As a career business journalist I’ve come into contact with some of the most successful entrepreneurs the UK has to offer. I’ve interviewed politicians and have written countless articles about how policy has impacted on businesses over the years.
Having gathered, examined and passed on all this information, I felt equipped to take the plunge myself; and having come up with a good idea for a fairly low-maintenance business, I got cracking on the business plan.
In essence, the website is really straightforward. It’s a search engine where small businesses can get a decent level of exposure (instead of appearing on page 37 of Google). There’s an innovative search facility and a newsletter – all good stuff.
I got the money together (a small loan from my parents) and constructed a timeline for all the work to be done. Then I researched website designers, as well as hosting and payment software packages.
Having found a company that could do most of what I was looking for under one roof, I felt I had a winner. It’s a reputable company with excellent references, a proud catalogue of good-looking websites and, of course, forthcoming sales staff.
More importantly, I figured that getting the design and hosting done by one company – plus all the extras it offered – would cut out plenty of legwork; an important factor for someone with a nine-to-five job as well as a business.
The salesman quoted me a price over the phone, and said he’d take 10% off if I went ahead there and then. Having agreed to this and done the deal, I got the design brief together and emailed it to my new web partners.
It all went wrong just as I started to think that my business would get off the ground without a hitch. Firstly, it transpired that the price quoted to me did not include VAT (something that the salesman neglected to mention), so I was stung for an extra cost that I hadn’t budgeted for.
Having complained and extracted a sincere apology, the company’s sales manager promised to make up the difference with a package of website boosting goodies. I requested that he send details of this straight away.
A few months of radio silence have passed since then, despite repeated phone calls the sales team seem to be repeatedly away from their desks. A formal complaint will be my next step – a move I hope will elicit some form of positive response.
Unfortunately, it didn’t stop there. The people in charge of building my website are similarly uncommunicative, and progress – which stuttered from the beginning – has slowed to a near standstill.
The lesson? There’s no easy way to start a business, and planning won’t eradicate problems completely. Quite apart from the usual research, financial considerations, paperwork and sheer blood, sweat and tears, unforeseen circumstances will distract and delay you.
It’s true that starting a website is in most cases easier and cheaper than starting a bricks and mortar business. The fact that your showroom is online means you skip a whole host of costs, for a start.
But don’t use this as an excuse to relax. There are still numerous pitfalls to starting a business online. Like me, you should research your idea and prepare in the same way as you would any other business proposition.
Unlike me you should not let yourself be persuaded to buy a design or hosting package with offers of ‘early bird’ discounts. Get an invoice in writing (which will include a description of exactly what you’re paying for) and if possible ask for a timeline for the work.
Of course, I don’t mean to dissuade you from going it alone. I plan to move on from my negative early experiences and badger my contractors until they do the job right and I have a fully operational, gleaming new website (named InfoZoo.co.uk, incidentally) to sell.
Hopefully, this happy ending will take place sooner rather than later.
