Contents at a Glance - Booktopiastatic.booktopia.com.au/pdf/9781118222843-1.pdfContents at a Glance Introduction.....1 Part.I:.First.Steps.....5

Contents at a GlanceIntroduction............................................................. 1

Part.I:.First.Steps..................................................... 5Chapter1:IsSmallBusinessforYou? ......................................................7Chapter 2: Buying a Business .................................................................21

Part.II:.Jump.In,.Get.Wet........................................ 33Chapter 3: Planning for Success .............................................................35Chapter 4: Getting the Legals Right .......................................................55Chapter5:CreatingYourMarketingPlan ..............................................73

Part.III:.The.Nitty-Gritty........................................ 89Chapter 6: Becoming an Employer.........................................................91Chapter 7: Cooking the Books ..............................................................109Chapter 8: Understanding Financial Statements ................................127Chapter 9: Calculating Margins and Ratios .........................................145

Part.IV:.The.Part.of.Tens....................................... 161Chapter10:Ten(Well,Almost!)TipsforOnlineMarketing ..............163

Index................................................................... 173

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Table of ContentsIntroduction .......................................................1

About This Book .........................................................................1How to Use This Book ...............................................................2Foolish Assumptions ..................................................................2HowThisBookisOrganised .....................................................3

Part I: First Steps ..............................................................3Part II: Jump In, Get Wet ..................................................3Part III: The Nitty-Gritty ...................................................3Part IV: The Part of Tens .................................................3

Icons Used in This Book ............................................................3

Part I: First Steps ..............................................5

Chapter 1: Is Small Business for You? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7WorkingforYourself—ADreamComeTrue? .......................8

Doing what you love to do ..............................................8Earning pots of money (here’s hoping) ........................8Being your own boss .......................................................9Staying home ...................................................................10

WorkingforYourself—RealityStrikes .................................11Teetering on the edge ....................................................11Working night and day for little pay ............................12Weathering feast and famine ........................................12

Getting the Timing Right .........................................................13Timing it right for your idea .........................................13Timing it right for you ...................................................14Timing it right for the economy ...................................15

StayingSafeorInventingtheWheel? ....................................16Playing it safe ..................................................................16Finding your own niche .................................................17Going out on a limb........................................................18

GettingtheGovernmenttoHelpYou.....................................18

Chapter 2: Buying a Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Weighing Up the Good and the Bad .......................................22

Buying an existing business — the upside .................22Buying an existing business — the downside ............23


Getting Started in Small Business For Dummies, 2nd Edition x

Asking the Right Questions .....................................................24Finding out who owns the intellectual property .......25Analysing sales trends, profit and break-even ...........26Clarifying what the purchase price includes ..............26

Building a Relationship with the Seller .................................28DottingYourI’s,CrossingYourT’s ........................................29

Part II: Jump In, Get Wet .................................33

Chapter 3: Planning for Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35GettingStartedwithYourPlan ...............................................36

Hunting for online resources ........................................37Using specialised planning software ...........................38

Charting a True Course ...........................................................39Setting off on your mission ...........................................39Saying what you’re about ..............................................40Matching goals to your mission ...................................41

Assessing the Environment .....................................................42Analysing outside influences ........................................42Testing the waters (don’t get too wet) .......................44Defining your customers ...............................................45Checking out the competition ......................................46

DeclaringYourBattlePlan ......................................................47Looking at your strengths and weaknesses ...............47Expressing your competitive advantage .....................48Building your online business strategy .......................49Developing your marketing plan ..................................50Creating a team ...............................................................50

Presenting Financials ...............................................................51Balancing dreams against reality .................................51Building on history to create a picture

of the future .................................................................52Staying real with benchmarks ......................................53

Chapter 4: Getting the Legals Right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Picking a Business Structure ...................................................55

Independent and single .................................................56Tea for two ......................................................................58We’ve got company ........................................................59

Matching the Name to the Game ............................................59Using your own name ....................................................60Making sure you’re not on someone else’s patch .....61Registering your business name (Australia only) .....64Avoiding trouble (Australia only) ................................65


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Table of Contents xi

ProtectingYourIdeasandYourName ...................................66Registering with the Powers That Be ....................................67

Getting that baby’s number ..........................................68Signing up for taxes (unavoidable, I’m afraid) ...........69Checking out what else you need ................................70

