PRIME business club

If you’re over 50 and thinking about starting a business in the Bristol area, then contact PRIME about getting a mentor. PRIME has recently completed training mentors in the area, who are now ready to talk to you. This is a completely free programme.

Here’s what Harri Harrison, who is running the scheme, has to say about it:

PRIME mentoring is specifically for people aged 50+ who are just beginning to think about setting up their own business. It is about exploring initial thoughts around self-employment. It is an opportunity to have a soundingboard, to check ideas and to discover the best way of moving forward.

Somebody once described this as having ‘a critical friend’ - that’s probably a good description.

We think mentoring is most useful for people at the early stage - when thay are are just starting to think about setting up in business. But mentoring has also been used successfully in many walks of life, and is an increasingly popular learning method for personal, professional and business development.

Mentoring is popular in the business world, where talking to a mentor can be helpful to entrepreneurs as they prepare their business plans, or it help more established businesses to progress.

If you would like to find out more about this new resource, please contact Harri Harrison at harri.harrison@ace.org.uk

The government is backing a scheme by Google, Enterprise UK and a number of other partners including PRIME to get more British businesses online. The campaign will kick of later this month with the launch of a set of free tools to simplify the building of a straightforward business web site, hosted by Google. 

The scheme is called Getting British Business Online (GBBO). It is a nationwide campaign that will offer small businesses located in the UK the tools and knowledge to do business online from their own free website.

You can pre-register your interest by leaving your email on the GBBO web site.

We’ve not yet seen the automated web site building tool, so we’ve not had a chance to check out how good it is or what the limitations are. But here’s what GBBO promise.

You get:

A free web address: Choose from any available ‘.co.uk’ domain name. If the name you want is already taken, the system will suggest another.

A free web site: You complete a short form online and and the system promises will create a customised, professional looking website, tailored to their business type

Free online marketing: All sites created will be listed for relevant queries in the Google search engine.

 
PRIME has worked with Enterprise UK and the relevant government department BIS before, which is why we are think it is worth keeping an eye on how this scheme develops. The web site is free, so if it’s any good it’s probably worth investigating to see if it’s suitable for your business. There are also likely to be a number of training providers offering courses to help people who need it. Some of these may not be free.

For businesses that already have a web site GBBO is promising another set of tools to help them perfect and market their web site. But is too early to say anything more about them.

GBBO FAQ
 

If you’ve started your own business or have become self-employed after the age of 50, here’s a chance to get some free publicity. We’d like to hear from you. We’re looking for stories to put up on the case-studies section of this web site.

There are two ways of entering. If you use Microsoft Word just download this form (in Word 2003 doc format), fill in some details and email it back to us at primebusinessclub@gmail.com

Or if you prefer you can fill in the form immediately here online. You don’t need to fill in every field in great detail - just enough to give us the gist of what you are doing. We’ll also email you a link so you can return to your online form later and alter or add details should you want to.

You story could inspire others - and also warn them of pitfalls to avoid along the way. And it could also drive traffic to your web site, from both customers and journalists looking for stories. We’ll link to your web site from any case studies we write up.

Ideally your business needs to have got to the stage where it has started trading and have enough customers on board to say something about how things are going. We are interested in businesses up to about two years old - but older is acceptable if you can still remember lessons learned from your the early days of your venture.

We don’t guarantee we’ll put every business submitted up. We’ll contact you to go through your story if it’s suitable. Since we are not sure how many great stories we will receive at the moment we can’t promise to respond to everybody.

Influential voices are calling for the current “default retirement age” of 65 to be scrapped. The latest call comes from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which has said that workers should be able to stay in their jobs beyond the age of 65. The EHRC polled 1,500 workers, and found that a relaxation of the current rule would be welcomed by most. The House of Lords is likely to debate the issue today, as part of the debate on the Equality Bill, which is currently threading its way through parliament.

STOP PRESS
Bid to end default retirement age through equality bill fails

Currently employers have the legal right to force employees to retire at 65 - irrespective of whether or not the employee in question is still able to do the job. This was confirmed in a legal ruling in September of last year - but there were strings attached.

The High Court ruled that the default retirement age was not unlawful - but that there was now a compelling case for it to be scrapped. In practice this means that employers can still lawfully retire people against their will at the age of 65, for the time being. But the court wanted an urgent review of this provision.

