Feedback on Mary Portas Master Classes please

Polly

I'm planning to start a business this year and am interested in the Mary Portas series of courses delivered via Skillsmart Retail. They're fairly expensive so I would love to hear some feedback from anyone who might have completed one or all of them already. They're primarily for shop owners but the topics are fairly common to all businesses and include developing a brand, finance and business planning, marketing and selling skills etc.

terra_ferma

One of the first rules of business: you create they hype, but don't buy into it...

ie if your idea of a good business course is going with a TV celeb, you won't go far in business.

disclaimer: if you have made the decision for other reasons, and MP's credentials are not just presenting entertaining TV programmes, I'll take it all back...

paddyrg

I'm sure she's perfectly decent at what she does, although I reckon you'll get something very similar from many others, without the 'woman off tv' premium. Remember a lot of people in the seminars market will go to each others courses and steal ideas, so they all end up pretty similar anyway.

Polly

terra_ferma wrote: »

One of the first rules of business: you create they hype, but don't buy into it...

ie if your idea of a good business course is going with a TV celeb, you won't go far in business.

disclaimer: if you have made the decision for other reasons, and MP's credentials are not just presenting entertaining TV programmes, I'll take it all back...

OOOOh! Consider myself suitably chastised! Seriously though, it's one of a series of options I'm considering before taking the plunge. The free 'Start a business' courses run by the enterprise agencies seem to differ widely in quality so I'm just checking out other options. Still hope to get feedback on the Mary courses so if anyone else can help, please do so.

terra_ferma

Polly wrote: »

OOOOh! Consider myself suitably chastised! Seriously though, it's one of a series of options I'm considering before taking the plunge. The free 'Start a business' courses run by the enterprise agencies seem to differ widely in quality so I'm just checking out other options. Still hope to get feedback on the Mary courses so if anyone else can help, please do so.

Glad you did not take offence
I don't know what type of business you are plan to starting, by talking as someone who has taken all sorts of courses, management development, management theory at uni etc. I would say generally speaking money may be better spent invested directly in the business.
There are also cheaper ways of gaining knowledge, like a business network.
I know this is not what you were asking.... but on MSE forum you always get opinionated posters sticking their nose everywhere...;)

I run an online business, started on ebay, and now on a website, b&m may be different, I can't comment on that.

Horace

Try your local chamber of commerce as they tend to offer free advice to start ups and free courses...I did a few before I ventured into business. The HMRC do a good free course too on how to complete your Self Assessment Tax Return.

Business Link Courses can be good and can in some instances be free.

Sure Mary Portas is great - but a lot of business is common sense and I feel sure that you can do a window dressing course at a local college.

isplumm

Polly wrote: »

OOOOh! Consider myself suitably chastised! Seriously though, it's one of a series of options I'm considering before taking the plunge. The free 'Start a business' courses run by the enterprise agencies seem to differ widely in quality so I'm just checking out other options. Still hope to get feedback on the Mary courses so if anyone else can help, please do so.

Hi,

How about trying some business networking - I found 4N very good ... http://www.4networking.biz/

Mark

paulwf

As another poster has claimed the first rule of business I'll have to call this one the second rule of business:

Second rule of business: don't spend £1,400 ex VAT on courses

I get emails and newsletters from various local business agencies and they are always full of expensive courses. Whilst well meaning and on topics such as H&S, first aid, tax etc there are usually free or very cheap alternatives. A lot of my business startup tips I got from a couple of books and I picked those up second hand to save some money


Seriously, anyone that spends that sort of money before starting a business probably hasn't got the right mindset (yet) to run a small business. We survive by watching the pennies all the time, any money should be spent on promoting the company image not on startup courses imho.

Polly

All advice very useful. The courses are subsidised in Wales and the whole package comes in at around £200 which I believe is a great deal. However, it's closer to £800 where I live so I think I'll give it a miss and check out the free options.

motorguy

There are a load of really good books available on starting your own business, often in the your particular field.

Look them up on amazon and read the reviews carefully beforehand - you should be able to gain a lot of knowledge without attending a course.

Horace

isplumm wrote: »

Hi,

How about trying some business networking - I found 4N very good ... http://www.4networking.biz/

Mark

4N's membership fees are high if you are a start up and they meet from 8am til 10am which takes out a large proportion of your day. There are many less expensive networking groups around where you can meet real businesses but these tend to meet at around 7am. There are even free ones with no membership fees at all. Look at the Find It In type groups often run by your local council - these put you in front of buyers.

4N is good for some things but don't expect to get business from it - I was a member for 18 months and slogged my guts out for them (they are very keen to recruit people to be on teams) and got zip, no business just a load of earache and work (I was on a team). I would rather work for me than line someone's pocket.