Chapter 5: Creating Your Marketing Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73LayingDowntheElementsofYourPlan ...............................74Writing a Decent Introduction ................................................74DefiningYourTargetMarket ...................................................76

Analysing your customers ............................................76Researching the market .................................................77

AnalysingYourCompetitors ...................................................77Setting Sales Targets ................................................................79

Slicing goals into bite-sized chunks .............................79Expressing goals in other ways ....................................80

CreatingMarketingStrategiestoSupportYourTargets .....81Building a brand that people want ..............................81Planning an advertising strategy..................................82Reaching out to the public............................................83Working your networks .................................................85

ExplainingHowYou’llKeepYourselfHonest ........................87

Part III: The Nitty-Gritty ..................................89

Chapter 6: Becoming an Employer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91Becoming an Employer: The First Steps ...............................91

Getting employees to fulfil their part of the deal ......93Covering employees for accidents...............................94Subscribing to super (Australia only) .........................96Paying KiwiSaver (New Zealand only) .........................98

Meeting Minimum Pay and Conditions ...............................100Understanding what laws apply (Australia only) ....100Creating employment agreements

(New Zealand) ...........................................................103Choosing between part-time, full-time or casual .....104

Playing Safe and Playing Fair ................................................105Being practical, not pedantic......................................105Blonde jokes are over ..................................................107

Chapter 7: Cooking the Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109Going on the Paper Trail .......................................................109

Covering your back ......................................................110Putting those bits of paper to work ..........................111


Getting Started in Small Business For Dummies, 2nd Edition xii

Keeping business separate from personal ................113Learning from ye olde cashbook ................................113Nitpicking over petty cash ..........................................114Keeping on top of bills ................................................115Piecing it all together ...................................................116

KeepingTabsonWhatYou’reOwed....................................116Choosing Accounting Software .............................................118DecidingWhethertheCloudIsForYou ..............................121

Understanding the benefits of the cloud ..................121Appreciating the downsides of the cloud .................122Addressing privacy concerns .....................................124

Chapter 8: Understanding Financial Statements . . . . . . . . 127TellingaStorywithYourProfit&LossReport ..................127

Understanding how it all works .................................128Looking at sales ............................................................129Counting the costs .......................................................130Weighing up your expenses ........................................131

TakingaSnapshotwithYourBalanceSheet .......................132Understanding the fine print ......................................133Building documentation to support each figure ......134Appreciating your net worth (someone has to,

after all)......................................................................135Why Profit Doesn’t Always Mean Cash ...............................136

Gazing into the deep, black hole ................................136Looking through rose-coloured spectacles ..............137Doing the sums for sustainable growth ....................138

BudgetingAsIfYouMeanIt ..................................................139Creating your first budget ...........................................140Recognising relationships ...........................................142Understanding the psychology of budgets ...............143Developing your budget in tune with your

business plan ............................................................144

Chapter 9: Calculating Margins and Ratios . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145Understanding Profit Margins ...............................................145

Differentiating between variable costs and fixed expenses ...........................................................146

Understanding gross and net profit ...........................147Figuring out gross and net profit margins ................148Looking at gross profit margins over time ...............149Appreciating how margins and sales connect .........150

AnalysingMarginsforYourOwnBusiness .........................151Calculating margins when you sell products ...........151Calculating margins when you charge

by the hour ................................................................152


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Table of Contents xiii

Calculating margins if you do big projects ...............153Understanding why gross profit is such a

big deal .......................................................................154Adding up your net profit ...........................................154

EstimatingYourBreak-EvenPoint ........................................156Analysing how to make sales match expenses ........157Looking at things from a cash perspective ..............158Factoring your personal expenses into

the equation ..............................................................159

Part IV: The Part of Tens ................................161

Chapter 10: Ten (Well, Almost!) Tips for Online Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

Create a Business Website ....................................................163Consider eBay, Facebook and Twitter .................................164Become a Blogger ...................................................................165Build an Email Newsletter List ..............................................166RememberYourOnlineBrand ..............................................166Decide What Keywords to Go After .....................................167BuildKeywordsintoYourOnlineCommunications ..........168GetLinkstoNumberOne ......................................................169PaytobeFoundOnline .........................................................171

Index .............................................................173


Introduction

I believe that pretty much anyone is capable of running their own business. You don’t need to be a qualified accountant

in order to understand your deepest, darkest finances, nor do you need to be a marketing guru in order to sell your wares to unsuspecting victims. Instead, all you need is a bit of cash, a willingness to work hard and lots of straightforward advice. This book provides the straightforward advice bit — in bucketloads.

