Introduction Christine Stedmann

Business Support EcoFriendly Cleaning DIY Concierge

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Vision Our goal is to free up time for busy corporate professionals & businesses by organising their demanding lifestyles – achieving work/life balance and helping them maintain a healthy, stress-free lifestyle.

THE FIRST 12 MONTHS...

Start Up Capital Computer£890 Desk & Chair£110 Business Cards 250£20 Domain Name£8.89 Website & Logo£700 Legal & Business Registration£350 Job satisfaction PRICELESS! Total £

My To-Do List Complete a Business Plan Decide on your pricing, service offer/ product range Forecast your sales Forecast your profit Calculate any finance requirements How will you raise the money? Get tax advice Get legal advice REGISTER YOUR COMPANY Register web domain name Set up a business bank account Business Insurance Register for VAT (if applicable) Paying yourself Managing your accounts Managing your limited company Set up a merchant account Create a website & logo Apply for funding or grants Order cards and stationery Take payments online Market your website online Register your Trade Mark (if applicable) Take on employees Understand Data Protection Understand Distance Selling Regulations Virtual Office address & phone numbers Know your customers & suppliers Marketing & Networking Decorate your office Business Launch!

Lessons Learned You can never do enough research! Avoid spending too much time on Biz Name Get into the headspace of your target client Find a good Business Account Manager It’s OK to not go ahead until you’ve signed Hire help for things you are not good at

Client Profile Professionals Too busy Need help organising Above average income earners Always on the GO!

Client Profile Business professional men & women Based in London zone 1-3 Aged 25 years or older Don’t have time to do anything Demanding work life – works >10 hours a day Eats out everyday No time to organise or plan anything Appreciates efficiency and quality Willingness to spend more for luxury & quality service Internet savvy & social media, chat, twitter, etc. Always on the GO!

SWOT Analysis Strengths -High demand for good quality service -Flexible, can accommodate tailored client requests -Low overhead cost Weaknesses -Many competitors -Difficult to market a service than a product -Marketing may be challenging -Possible brand dilution if suppliers don’t deliver Opportunities -Chance of servicing very high profile clients -Expand in the personal shopping industry -Possibility of building a useful database in a take over situation -Growing the business large enough to become partner to Corporations as an employee benefit scheme -Potential of expanding globally- linking up with other concierge businesses Threats -Many competitors -Business model can easily be copied -Legal issues if suppliers fail to deliver -Current downturn in the economy -recent boom in Concierge businesses

Recreation and culture spending Source: National Statistics Jan2008

Top 5 TIPS for starting a service business Be patient & thorough in the planning stages Attend networking events regularly Use all free online tools available Be ruthless with your cost! Be disciplined with deadlines! My Blog:

Useful Links

Where Do We Want To Be? To establish a brand that is well known for its customer service excellence, reliability and integrity To build a portfolio of > 50 clients (target deadline Sept 2010) 3 Year horizon  to build a client portfolio of a >150 clients (target deadline Sept 2012)

How Are We Going To Get There? Contact a different media (monthly) Market to corporations (ongoing) Market to local estate agencies (ongoing) Contact HR to incorporate as part of employee benefits scheme (ongoing) Continue building strong relationships with Suppliers (ongoing) Attend minimum 3 networking events monthly (ongoing) Refresh & update website quarterly

What’s next in 2010?

1.Keep up Cleaning Services 2.Keep growing DIY services

Inspire yourself! 1.You define your life. Don’t let other people write your script. 2.Whatever someone did to you in the past has no power over the present. Only you give it power. 3.Let passion drive your profession - Find a way to get paid for doing what you love. 4.Redundancy can be a signpost to turn you in another direction. 5.What you put out comes back all the time. 6.Trust your instincts.

Thank you