Research Your Business Idea
by Tash Hughes
of Word Constructions (www.wordconstructions.com.au)
Before launching
your great idea as a business, it is wise to check out
if it is a viable proposition.
You may have a
great idea, but if people don’t need or want to use it
you won’t make any money. Think about the business of
selling umbrellas – would it do better in Hobart or
Alice Springs? Would an infant massage class do well in
a retirement village? How about a Porsche dealer in
northern WA?
So before
planning too far, it is a good idea to research your
business concept to see if it is workable. You need to
research whether the idea is saleable, the appropriate
location for it, who your customers are and what they
like, what price level will be acceptable and whether a
lot of other businesses already offer your idea.
There are many
ways to research your business idea, and it’s probably
best to use more than one method to get balanced
results. Informal research can give you some great ideas
and insight into your customers, but formal research is
likely to produce better figures and statistics.
Some suggestions
are
Talk to
everyone you meet and see if they would use your
business
Use the
yellow pages and internet to see how many others are
doing the same thing
Observe
people’s responses and questions in chat rooms,
letters to the editor and talk back radio programs. If
they are asking for your service/product, go for it!
Speak to some
business experts and listen to their advice
Check if any
upcoming technology would make your idea obsolete
Pay a market
research company to test reactions
Find relevant
statistics from the ABS or other reputable sources
Do a survey
or poll. Make sure you offer it to the people you
intend selling to – there’s no point polling teenage
girls about a clinic for balding men. Polls can be run
through websites, newsletters or in person. Be careful
to run your poll so that people can only respond once
or your results may be useless.
Look at other
local business and determine what sort of customers
they attract
Look for
competitors and industry bodies to gain an idea of
going prices and what is currently on offer
Join some
business networks and listen to other business owners,
in general and specifically those with a similar
customer base as your idea.
Do a trial
run to see if the idea does work. For instance, sell
products at a market stall, offer your services to a
community group or do a fundraiser with a local
school. Watch the responses and listen to any feedback
you get.
Read business
magazines and articles to learn about new trends and
growing industries
As each business
is different and appeals to a different customer base,
you need to choose the research methods that suit. Be a
bit creative, but most importantly, listen to what
people are saying. One throw away comment during the
research phase may be the lead you need for successful
marketing of your business.
Tash Hughes is
the owner of
Word Constructions and is available to solve all
your business writing problems! From letters to
policies, newsletters to web content, Word Constructions
writes all business documents to your style and
satisfaction.
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