Most people have lots of questions when starting out in small business: Are you best to start from scratch or buy a business that’s already up and running? Should you stick to being a sole trader, or incorporate as a company? How do you go about taking on your first employee? What about financial reports, budgets and tax? I try to answer all these questions, and more.

Getting started in your new venture is probably one of the most exciting and creative stages in your life. You get to call your own shots, be your own boss and create something that really belongs to you. Although small business can be a roller-coaster journey at times, the rewards are well worth the ride.

I hope you enjoy this journey, and wish you the very best of luck.

About This BookThis book is designed so you can pick it up at any point and just start reading. Perhaps you want to know about hiring your first employee (Chapter 6) but you’re not the least bit interested in legal structures (Chapter 4). That’s fine — just skip the first five chapters and start off from where you want to be.

Each chapter covers a specific part of running your own business, including business set-up and planning, marketing and people management, money stuff and bookkeeping. I mix advice and explanations with lots of references to other resources, including things such as government assistance programs, useful publications and handy websites.

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Getting Started in Small Business For Dummies, 2nd Edition 2

How to Use This BookGetting Started in Small Business For Dummies isn’t a gripping novel to be read from cover to cover. Each section is designed so you can skim through it quickly, find the answer to whatever you want to know, and then set aside the book until next time.

However, if you’re new to business and you’re just getting yourself on the road, I suggest you read Chapters 1, 2 and 3 before doing much else. That’s because some of the decisions you make when getting started affect everything else that follows, and if you can get off to a good, clean start, your chances of success are going to be that much higher.

Foolish AssumptionsWhen you work with small business, you learn to assume nothing. I see everything from clients who time all strategic decisions to fit with the stars (no kidding!), to multi-million-dollar enterprises that have grown out of nothing in a matter of months.

So, in this book I try to assume very little about you. You don’t need to know anything about bookkeeping, marketing, tax or computers, and I try to explain all concepts in the simplest possible way. I focus on the kinds of things I reckon most small businesses are concerned about, combining positive advice about promoting your business and planning for success with practical guidance about the really tricky stuff — like working with GST or digging yourself out of financial difficulties.

Occasionally, I mention rough dollar costs for things such as set-up expenses or software expenses. I don’t attempt to distinguish between the Aussie and Kiwi dollar because any costs I mention are approximate in the first place.

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Introduction 3

How This Book is OrganisedThis book is split into four parts.

Part I: First StepsIn this first part of Getting Started in Small Business For Dummies, I take a step back and talk about the big issues: Are you ready to run your own business? Do you have the kind of personality suited to being in business? Should you start a business from scratch or buy an existing enterprise?

Part II: Jump In, Get WetPart II of this book is about getting on with it — creating a business plan, registering a business name, choosing a legal structure and marketing your wares.

Part III: The Nitty-GrittyPart III deals with the nitty-gritty of running a small business: Taking on your first employee, doing your books and understanding financial statements.

Part IV: The Part of TensThe Part of Tens offers some handy tips about social media and marketing your business online.

Icons Used in This BookWant to be streets ahead of the competition? Then look for this handy icon.

Get out your calculator and start doing those sums. This icon flags money stuff, highlighting vital information for anyone with an eye for making a dollar or two.

Tie a knot in your hankie, pin an eggtimer to your shirt but, whatever you do, don’t forget . . .

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Getting Started in Small Business For Dummies, 2nd Edition 4

Stuff relating to GST or taxation (ah, such fascinating topics).

This icon indicates handy advice or insights into how to improve your business or make life easier.

If you can’t learn from history, you’re doomed to repeat your mistakes. Real-life stories from businesses and people who’ve been there provide all the history lessons you could ever want.

A pitfall for the unwary. Read these warnings carefully (then you can’t say no-one told you . . .).

Tips for building your business online, or pointers to handy websites.

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Chapter 1

Is Small Business for You?In This Chapter

` Working for yourself — the good things that make it all worthwhile

` Working for yourself — the bad things that no-one wants to talk about

` Making sure the time is right (now where is my crystal ball?)

