Starting your own business can be an exciting prospect, but there are many things to consider before leaping into entrepreneurship…
What are the legalities around being a business owner? Do you need a website, an office and to employ staff? How do you know if your business idea will work? And what happens if sales are slow to start or your business even fails?
If you are considering entrepreneurship, this special replay of a recent Facebook/LinkedIn Live is for you. Join us as our founder, Elizabeth Willetts, chats with experienced business owner Rebecca Newenham from Get Ahead to discuss the things you might not have first considered when launching a new business.
Rebecca has over 12 years of entrepreneurial experience and will teach you what you need to launch a business. She’ll discuss the setup costs associated with a start-up, helping you decide whether you can afford them; common pitfalls; building resilience; and the importance of personal branding as a business owner.
We will also discuss the challenges of being a woman in business and how flexible working is changing the scene and helping to close the gender pay gap…
Get Ahead was created in 2010 by businesswoman Rebecca Newenham. Since then, Get Ahead has grown by opening regional offices across the UK, providing outsourced business support to over 100 clients at any time.
Rebecca’s vision for the business is simple. To ensure any business across the UK – small or large – has the opportunity to tap into the right virtual support to help them achieve their goals!
Enjoyed this conversation? Then check out our conversation with Rebecca from Get Ahead, where she unveils the success of her recruitment franchise here.
[00:00] Introducing Rebecca Newenham from Get Ahead.
[02:12] The business landscape and social media in 2010
[03:48] How do you test whether a business idea is viable?
[05:00] Do you need a website while getting started?
[07:47] Registering your business
[09:15] Limited Company vs Sole Trader pros and cons
[10:42] How much money do you need to launch a business?
[13:28] Can you provide services for free in exchange for exposure and experience?
[14:40] Advice to people with a great business idea but hate selling
[16:12] Do you need an office when getting started?
[17:41] Do you need to employ staff?
[20:20] Do you need a bookkeeper and a lawyer?
[22:25] Best ways to market your business
[23:47] What does personal branding mean?
[26:43] What about using Facebook and Google Ads to build your brand?
[27:39] Advice to those finding it hard to get started
[28:54] How to make a call on when to pivot
[29:53] Celebrating the success of your business
[31:59] About Get Ahead
[34:41] How to connect with Rebecca
Notable Quotes
- If you’ve got a business idea and you want to start it, it’s so easy just to get going.
- If you’ve got that passion and want to do something for yourself, just go for it because it’s your energy that people will be attracted to.
- A Limited Business is better than being a Sole Trader because you’re protected and in a slightly different way than if you’re doing it solely in your name.
- There’s not a huge amount of cash that you need to outlay at the very beginning. I think it’s more time and ensuring you’re spending that time in the right places.
- If you’ve got passion and want to run a business, you need to own that space and gain the confidence to talk about it to other people.
- People buy from people they know, like and trust. So you just need to build that element into your business.
- Just steer clear of employing people until you need to and look at different imaginative ways of working with people as well, and get recommendations.
- I would commit to one or two (social media) platforms, depending on where your ideal clients hang out.
- It’s important to remember that work is essential, but so are your home life and your mental health as well.
- A franchise opportunity allows you to immediately slot into something that’s been tried and tested, and proven. But you can run it on your way to a degree as well.
Show Links
Connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn.
Visit Get Ahead VA’s website here.
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Running a home-based business. Check out our guide, 5 Ways To Successfully Manage Your Business From Home: A Guide For Busy Mums, here.