The current Equality Bill does provide an opportunity to decide whether the default retirement age stays in place. The government has said it intends to get the bill passed before the general election this year. So there’s a chance here for the political parties to do more than make promises, but to actually vote on the issue.

Many organisations have already scrapped automatic retirement based on age, without waiting for a change in the law making them. They include Tesco, Marks & Spencer, HBOS, the Co-op Group and the Civil Service (for all but senior civil servants). An umbrella group called The Employers Forum on Age has been campaigning against forced retirement at 65 for several years.

However, Personnel Today magazine, which itself backs the campaign to scrap forced retirement, reports that some employers are still against changing the law, particularly now, in the middle of a recession. This is because it provides a useful mechanism for them to reduce staff numbers legally. Personnel Today quotes one HR director, who is against changing the lw, as saying “It’s useful to us now”.

Long term though forced retirement at 65 is likely to go. But this in itself won’t be enough to keep more people in work and earning. The jobs need to be there in the first place, for anyone of any age to do.

External links
Equality and Human Rights Commission summary of proposals

EHRC report (PDF) Working Better: The over 50s, the new work generation 

Personnel Today on attitudes of HR chiefs pro and con

The Guardian Harman wants end to compulsory retirement age

Note:
The default retirement age and the state pension age are currently out of step. The default retirement age was set at 65 for both men and women in legislation that came into effect four years ago. Meanwhile women continue to be receive their state pension earlier than men, currently at age 60 while men have to wait till 65. But the plan is to harmonise the age for both sexes, increasing it in stages to 68 over time.

When will you get a state pension? Official State Pension Age calculator

Just before the Christmas break the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) launched its latest White Paper Building Britain’s Recovery - Achieving Full Employment. Straight after the break we have The Prince’s Trust YouGov Youth Index 2010 survey. This includes the claim, which is already well-established in the popular mind, that young people are hit hardest by the recession. It also forecasts that there is going to be a lost generation of youth.

The White Paper is more positive - it is full of aspiration and is optimistic about the possibilities. The aspiration is for an 80 per cent employment rate - and hats off to that. There are plenty of well trailed policy initiatives in here to assist youth in the labour market, alongside some gently understated statistical reminders that the 16 to 25 unemployment data has been overblown.

But for me the most under-rated possibilities are around the over 50s might achieve with a bit more backing.

Curiously the White Paper did not give a statistical analysis of the change in 50+ unemployment between this current recession and the last one back in the 90s. But it did give one for the 16 to 25 age group.

If the both older and younger age groups had been compared a contrast in their experience would have stood out. Things are better this time around for the 16 to 25 cohort, but worse in unemployment terms for those over 50.

There is a recognition in the White Paper that the over 50s are facing age discrimination. It also recognises that self-employment for those over 50 is very important for the labour market, and Jobcentre Plus needs to respond to this.

Pre-empting the launch of the White Paper by a month, every Jobcentre Plus in England and Scotland started displaying PRIME leaflets on 50+ self-employment and enterprise. And the response has been huge.

My New Year’s wish for 2010 is that our society will realise that a workless future is just as depressing for a 50 year old as for a twenty year old. The feeling of being rejected by society does not lesson with age; if anything it becomes since the prospect of your plight being recognised and any help arriving is worse.

Let us pray that White Papers are like white Christmases: that they make dreams become reality.

When PA, Sharon Lawrence, was made redundant at 50, she decided to go it alone and set up her own business as a virtual personal assistant (VPA). Flying Changes PA offers independent secretarial support for £19 - £23 an hour. Sharon says, ‘The more you stick at it, the better it gets. I would never go back.’

Sharon, now 53, worked as a Personal Assistant at a large corporate company. After four years, Sharon was made redundant at the age of 50. She says ‘My boss came and told me he wanted to retire and play more golf. No one thought about me at all.’ Not wanting to go through the stress of being back on the job market at 50, Sharon decided to set up her own business.