` Figuring out your business strategy

` Digging up government advice, free of charge

I love small business. For me, small business is about believing in yourself, being passionate about what you do and creating

opportunities. Our culture of getting up, getting out and giving it a go fits perfectly with this entrepreneurial existence, explaining why so many Australians and New Zealanders are hooked on the self-employed way of life.

Although starting your own business can be pretty daunting at first, the everyday challenges don’t leave you with much time to regret your decision. Besides, being self-employed is a pretty addictive thing: Working your own hours, being responsible for your decisions and raking in handsome profits (here’s hoping) are just some of the attractions of being your own boss.

In this chapter, I talk about what it means to start your own business. I take you on a roller-coaster ride over the highs and lows of small business terrain (for every upside to being out there on your own, a downside exists too), through to making the decision when to actually ‘open shop’. After all, the success of any venture depends on timing — the best time for the business, the best time for the economy and the best time for you.

So put on your stackhat, hold on tight and get ready for the trip of a lifetime . . .

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Part I: First Steps 8

Working for Yourself — A Dream Come True?

If you ask most small-business people what they like the best about working for themselves, you’re likely to get a pretty cynical reply — something about the delights of working for peanuts and the thrills of doing bookwork in the wee hours of the night. But dig a little deeper, and most self-employed people warm to the question.

Doing what you love to doDoing what you’re passionate about has a lot going for it. If you want to play the trumpet day and night, you’re likely to be happiest as a professional musician. If you love hanging off cliffs on the end of a rope, you’re going to dig being a climbing instructor. And if you’ve never quite gotten over your LEGO phase, you probably need to go and build houses.

Happy people love what they do for a living. Besides, being self-employed is often the only way you can get to do just that (nine-to-five jobs tend to be rather thin on the ground for trumpet players or climbing instructors!).

Earning pots of money (here’s hoping)With many trades and professions, your income always has a pre-defined upper limit, no matter how hard you work — teachers, carpenters or nurses on the regular payroll are limited in the amount of pay they can get. However, by setting up your own business, whether you’re tutoring private students, building house extensions or doing private home nursing, your earning potential immediately increases.

Statistics that compare the taxable income of self-employed individuals with those of employees working in similar industries or professions are hard to come by. However, if you start up a low-risk kind of business — home-tutoring, for example — the financial benefits of becoming self-employed are small but relatively guaranteed. On the other hand, if you start up a high-risk business — say, launching a new invention — you could end up losing everything you have. Or, you could just wind up a millionaire.

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Chapter 1: Is Small Business for You? 9

Being your own bossNo-one is going to dispute being your own boss is fantastic. And no matter how much you stuff things up, no-one can give you the boot — except perhaps your customers — leaving you with a feeling of security that’s hard to beat. Here are some other reasons being your own boss feels so good:

5 You get to set your own rules: Your rules may involve anything from setting enormously high standards, to declaring mufti days seven days a week.

5 You choose when (and how often) you work: Of course, choosing when you work often means working 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However, in theory you can pick and choose which hours you work and when you take holidays.

5 You follow your own instincts: You can do what you think is right, as opposed to doing what someone else thinks is right. I know firsthand how frustrating it is to be forced to do stuff the wrong way, or the slow way, just because the person who is giving the orders happens to be your boss.

5 You can use your conscience: You can afford to make decisions that may not be the best from an economic point of view, but are good decisions in terms of your own conscience. For example, before listing as a public company, and way before solar energy became fashionable, MYOB Australia installed solar power throughout its Melbourne headquarters. At the time, this decision wasn’t the most cost-effective strategy in terms of electricity, but one that was in keeping with the ethics of the partners.

5 You can take risks: When you’re self-employed, you can take risks that you may not be able to otherwise take. Thousands of successful businesses have been started by former employees who went out on their own because their employers didn’t believe in the viability of their new ideas.

5 You can provide employment for family members: Being in a business team with your family, and being able to provide employment when it’s needed, can be one of life’s most satisfying experiences. (Of course, it can also be one of life’s most frustrating experiences, but I’m not going there right now.)

5 You can realise your dreams: No business book is complete unless it mentions dreams. Nothing beats putting your heart and soul into what you believe in.

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Staying homeSomething quite satisfying permeates your core when you can take business calls while sitting on the verandah in your slippers and daggy old dressing gown. I love walking to my ‘office’, 10 seconds down the hallway, rather than commuting two hours by train to the city. And I also find it rewarding (in a frustrating, interrupted kind of way) being there for the kids whenever they need me.

