PRIME business club

Over 50 and looking to start your own business?

PRIME is holding a FREE computer skills day on Tuesday 20th April 2010 for over 50s in Bournemouth, starting at 9.30am. We are running it in conjunction with a major local employer, with additional support from the EU-funded Interreg Senior Enterprise project. This backing means you will have the opportunity to learn and try out up-do-date ideas in an purpose-built computer training facility with separate workstations for each attendee.

The big advantage of this properly resourced day is that we can adapt the training to the needs and pace of each individual attendee, and to the IT and web topics most relevant to self-employment. Tea, coffee and lunch will be provided. Places are limited to a maximum of 12 - so you are urged to reserve your place now.

Programme:
9.30am to 3pm: Demonstrations, workshop and individual tuition
3pm to 5pm: Q and A, then close.

Topics covered will depend on you, but are likely to include:

• A recap of anything you are unsure about in basic computer terms and Internet technology
• How to use Word and Excel to support your business, using them for invoicing and doing basic self-employed accounts
• Setting up a good web site and then making your potential customers aware of it
• Selling via the Internet and setting up an on-line shop
• Using Twitter and Facebook for business

 and whatever else the audience request.

At the end of the course you will be given a handout detailing other local facilities available to support self-employment and your further IT skills learning, and good online resources.

No. of places available:    12
Programme
Tea, Coffee and Lunch will be provided
9.30am to 3pm: Demonstrations, workshop and individual tuition
3pm to 5pm: Q and A, then close.

To book your FREE place just complete the online booking form here

The competition season is now in full swing. There’s still time to enter some of the bigger awards. And on a smaller scale there are also a couple of quick-to-enter competitions with useful small prizes from Paypal and from printing firm Moo.

1. Your Big Year

Your Big Year is a free competition to encourage global citizenship and social responsibility through entrepreneurship. It is now open to applicants.

Thousands of enterprising entrants will compete for the prize of a 12-month trip around the world by raising as much money as possible for a group of short-listed charities.

PRIME is one of the 24 charities that have been selected to receive support from the funds raised by the fundraisers in this competition.

If you see yourself as an enterprising individual who would like to travel the world and help out in local communities, Your Big Year could be just what you’re looking for.

Winners will be given the opportunity to meet World Leaders, celebrities and inspirational entrepreneurs. They will live in different communities, learn leadership skills and join volunteer projects - from teaching children in South America to conservation work in Asia. They will be given the tools and support to share their experiences via the global media.

For more details - and to register your interest - visit www.yourbigyear.com

2. Moo Business Card Project

More a competition than a fancy award, cult printer Moo is offering to redesign the business cards of 500 small businesses. To enter you send them a photo or scan together with a hundred-word plea, and if they don’t like your card they’ll redesign it for free and print you 50 free cards.  Yes it’s a marketing ploy and really a clever  offer, but Moo does boast some wonderful designs. Though the offer site looks American Moo is a British-based company, and the competition is open to businesses in the UK.

3. Win £100 with Paypal and Enterprise Nation

Closing date for entries: November 2010
This one is really quick to enter - you just tell home-business site Enterprise Nation what you’d spend the £100 on, using this uber-simple form. You don’t have to wait long either, as 20 winners are announced each month. The competition promotes Paypal as you must have a Paypal account to collect your winnings, but these are easy to set up and already genuinely popular with small businessess (Paypal is the standard payment mechanism used on eBay.

4. Other awards

There are many other awards aimed at larger companies, and some significant awards that apply to just one region or industrial sector. There’s a good list maintained by Boost Marketing at www.boost-marketing.co.uk/awards/.

Note that some awards charge an entry fee. The ones we feature above don’t. Fees can be large - the “Green Business Awards” and the “Internet Business Awards” each cost £250 to enter, while entering the “National Business Award” will set you back £175. Unless you expect to get shortlisted there are probably better ways of spending your promotions budget.

See also elswhere on the Internet:
Business awards - are they worth the cost and effort?

How to win awards (advice on the benefits and costs from Smarta)

Though it takes time to enter an award it can be a useful exercise in presenting your business to others. And if you get shortlisted or win one of the categories you are likely to get publicity for your business - and usually also a prize.