Her main duties as VPA include producing documents, audio typing, and a telephone and e-mail correspondence service. The majority of clients are small businesses, sole traders and entrepreneurs, but she also helps larger organisations who need assistance with a backlog of administration to get through and a deadline to meet. Recently Sharon has taken on work from HM Prison Service and Social Services. Sharon says, ‘I have transcribed some digital recordings of interviews between prisoners and their mentors and often produce reports in preparation for court. Some of them are quite harrowing, but it is much more rewarding than corporate work and my aim is to take on more work within the social sector.’

Starting out

In October 2006, Sharon registered as a sole trader. The name and logo of Flying Changes PA are a nod in the direction of dressage, which Sharon used to take part in; a ‘flying change’ is a dressage movement. In her youth, Sharon took part in the competitive arena and says, ‘to be a good horsewoman, I needed to be patient, dedicated and impeccably focussed; coincidentally, all the qualities of being a good VPA.’

Sharon took a free, three-day small business course with Inbiz to get some support starting up and says: ‘They walked us through the basics - how to do your accounts, get a business logo and name, register with companies house and a multitude of other hugely important information for someone just starting out in business. It was incredibly useful.’ You can find out about other Inbiz courses at www.inbiz.co.uk

There was no business funding available in Wigan, so Sharon started from scratch. She began by doing favours for friends for free, who later became clients. Sharon says ‘It was difficult finding a balance of how many freebies to give out. You have to be careful not to get walked over.’

Marketing

Having an Internet presence is one of Sharon’s key tips for being successful. It is especially necessary for a virtual assistant, as a large percentage of communication is web based. Sharon used www.streamline.net to build her website. She says ‘It is under £100 for a year and walks you through the basic stages.’

When starting out, Sharon made a marketing mistake by forking out £400 for an advert in a magazine. She says, ‘A company approached me via the Chamber of Commerce, so I immediately trusted them. I was not sure if I could afford the advert, but was told I could cancel at any point and be refunded. When I did decide to cancel, I found that my less than honest salesman had left the company and I just had to pay the money; it was a hard lesson.’ Now Sharon markets via networking and word of mouth, which is much more cost effective. If she does place an advert, Sharon makes sure that all promises are agreed in writing.

Networking

Sharon joined Business Network International (BNI). But after paying for an expensive membership and a breakfast at every meeting, Sharon estimates the cost being around £1100-1200 annually. She says I did a lot of work to help the group but got very little in return.’

To get round the expense of networking, Sharon and a group of other business owners set up their own group, ‘Just Networking’. It costs just £50 a year, and goes towards equipment for the group. The group meets every Wednesday morning and after just two months Sharon already feels it is more productive than other networking groups. She says ‘I have already had a good deal of business interest from the group and I know I can refer other members with confidence.’

Wigan Borough Business Club hold a free networking session once a month. The event includes presentations and refreshments and brings in 20-100 networkers. Sharon says that her increase of networking in the last eight weeks has brought in three new clients.

Problems

Sharon became so dedicated, that she got into an unhealthy habit of missing lunch. ‘I would check my emails at 7am and before I knew it, it was 3pm and I hadn’t even had a cup of tea!’ Sharon explains. The problem got serious and she was taken into hospital with severe stomach pains. There was no permanent damage, but Sharon resolved to look after herself. She says ‘I make sure I eat lunch before 3pm, and force myself to have breaks and wind down. You have to look after your health.’

Future

Three years after setting up, Sharon has got a good selection of regular clients. She says, ‘In two more years I’ll be really comfortable. But I’m happy now and would highly recommend being self-employed..

Contact

Sharon Lawrence
Flying ChangesPA
Mobile: 07821288055
Email: sharon@flyingchangespa.co.uk
Web: www.flyingchangespa.co.uk  

To make its material more accessible, PRIME is having its most popular booklets and guides redone as downloadable PDFs that can be printed out on ordinary A4 ink-jet and laser printers.

We are taking the opportunity of also having large-print versions made, with a minimum text size of 16 point (the industry norm is 10 and we normally use 12 point). This obviously means fewer words fit on a page, but rather than crudely blowing things up we are reflowing the text and images properly and redesigning where necessary, so the large-print versions should look as attractive as the original documents.

First to be done and downloadable immediately for free (right click with your mouse and use Save As) are these four titles.

If you need anything else from PRIME in large print just ask us. We may not be able to produce all our documents and reports in as polished a style, but we will send you something readable.