According to both the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and Statistics New Zealand, home-based businesses make up almost two-thirds of all the small businesses in Australia and New Zealand, reflecting part of an international trend towards more businesses operating from home (a trend presumably partly fuelled by improvements in technology). Home business is the spawning ground from which larger businesses are born, including iconic brands like Billabong, Navman, Pumpkin Patch, TradeMe and many more.

However, being the owner of a home-based business comes with its own set of particular challenges, such as cereal getting spilt on business contracts or kids howling in the background. For lots of different perspectives on what running a business from home can mean, check out the following:

5 www.ato.gov.au/smallbusinesssupport forms part of the Small Business Assistance Program run by the Australian Taxation Office, and provides tax information relevant to your new venture.

5 www.dsbn.com.au, the web page for the Dynamic Small Business Network, is an online resource for small business owners and entrepreneurs. The site provides webinars, ebooks, podcasts, networking opportunities, events and seminars, and many other resources to get you started and keep you going.

5 www.flyingsolo.com.au is an online resource for anyone going it alone in business, with hundreds of articles, lots of free tips and tools, and a weekly newsletter.

5 www.homebizbuzz.co.nz, the web page for Home Business New Zealand, provides info, support and resources to home businesses throughout New Zealand. Lots of articles and handy links make this site a great reference.

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5 www.smallbiz.nsw.gov.au is NSW’s Department of Trade and Investment Small Business support site and has a wide range of resources, programs, news and events. Handy even if you don’t live in the rarefied atmosphere of New South Wales.

5 www.sustainable.org.nz is another good New Zealand site devoted to creating and supporting sustainable businesses, which they define as those integrating ‘economic growth, social equity and environmental management’.

Working for Yourself — Reality Strikes

An acupuncturist once said to me: ‘When you work for yourself, you work for a real bastard. No holiday pay, no sick pay, no bonuses — long hours, filthy pay and no promotion.’ As I lay on the couch, needles sticking out of my ears and my navel, I reflected on my 60-hour weeks and pitiful bank balance. I had to agree with him.

Teetering on the edgeAs the years have passed by, I’ve developed a sniffer-dog instinct for which businesses are likely to succeed, which are going to struggle and which are doomed to fail. Although I usually wish I wasn’t so chillingly accurate (especially when I predict failure), occasionally life delivers a surprise — the success of an overpriced French restaurant with a mad chef, or the survival of a bed and breakfast in the back of beyond.

Running a business is an inherently risky game. Sometimes, this risk makes things exciting and, other times, just plain old scary. Of course, business success is a fantastic feeling but, on the other hand, failure can be quite catastrophic. You can lose your house, your job, even your family, all in the one hit, not to mention the disillusionment of having precious dreams crushed by harsh reality.

How well you cope with risk depends on your age, personality and health. Certainly, investing your life’s savings in a new venture is infinitely scarier when you’re 60 than when you’re 30. I recommend you always minimise risk by keeping a tight control on your finances, a topic I explore in detail in Chapters 7 to 9.

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Working night and day for little payUnfortunately (or maybe fortunately), the brilliant business ideas that earn $10 million in the first year are very few and far between. For most people, the only sure-fire way to succeed is to work loooong hours taking the roles of cleaner, bookkeeper, salesperson and managing director all in one.

Aussie ABS stats (and I imagine that things are pretty similar in New Zealand) show that 45 per cent of self-employed owner-operators work more than 35 hours a week, and another 17 per cent work 50 hours a week or more. (Even as I write this paragraph, it’s 9 o’clock on a Sunday evening, and a new working week arrives afresh tomorrow morning. Sigh.)

One of the hardest things about being self-employed is staying motivated. Not just in the first year when everything is interesting and different, but year after year, after year. Of course, as your business grows, you can hopefully employ staff to help (Chapter 6 talks more about becoming an employer). Ideally, you can arrive at a point where your business earns money, even if you’re not working in it every day of the week.

On the other hand, I know lots of people who only work at their business part-time, yet they’re very successful, including artists, counsellors, party-plan distributors and freelance writers. Even if you work just one day a week on your business, you can derive an enormous amount of pleasure from it. After all, success is measured in many ways, not just in dollars.

Weathering feast and famineSometimes, the highs and lows of small-business profits make even the government railway services look reliable. A bumper year, and the bank account is rosy. Then you lose a client or two, interest rates go up and, before you know it, you’re wondering how to pay the rent.

