Week 11: Resources 2

Last week you looked for premises, if you needed them, and other equipment and services costs.

This week you'll continue to pull together the resources you'll need for your new business.

People

In this guidance we're going to assume that you will not be recruiting any staff straight away. Start Your Business Week by Week is about setting up on the minimal costs to be able to test your idea. Once you've done that you can grow as much as you like. If you are going to be recruiting staff, then you can find information about this in the Small Business Handbook.

Technology

Using the right technology in the right way can give you a level playing field with your much bigger competitors.

Email and a website can give you a great way to run your business in your spare time fairly cheaply. They are also essential to look professional these days.

Here are some useful links to some of my favourite useful technology for business:

BT Featureline phone line
This is like having a switchboard but it's all managed from the exchange so you don't have to buy or maintain any expensive equipment. You can have a phone on every desk, transfer calls etc etc.

Paypal
If you are going to take payments over the internet, particularly for smallish amounts, then this service is a great way to start out. It's much cheaper then the bank's card processing services and much, much easier to set up. It may not give the right image for high value items though, or B2B transactions.

Cobweb Hosted Services
They provide managed Email-server services, so that you don't have to buy servers, software etc. They take away all the hassle. I use them in my business and have been very happy. They're probably more suitable once you have 5 or more people.

OSCommerce Webshop software
Free, open source software for running an online store. You'll need to know a bit about websites to be able to get it up and running.

GoDaddy Domain Names
My favourite place to register and manage my domain names.

Dreamhosts Web Hosting
They're the cheapest around, and get very good user reviews.

Write the Resources section of your business plan

Now it's time to draw all of your research from last week and this week into a report for your business plan. What resources will you need, where will you get them from, and how much will they cost?
Meeting the accountants

A few weeks ago you got in touch with the accountants who had been recommended to you. Now it's time to meet them. The book tells you everything you need to know here.