New Enterprise Allowance scheme - My story

WantToBeSE

Business Plan

PART TWO (part 3 to follow in next post).

Researching Your Market:
-Customers
-Competitors

-Customers: Find people like the ones you are aiming to sell to, and ask for their ideas, feedback. This can be done online or in person, with the use of questionnaires for example.

Who are your potential customers?
Why would they be interested in your service/product
Where do they shop
What are their hobbies

By doing this you can get an idea of:
How big is my market
What potential is there to expand
Be realistic (if there is no need or want for your product/service, you may have to rethink).

-Competitors:
who are they
what service do they provide
what are their strengths and (most importantly) their weaknesses.
Once you know what they offer, you can demonstrate how you will differ from them-THIS IS YOUR USP. It can be something as simple as great customer service, or something very unique.

WantToBeSE

Will post more later this evening I hope someone finds that useful.

TeeKay10

WantToBeSE wrote: »

Hehehe, no, i wont be sharing the USP with anyone, until i have started trading

Spoilsport! :rotfl: Be good to hear it when you are up and running though.
I hope you are finding that there is quite a good demand for cleaners in your area as I am? It seems very much these days that life is so busy for everyone that if they can afford a cleaner they'd (rightfully) rather spend time doing other things than cleaning their homes etc.

Which is good for us oddbods who enjoy doing it!

Looking forward to reading your Business Plan post in a bit, thanks for spending the time doing it for others, very good of you! :beer:

pinkypoopydoo

WantToBeSE wrote: »

Thats great Pinky, do you mind me asking where you find the info for SE rates in the local area?

For England, the self employment rates are available at https://www.nomisweb.co.uk, in Scotland, figures from the 2001 census are available from https://www.scrol.gov.uk, but I have struggled to find the more up to date info, so I have have emailed them for the info needed.

WantToBeSE

Business Plan

PART 3 (Final Part)

Sales and Marketing
Otherwise known as your "route to market".
This shows that you will earn an income from your business.

-Sales channels to deliver info about your business/advertise, to potential customers.
Internet (possibly set up your own website, FB page)
Face-to-face
Telephone
Or a combination of all of the above methods.

-Outline pricing structure
How much will products cost me
How much will customers pay


Financial plan

-Estimate of set up and running costs
Equipment
Products
Staff
Transport (to get to customers house, or to get to the suppliers)
Insurances etc.

-Profit and Loss Forecasts
-Cashflow projections

These are all based on your assumptions of how many hours you will work, the price paid for your service, and your USP value:

Estimate your sales for each month of your 1st 12 months of trading
Work out how much you need to see/earn each month to 'break even'
Calculate how long it will take to make a profit

-Calculate your risk
Costs going up
Selling less than expected

and explain how you will manage this (i.e. agency work), and you will attempt to prevent it.

WantToBeSE

TeeKay10 wrote: »

Spoilsport! :rotfl: Be good to hear it when you are up and running though.
I hope you are finding that there is quite a good demand for cleaners in your area as I am? It seems very much these days that life is so busy for everyone that if they can afford a cleaner they'd (rightfully) rather spend time doing other things than cleaning their homes etc.

Which is good for us oddbods who enjoy doing it!

Looking forward to reading your Business Plan post in a bit, thanks for spending the time doing it for others, very good of you! :beer:

Thanks TeeKay

I am sure that it will get jumped on by some critical busybody who couldn't bear the idea of someone being successful, but i like to think that it may help someone like myself who desperately wants to work and for whom SE is the only option.

Yes, there is definitely a need for cleaners here.
The way that i am thinking of it is that with all the government cuts, people will be working more hours, mothers will be going back to work longer hours too, and that's where people like us come in If they don't have the time to clean because they are working, i will do it for them

andyscott

WantToBeSE wrote: »

Thanks TeeKay

I am sure that it will get jumped on by some critical busybody who couldn't bear the idea of someone being successful, but i like to think that it may help someone like myself who desperately wants to work and for whom SE is the only option.

Yes, there is definitely a need for cleaners here.
The way that i am thinking of it is that with all the government cuts, people will be working more hours, mothers will be going back to work longer hours too, and that's where people like us come in If they don't have the time to clean because they are working, i will do it for them

Thats great that you spent your time writing all that info up on here but as you say there will be someone will want to have a moan about it.

I like the fact that you never just put in the chapters of a business plan but you also mention exactly what the chapters should contain.

This will be very useful for anyone on here wanting to go onto NEA and needing a business plan.

fay66

Hi sorry to but in. Is anyone claiming rtw grant . If your s/e do you need to be having nmw

pinkypoopydoo

I spoke to my adviser today, and now have a date of May 7th for handing over my business plan for her to look over, with a projected launch date of July 15th. I also managed to pick up a new client today, and I've not even advertised or started marketing. Waiting on my logo design appearing (how long does it take?! Does anyone know? It's been 8 days since I last heard from the designer guy. I thought it would be a simple, 24 hour thing - I didn't ask for anything complicated!)

In all, I am RIDICULOUSLY excited, and feeling hugely positive just now

pinkypoopydoo

fay66 wrote: »

Hi sorry to but in. Is anyone claiming rtw grant . If your s/e do you need to be having nmw

You need to prove you are working at least 16 hours a week and you can't earn any more than £288.46/week, but at least minimum wage.

https://www.gov.uk/return-to-work-credit/eligibility