Some consultants advise you not to expect to make any money at all in your first year of business, and to have savings put aside to pay for your living expenses during this time. Such advice is prudent, but the truth is that sometimes businesses take even longer than a year before they make a profit, and even businesses that have been cruising along happily for years can strike hard times.

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I used to find the feast and famine of running my own business very stressful, but I’m getting better at managing this dichotomy as time goes by, even managing to put money aside when things go well. How you cope with the effect of this insecurity depends not only on your personality, but on your family commitments as well.

Getting the Timing RightWeighing up the good and the bad about being self-employed is tricky enough, but when you add the ‘you’ factor into the mix, you may decide to rethink some issues. Not only do you have to consider your own skills and expertise, but you also have to ponder whether you have the timing right: The right timing for the business idea, the right timing for you and your family, and the right timing for the business environment.

Timing it right for your ideaAn experienced entrepreneur once said to me: ‘If real estate is all about position, position, position, then business is all about timing, timing, timing.’ He’s right of course. If you were selling Edwardian corsets at the turn of the 20th century, chances are your business would be successful. Try to sell the same corsets for a living these days, and it would be slim pickings indeed (although your customers would be a pretty interesting bunch of folk).

If you’re not sure whether now’s the right time to start your business, consider the following:

5 Fickle fashions: Humans are capricious creatures and what’s hot today may be ice-cold tomorrow. Whether the latest craze is kids going nuts about the latest Disney action doll or adults getting worked up about a big sporting event, make sure you’re not the one who suffers when everyone gets bored and tired. Try to jump on the bandwagon near the beginning or during the build-up — don’t leap in at the peak.

5 Industry trends: The difference between a trend and a craze may seem hard to pick at first, but the difference is both real and important. Be aware of trends in your industry and capitalise on opportunities. For example, the

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long-term and growing interest in organics and natural lifestyles is a positive trend that indicates a whole host of business opportunities.

5 Lead times: If you’ve got a long lead time for your project, research the project well. I remember a client who decided to build storage units in a busy country town. The demand seemed guaranteed, because there weren’t any at that time. Three years later (after prolonged development applications through council and a $250,000 construction), the units were ready. The only snag was, two other developers opened units that same year, creating a glut of supply and fierce price wars.

5 Bleeding edge or cutting edge? You may love being leader of the pack, but there’s no point creating a product or service that customers aren’t ready for yet.

5 Seasonal variations: If you’re planning a business that is highly seasonal, factor this aspect carefully into your timing when making your business plan. Give yourself time to plan carefully for the peak season so you can take full advantage of that period.

Timing it right for youOf course, good timing is not just a question of whether the outside world is ready and eager for what you have to offer. Good timing is also about how ready you are, personally. Consider the following:

5 Experience: For example, if you’re looking at buying a nursery, do you have horticulture training as well as hands-on retail experience? If you’re considering going freelance as a consultant, do you have enough consulting experience behind you? In Chapter 2, I explore the issue of whether to start a business from scratch, or whether to buy an existing business. Do you have enough experience to plunge into this kind of business?

5 Planning: I recommend you don’t even consider starting a new business without first drawing up a business plan. In fact, creating a business plan is so important that I dedicate all of Chapter 3 to this very topic.

5 Capital: Don’t start a business without enough capital behind you. Starting a business with insufficient capital is like competing in a marathon when you didn’t sleep the week before.

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5 Age, health and stamina: Age can be a factor at both ends of the spectrum. Most 18 year olds are unlikely to have enough experience to cope with running their own business. On the other hand, a 65 year old may be short on motivation, ambition and energy, especially for new ventures requiring long hours and huge input.

5 Your family life: Don’t start a new venture without consulting your family and enlisting their support. The backing of your partner is vital during this time. (Resigning from your regular job to become a self-employed mural painter the week before your wife is due to deliver twins isn’t likely to go down well.)

Timing it right for the economyNo business is an island but, rather, functions as an organic part of the world around it. Imagine owning a fantastic, go-ahead cafe in the Pilbara region of Western Australia or Taharoa in the North Island of New Zealand. However cleverly managed, these cafes are at the mercy of whether local mines expand or shut down, whether the economy is booming or in recession and, further still, world commodity prices. Be aware of the following economic aspects:

5 Industry-specific events: Be alert for changes in your industry that may affect the viability of your business such as additional licensing requirements, new government regulations or major shifts in available technology. For example, with the changes in liquor licensing in Sydney, the time is ripe for opening boutique bars and bistros.

