New Year, new business?

"Believe you can and you're halfway there"  Theodore Roosevelt

New beginnings are good  for the soul. They keep us fresh, stop us from stagnating and take us on a new journey.  The dawning of a new year is a great time to realise a new project.  Whether it's searching for a new home, undertaking a new fitness regime, learning a new language or maybe launching a new business, they all require commitment and hard work.  

Take building a business, for example, it takes bags of enthusiasm, self-belief and a dogged determination to succeed on what can sometimes seem a lonely journey.   But take heart because there is plenty of support out there: you just need to be resourceful, think smart and box clever. ..

• Start close to home and identify key members of your friends and family circle who have particular talents that you might be able to use or tap into.  
• ​Challenge yourself to come up with a new idea everyday and act on it.
• ​Talk to people: share your challenges, your hopes and stay alert for new opportunities.
• ​Find a local business networking group, which you can look to for support and share best practice with.
• ​Study your competitors, understand what is already out there and how you can differentiate your offer. 
• Visualise where you want to be and map out your plan of action.
• ​Play to your strengths and think about your USPs.
• ​Stay abreast of the latest consumer trends: how is business responding to these? how can you make the most of them and be relevant?
• ​And when you're ready to take the leap, PR is  a cost-effective way for start-ups and small businesses to get their message out and ensure they are visible: think about your target market and their media consumption; use your social media networks e.g. set-up a Facebook page;  build a simple website to be your shop window, there are lots of easy-to-use, DIY construction templates out there;  write a blog;  tell your local newspaper and radio station about your business launch and make sure they get regular news updates from you.

​Be open and receptive, think laterally, keep it simple ... and most of all, believe in yourself!  The rest is a piece of cake!