If you love working with children, and believe you can turn that interest and enjoyment into a profession, the idea of starting up your own nursery has probably sprung to mind more than a few times.
Working with children every day can be hugely rewarding but there are also many aspects to consider before taking the plunge and starting a business.
Here are some of the key points to think about: Continue reading “Everything you need to know about starting up your own nursery”
Online marketing may be top of your list right now, and it can certainly be effective, but there’s nothing like going out and meeting people face to face. It gives you a chance to build those all-important relationships with prospects, customer and maybe even other businesses with a similar client group to yours.
It also gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your product or service, and for your customers to test or maybe even touch and feel your product for themselves.
However, an exhibition or trade show is a big investment for a small business, so you want to make sure that you squeeze every benefit you possibly can from it.
Here are five top tips to help you do exactly that: Continue reading “Five top tips for exhibitions and trade shows”
The Free Dictionary definition of an office is: ‘A room or set of rooms in which business, professional duties, clerical work, etc, are carried out.’ It’s a clinical and functional sounding world, and anyone with personality – which is all of us, right – will want to sprinkle a dash of individuality into the workspace.
Here are several ways to make the office your own. Continue reading “How to add the personal touch to your office”
Over the years, technology has significantly changed the way we communicate.
Writing a letter and even typing out an e-mail are becoming a thing of the past, as is, it would seem, talking on the phone and even at times, face-to-face conversation, as technology provides us with innovative ways to communicate with each other.
Technology is growing and adapting extremely quickly. It wasn’t actually that long ago when we would write a letter to loved ones abroad (as the phone bill would be astronomical!), or would speak to friends on our home phone to organise meeting up, as we couldn’t communicate once we had left the house.
Although iPad problems can put a stop to this flow of conversation in a way that putting pen to paper can’t, the introduction of smartphones and tablets, and the advancements that have quickly come with them, makes the need to write a letter seem extremely old fashioned. Not only can we now talk and text on the move, we can Whatsapp, Snapchat, write on walls, tweet, Facetime – the possibilities for communication are endless.
But as this 24/7 instant communication via technology allows us to talk to each other more, it also means we are interacting with each other less. As a result we aren’t learning communication skills, which means kids may struggle as they get older.
A lack of vocabulary, which has come about through ‘teenspeak’ such as LOL and BRB – is diminishing even further since they have been able to communicate simply with photos or emojis. Once upon a time we had to type out our feelings; today we express how we feel by inserting a *smiley face*.
As technology has allowed us alternative means of communication it has also changed the way we interact face-to-face in social situations, such as when we sit with friends and rather than speak to each other we are on our phones, scrolling through social media to see what all our other ‘friends’ are up to.
However, it would appear that teenagers are now more confident talking to each other via their smartphones, over text or social media, than traditional face-to-face conversations. Research found that young people felt having a mobile phone made them closer to their friends, with 89% saying it improved their friendship.
The study of 502 people between the ages of 12 and 21 also found that they felt safer leaving the house with their phone, with 76% saying it is because they can get hold of their parents instantly if they need to.
It has also enabled us to talk to those we would never have been able to, as well as allowing instant communication with those across the globe – no longer do we have to hand write a letter, deliver it, wait for it to be received, a reply to be written and the response to make its way back. Now, we can open Whatsapp, see our friend is online, write a message or send a photo and have a response within seconds.
With the speed at which technology is evolving, it probably won’t be long until even these forms of communication are a thing of the past, as new and inventive ways of ‘talking’ to each other become possible.
Got a great idea for a catering start up but not sure where to ‘start’ exactly?
There are multiple channels and bridges to cross. Here are just a few to consider, as well as some tips to keep in mind:
1. You must be passionate
Your catering start up is not going to get very far off the ground if you don’t feel, with every fibre of your being, passionate about what you are doing. Take some inspiration from brothers Alan and Gary Keery, who had a love for cereal that they’ve turned into a lucrative catering business – the Cereal Killer Cafe. After a year of hard work and plenty of rejection from banks, when it came to funding, the pair are now running their own start up with plans to expand further in the future.
2. Check you have the right regulations and licenses in order
With food comes a multitude of regulations and healthy and safety obstacles to overcome. You must register a new catering business and premises with the environmental health service 28 days before opening; this applies to businesses ranging from mobile caterer jobs run from home to stalls and vans. Here’s a great guide on food hygiene to read through.
3. You’ll also need insurance
It’s important that your business is covered for loss, theft and damage as well as liability. There are tailored insurance packages out there, shop around and ensure you have the right one before you open your doors.
4. You’ll need to work out your demographic
Before you open your doors or advertise you need to know who you are pitching your product or business to. Do some research before and find out what people want in your area, what they think of your business idea and take any criticisms they throw at you.
5. You need money…
And probably a lot of it. Catering start ups aren’t cheap and require so much time and attention to detail, you might find yourself asking for a bigger business loan from the bank than you initially thought you required. If you think your idea is a particularly ingenious one then you could consider setting up a crowdfunding project for people to invest in. The Caterer website has an excellent must read post on how to source crowdfunding, click here to take a look.
6. You must be prepared to maintain a high level of quality at all times
Catering is an industry that doesn’t accept anything better than the best and for your catering start up to get off the ground you need positivity from people who use your services or visit your business to ensure things continue on the same note.
A catering start up is a truly rewarding experience, it is simply important to ensure you have all the right measures in place and have planned accordingly for every situation.
By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. more information
The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.