5 Tax reform: Many a good business has been sent to the dogs because of tax reform. Think of a political football such as the film industry, which has been subject to major tax law changes every year or so for the last decade in both Australia and New Zealand; even iconic movies such as Moulin Rouge were suddenly deemed to be tax minimisation schemes. Keep your ear to the ground and listen out for these changes within your industry network and via the media, before they happen.

5 Interest rates: Some businesses are more affected by interest rate fluctuations than others. Importers and exporters, builders, tradespeople and real estate agents are just some of the industries that are affected, as well as any business with large borrowings. If you’re likely to be affected by interest rate changes, look carefully at economic indicators and plan accordingly.

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5 Recessions: Even the most successful business can sometimes have a bad year, or a couple of bad years, especially in times of recession. Such businesses rely on profits built up over previous years to see them through. However, if you start a new business in the middle of a recession, ask yourself whether you’re going to be able to finance it until the good times arrive.

Stay abreast of current economic trends and how they may affect your business plan.

Staying Safe or Inventing the Wheel?

Businesses fall into three broad categories. The first type of business is one that has been done before, and therefore has been tried and tested. The second type of business is one that finds its own niche, thereby doing something especially tailored to a small group of customers. The third type of business is one that launches an entirely new concept on the world.

Playing it safeProbably the safest and most reliable approach is to go for an established kind of business; one that lots of people have tried and succeeded in before you. Most retail shops and many service businesses fall into this category — for example, bookshops, florists or hairdressers, builders, electricians or plumbers.

One good thing about going into an established business is that you can find out what to expect in terms of sales, profit margins, expenses and more. However, with established businesses, success depends not so much on the strength of your ideas, but more on good business sense. You have to work out what you’re ably equipped to do differently from your competitors so that you attract customers and keep them as your own.

If you choose to go with an established kind of business, you may prefer to purchase an existing business, rather than starting from scratch, a topic I explore further in Chapter 2.

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Finding your own nicheThe next type of business is called a niche business. Developing a niche means doing something specialised and catering to a small but (hopefully) dedicated market. A niche business can cover anything from manufacturing custom guitars to producing hand-stitched silk lingerie, or from designing permaculture gardens to cooking special food for diabetics.

The best thing about niche businesses is that you can start off on a small scale. Starting small means low risk, less expense setting up and an opportunity to try out your idea and test the response. The best way to promote a niche business is usually through online advertising, where developing your own e-commerce site along with a social media presence can mean generating business all around the globe.

Stick to the knittingI recall a client of mine, a highly experienced business manager, who purchased two hairdressing salons as an investment. Despite relatively sound business practices, both salons floundered, simply because my client didn’t have any experience in the hairdressing industry: He failed to understand that most customers didn’t come to the salon looking for value-for-money, but came looking for a chat and a confidence boost; he didn’t appreciate that several of the hair stylists in this particular salon expected ‘cash’ wages as part of their weekly pay (something the previous owner had offered); he had difficulties maintaining hygiene and

dealing with money going missing out of the till.

My client made an elementary mistake in that he didn’t stick to doing what he did best.

My point? If you’ve been a journalist all your life, you’re going to be much better publishing a magazine than opening a florist shop. If you’ve always worked as a landscape gar-dener, you’re probably ill advised to open a bookshop.

Stick to what you’re good at: Business is competitive enough without trying to do something that you have little or no experience in.

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Going out on a limbThe last type of business is called the entrepreneur type, reserved for new inventions or market concepts. Untested and unknown, this type of business can occasionally experience resounding success but (sadly), more often, spectacular failure. (I still feel a pang whenever I remember my friend’s invention of a solar-powered windmill-hat, a great idea but scarcely a hot fashion item.)

With the entrepreneur type of business, you’re taking a gamble. Though the chance of failure is high, if you do succeed (and success is always possible), the rewards can be huge. I talk about market research, and how to find the products or services that customers really want, in Chapter 5.

