New Business Start up question ?!

jenn1980

Hi all,
I have recently started my own aloe vera business and am looking to get the word out there. I have told everyone i know and i have a facebook page.

I am in the process of getting business cards and flyers done up. I was thinking of asking local shops, hairdressers etc could i leave them in. Any other ideas?

I am also looking for people who want to earn extra money to join my team. Is there anywhere on this website that i can advertise as such.

Sorry for all the questions, i don't really use this site that often so am unsure of the rules !!

Thanks

bget

Im in the process of opening my own business myself and have been struggling with that same problem. You just said you product is aloe vera, what is the primary function of your product, for example if it was as a face cream you could look up beauty product bloggers and ask them to try your product (you could send a free sample) and then reccomend it on their blog. It would be a way of getting your name out their. There are blogs out there about practically everything at the moment. It might not work but its defo an option.

jenn1980

Oh great thanks. There is a whole range of things from toothgel, deodorant (with no aluminium), skincare, drinks to help digestion and stomach problems like IBS etc. There is weight loss programme's too, everything really !
Will look into that, thanks :-)

bget

No problem, good luck!!

jenn1980

Anyone else any info please

macbrada

You need to identify your target Market and bring your product / service to them in a cost effective manner..

I have little knowledge of what you do but if I assume this is a discretionary purchase consideration, then you need a captive audience.

One example which you can modify is to piggyback off others success. Find a local organised meeting such as weight watchers, parent /toddlers groups, pilots / yoga meetings etc
See can you present your product / service after meetings for a few minutes, giving vouchers etc for your company. You may have to 'tip' the meeting organisers but this will create awareness quickly to the people you have identified as needing /wanting your products.

Marketing can be complex and this is only one of hundreds of methods...

The key is not to waste time/money targeting the wrong people.

If you have any friends that studied marketing / business for their degree, seek their advice. It may save you a fortune and a lot of frustration!

Good luck with your venture!

tomyhome

Firstly, I wish you the very best of luck with your new venture. I too have just recently set up my own business and am in the same predicament. My intention is to travel to the O2 when there are big concerts on, and post my flyers on the cars parked around the area. The bigger the 'star', concert, show, the more of a travelling audience will attend. I hope in that way to have my advertisements heading back to the 4 corners of the country each night. I am using a promo code on the flyers so that I can track their effectiveness. I also think it might be worth looking for someone that is a professional in social media marketing. You can contract them on an hourly basis, so you know from the outset how much it will cost you. They log onto your account and then blog on your behalf. Do you have a Utube and twitter account? Both will be invaluable to your business. If anyone else out there has any helpful hints, I too would most appreciate them,
Thanks,
Olivia

MOH

tomyhome wrote: »

My intention is to travel to the O2 when there are big concerts on, and post my flyers on the cars parked around the area. The bigger the 'star', concert, show, the more of a travelling audience will attend. I hope in that way to have my advertisements heading back to the 4 corners of the country each night. I am using a promo code on the flyers so that I can track their effectiveness.

I could be wrong, but there might be a danger of being charged with littering.
I think it's down to bye-laws on a local council basis - you might want to check on the Dublin City site.

tomyhome

Thanks for the heads up. It is not something I had considered. But taking this into account, how is any new business with very little start up money supposed to get established? I attended a SME meeting last week, only to be told that if I could not guarantee to employee 10 people and turn over 1.7million by year 3, I would not be considered for any grants or loans. Where is the encouragement for people to get this country back working? And only for these forums we would never know about all the other obstacles in our way. Again, thank you so much for the info,
Olivia

bget

Olivia, I totally agree Im trying to set up my own business atm too after being out of work for some time and am trying to source as much as I can within Ireland but the Dublin City enterprise board have offered me absolutely no support. I have emailed them on a number of occasions and havent received a single response from them. So much for promoting business in this country!!!

tomyhome

For anyone trying to start a business it can be a stressful and lonely time. Money worries and long hours with little results do not make you life and soul of the party..!! But no-one said it was going to be easy, and if you do need some help there is a very good website out there www.businessangels.ie who provide funding and advice.
Another avenue would be your local college. Third and Fourth year business students need to work with real companies on their business plans, projections, advertising etc, in order to complete their course work, and these colleges are always looking for new or SMEs to be their projects. It is a win/win option for everyone, students have hands on experience in the real, working world, and your company has a tailor made, 5 yr business plan for free.
Keep at it..., it will be worth it,
Olivia

tomyhome

Just came across this on Facebook...
BLUEFACE ELEVATOR COMPETITION LAUNCHED


Submit an amazing idea to elevator@blueface.ie now to be in with a chance of winning €50,000 worth of services for your business!

Exciting day for us at Blueface today as we officially launched our ‘Blueface Elevator’ competition! This competition invites Irish-based start-ups with innovative ideas to give a three-minute pitch of their big idea, with a massive prize valued at €50,000 for the most original idea that also has strong commercial potential. The competition will be held in Carphone Warehouse stores around Ireland from mid-May onwards and the final will be held on the 14th of July at Carphone Warehouse Grafton Street, Dublin 2. There, seven finalists selected from the nationwide search will compete for an amazing prize that includes telephony services, mobile handsets and tablets, advertising, public relations and legal advice.

Blueface Elevator is open to start-ups, entrepreneurs and businesspeople with innovative ideas in any sector of business. Eligible companies must be less than five years old and any products or services being pitched must either be in beta or have spent less than one year on the market.

To apply, entrants should submit a 100 word overview of their business idea, their contact details, and the date/location they wish to apply for to elevator@blueface.ie. The closing date for initial submission is 20th June but entrants are advised to submit their proposals as early as possible, to ensure that they get an opportunity to present their idea at one of the competition locations.

For more information about the application process, please contact elevator@blueface.ie.

Prize package worth 50K....
I have nothing to do with the website or competition, but as our thread shows, its very hard to find any support, so if you know anyone looking for some help with their new business, share, like, email, PASS IT ON... as a very well known supermarket chain claims,... every little helps, (nothing to do with them either!!)
Regards,
Olivia