Will my business idea work?

I used to sit at work and think, I could do this for myself, I could be my own boss and start up on my own. But I always managed to find a reason why I shouldn’t or couldn’t. Whether that be confidence, not knowing what to specialise in or not having the contacts to reach out to. How do I know if my business idea will work?

Confidence

A key trait when starting your own business. You have to believe in what you are doing and why you are doing it. I have always been a people person and most of my career has been spent either on the front line as an Account Manager or managing Digital Marketing agencies that we are working with in house. Confidence grows when situations arise, it is learning how to deal with them in the most effective manner that counts. There is always a solution!

Taking the plunge and starting your own business, takes confidence. You might not realise it at the time but every step you take, you are learning, growing and becoming more confident. For me, it was about whether or not I could make it work, will it have longevity? I love stability, making the unknown of not knowing what your future looks like, a very scary thought!

Contacts

The biggest asset to starting a business. Whether that be phone contacts, LinkedIn contacts or word of mouth. It all counts! I was lucky enough to have worked for some amazing brands, which meant my network was extensive. Spreading the word that you are going it alone is so important. I am a big believer that businesses buy into people, not a service. If you have worked with someone before and done an excellent job, why wouldn’t they want to work with you again?

Service

The hard part, what do you specialise in? Digital Marketing is a such a broad term, there is so much that goes under the umbrella of Digital but it’s working out what you are passionate about and what your skill set is. There are a lot of ‘jack of all trade’ agencies out there, but I believe to be good at something you need to specialise. We can’t all be good at everything.

When I decided to take the plunge, I started with looking at what I loved doing the most. Email, of course! Email is an area that I could sit and spend hours working on and not blink an eye. Every parameter interests me, from the design to the execution, there is so much that can be achieved from Email Marketing. It also receives the highest ROI of any marketing channel which makes it even more crucial for me to specialise in.

The second area I live and breathe, is Social Media. I spend A LOT of time on Social Media and its capabilities are endless. After managing the Social Media channels for Mercedes-Benz South West and then moving into agency life and managing multiple client channels, it was a part of my career that excited me. Paid Advertising has opened up a huge audience for businesses to target!

The last two area, Digital Project Management and Website Management. Two factors that come naturally to me. I am extremely organised making Project Management second nature. I enjoy working on a project from start to end and yes there is always challenges but the end goal is constantly in site. Website Management is no brainer. There is always new website content to be uploaded, tiny tweaks and amends which will make a huge difference on the site and most of the time in businesses limited resource to do so.

Quality

My last point, is the reason I start KW Marketing UK. There is so much noise in the Digital World and it is standing out, that makes the difference. I have been on the receiving end of some very poor work, some very good work and some extremely outstanding work. All is reflected on price however to me the biggest factor is quality. It’s so easy to become a machine and churn out the same work to each and every client. Whereas in fact every client is different! Every client needs a tailor-made approach their business. Objectives differ, resources differ and budgets differ.

When I decided to go for it, the biggest factor in my mind and will always be at the heart of my business is that quality is key! Without quality, your contacts won’t stick around, your service will drop along with your confidence. Taking pride in every piece of work I deliver and every client I have, is at the heart of KW Marketing UK.

The Answer

You will never know if your business idea will work but putting fundamentals in place is a necessity. Contacts, service outline and mission statements are a good place to start! I didn’t wake up one day with a big idea, I woke up and believed I could do it! 7 months in and I wouldn’t change a thing!