ENTREPRENEURS and start ups

Set out on the right path

As an entrepreneur, you are breaking new ground with a new product, new service or innovative way of delivering something that your target customers need. It can be hard to find a sounding board for your ideas so that you can build confidence in your business plan and investment strategy. With six successful start-ups under our belts, we can help you bring your ideas to market with advice and support in various fields including strategic planning, market entry, financial planning and investment strategy.

Once you have brought your product to market, you need to navigate changing market conditions and competitive landscape while keeping your business running day-to-day. It can be challenging to find new employees who are as committed to growing the company as you are and it takes constant fine-tuning to deliver the return on investment that you are aiming for. Our team has experience of steering companies in several industries through this phase; recently we have helped clients with organisational planning, sales strategy and execution, streamlining product delivery and using IT platforms to ensure that as much resource as possible is aimed at growing sales.

STRATEGIC PLANNING AND MARKET ENTRY

Are you confident in your assessment of the market size and competitor offerings?

Do you need to validate your market penetration assumptions?

Do you need to develop marketing and sales strategies for new demographics or geographies?

Do your product manufacturing and distribution costs align with your financial goals?

Is your strategic plan aligned with your exit strategy? Are you building a business to give you a lifetime income or to sell?

ORGANISATION PLANNING

At which inflection points (number of transactions, product offering change, etc) will you need to change your organisation structure?

Which new roles will you need to add? What is the return on investment on these roles?

How will you attract the right talent?

Can you avoid expanding your organisation by using productivity tools?

Which expertise do you need in your business to drive competitive advantage?

Which functions are best out-sourced?

FINANCIAL PLANNING AND INVESTMENT STRATEGY

Do the upper and lower revenue assumptions in your financial plan have associated contingency plans for cost management? Which areas will you invest/divest in if sales are above or below target?

Is it possible to limit fixed costs further in the start-up phase?

What market variables may affect your target price point?

Are you comfortable with the amount of equity you are offering in return for short-term investment?

SALES STRATEGY

Is your sales pipeline for the next 6-12 months as robust as you would like it to be?

Are your sales team skilled in identifying the best opportunities so that they focus their time on the right customers?

Which customer segment will you target next?

Are your sales team using robust customer profiles to identify the best approach for new customers?

Are you confident that you are capturing feedback that can help improve your product or customer service?