Normal size versions are also available in a version that is suitable to print. This way you save trees!

Ideas for business, a practical guide and workbook

Local business support in the uk, a directory of where to go for help for people aged over 50

Get help with finance for your business, a leaflet about PRIME’s over-50 loan scheme

Top 10 things that can kill your business, a leaflet about avoiding common business pitfalls

Working for Yourself a practical guide to sales marketing and preparing a business plan.

After 30 years in finance and leasing, 58-year-old Robert White has started a new trade as a domestic energy assessor.

West Bromwich man Bob spent 30 years in finance and leasing, as sales manager, business development manager, and managing director. With the recession the market declined, and Bob found himself made redundant three times in three years. ‘I didn’t want to rely on others for my employment, and I didn’t want to be made to retire while I was still fit for work’ explains Bob. ‘Self employment was a way to take control.’

Bob’s business IDEAL (Independent Domestic Energy Assessors for your Location) provides EPCs (Energy Performance Certificates) and HIPs (Home Information Packs) for the Greater West Midlands area. IDEAL serves local estate and letting agents, housing associations, local authorities, private landlords and solicitor and conveyancing agents, as well as assisting private individuals who wish to get certificates or advice before making home improvements.

Bob says ‘since the 1st October 2008 regulation has changed to state that all properties must have an EPC.’ The certificate grades the building’s efficiency from A-G, showing how this could be improved after recommended modifications. Bob’s services cost around £60 for an EPC, and £250 - £350 for a full HIP’s pack.

Starting up

Bob researched several business ideas including energy assessment, franchising a travel agency, and finding cost reductions for businesses. Bob chose energy assessment because start-up costs were cheaper, and because the training college in Reading, The Energy Assessor College promised immediate work after qualifications had been obtained. This promise never materialised, and Bob has learnt to be wary of small print.

In March 2008, Bob attended a PRIME self-employment workshop. The event included where to go for local support, the basics about starting up, and a networking session. Bob says:

‘It was good meeting like minded people - finding out where they went wrong, and where they went right. We heard one couple talk about their curtain business, and it was interesting hearing about how they did their marketing.’

Business Link provided useful advice about how to manage cashflow and business costs. They provided a cashflow template, and gave Bob some contacts to ring about setting up a website.

Training

In February 2008, Bob did a Diploma in Energy Assessment costing £4,000. Bob studied for about six months, and covered five modules. Exams were taken at the end of each module, and Bob had to talk a lot of friends and family into offering their house up for a practice survey.

After passing his Diploma, Bob became accredited with the National Home Energy Rating scheme (NHER). The accreditation proves that IDEAL meets quality control standards, and allows him to trade legally. Bob pays an annual subscription of £250 plus VAT to be a member of the NHER. Bob’s contact details, website, and services are listed on the NHER site, and can be searched for via postcode.

Marketing

Bob’s main marketing tool is his website. He stumbled upon printing.com while researching local printers. Bob found that the company friendly and keen, and took up the offer of an all-in-one service. Bob says ‘I wanted a professional website to give me a presence. I spent about £1000 and got the website, leaflets, letterheads, compliment slips, business cards, and logo included in the package.’

Bob decided against newspaper advertising after realising it was expensive, and not used by others in the industry. Instead Bob got the word around by knocking on doors and introducing himself:

‘I went to estate agents and letting agents and gave them a business card and flyer. Whether they were interested or not, they all asked for a price.’

Bob’s tip is:

‘Never quote a price. Say “Can I come and see you?” That way, you can understand what the client needs, explain how you will deliver it, and negotiate a good price.’

Age is no barrier

Bob claims that age does not need to hinder, but can instead, be used as a sales tool. Bob is convinced that he got his first deal with a letting agent by emphasising his years and experience, and assuring his client that he would be respectful and professional.

Expanding

A year after starting IDEAL, Bob is looking for ways to expand. One idea is to become a sales agent for renewable energy products, such as wind turbines and solar panels:

‘The changing climate means that these products are already being recommended by the government. It is only a matter of time before they are compulsory’.

