From ideas to cheers - HOW??

[GMW71]

Hi,

I am new to this forum, as well as being new to any business dealings. I am thinking of starting a business and have read as much as I think i can handle for now:p. I know I have to do a business plan, marketing research etc. I know what products I would like and am busy sourcing suppliers and prices.

The one thing that I am concerned with is all the prior legalities. Should I trademark, copyright? Where do I find a good laywer and accountant? :confused:

I dont have anyone to bounce ideas off of (who is close to me) as I am in a new country without any family/friends. The corporate culture and legal requirements will not be the same as what I would find back home. I am sure the basic premise would be the same but I dont have someone near me to help out or enquire from.

Does anyone or can anyone offer advice? The trade I am in is rather small and should my idea filter out, I believe I may lose out to the big players. I dont have the big funds required to protect myself. I would need financial backing with my business anyway, and so dont have many funds available right now to protect myself. Unfortunately my parents did not think out their future:eek:, so i dont have any reliance on anyone else.

Any advice/help would be appreciated. I have read a lot of what Rob has written but it is quite general in its descriptions.

I am sorry if I sound a bit "poor me!" but i am struggling to piece it all together and it is frsutrating as I know the idea/business will work. :o

Is this the same feelings everyone else starts out with or I am in this boat alone?

[Rob]

Hi,

First of all welcome to the forum. It seems you have the key bases covered i.e. your idea, target audience and market etc and no you are not only when it comes to understanding the final details.

I agree that most of the material I write is general and that is because visitors to the site come from all over the place and it would not be possible to focus on one country as others would feel left out! This was one of the reasons for starting this forum so others with more direct experience re country specifics could help out.

Looking at your quoted locatin I know there are a few people from Australia on this forum so hopefully they will read your post and contribute ideas. But a few thoughts ...

1. I'm sure there are a number of government related bodies which assist starts ups - check out your local area or search on the net.

2. As you are new to the country then you should seek professional advice to make sure you don't make any elementary or costly mistakes. You must get a lawyer and accountant signed up if you can't or not comfortable with the advice you are given

3. If you want people to bounce ideas off then it's better if they are not close to you; this way you are more likely to get a truthful answers! People who know you may be inclined to give your the answer they think you want to hear - not good for testing out an idea

Good luck with your venture.

[GMW71]

Hi Rob,

Thanks for the reply. As you said I have got a few things to sort through. I hope you were not insulted that I may have insuated that your information was not useful. It has been a little "bible" for me in some ways. I am trying to go through your material and use tick marks to know how I am fairing and what needs doing next.
Due to their being so many suppliers, it is difficuyt to choose one whose quality and standards you are going to be happy with.

As to localise help, i will investigate the local govt. agencies. I also hope that someone on the forum is from Aus and could give suggestions on what I should look out for.

Thanks for the tip on speaking with friends and family. I am sure they will tell me what i want to hear!! Maybe I am just very cynical in my trust of others and this is why I wanted to bounce off ideas off them.

I will most likely try seeking out some agency or business that puts one in touch with entrepeuners/business leaders who have bee through this.

Your help and advice is greatly appreciated.

[PaulSimister]

I sense the frustrations in your posting but I agree with Rob. You should be able to find lots of advice about business in Australia.

I did a quick Google search for "starting a business in Australia" and came up with some interesting items.

For example Business.gov.au (http://www.business.gov.au/Business+Entry+Point/)

I would say that you need to split your mind into:

1 - compliance issues - which are country specific and where you need local advice and support.

2 - specific business development advice - which is trade specific where you can pick up advice from anywhere about successes in the trade.

3 - general business development advice - where you aim is to find the best in the world. It pains me to say it but most of it comes from the US.

Be wary of number 2) a lot of people over estimate the importance of specialist trade advice because I have seen people all try to follow the same system and what happens? They all look the same (which is not the idea at all) and they all lose some of their individual flair and identity.

I tell everyone to read "The E Myth Revisited (http://businesscoaching.typepad.com/the_business_coaching_blo/2007/09/michael-gerber-.html)" by Michael Gerber because it nails some common business mistakes that can make you a servant of your business. I don't like the writing style but the message are very important.

People succeed in business because they excel at business development although they can fail because they get the compliance issues wrong.

Just don't expect to get everything right from the start. It is not that easy. There is no perfect business plan and some general or military strategist said "no plan survives contact with the enemy".

You will learn so much when you start your marketing and sales activities but good luck. Starting a business is a very exciting time.