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Dear Entrepreneur,

Assuming you have a good idea:

 Get a great contact network – reality check: whatever you plan to achieve probably can’t be done on your own. Get to know people in your proposed industry or even supporting industries that you could call on at a later date. Go to those cheesy networking events where even though it feels like everybody is interested in self-promotion, you may just find that interested party that will serve you well in the future.

 Get a buzz going about your product/service – enter competitions, speak to the media at every opportunity, get a great website and social media presence – all will help raise your profile without costing a ridiculous amount.

 Work frigging hard – some of our team worked two jobs to get the business off the ground; most people in these pages probably did the same. Expect to work 80+ hours a week if you want to make a new venture a sustainable success. If your idea is good enough then long hours will probably mean success.

 Know your customers – and this applies not just to the people you are selling to but also the potential people who may be investing in you. Go and meet them on a regular basis rather then send them countless emails they will read and forget.

 Develop a balanced team with different skills – initially you will do everything and anything for your business, probably because there is not many of you. However, there comes a point where you need to focus on certain tasks that generate the most revenue – employing people with the key skills your business needs, be it in marketing, engineering or logistics etc is crucial and allows you to concentrate on making the only thing that matters at the end of the day: sales.

 Make use of mobile tech and flexible working – if your business allows it, you don’t need an expensive office. If you can do everything on a phone/tablet, sat in a coffee shop abusing the free wi-fi, then you can slash your monthly costs and spend money where it really matters.

 Finally, don’t be afraid to modify your plans if it doesn’t work out – if you can recognise when something is not going to be the success you thought it was (we had plenty of those!), don’t be scared to change tack and try again in another direction.

Christopher Baker-Brian

Co- Founder, BBOXX Ltd

www.bboxx.co.uk