The Open Day programme is a government business support road show, designed to provide free information and support to businesses, through a series of exhibitions across the country.

It is organised by HM Revenue and Customs, who invite local organisations and representatives of national bodies such as PRIME that can provide support and advice to local businesses. The organisations chosen all operate on an “other than for profit” i.e. non-commercial basis.

At this free event you will have access to a full team of experts who provide advice and technical support on a range of subjects, covering every stage of your business from start-up, through growth and expansion to pension arrangements when you retire. Free seminars cover topics such as meeting government regulations, funding, marketing and enhancing your business through new technology.

Click on the link below to find out more and to book your place.

Website Link: http://www.businessadviceday.gov.uk/events/

The Open Day programme is a government business support road show, designed to provide free information and support to businesses, through a series of exhibitions across the country.

It is organised by HM Revenue and Customs, who invite local organisations and representatives of national bodies such as PRIME that can provide support and advice to local businesses. The organisations chosen all operate on an “other than for profit” i.e. non-commercial basis.

At this free event you will have access to a full team of experts who provide advice and technical support on a range of subjects, covering every stage of your business from start-up, through growth and expansion to pension arrangements when you retire. Free seminars cover topics such as meeting government regulations, funding, marketing and enhancing your business through new technology.

Click on the link below to find out more and to book your place.

Website Link: http://www.businessadviceday.gov.uk/events/

The competition season is now in full swing. There’s still time to enter some of the bigger awards. And on a smaller scale there are also a couple of quick-to-enter competitions with useful small prizes from Paypal and from printing firm Moo.

1. Barclays Trading Places Awards 2010

Closing date for entries: 16 July 2010. This award concentrates on individuals who have overcome major obstacles to start their businesses, as you can see from last year’s winners here. To enter you have to be UK-based and already trading. You can nominate yourself or someone else - go here for form and contact details. PRIME is on the judging panel, so we’re not nominating anyone!

2. NatWest everywoman Awards

Closing date for entries: 30th July 2010
Open to any female business owner whether they operate as a sole trader, limited company, or in partnership with others. You must have been in business for longer than 12 months as at 30 July. The Hera category is specially for women over 50, and there are new categories this year for rural and ethical businesses.
Go here for details and to enter

3. The Pitch 2010

Closing date for entries: depends on region, with most now passed.  But you’ve got till 23 July if you’re in the Midlands. request form here. This contest has an unusually elaborate application process, but on the plus side this increases the scope for publicity along the way.

If your application is shortlisted you get to pitch in person (along with four other candidates) at the nearest of five regional events held in Liverpool, Bristol, Birmingham, London and Edinburgh. Those who make it through the heats get to pitch at a final session in London, where prizes expected to top £50,000 are handed out.

To enter your business must have been going for less than three years. Of the contests mentioned here The Pitch is probably the most willing to consider very new businesses - but you will have to provide strong evidence of why your business is likely to be a success.

4. Moo Business Card Project

More a competition than a fancy award, cult printer Moo is offering to redesign the business cards of 500 small businesses. To enter you send them a photo or scan together with a hundred-word plea, and if they don’t like your card they’ll redesign it for free and print you 50 free cards.  Yes it’s a marketing ploy and really a clever  offer, but Moo does boast some wonderful designs. Though the offer site looks American Moo is a British-based company, and the competition is open to businesses in the UK.

5. Win £100 with Paypal and Enterprise Nation

Closing date for entries: November 2010
This one is really quick to enter - you just tell home-business site Enterprise Nation what you’d spend the £100 on, using this uber-simple form. You don’t have to wait long either, as 20 winners are announced each month. The competition promotes Paypal as you must have a Paypal account to collect your winnings, but these are easy to set up and already genuinely popular with small businessess (Paypal is the standard payment mechanism used on eBay.

6. Other awards

There are many other awards aimed at larger companies, and some significant awards that apply to just one region or industrial sector. There’s a good list maintained by Boost Marketing at www.boost-marketing.co.uk/awards/.

Note that some awards charge an entry fee. The ones we feature above don’t. Fees can be large - the “Green Business Awards” and the “Internet Business Awards” each cost £250 to enter, while entering the “National Business Award” will set you back £175. Unless you expect to get shortlisted there are probably better ways of spending your promotions budget.