Contact

Bob White
IDEAL
64 Europa Avenue
West Bromwich
West Midlands
B70 6TU
Tel: 01215531770
Mob: 07950 786282
Email: robert@idealenergyassessors.co.uk
Web: www.idealenergyassessors.co.uk

Cousins Jackie Hatton, 52 and Denise Lever, 50 have set up a gift shop in Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire. The shop offers affordable country lifestyle gifts, which can be anything from handmade soap to second hand furniture. Taking it in turns to man the counter, Denise and Jackie each enjoy a three-four day week, and split the profits of a full time business.

Manchester-based Jackie and Denise were selling at markets and trade fairs, when they realised they could open a gift shop for almost the same amount of expenditure. The shop opened in May 2009, and the ladies are now making profit and making themselves known to the Hebden Bridge community.

Starting Out

The cousins did some research a gift fair in Harrogate. They saw what was on the market, and what was selling, and the cousins began to get a picture of the stock they wanted to invest in. It was then a case of buying a small selection of products, and testing them out at trade fairs and markets.

The two complemented each other. Denise was the creative one out of the two, and made cushions and tablecloths to sell. She had worked in a gift shop before, and was always suggesting new ideas. Jackie dealt with the accounts, and made sure the ideas were realistic, before anything went ahead.

The cousins also differed in taste. ‘Denise will go for pink and fluffy, whereas I like anything with a cockerel on it!’ Says Jackie. The cousins have to get each other to agree to stock before ordering it in, which means nothing is bought on a whim, and there is little that does not sell.

Business Support

The cousins attended a Business Link workshop, but found the information too general. The help also seemed to be aimed at bigger businesses, as Jackie and Denise discovered they could not get a loan or grant unless their business could generate jobs. However, the networking session was helpful, and the two did take advantage of a free hour consultation with Business Link later on. Jackie says ‘The business advisor suggested the shop, but it was too expensive. Over time it became more realistic, and Denise gradually convinced me to do it.’

Jackie also signed up with PRIME, who sent her a free information pack. She says ‘It was reassuring to know there were support networks out there. I know we can contact them if we have any problems.’

Finding a premises

Jackie and Denise decided to rent, as this was cheaper and had fewer obligations, should the business fail. Jackie found a place on the Internet with reasonable rates, and the cousins looked into securing it. Unfortunately the premises was taken, but this gave Denise a kick to find something else. Finally Denise found an empty shop but Jackie believed the rent was too high. The cousins broke down the cost that they would incur when running the market stall, and realised the shop rent, at £11,000 per annum would not be much more. If things did not work out, there was a two-year clause where the ladies could negotiate. By selling the stock and working for a short period of time, the ladies would have a safety net to fall back on.

As the cousins could not attain funding to start the business, they had to improvise. ‘I had money saved some money for my son’s 21st birthday, so I’ve got a year to get that back!’ Says Jackie. ‘Denise had some savings as well, and my husband helped by making some cabinets and doing the painting.’ Jackie also negotiated a three-month rent-free period with the landlord. This meant that they had some extra time to get customers in and earn some cash.

Marketing and advertising

In May 2009 the cousins had a Grand Opening to encourage people to the shop. They gave out free cake and wine, and invited lots of family to make the shop look busy. The event created some chatter around the community, so the cousins are repeating the tactic this Christmas. The shop will stay open late while the Christmas lights are turned on and the festive drink Pimms is handed round.

Most of the cousins’ marketing comes from word of mouth. Jackie is naturally social, and cannot help but get to know the community. She has introduced herself to the neighbourhood shops, and spends time getting to know the customers. ‘Denise and I feel it is even more important to get to know the community, because neither of us live here.’ Says Jackie. The cousins have joined the local business association, which gives them the opportunity to network with other businesses in the area.

Not long after opening, the Halifax Courier did an article on the shop. This created a lot of publicity, gave the shop a good review, and was free of charge. The success of the piece encouraged the cousins to utilise other papers. The women advertise weekly in the local paper for £25. Jackie says ‘Every other business in the village is in it, so we thought we better be in it to!’ The cousins also spent £270 to appear in Yorkshire Life’s shopping guide, and £450 for six months advertising on the ticket sleeves of the local theatre. Although expensive, the advertising is well targeted. According to the website, Yorkshire Life is ‘aimed at those who aspire to a high standard of living.’ This description also fits the average theatregoer, and is the market audience of Country Cousins Lifestyle.

