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Your EnterQuest Bulletin - Issue 213
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| Thought for the week: "That which we persist in doing becomes easier, not that the task itself has become easier, but that our ability to perform it has improved." Ralph Waldo Emerson |
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In this week's issue:
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'Never give up' is cook's recipe for business success
A mother-of-six has made it her business to teach children to cook - and she says there is a growing market for other social enterprises that want to follow her example.
Fiona Bird was a finalist in TV's 2001 MasterChef and used the exposure from the programme to turn her passion of getting kids involved with food and cookery into a reality.
She said: "After the competition, Nick Nairn [celebrity chef and former MasterChef judge] asked me to do a demonstration. I said, 'actually, what I want to do is get children cooking.'"
Stirrin' Stuff was boosted by public interest in "the great work" TV chef Jamie Oliver has done to change children's eating habits.
Fiona said: "Thanks to Jamie Oliver, people want their children to eat a healthy diet."
Fiona is based in Scotland, where cookery is compulsory at S1 and S2 levels in secondary school. That means schools have a budget to invite Fiona into school to give cookery demonstrations. However, interest elsewhere in the UK is likely to increase because the Schools Food Trust is shortly to launch cooking clubs for children.
Stirrin' Stuff also makes money through partnerships with the food industry. Fiona uses products made by her backers, such as Quality Meat Scotland, and Hamlyns, a Scottish porridge oats company. This involves a certain amount of product promotion.
She said: "I wish I didn't have to [promote the brands], but if that's the only way I can get kids cooking [I'll do it]."
Fiona believes there is a definite niche for such enterprises - but warns it's not a get rich quick scheme.
She said: "There's a growing market for this kind of business. But if people go down this route they're not going to be millionaires. I don't think this is a dollar sign business."
And what is Fiona's top tip for success?
"Tenacity: never take no for an answer. It's go, go, go, like a tiger!"
She initially approached an organisation for backing but was turned away and tried her luck elsewhere, again to no avail. She returned to the original company, which this time agreed to help.
She added: "If you just keep going, people think 'crikey, we've got to get rid of her.'"
Fiona is happy to advise other people interested in starting similar enterprises. Contact her via the Stirrin' Stuff website at www.stirrinstuff.org.
Finding market research information
Many people simply don't know where to begin when looking for sources of market research information. Local libraries' reference and business information departments often stock a range of market reports, trade directories, company information and statistics, all of which can be useful to you when researching your market. The following sources are worth a look at:
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Dialog (www.dialog.com) - this has over 350 databases that cover industry analysis and market research about finance, media, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and food and drink sectors.
See our practical factsheet on market research for business start ups for more information.
Each week we provide you with summaries of some popular or emerging business ideas in the UK and elsewhere around the world.
- High street goods delivered to your door - a new online service offers customers the opportunity to buy goods from their local high street online. Pop to the Shops aims to preserve local high street businesses by enabling customers to buy local produce from the shops on their local high street. Customers register with the site, select their items, then pay for their shopping in one single payment.
Regularly improving your vocabulary is not just about learning a new word and its meaning. It will improve your general knowledge and make you feel and act smarter in all sorts of personal and business situations.
Do you know the meaning of the word 'expeditious'?
a) Taking a roundabout route to a destination
b) Acting with speed and efficiency
c) Requiring great mental strength
d) Slow and cumbersome
Answer at the end of the Bulletin.
The following topical business issues have been recently reported in the media. Did your radar pick them up?
1) Which broadband provider has the most customers in the UK, according to new figures?
a) BT
b) Virgin Media (incorporating Telewest and NTL)
c) AOL
d) Carphone Warehouse
2) According to a British Standards Institute (BSI) report, more than 7 out of 10 consumers cite which reason for deserting a business in favour of a competitor?
a) Poor opening/service hours
b) Limited choice of products/services
c) Poor customer service
d) Pushy sales staff
3) Which colour is most popular among successful businesses, according to a new study by Leeds University?
a) Red
b) Blue
c) Yellow
d) Green
Answers at the end of the Bulletin.
Handy online guide to search engines and internet marketing
The Search Engine Guide is an online guide that's full of hints and tips for small businesses that have an online presence. Users can discover how to get the best search engine rankings they can and link to relevant articles and tutorials on search engine optimisation (SEO).
Online advertising for businesses
Businesses can use an online directory to advertise their services and reach new customers. FreeIndex is a comprehensive business directory that lists businesses in all sectors throughout the UK. To add your business simply sign up to the service and fill in your business' details using the online form. Businesses must be UK-based and have a valid UK address in order to be listed.
Salespeople and their effects on customers
This Knowledge@Wharton article looks at aspects of customer dissatisfaction and suggests that unhelpful, disinterested salespeople are often the cause of an unhappy customer, which can lead to lost business. The article links to a consumer dissatisfaction study and ends by summarising the characteristics of 'ideal' salespeople.
Free tool to manage your tasks and to-do lists
Accomplice is a free tool that allows you to manage and prioritise your tasks and co-ordinate your workflow more efficiently. It also works with Outlook and other programmes and allows you to keep track of meetings and appointments. You can use the software to manage groups of other workers as well as your own workload.
This book is a practical guide to testing whether your idea will work in the real world before you sit down to write a business plan. Author John Mullins looks at how successful entrepreneurs and investors operate, and has put the lessons he has learned together in this book. He has identified seven areas you should look at to see if your idea has a realistic chance of succeeding. This, he says, will help you to invest your time wisely and have the confidence to pitch your ideas to potential investors. Check out:
Just one word answer
The answer is b).
Expeditious means acting with speed and efficiency.
When the grocer was told about the potentially contaminated salad he was expeditious in removing it from the chilled cabinet. |
How's your business radar? The answers
1) The answer is a). BT has a 3.66 million customer base, giving it a 26% share of the UK broadband market.
2) The answer is c). BSI's report states that 76% of people said that poor customer service drove them to use a competitor.
3) The answer is b). The study found that blue was the most popular corporate colour for some of Britain's biggest companies. |
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Good luck
The EnterQuest Team
This information is meant as a starting point only. Whilst all reasonable efforts have been made, the publisher makes no warranties that the information is accurate and up-to-date and will not be responsible for any errors or omissions in the information nor any consequences of any errors or omissions. Professional advice should be sought where appropriate. |