See also elswhere on the Internet:
Business awards - are they worth the cost and effort?

How to win awards (advice on the benefits and costs from Smarta)

Though it takes time to enter an award it can be a useful exercise in presenting your business to others. And if you get shortlisted or win one of the categories you are likely to get publicity for your business - and usually also a prize.

Angela Ricards, Purely Bowen

Angela, 55, is a qualified Bowen massage therapist treating horses, dogs and people to help them with pain relief. She discovered the Bowen Technique as a client, having chronic pain issues herself following a car accident. 

“It wasn’t a light bulb moment, more a growing awareness that this was possibly the way forward to work for myself”, says Angela. The Bowen Technique is a gentle, holistic and non-invasive therapy that promotes healing and pain relief.

Angela was unemployed when she contacted PRIME for help with setting up her business. But she’d already been studying for the professional qualifications needed to become a Bowen therapist while in work – selling homes then working for a major charity. “My working life in the past was a means to an end, to support my greatest love - horses”, says Angela.

Angela read an article about PRIME and decided to get in contact. PRIME told her about the ‘Test Trading’ Scheme, a scheme run by Jobcentre at the time to help people on Jobseekers allowance start-up their own businesses whilst still receiving their benefits until the business was making enough money to fully support the individual. Angela went back to Jobcentre and asked to be put on the scheme. She was assigned a senior advisor specialising in self-employment, who fast-tracked her on to the scheme. She was appointed a mentor who visited her every two weeks to ensure she had a business plan, advise her on marketing and ensure that she still received her benefits.

“I had never written a business plan before. From information on the PRIME Website and other sources of online help and support from my mentor, I managed to complete a Plan, which I still refer to now.”

Angela’s practice, Purely Bowen, continues to grow. She now has a website, www.purelybowen.co.uk.The unique selling point of the business is she is qualified to treat people, dogs and horses. There are less than twenty Bowen therapists in the whole UK qualified in all three modalities. She regularly keeps up to date with current information and developments in human, dog and horse health and attends seminars, training sessions and workshops.

“My advice to other potential Olderpreneurs is, don’t give up,  keep your focus and be prepared to find doors opening for you that you had never known to exist”.

 “Had it not been for PRIME’s help, I would not be the happy Olderpreneur that I am now. The written information pack was great - really made me feel supported, and I used the website many times.”

Bob Rawal, 57, contacted PRIME in April 2010 and was sent a free start-up pack. Later that month he went onto apply for a Zopa-PRIME Olderpreneur loan.

Bob decided to start up his own business after being made redundant twice in three years. Up until this point he had spent 35 years in the medical needle packaging industry. A number of those years were spent working for one company as a production director, responsible for 200 employees, overseeing the shop floor operations for packaging. In November 2009 Bob got made redundant for the second time and had to sign on to Jobseekers Allowance. “I got really down and disheartened at this point and felt like I was being treated as a number”.

Not wanting to be out of work for long he joined an agency and took on some temporary assignments. After the agency took its fee he was getting minimum wage (£5.85 per hour). This was not enough to live on. Bob had a small amount of redundancy money which he was using to pay the bills.

Bob decided he was going to start-up a business in an area in which he had over 35 years experience - packaging. His brother gave him some packaging equipment. But he did not have enough money to cover the start-up costs. He knew in the current recession the banks were not likely to lend to him. After searching the internet Bob came across PRIME’s website and immediately requested a free business start-up pack. Within three days the pack arrived in the post and he read all about the Zopa-PRIME Olderpreneur loan and decided to apply. After going through the application process with PRIME’s Loan Manager and providing a strong business plan, Bob got a loan of £3,500 with an interest rate of 8%. He also put what was left of his redundancy money, £1,600, towards starting up. 

Bob says “Without the help and guidance of the PRIME Loans Manager I would have found it very difficult to start the business up. She always kept in contact and chased me up on things I needed to do.”

Bob started up Bell Court Packaging Solutions in April 2010. The unique selling point of the business is offering a mobile packaging service where he will go to a company’s premises and pack onsite. Blister packing, skin packing and hand packing are some of the in-house services offered.  He also advises clients about the most cost-effective and environmentally-friendly ways to pack their goods.