Just a few months after opening, the cousins are making profit. The next step is to get to website and blog to keep people in touch with Country Cousin Lifestyle news, and enable customers to buy online.

Denise and Jackie will be speaking about their business at the PRIME Olderpreneur Roadshow in Manchester on 9th December 2009. Click here to book your free place.

Contact
Jackie Hatton and Denise Lever
Country Cousins Lifestyle
21A West End
Hebden Bridge
West Yorkshire
HX7 8UQ
Tel: 01422 846317
Email: countrycousins@live.co.uk

Olderpreneur Lyn Siddle, 52 is expanding her award-winning spa, and is looking to set up further centres in York, Harrogate, Chester and Bath. The first centre, Portland Hall Spa in Southport, Merseyside opened in November 2005, and now employs 15 staff. Lyn became self-employed for the flexibility, enabling her to look after her four children and gain a good work-life balance. Lyn says ‘I have always worked my job around what I need. When my children were young, I set up a nanny agency so that I could carry on working and be with them too. Now I need pampering and me-time, so I set up a spa.’

Portland Hall offers everything from a £15 single manicure, to a £585 full day experience for two. Individual treatments include massage, hair and beauty, and aromatic rituals. The spa is housed in a beautiful old synagogue, and separates itself from the norm by offering intimacy and personal space. Lyn says ‘I wanted to do things differently in a set industry. I visited some popular spas and found that they were either like a cattle market, or lacked customer service. I wanted exactly the opposite.’

Starting Out

‘The first thing I did before anything else was to register www.portlandhallspa.com as a domain name’. Lyn put a house up for sale to start financing the business. She then took a full year to raise the rest of the money from lenders.

Lyn used funds to buy and convert the synagogue. ‘I looked at renting to begin with, but I would have had to pay £35,000 to renovate the property.’ Says Lyn. ‘If you buy, you’re investing in your future.’

Lyn wrote a structured business plan but admits there should be a lot of leeway. ‘A business plan is just an educated guess. It’s like saying, “how long is a piece of string?”‘

The business did not take off in the way Lyn had expected. The first 18 months were slow and Lyn had to re-mortgage to stop the business going under. The problem was marketing and pricing.

Lyn created an abundance of publicity for the ‘day spa’, before realising people in seaside town Southport had no idea what it meant. In addition to this, Lyn had given her luxury sessions a high price, as she did not want to de-value them. But this stopped people coming through the door.

Lyn learnt her lesson when striking a deal with Lastminute.com. She says ‘They asked me if I could do something for £10, and I thought “Absolutely not!” But it brought the customers in.’ Lyn did business with other online voucher retailers, and found it was worth selling low and adding on.

When Lyn came to an arrangement with four-star hotel Ramada Plaza, she found her target audience. Lyn says: ‘The Ramada is affordable but a bit of a treat, and that is exactly the market I wanted to reach.’ Portland Hall Spa now has package deals that include a night at the Ramada, which means a whole page of free advertising on the hotel’s website, a reciprocal arrangement, and a lot of new customers.

Subsequent publicity was more specific, and extremely cost effective. Lyn sent out press releases with photographs, and followed up the write up with a call. Lyn’s photographer took the pictures for free in return for exposure on her website, so that was more money spared. Linking the website with other business websites was another way to advertise for free, while doing things for charity, or running events at the spa raised the company profile.

Another tactic was to enter competitions. Portland Hall Spa became a finalist in the British Beauty Awards in 2008, and is nominated for two Morgan Foundation Entrepreneur Awards, to be announced on 19th November 2009. The competitions create a lot of hype, and if Lyn wins her categories this month, she could land herself £30,000.

Business Support

Surprisingly, Lyn waited until expanding before seeking business support. Lyn paid £2000 to do a Train to Gain course called LEAD in Management, and was reimbursed £1000. The course lasts 10 months and helps develop emotional intelligence - the ability to utilise your own emotions and those of others and groups. She says, ‘I used to try and do everything myself, but now I’m working on my next venture, I won’t be able to be in two or three places at once. The course is teaching me to utilise my staff to their full potential.’

Lyn is aiming to open her second spa towards the end of next year.

