Growing a business....

One of my guilty pleasures on a Sunday is to relax on the sofa, hot cup of tea in hand reading The Sunday Times. This Sunday we did exactly that. The 'Small Business' article in the Business section always interests me and this week was no exception. The title was 'People like us can put Britain back on its feet'. I am a positive person, well, I wouldn't be where I am today if I wasn't, and so this article really intrigued me. I do agree with what the government are doing at the moment; Britain is sat on a mountain of debt so gigantically massive that some drastic action is desperately needed. How can we get out of this recession? Inspire new entrepreneurs to set up their own empires? Feed people's imaginations to come the next Richard Branson, John Sainsbury, Philip Green or Mark Zuckerburg? I'd say that was a pretty good idea. The problem is how to inspire these people and where to do it. We have so many different organisations offering pretty much the same services, help and advice; business zone, business link and masses more. If you type in 'business advice' into Google you will find pages upon pages of 'advice'. It is quite literally, mind boggling. Talk about putting people off. Perseverance is needed and, back again, to that common sense.



I am a huge fan of common sense; there's nothing quite like common sense mixed in with gut-feelings. I think if you put a group of fellow entrepreneurs in the same room, those 2 traits would be hugely valuable assets to their success. Is it just solely those 2 elements though? No. Firstly, it depends on what 'success' is defined as. I have had a crazy past few months since giving up my part time job as a tutor for Business Studies and writing down a list of what I have achieved since going full time is actually very impressive. That, for me to admit, is something (being self-critical and always aspiring to more is embedded in me). The thing that people need to do is research people they admire and try to establish how they have 'succeeded'. Look at Richard Branson; how many failings has he had? Masses. Your best teacher is your last mistake, and he has certainly learned from his. I too have made mistakes along the way. You live and learn from them. One of my pieces of advice that I give to other entrepreneurs, whether they are established or wanting to be established, is to network. Keep your eyes and ears open at all times. Take advantage of every single opportunity there is. Believe in yourself and your product/service. Work your way up; don't even try to run before you can walk.



I have been speaking to a lot of fellow entrepreneurs recently, especially young female entrepreneurs, and they always ask 'how have I done it'? I go back to the common sense part, passion and determination. It has hardly been a walk in the park, and when I look back, I do actually wonder how I have got this far in such a short space of time, but always aspire for more. Work hard and we can only hope that the results pay off. Try your hardest and hope to succeed. The mantra 'all good things come to those who wait' works for me when my impatient side of my brain kicks in.



Right, off to do some more work now on BoBelle and see what the day brings....I will be speaking at London College of Fashion soon, as well as Royal Holloway University of London. If you would like more information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Claire

http://www.bobelle.co.uk/