you say yes, it gives them ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title page
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Forewords
• Introduction
• One: Starting a business
• Two: Forming a business
• Three: Marketing and sales
• Four: Managing your money
• Five: Where to work
• Six: The legal bit
• Seven: Selling yourself
• Eight: Mentors and role models
• Nine: Growing your business
• Ten: Writing the business plan
• Conclusion
• Directory
• Acknowledgments