The time to start a business is now

Now is the perfect time to launch a business, according to entrepreneur David Lester.

The founder of Startups.co.uk claims many people are setting up on their own because they think they have nothing to lose. But he says there are also a lot of opportunities out there for small businesses at the moment.

He says: “The internet has helped make it easier and better to start a business. There are new opportunities to create brand new businesses.

“In addition, for anybody creating any business the internet has so many tools available to help you get started. There are lots of web-based tools now that can make challenges like accounting easy.”

‘Easier than ever’ to raise finance

And he says potential entrepreneurs should not be put off by the thought of raising business funding. He says

For a good business idea there has never been an easier time to raise finance. There are crowdfunding platforms like Crowdcube setting up that allow you to raise money from the crowd and from your peers.

“There’s also companies like MarketInvoice that allow businesses to auction their unpaid invoices to global investors. In general, there’s a variety of new and exciting ways to raise money but traditional lending from banks is also still a good option.”

He claims the secret to a start-up business’s success is focusing on the needs of the customer.

He says: “In general terms if you give customers what they really want and when I say customers I mean your customers, the people you’re trying to reach, and you get your numbers right then you’ll do fine.

“Often people do that to start with but then they lose track of their customers or they get distracted. The hard part initially is to ask yourself ‘Is there a viable market?’ Are there enough people who will pay decent money to cover your costs and earn yourself an income?”

Small businesses are ‘lifeblood of Britain’

His comments come after David Cameron spent time visiting independent retailers as part of Small Business Saturday on December 7.

The Prime Minister says: “Small businesses are the lifeblood of our country – essential for building a resilient, sustainable economy and a central part of my long-term economic plan for Britain.

“They account for 99 in every 100 businesses and keep more than 11 million people in work – so this isn’t about sentimentality, it’s about the future of Britain, creating jobs and turning our economy around.”

If you are launching a start-up business, Bizspace has a variety of offers to help you hit the ground running in your ideal business property.  Contact us if you are interested in renting business space at any of our nationwide centres.