START UP OR SHUT DOWN
WHAT’S THE REAL MESSAGE FOR 2012?
WES News desk –London 13 January 2012
‘Bleak prospects for 2012’, that’s the message from pundits. Despite this cynical message of a double dip, more job losses and businesses closing their doors, there are still messages signalling one to start a business. In 2012, the message is similar to that of previous years; entrepreneurship can bring the struggling economy back on track. So, “Whether you think that you can, or that you can’t, you are usually right ”, the words from one of the most successful businessman, Henry Ford pointed out a message that still has resonance in the current troubled economic times, it is all about mind-set, the chances are a positive outlook could lead you to a positive business model or vice versa. Deciding to take the risk into starting a business can be daunting, but the message is clear, start with an idea. Experts state that “The definition of a start-up is entrepreneurs with an idea in search of a business model”. The idea phase is crucial as it could potentially lead to a business start-up and long term growth or a shut down in the near future.
THE GOLD RUSH
The fast approaching Olympic games of 2012 will see more than 200 countries descending on London to watch their sporting heroes. The business-minded are considering this a gold rush, with many renting out their properties four times its value. Ex - England Footballer, Sol Campbell will rent his Chelsea home for a whopping £75,000 per week. Evidence from previous Games indicates that there can be extremely lucrative start-up businesses. When Australia hosted the 2000 Games, small and medium enterprises in the area secured around £2.5bn. This figure shows that the Olympics presents a range of opportunities for businesses of all sizes and from varying industries, including construction, hospitality and retail. To make a start, one should check the London 2012 website for tendering opportunities.
E-COMMERCE
More and more consumers are choosing to shop online then why not consider online retailing! This is a quick and easy way to start a business without the huge costs incurred. eBay, the UK’s number one e-commerce site, and Amazon are where many individuals have established their businesses. Recent statistics indicate that eBay has 17 million live listings on its UK site, and 120,000 registered businesses selling their products via the platform, with approximately 18 million unique monthly visitors, the potential scope of a start-up business is enormous, to say the least. If you into education technology, the interactive white-board industry is on the increase, as online education becomes an integral part of the academic curriculum, technologies related to online education and training is gaining immense popularity. Many companies have already started grabbing the opportunity to provide better and user-friendly services to students, teachers and parents.
GO GREEN
Experts predict the go green venture will be here today and tomorrow, with long term business prospects. The number of start-ups related to the energy industry has also shot up significantly in recent years. With wind farms popping up everywhere and solar energy technology constantly improving there’s an increase in business opportunities in this area. There’s also a huge gap in information on how to save energy, effective means to conserve it, education about energy, alternative energy sources, carbon footprints, and carbon credits agencies. An expert in this field could set up an energy consultancy business.
CONSULTANCY
Speaking of consultancy, there is media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, but there appears to be no clear strategy on how one can utilise social networking to really benefit their brand, hence the social media consultant can fill this gap. The key to consultancy is having a specialised knowledge hence this will be your selling point. For example if you have a strong computer background specialising in data-base management, you can become a computer consultant, whose job is to help companies and organisations realise the profit potential in computers, by helping solve information-management problems. Some of the key types of work a computer consultant does are: business requirement analysis, preliminary system design, hardware acquisition and installation, documentation, system maintenance, periodic evaluation and audits.
100% CONFIDENT
Additional business start-up ideas for 2012 include freelancing, life coaching, event planning and virtual assistant services. A word of caution, while you might be 100% confident in your business idea and capabilities, a downturn in the market could mean that there’s insufficient demand for your services. It would be wise to research the market before you proceed with your business idea, for example in the United Kingdom, the Office of National Statistics data on business demography published annually provides a good insight on the types of businesses that are likely to succeed or fail. Ultimately, the ‘real’ message is the push to start a business, but proceed with caution! Have your say…