Bob is continuing to get regular bookings coming in. “It’s hard work but I am really enjoying working for myself.”, he says. “The one piece of advice I would give to someone thinking about starting their own business is to keep your chin up and always take care of your finances”

PRIME’s innovative loan scheme with Zopa is made possible by a generous donation from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation. Under the scheme ordinary members of the public lend directly to borrowers who have been pre-approved by PRIME and Zopa. To find out more go to our loans page.

Contact

Bob Rawal

Bell Court Packaging Solutions

bob.rawal@gmail.com

07722920305

The British Library Business & IP Centre in London has a large programme of free and low cost events covering a wide range of topics, including business start-up advice.

The Business & IP Centre is part-funded by the London Development Agency (LDA). It launched in March 2006 and supports entrepreneurs, inventors and small businesses from that first spark of inspiration to successfully launching and developing a business.

The Centre offers free access to the UK’s most comprehensive collection of business and intellectual property databases and publications, including general startup advice, information on funding sources, market research, company data, business news and information on patents, trade marks, registered designs and copyright.  Anyone can use the British Library, all you need is a Reader Pass.  

Workshops run by British Library staff are free of charge; however, some workshops run by partners are charged at a nominal fee and may have different booking procedures. Advance booking for all our workshops is essential.

Go to the British Library & IP Centre website and find out what’s on this month.

Are you self employed, a sole trader or small business?

Have you been affected by the recession?

Do you need to develop and grow your business?

The Centre for Micro Enterprise at London Metropolitan University are running a Business Rescue Programme.  It is a six day course delivered over six weeks starting 15th July.

Business Rescue Programme supports 20 people in the ongoing success of their business. The course helps you identify problems and create workable solutions.

Course content includes

·       Business Image & Strategic Networking for success

·       Review and Revamp your Business Plan for tactical growth

·       Market Research & Market Planning to increase sales

·       Financial advice for a sound business base

·       E-Commerce & ICT for greater understanding

·       Pitch & Present to enhance your competitive edge

As part of the course you will also receive 1:2:1 Business Mentoring.

The course is heavily subsidised. A contribution of £60 is required from you for the whole course, which you pay when you are accepted onto the programme. 

For more information please call 020 7320 1383

or email info@upturnonline.co.uk

Participants will be selected if they fit the requirements of the funding regulations and places on the course will be offered on a first come first served basis.

Buried away in the detail of the Chancellor’s budget report is notice of the end of a very valuable incentive for those struggling to work their way off benefit. From April 2012, the 50-plus element will be removed from Working Tax Credit. This means PRIME clients won’t be able to get it any more. This could mean a cut of up to £1,965 in their income in the first year back in work.

Working Tax Credit is a kind of reverse income tax that you should get if your household income falls below a certain level. For the newly self-employed it provides a useful safety net, as it means you know your income won’t fall to zero even if your net profit does. In the early stages of a new business this is very reassuring, as the risk of low or negative income from the startup is real.

Since the 50-plus element is only available to those who are returning to work after previously being on benefit it seems a very odd thing to cut. And it won’t do much to help reduce the public sector deficit, since you’ve only ever been able to claim it for your first 12 months back in work. After that it ceases automatically anyway.

The Chancellor hopes to save £35 million in the tax year 2012-2013 by this measure, and £40 million a year thereafter.

Lets’s hope all of this money returns in some way to those striving to get themselves back into work by their own efforts. It’s a very strange thing to remove one of the few forms of financial assistance that was already well-targeted at those actively trying to work themselves off welfare dependency.

On a more positive note the Chancellor announced that the personal income tax allowance is to rise from April 2011 by £1,000 to £7,475, removing some 880,000 people on the lowest incomes from having to pay income tax at all. Eventually he hopes to raise the allowance to £10,000, but gave no definite date.

This measure should help many self-employed people, since most are set up as sole traders and are taxed primarily through income tax, filling in the self-employed self-assessment form.

There’s more about the budget on the in the Resources area on this web site.

Working Tax Credit - current maximum rates per year
(what you actually receive tapers off as your income rises. The Chancellor has also changed the taper “withdrawal rate” too, up two per cent to 41 per cent, so in future you will lose money faster).

Latest Working Tax Credit rates and thresholds

Full budget report on HM Treasury site (as big PDF) Stuff about ending the 50-plus back-to-work element is budget policy decision 41 in table 2.1 on page 48.

