A TOP TIPS GUIDE TO STARTING A SMALL BUSINESS

BT Business recently spoke with a number of entrepreneurs to get their top tips to Kick Start your start up.

Fiona McNab is the owner and manager of TAPE studio, a boutique recording studio in Edinburgh.

Henry Blake, co-founder of Woodblocx, designs and produces self-assembly materials for garden beds, boxes and ponds.

Dan Long is co-owner of online retailer Insert Coin clothing, specialising in computer game and pop culture themed clothing.

Here are their tips to getting your start up o� the ground and keeping it there, not to mention a few key lessons they’ve learnt along the way.

We quickly identi�ed that there was an untapped

market available – with gamers crying out for great

videogame-inspired apparel to add to their

wardrobes.

I was aware that there was a gap for a serious, high end recording studio in Edinburgh and our space has been designed with this in mind.

Fiona McNabDAN Long

We listen to what games our community want

to see on our products and then we can start working towards

producing them as appropriate.

It’s the

most important part of any small business.

DAN LONG

DAN Long

We knew when we started that there was

not an obvious competitor in the

market

I wanted to create something different - I saw what I didn’t want in my competitors

Fiona McNabhenry blake

Being part of a local community has

kept our levels of customer service

really high

I spent 2 years actively searching for the ideal base to operate from.

Fiona McNab

henry blake

We were lucky that the sawmill we are part of is already a well-established

business so we were able to fund the start-up ourselves and share costs such as labour

with them.

Insert Coin was funded with our own money – as we were confident that we would be able to start the ball rolling and quickly become self-sustaining.

dan long

henry blake

Technology is continually helping

us to reach more and more people

I built a website with lots of ideas and information on and customers can find out nearly everything they need on there

henry blakedan long

There’s de�nitely good support in place

for growing SMEs – but there can always be

more

A forum or meeting group in the highlands would go a long way to helping meet other business and Learning from their experiences.

henry blakeDAN Long

Try and keep on top of all the opportunities

that are coming through and make sure that you maximise the marketing

potential of each one.

The biggest challenge to any online business is to maintain momentum and keep people interested in what you’re working on.

henry blakedan long

There is no right or wrong when it comes to your own business, do

what feels right for you and what you feel comfortable with

Work hard but also keep your motivation high and stay fresh by making sure you look after your health and wellbeing.

henry blakefiona mcnab

For more information about starting a small business or to discover more great case studies, check out www.insight.bt.com