Be your own boss in 2012: How to set up your own company for less than 1,000 – PART 5
This is Money has teamed up with Huddlebuy.co.uk, Europe’s largest group buying site for entrepreneurs and businesses, with this great weekly column.
The bottom line – Huddlebuy aims to make a big difference to your…bottom line. So if you are involved in a business, if you are an entrepreneur or would-be entrepreneur, a start-up, a home worker or consultant…read on and start saving money right away.
This week – Huddlebuy's Andy Yates, himself an entrepreneur, delivers the second part of how to set up a fully fledged business for less than 1,000! [READ PART 1; READ PART 2; READ PART 3, READ PART 4]
Protect your business: It is now easy to to check out competitors and understand your market
The story so far…
It is amazing how much you can do on so little money when you know where
to look…I have set up the company, got a bank account, secured a domain
name, built a website, got a logo, sorted out the paperwork, got an
accounts package and a virtual office address, sorted out my e-commerce
platform, my online marketing and social media, my email service, office
equipment, telecoms and broadband, office supplies and some help – all
for a grand total of 962.
Now that is progress!
But that just leaves me the princely sum of 38 so time to really get
scrimping…
Step 17: First Impressions Count
Any self respecting entrepreneur needs business cards to help woo those
all important first clients and luckily you can get them at a snip these
days online.
Moo (www.Moo.co.uk) and Vistaprint (www.vistaprint.co.uk) are good at
this – and I can get some professional looking cards for just 11.
Step 18: Utilising the best offers
One of my biggest ongoing costs for any business these days is energy
bills. I certainly don’t want to get stung for huge costs when I get
going. So I check out Make it Cheaper (www.makeitcheaper.com) – who are a
trusted source for price comparisons – for a free review and quote.
USwitch (www.uswitchforbusiness.com) is another useful service to
get the best deal on a budget and find out exactly where you stand.
Step 19: Protecting your idea
Setting up a new business can be a real buzz – but in that first flush
of youth you can often forget something important.
One of the last things entrepreneurs think about is whether or not their
great new idea or invention, or their whizzy new website or app is
protected from competitors. Many small businesses only find out that is
has been copied or stolen when it is too late.
Future Proof (www.futureproofyourbusiness.com) helps inventors and
entrepreneurs protect their ideas without breaking the bank.
The free advice pack on the home page is a great starting point to work
out if my idea is unique and can be protected.
Step 20: Business Freebies
The good news is that there are plenty of great services I can access
straight away to help my business without paying a penny.
Business Link (www.businesslink.gov.uk) is a good free Government
resource for businesses offering information and support. To be fair
there is a lot of information on there and it takes a bit of time to
wade through it and find out what you need, but for any first time
entrepreneur it is worth it.
It used to be difficult to check out competitors and understand your
market or industry. Now there are a few free resources that make it far
easier.
Level Business (www.levelbusiness.com) is a good way to get free data
and evaluate potential partners and customers. Due Dil (www.duedil.com)
is another useful resource.
Right I have 27 left and a few more tricks up my sleeve.
Next week: Top Business Freebies continued…
Related posts:
- Be your own boss in 2012: How to set up your own company for less than 1,000 – PART 3
- Be your own boss in 2012: How to set up your own company for less than 1,000 PART 2
- UK firms must tackle lack of women on company boards in 2012, says business leader
- How to set up your own company for less than 1,000
- 1,170 "business deaths" A DAY last year as company closures hit record high