Opportunity to take part in an Olderpreneurs’ ‘Testing the Water’^TM programme

10am - 3pm, 28th June, Wolfson Research Centre, Newcastle

 
Do you have an interest in self employment or an idea for a business but don’t know how to develop it or whether you’re ready?

Newcastle University’s Institute for Ageing and Health are running a one day workshop of the ‘Testing the Water’^TM Programme with Sue Jackson of Whitespace Coaching who is a licensed coach for the programme. The workshop will help you to:
 

• develop a clearer understanding of whether self employment is the appropriate next step for you
• know those areas to rectify or work on to improve your chances of making a successful transition to self employment
• plan the further steps you need to take to address these areas of development

 
The workshop is funded by a European Social Fund Research Project hosted by the Institute for Ageing and Health and supported by NIACE. The research project is looking at working in to later life and is seeking to provide evidence and clarity on the perspectives, experience and expectations of working in to later life from both older workers and employers. A key area of research will be on the opportunities for older people in enterprise and self employment.

Who is the workshop for?
We are looking for anyone over the age of 40 considering their suitability for self employment. There will be no cost to you to attend except your time and travel. We will also be asking you to share your views and experiences of working and enterprise to support our research.

A bit more about the day…
In the day workshop you will complete a specially designed ‘Testing the Water’^TM questionnaire (which will be yours to keep) and participate in joint sessions to explore themes common to people contemplating setting up in business.

After the workshop day there is also an opportunity to have two free individual follow up coaching sessions with Sue. These coaching sessions will support you to develop strengths and work through more limiting areas to speed the transition to self employment.

How to sign up
To register please email Kasia Kurowska at k.kurowska@ncl.ac.uk with your name and contact details. Alternatively, please call Kasia on 0191 248 1287 to register or discuss the opportunity in more detail.

PLEASE NOTE: Places are limited for this opportunity so please register as soon as possible

Here’s a roundup of national awards most relevant to new small-business start-ups. Though it takes time to enter an award it can be a useful exercise in presenting your business to others. And if you get shortlisted or win one of the categories you are likely to get publicity for your business - and usually also a prize.

1. HSBC Start-Up Stars 2010

Closing date for entries: 13 June 2010 for initial nomination, 25 June for completed entry. This award is free to enter, but you need to get someone else to nominate you first - here’s the form.

There are three categories including new green and international ones, and judging is done in 10 regional heats. This means that a total of 60 businesses get shortlisted - which provides all these entrants with opportunities for local media coverage.

Prizes total £50,000. Note that the phrase “young business” on the contest site refers to newly-started businesses, not the age of the owner - only businesses started after 1 May 2006 are eligible.

2. The Pitch 2010

Closing date for entries: depends on region - 15 June 2010 for South-West, 25 June the North, 25 June Scotland, 01 July South-East, 23 July the Midlands. request form here. This contest has an unusually elaborate application process, but on the plus side this increases the scope for publicity along the way.

If your application is shortlisted you get to pitch in person (along with four other candidates) at the nearest of five regional events held in Liverpool, Bristol, Birmingham, London and Edinburgh. Those who make it through the heats get to pitch at a final session in London, where prizes expected to top £50,000 are handed out.

To enter your business must have been going for less than three years. Of the contests mentioned here The Pitch is probably the most willing to consider very new businesses - but you will have to provide strong evidence of why your business is likely to be a success.

3. Barclays Trading Places Awards 2010

Closing date for entries: 16 July 2010. This award concentrates on individuals who have overcome major obstacles to start their businesses, as you can see from last year’s winners here. To enter you have to be UK-based and already trading. You can nominate yourself or someone else - go here for form and contact details. PRIME is on the judging panel, so we’re not nominating anyone!

4. NatWest everywoman Awards

Closing date for entries: 30th July 2010
Open to any female business owner whether they operate as a sole trader, limited company, or in partnership with others. You must have been in business for longer than 12 months as at 30 July. The Hera category is specially for women over 50, and there are new categories this year for rural and ethical businesses.
Go here for details and to enter

5. Other awards

There are many other awards aimed at larger companies, and some significant awards that apply to just one region or industrial sector. There’s a good list maintained by Boost Marketing at www.boost-marketing.co.uk/awards/.