Lyn will be speaking about her business at the PRIME Olderpreneur Roadshow in Manchester on 9th December 2009. Click here to book your free place.

Contact

Lyn Siddle
Portland Hall Spa
17a Portland St
Southport
PR8 1LR
Tel: 01704 537733
Info@portlandhallspa.com
www.portlandhallspa.com

PRIME has teamed up with UK web site specialist Mr Site to offer a discount of up to 40 per cent on the company’s simple all-in-one web site creation packages.

With the discount a year’s use of the Beginner package will cost you £15 rather than £19.99, a year of the Standard package £22.74 rather than £34.99, and of the Pro package £59.9 rather than £99.99.

These prices include the registration of your own domain name (such as www.example.co.uk or www.example.com), the use of Mr Site online web site creation tools, templates and shopping cart, plus hosting for a year.

To get these prices go to the special PRIME discount link and enter the word “PRIME” into the offer code box. You can upgrade between the levels at any time, so you don’t have to worry too much about making the right choice now. If you want to continue using the Mr Site service after a year prices revert to the normal level - these are shown at the foot of the page. Currently they are £20.28 annually for Beginner, £34.88 for Standard and £95.88 for Pro.

The different levels differ mainly in the number of pages you can display and the amount of space you can use for your text and images. The Pro package has the best ecommerce support and features to help make the site more visible to search engines. But all come with a shopping facility with images and stock control, the ability to take payment from customers via Paypal, and with email box. You can use an existing domain name you have already registered.

We know from polling on the topic and what people tell us at events that setting up a web site has long been seen seen as a high priority by most business starters (see Olderpreneurs all want their own web sites) from 2007. But not everyone is confident about how to go about it. Setting up a web site can seem daunting if you have spent your life doing something other than keeping up with Internet technology.

Mr Site’s all-in-one approach keeps things very simple. To get a web site going you need to register a domain, find a host, design your site and upload all your content. With Mr Site you do all these things from the same place using your normal web browser, and you pay from them all at the same time with a single subscription you know in advance.

The firm is one of the leaders in easy web sites in the UK. We also like Mr Site because its product is well documented, so if you don’t know what you are doing it you can read an explanation which by web standards is relatively free of jargon.

Mr Site is more business-oriented than the blogging tools which are probably its main rivals when it comes to ease of use. Even the Beginner package comes with one shopping page, which can have up to 99 items on it, each with their own image. The standard package allows up to 49 shopping pages, the Pro 98.

The payment system for taking money from your customers is Paypal-based. Paypal is a large international electronic payment service owned by eBay. This means that you have to sign yourself up separately with Paypal for a Paypal account, and pay Paypal transaction charges. But the big plus is that you can get up and running fast and you don’t need to worry about processing credit card payment or getting credit card merchant status.

Customers can pay you straight off your web site (or by email) using a credit or debit card - they don’t themselves need to sign up with PayPal. Paypal can also handle cross-border payments and currency conversion, for an extra fee.

Of course Mr Site isn’t the only way of getting a web site up and running, but we reckon the all-in-one approach makes it very suitable for people new to creating web sites, and its business focus makes it appropriate for PRIME’s audience.

Of other options, there are many. We cover some of them in the site credits description of how this web site is done. For www.primebusinessclub.com we use a lot of Open Source software, which is cheap or free, but quite complicated. Since we have people who already understand these things it is rational to use their labour time, instead of spending money we don’t have.

But for a person starting out on their own without existing Internet skills the learning curve could be high, and the time spent could divert effort from other areas of the business that need it more urgently.

This means that only some of the blogging options are worth considering, especially those aimed at beginners with the hosting included, so there is much less of a technical nature to do. Some of these services are free, usually because they are advertising funded, and they can be good way of getting something up quickly and starting to learn about web publishing.

You can instantly set up a free blog at Blogger.com (owned by Google), and at Wordpress.com, to name two well-established and well supported ones, with huge communities of users. Typepad only has a 14-day free trial, and thereafter is quite expensive, but is also very beginner friendly and tends to appeal to people in the media or arts or who have visually-appealing products.

