Structure and practicalities
Quite how to put your ideas into practical application is a subject for careful planning and research. You may have the experience to put some of this down already. What is certain is that if you do not do your planning well the business will fall flat on its face before long. At best it will knock along without fulfilling its potential.
Your planning is a chance to get it right on paper first. If it doesn’t fit together you can tear it up and start again if necessary with no harm done.
Here are the main topics we will check through with you for a new business. They all need considering to one extent or another and in some cases the topic can be set to one side for now, but let us be sure that when it resurfaces we haven’t set you up to have a problem with it later.
Reasoning for this Business
Status/Ownership
The Nature of the Business
Identify the Management and skills
Objectives
Market
Marketing plans
Costs and set up expenses
Premises, Plant, Equipment and Vehicles
Personal Investment into the Business
Grants available
Cash Flow Forecast
Personal Survival Income
Finance raising assistance needed
Bank account
Legals – formation s/t/ partner agreement/ Companies House
Legals - Business name requirements
Legals – Inland Revenue registration
Insurance Empl Liab/ Public Liab / Vehicles
Professional indemnities
Personal Insurance – Hospital / Medical / Income replacement
Pension
Employing Staff – more than 5?
Employing Staff – less than 5?
Book-keeping / Accountancy
Inland Revenue
Health and Safety minimum requirements
Training Requirements
Once the planning has been done the practical application comes into play. Bob Shepherd Associates have a wide contact circle and network people together. If we can help directly we bring in Associates who are people we work with regularly who are trusted and known.
So much time can be saved when you have prior experience. Let us help you with your lease, your agreements, your legal requirements, your patents and trade marks, your marketing, your PR, your social media! The list of requirements is vast. Much of it we will have seen before and know where to go. In many cases we have relationships established with competent professionals to bring in their expertise as necessary.
Further Information & Help
Please contact us for further information and an initial meeting.
Past cases
Bob Shepherd Associates was approached to look at the purchase of a canal Narrow Boat company. The family business was more run down than the vendors realised and was not viable in its present form. However their site was capable of development in a number of ways. Purchasing the business would enable the new owners to set up some holiday accommodation and over the next couple of years turn a run down boat yard into a small and attractive holiday complex.
A mid life change led an entrepreneur to approach Bob Shepherd Associates with a plan to purchase a delicatessen. The funds were available and the resources balanced but with his background we could not see him stood behind a counter for six days a week. His delicatessen turned into a property development company using skills he had treated as a hobby until now.