Note that some awards charge an entry fee. The ones we feature above don’t. Fees can be large - the “Green Business Awards” and the “Internet Business Awards” each cost £250 to enter, while entering the “National Business Award” will set you back £175. Unless you expect to get shortlisted there are probably better ways of spending your promotions budget.

See also elswhere on the Internet:
Business awards - are they worth the cost and effort?

How to win awards (advice on the benefits and costs from Smarta)

Setting up a web site is a high priority by most new businesses. But not everyone has the experience to do it for themselves from scratch - or the money to buy in the expertise from somewhere else.

This is where simple Do-It-Yourself solutions come in. This post updates previous discussion on this topic (see Internet category for earlier posts), and renews two offers we’ve been running for some months.

1. Getting British Business Online - a free basic business web site from Google and BT

There are many approaches you could take, but let’s start with something that is entirely free. Getting British Business Online is backed by the UK government’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. It’s run for them by campaigning group Enterprise UK, but the technology comes from Google and BT.

We’ve just had confirmation that this scheme now continue at least till 31st of December 2010. So far 20,000 businesses have taken advantage of the scheme.

To get a web site going you need to register a domain name - which is the web address such as example.co.uk for you web site, find a hosting firm which is where your site will actually live, then design your site and upload all your content. One way simple DIY packages achieve simplicity is to guide you through steps and offer all these services on one place.

With the GBBO package you get:

A free web address provided by BT: Choose from any available ‘.co.uk’ domain name. This is free for two years, after which you can pay to renew it.

Free hosting, provided by Google. Google told us this will remain free forever as long as your site remains below a certain size limit, currently 100Mb. This is big enough for the great majority of simply sites, but you can pay for extra space should you need it.

A free site-building tool: You build your site using an easy Wizard-type tool provided by Google, which lets you upload your own words and images, and alter them later whenever you want. You choose your initial design from a selection of pre-defined templates. You can swap to a different template later or tweak the design if you want to.

To register go to www.gbbo.co.uk

You need to have a working email address and a mobile phone. The mobile is only used once, during the initial registration process. You give the set-up wizard a mobile number, and it then immediately sends a text message to it containing an activation code. You type this code into the on-screen setup form, which lets you continue on to set up your free web site.

The type of web site you can build with the free Google tools provided by the GBBO scheme are fine if all you want is a fairly simple site containing pictures, text and videos. It can do a good job of describing you and your products in a kind of online brochure.

However, if you want to sell products off the page and take payments from customers online, it’s not so good. It is possible to link a GBBO site to Paypal and take credit card payments this way, but currently it doesn’t provide a proper shopping cart facility. This is more what you need if you have number of products you want to describe and sell from your site.

2. Your own online shop from Mr Site

There are several options here, but one of the simplest for newcomers to building web sites is Mr Site.  This is a paid-for commercial product, but PRIME has just renewed an offer we ran at the end of last year, passing the full 40 per cent discount on to PRIME Business Club visitors.

One reason we like Mr Site is that it 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. It also has a business focus that makes it very appropriate for PRIME’s audience.

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. You can use an existing domain name you have already registered.

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.

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.

3. Other options

Of course Mr Site and the GBBO scheme aren’t the only way of getting a web site up and running cheaply. We cover some of the others 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 unfortunately sometimes quite complicated.

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 many cheap 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.

Tickets are on-sale today from www.startuk.org or by calling 0844 248 5052.

The Prince of Wales is joining forces this Summer with musicians, comedians, environmental experts and some of Britain’s best known companies to create a unique festival in the heart of London.  The Prince is opening up his own gardens at Clarence House, together with his neighbours’ gardens at Lancaster House and Marlborough House this September. 

 ‘A Garden Party To Make A Difference’ is a rare opportunity to visit these historic gardens. It will last 12 days, from the 8th to the 19th September 2010, from 10am to 6pm daily.  There will be a timed entry at hourly intervals with final admission at 4pm. 

The Garden Party is an imaginative part of the Prince of Wales’s ‘Start’ eco initiative launched in February.  The event aims to give people of all ages a fun day out while at the same time, via the exhibits, demonstrating the small but useful steps that all of us can take to build a more sustainable future.

