I'm here extolling the virtues of Business Link once more. Last weekend I went on the last of a series of three half-day courses run for people thinking of or having just started a new business.

This one was on marketing and how to keep your customers. It was good to know that I'm doing it half-right at least, although the rest is half-arsed I admit.

It was all SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) where you compare you company to the competition and ask the four questions above. Weaknesses, eerr....an unhealthy obsession with Mars bars? No love, not that kind of weakness but what are your company's weaknesses and how do they compare with the competition's? Which in turn make them your strengths. Or something like that.

Anyhow, I ended up with yet another to-do list and some great tips I never would've thought of for retaining customers and more confidence thanks to yet another good teacher.

So, if you're thinking of starting your own business do it, call Businesslink. Most of the people there weren't even at the staring gate and you might want to think about doing the first course, which concentrates on the practicalities you need to address before you open your doors to Joe Public. Then leave the rest for a little later as they'll be more relevant after six months or so. But do it all the same.

As for business, it's going from strength to strength even in this current climate. Customers are spending a bit less but a few things I've implemented on the site make sure that they keep coming back. One of which is free delivery, which, as we know, there is definitely no such thing. So it's me paying and we'll see how it goes for the next three months then assess the situation.

Because the best thing these courses have told me is that you don't discount, apologise or give stuff away in order to keep a customer. If you can't afford to sell it and deliver it at the price at which you can turn a profit then you have to change it. Or you WILL go out of business faster than a rat up a drainpipe. And that's not a pretty sight.

 Ok, it's been two months since my last blog, your honour and I am guilty as charged.  Bad Blogger! 

But I do think about my blog a lot, mostly when I'm driving 200 miles to do a show or on the way home from the wholesalers.  Thoughts about blogging divert my attention from running the business, giving me a warm cosy place to hide while thoughts of VAT returns lurk in the back of my mind.

Good things are happening though, and scary stuff.  I had a one to one, two hour assessment of my business with a lovely (but scary) lady from Business Link.  For no money whatsoever someone who runs their own business will come round and take a good hard look at you and your figures, ask you what your goals are and where you see the business in 12 months time. 

Dragons Den?  No thanks!

I am willing to confess though what she told me.  After two hours of questioning she looked at me and said ‘you’re tough I think you can take straight talking.  You’re running a HOBBY!  You have no cashflow and no survival budget.  If you don’t sort it out you’ll be out of business in twelve months.’  My heart was racing, I was blushing out of control and my stomach was constricted to a tiny tiny tincy little knot of pure fear. 

Best two hours I’ve ever spent!

I now have a cashflow.  I know how much I need to take every day to make the business work and I know exactly how much money I need to survive each month.

I went on a business course with the same lovely (but scary) lady a couple of weeks later, which was also free.  I highly recommend Business Link courses.  They’re there to help, and give it to you straight.  But then, if you can’t take the heat then you shouldn’t really be in business should you?

I’m still scared, every day.  But that’s a good thing.  I know how much iså in the bank and I’ve hired the services of a lovely bookkeeper who lives a few doors down the road from me, and made a new friend into the bargain so my books will never be out of control again.  Her name’s Karen and she’s got my number, she is scarier than the VAT man!

When I started this business I really had to stop myself from spending money I sorely needed elsewhere on taking out an expensive lease on a shop.

There were all sorts of plusses for getting one; visability, a human being to talk through pet issues with for my customers, a permanent base, a way of making the website less 'faceless' etc.  But the cons outweighed the pros, not least the insane cost of a lease.  Around here in Worthing a small shop in a good location would cost me £15K per year in busines rates alone!  It just wasn't feasible.

So I opted for a tent and spent last summer (mostly soaked to the skin) touting my wares around country shows throughout England.  It was expensive but worthwhile and proved to be yet another valuable learning curve, you'll have lots of those!

However when summer ends you're at home, waiting for Christmas shows to start so my bright idea was to get a market stall somewhere to earn some cash and meet new customers.  I had lived near Greenwich in London for years, and had a hankering for a stall of my own in Greenwich market. 

So I approached the market office and they were very enthusiastic about the product.  Barney and Ben, the market managers just said ‘turn up, take a stall, see what you think and we’ll go from there.’  So I did and stayed on for two months up until Christmas eve as what’s known as a casual trader. 

I queued up in the morning with the others and got a pitch.  More permanent traders don’t have to queue and get a pitch within a designated area (which makes for green eyes when you’re running late and you can see everyone else setting up while you’re still queuing).

Barney and Ben were very helpful, giving me tips and ideas for presenting my stock to make it look as enticing as possible, and more importantly, renting a stall is relatively cheap!  I can do a weekend at Greenwich for £100, far cheaper than having my own shop.

The real advantage of having a presence in a tourist spot is, well tourists!  Selling natural pet care is a talking business.  It’s a new product for customers who can’t wait to talk about their pets’ problems and they come from all over the country.  When they get home, they have literature to read courtesy of yours truly and a sample or two plus whatever they’ve bought on the stall. 

So my little web of pet healthcare is ever expanding across the UK, all thanks to a six by two foot plank of wood and some rather fetching hessian (if there can be such a thing).  I went back two weeks ago as a permanent stall holder which means I know which stall to head for every week and can turn up half an hour later (more sleep) plus no queuing up.

If you’ve got a repeat business or want to sell something that you could take commissions for (jewellery or paintings etc) that can be spread by word of mouth (and what can’t these days) or you want to push people towards a website for further purchasing then I can’t recommend setting yourself up a little pitch highly enough. 

Go for it.