Social networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter may be enough if all you require is an online presence that is mainly about yourself, and they are all free. But all three suffer from a trivial image, and Facebook in particular is still blocked by many traditional businesses that fear their employees will waste time on it. This means that though such sites can be very helpful to your business if it relies on word of mouth and personal contact, you may also need a conventional web site too where you can present your offer in a serious manner.

Another option worth investigating if you plan to start trading from your site and taking payments for goods is BT Tradespace. The basic service is free, and you get a shop and the ability to take payments using Paypal. This service also offers opportunities for networking to find customers and suppliers, and for some businesses may be a good place to start.
 
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HMRC’s online calculator for working tax credit and child tax credit is back online, after a gap of several years. It allows you to enter your details to see if it’s worth claiming - you’re not asked for a name. The over 50s are one of the groups most likely to NOT claim tax credits they are entitled to.

Alternative link if the first one doesn’t work.

Are you over 50 and thinking of starting a business or becoming self-employed? Then come along to PRIME’s FREE taster workshop in Manchester city centre.

* Decide if self-employment is right for you
* Hear from older entrepreneurs who have gone ahead and started.
* Meet local organisations that can help you
* Meet and network with your peers

Here’s the programme.

1pm Welcome, and what PRIME can do to help.
Chuffy Jenkins of PRIME.

1.25 pm – Making the most of the internet for your business
Ian Stobie, PRIME.

1.55 pm – What help is available locally
Steve Connolly, Business Link.

2.05 pm – Olderpreneurs who have gone ahead and started up
Lyn Siddle, Portland Hall Spa
Sharon Lawrence, Flying Changes PA
Jackie Hatton, Country Cousins Lifestyle Gift Shop

2.50 pm – Refreshment break

3.00 pm – Question & Answer session, an opportunity to ask the
panel your questions.

3.30 pm – How to network effectively leading on to speed networking.

4.15 pm – Session close.

This event is for anyone in their fifties or sixties in the greater Manchester area - so you can still come along if you live in Bury, Macclesfield, Oldham, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford or anywhere else nearby.

Like other events in PRIME’s roadshow series, the emphasis throughout is on helping you establish whether self-employment is the right thing for you. This event is suitable for those still at the ideas stage, and those with a firm plan in mind who are almost ready to go ahead. You can find out the practical steps involved and hear from people who have already done it before making the leap.

All PRIME events are free. As a charity we are interested in helping people make the right decision - to start in business or do something else. Our role is to provide you with good information so you can make a well-informed decision.

www.entitledto.co.uk is a free web-based calculator that can help you work out which - if any, benefits you are entitled to receive, and give an indication of how much. It can also give a quick figure for any tax credits you should get, so you can decide whether to claim.

Many people setting up a new business make little or no profit at the start, so Working Tax Credit may well be payable. Once your net profit rises enough you will of course have to give HMRC its cut, so while your income is low it is only right to claim.

Check your entitlement now. Don’t let the banks snaffle up all the money!

October 2009 UPDATE

This useful INCOME TAX CALCULATOR seems to come from the same stable, and is free to use on the Age Concern and Help The Aged web site.

The Guardian has published a long piece called “Starting a business - what the over-50s need to know“. Businesses started by people in their 50s are more likely to succeed than those begun by 20- or 30-somethings, it says, and author Patrick Collinson goes on to interview some examples of olderpreneurs.

PRIME’s free roadshow events receive a plug, as does the PRIME-Zopa loan.

Other contributors make some telling points.

Dr Barrie Hopson, author of The Rainbow Years: The Pluses of Being 50+ is quoted as saying: “Only one-third of the over-55s are in employment. Many have taken early retirement or redundancy payoffs, or are in ill-health. Yet the studies show that if you want to stay healthy, stay in paid work. It’s very difficult for those made redundant to come back into the workforce, with lots of evidence of age discrimination. Not surprisingly, when no one will give you a job, you have to create your own.”

Ron Botham, author of Nesta’s report The Grey Economy: Third Age Entrepreneurs Critical to Growth, says: “Traditionally, it has been assumed that entrepreneurship is a young person’s game, but research shows that the share of older entrepreneurs has increased and is increasing.

“If an entrepreneur starts up their business later in life they will have much more experience of work,” he continues. “Many older people are attracted to setting up their own business as they can actually work after the official retirement age without any pressure to retire.”