Getting the Government to Help You

You’re paying out all these taxes, so you may as well get something back. The quality of the advice is luck of the draw: Some advisers are great, others are a bit dodgy. However, most government advice is free and can often be just what the doctor ordered. Here’s a summary of what advice is available and where to find it:

5 The wild west: The Small Business Development Corporation is a government agency focused on developing the small business sector. They offer advice on finance, marketing, business planning and regulations. Phone 131 249 or go to www.smallbusiness.wa.gov.au.

5 Tassie tigers: Tasmania’s Department of Economic Development has a good portal for small businesses at www.development.tas.gov.au (go to the Business Point page under the Resources tab). You can call them on 1800 440 026.

5 The Top End: The Territory Business Centres (www.tbc.nt.gov.au or phone 1800 193 111) provide business planning advice, information about various department assistance schemes, and business name and licence information. From this website, you can link to Business Enterprise Centres (BECs) across the state.

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5 Brash and brazen: The NSW Department of Trade and Investment is a great central resource. Phone 1300 134 359 or visit www.smallbiz.nsw.gov.au. As well as business development you can get guidance on dispute resolution, help with exporting and much more.

5 Eureka and Ned: Business Victoria is a central organisation based in Melbourne offering information and referral services for small businesses. An excellent website at www.business.vic.gov.au offers links to a whole load of business services, including business mentoring. Alternatively, phone 132 215 to get through to them.

5 Don’t you worry about that! The best source of info in Queensland is www.business.qld.gov.au (phone 132 523). Here you can find a whole range of online resources, plus access to training seminars and workshops.

5 The lost city: ACT Business Development (www.business.act.gov.au) offers small-business advice and also administers the Epicorp Incubator Program, which assists in commercialising scientific inventions. They offer advice on licences and permits, small-business courses and government incentives (1800 244 650).

5 Home of the white pointer: For South Australian business advice start with www.business.sa.gov.au/industry_and_business_support or phone 08 8303 2400. They offer great small-business support and advice, including several Business Enterprise Centres, Regional Development Boards, a Centre for Innovation and support for local suppliers.

5 National Business Enterprise Centres: In addition to the state government business development departments listed, a national network of Business Enterprise Centres is available to help you get your business going in the right direction. Go to www.becaustralia.org.au to find a BEC near you.

5 Across the Tasman: The main online resource offered by the NZ government is www.business.govt.nz. On their website you also find a list of a network of 14 Regional Business Partners that provide advice and assist with funding for businesses in your region.

For more about business planning, and other business resources, skip ahead to Chapter 3.

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About the AuthorVeechi Curtis is passionate about Australian business and the potential that people have to achieve financial independence and realise their dreams.

Born in Scotland, Veechi attended university in Bathurst, New South Wales, where she completed her degree in Accountancy and Business Management. She has been a small business consultant for more than 13 years, training hundreds of businesses over this time. As a journalist, she has written for many publications, including Australian PC World, Australian Personal Computer, Australian Reseller News and CCH Australia Limited, and she has also been a columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald.

Running a business in theory is very different from running a business in practice. In Getting Started in Small Business For Dummies, 2nd Edition, Veechi draws on her experience of running her own business, as well as her experience serving as a director on the boards of several local businesses and community organisations.

Veechi is also the author of Small Business For Dummies, 4th Edition, MYOB Software For Dummies, 7th Edition, QuickBooks For Dummies, 2nd Edition, and Bookkeeping For Dummies, and she is co-author of Business Plans For Dummies.

Veechi has three children and lives with her husband in the beautiful Blue Mountains of New South Wales. Feel free to send Veechi a message, or ask a question about this book, via her website at www.veechicurtis.com.au.


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Getting Started in Small Business For Dummies®

2nd Australian & New Zealand Edition published by Wiley Publishing Australia Pty Ltd 42 McDougall Street Milton, Qld 4064 www.dummies.com

Copyright © 2013 Wiley Publishing Australia Pty Ltd

The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication data

Author: Curtis, Veechi.

Title: Getting Started in Small Business For Dummies/Veechi Curtis.

Edition: 2nd Australian and New Zealand ed.

ISBN: 9781118222843 (pbk.)

Series: For Dummies.

Notes: Includes index.

Subjects: Small business — Australia. Small business — New Zealand. New business enterprises — Australia. New business enterprises — New Zealand. Success in business.

Dewey Number: 658.022

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Contents at a Glance - Booktopiastatic.booktopia.com.au/pdf/9781118222843-1.pdfContents at a Glance Introduction.....1 Part.I:.First.Steps.....5