Business Guide

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Business Guide

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The Business Side of Business

Starting from scratch
What is and how to write a business plan
Food Law
Risk Assessment
The business processes
Who are your customers and what do they want?
CSR - Corporate and Social Responsibility

Starting from scratch - some basic principles

• Are you really up for the job?
• Profits don’t come instantly so ensure you have enough cash flow
• Know your customer
• Is there a market?
  • Is it big enough to support your needs?
  • Is there enough profit in the business to make it worth the effort?
• Check out the big picture – are there issues that may affect your business either now or in the future?
  
  
  • Competitors, technological advances, legal issues, cultural climate
    
• All products have a life cycle – check where yours is and whether it has long enough to go before any major changes are needed – even staple products have to be updated
  
  
• Has your product enough differentiation or a unique USP (unique selling point) if not, why should customers choose yours?
  
  
• Develop a well-thought through business plan
  
  
• Gather good advice in areas you are weak in, ie business, financial and/or legal

See www.bytestart.co.uk for further information on starting your business from scratch

What is and how to write a business plan - who for and why?

• It acts as a guide as to how the business is to develop and what its targets for the future are
• If money or collateral are required to set up the business it shows the lender that the business has been thought through and is not just a whim!
• Main categories for a plan are:
  • an initial executive summary, summarising the detail of the business proposal
  • a written overview of the business' aims, objectives and mission statement
  • implementation of product or service
  • marketing plan
  • financial plan with forecasts and appendices, such as the CVs of key management members, market research data or technical product information
  • growth strategy
  • summary
• 'Click here for a more indepth guide'
• How to write a business plan

Food law

• Useful Guidance leaflets from Trading Standards
• Animal health and welfare
• Consumers/buyer's rights (including selling methods)
• Fair trading (including pricing)
• Food
• Safety
• Weights and measures
• Other

HACCP what is it and why do I need it? Safer Food Made Easy With New FSA DVD - The Food Standards Agency has produced a new DVD for food businesses that aims to provide an additional route for accessing up-to-date guidance on safe methods for food preparation, handling and storage.Guide to traffic light labelling on packaged food

Risk assessment  - Protect your business assets including your staff and customers.

• Develop a plan which analyses the business risk if the worse happens
• Regularly back up computer data
• Ensure all manufacturing equipment has service contracts
• Review and renew insurance policies
• Ensure your staffing levels are adequate

Go to the links below for further information:

• Health & Safety Executive - Health & Safety at Work Guidance Information
• Business Link - Risk Assessment Overview
• Communities & Local Govmnt - Fire Safety Law and Guidance Documents for Business

The business process – seeing your business from a customer's point of view Periodically review the following:

• Delivery and waiting times
• Helpfulness of staff and staffing levels
• Restocking policies
• Product sourcing - local, national, imported, ethical
• Administration, invoicing, accounts, efficiency
  
  

Who are your customers and what do they want? – Are they;

• Manufacturers/processors
• Retail outlets
• Wholesalers
• The general public via your own farm shop or market stall
• Catering outlets – local pubs, restaurants
• Suppliers - don't forget them they need looking after too
• Questionnaires – ask your customers to complete a form on how your company performs

CSR - Corporate and social responsibility

• Corporate Social Responsibility - There is an ambitious vision for UK businesses to consider the economic, social and environmental impacts of their activities, wherever they operate in the world. The website connects you to information about what the government is doing to help make that vision a reality.
• IGD’s New ‘Sustainability’ Web Area - is a free information resource for the food and grocery sector. It has been designed to help companies understand and meet the challenges posed by this challenging agenda. It is also a chance to showcase best practice and encourage others to follow.
• FISS - The Food Industry Sustainability Strategy - will help the Food Industry contribute to the UK’s sustainability goal.