The 12-day Garden Party will be a blend of exhibitions, fun activities and live performances throughout each day from comedians, musicians and speakers. 

Each area of the Garden Party will be curated by a celebrity champion:

Musical Programme created by Jools Holland
Comedy by Marcus Brigstocke and Hugh Dennis
Growing and Gardens by Alan Titchmarsh
Food and The Great Outdoors by Kate Humble
Ecocars by Roger Saul and Kevin McCloud
Debate by Jonathan Dimbleby, Sanjeev Bhaskar & Clive Anderson
Fashion by Dame Vivienne Westwood

Launching the festival, Prince Charles said “I am delighted to be able to welcome visitors into my gardens, and those of my immediate neighbours, for this exciting festival.  We have a fantastic team of talented curators who are helping us create an event which will, I hope, be both fun and informative.  This festival is just one way in which Start can help to demonstrate how we can all make a difference, however big or small the steps we take.” 

Tickets, priced £15 for adults and £7.50 for children are on sale from 9am today. Tickets are timed for purposes of entrance only.  Full details are available on the Garden Party website www.startuk.org

Doug Richard’s School for Startups  are filming a FREE 90 minute pitching master class at University College London and broadcasting it LIVE as an interactive S4STV webcast. Watch this Webcast LIVE wherever you are in the world and join in by posing your business questions and comments to Doug through an interactive communications feed. 

Perfect Your Pitch! S4Stv

Standard LIVE S4Stv webcast Ticket: FREE

Ticket booking link: http://s4s.ly/e

Details from School for Startups

Doug Richard, serial entrepreneur and original BBC2 Dragon, moves ahead with his ambitious plan to fast-track entrepreneurs and business owners onto the road of success. 

Summary

Being able to pitch your business quickly, efficiently, happily and successfully is key to its success. As a business owner you pitch customers, strategic partners, suppliers, potential team members and members of your community each and every day. You have to get it right . . .

So . . . Join us for a remarkable opportunity. Doug Richard at University College London, in partnership with The Pitch 2010, will deliver ninety minutes of LIVE instruction on how to pitch your business perfectly.

You’ll find it is easier, more fun and more effective than you ever thought possible to get a perfect pitch for your enterprise. You’ll discover just how much you can love telling people what you do and why it is important. You’ll look forward to seeing the way their eyes light up . . . And you’ll discover how and why a pitch can work such magic.

This is an exceptional event, delivered both face to face to participants in London, and online via S4Stv. Sign up now to attend. Not only will you have a great time, you’ll master one of the most important business skills you can learn. See you there!

Event Details

Perfect Your Pitch will be personally hosted by successful serial entrepreneur and angel investor Doug Richard.

Doug has pitched hundreds of businesses, products and services to thousands of people. He’s helped the businesses he’s funded learn how to pitch more effectively, heard thousands of pitches from businesses who’ve come to him for money. The BBC’s Dragon’s Den allowed viewers at home to see just how easy it is for a pitch to fall apart under pressure, but it also demonstrated how the perfect pitch can have investors standing in line to jump on board.

Learn just how much fun you can have pitching your business when you know how to do it exactly right . . .

This FREE 90 minute pitching master class will be filmed at University College London and broadcast LIVE as an interactive S4STV webcast. Watch this Webcast LIVE wherever you are in the world and join in by posing your burning business questions and comments to Doug through our completely interactive communications feed.  

At “Perfect Your Pitch!” you will learn:

• What defines the heart of a perfect pitch.
• The financial figures you must have on the tip of your tongue.
• How and where to practice your pitch, and how to tell if someone finds it interesting.
• The words and phrasings to use and those to avoid
• How to tell people, from a customer’s perspective, the why your business offers an exceptional value
• How to look and feel confident when pitching

Who should get involved?

• Owners & managers of growing businesses
• People thinking about starting a business
• Business, Marketing and MA students
• Pros interested in understanding financing better

What is included?

• 90 minutes of free pitching tuition with one of the UK’s leading entrepreneurs
• Access to online resources and materials, including membership of VentureNavigator
• Interactive chat room allowing you to pose questions and comments to Doug and his entrepreneurial featured guests LIVE

For further information on all School for Startups events visit: www.schoolforstartups.co.uk