How my first 12 months in business went

In what is traditionally a very challenging time for many new businesses, Claire Hose of London-based MoveMinder reflects on her first year in business

“I set up my company, MoveMinder, at the beginning of 2008, after working for my parents for a year. They had a similar business up in Yorkshire, which they set up in 2004. As a family, we moved around a lot, so my parents built up a lot of experience.

“I thought my parents’ idea for a business could work very well in London, too. People’s lives here are busier than anywhere else in the UK, so I was confident I had a high concentration of potential clients.

Move-management service

“MoveMinder offers a comprehensive move-management service. In effect, it’s a PA service that concentrates on moving house and associated tasks. Customers can delegate to us any move-related job – from finding a removal firm, plumber, electrician, handyman or cleaner and changing addresses to overseeing movers, packing and unpacking, etc.

“We take the stress and hassle out of moving, while saving people time. Our service appeals to people whose already busy and stressful lives means the last thing they need is to have to deal with moving house – which is commonly regarded as one of the most stressful things in life.

“Launching my business was reasonably easy, because I had the benefit of working with my parents beforehand, so I could draw on their experience.

Business support

“Business Link put me in touch with GLE One London, which provided advice about writing my business plan and acquiring funding for marketing. Their support was invaluable. They also hooked me up with a business mentor, who would answer my questions and help me remain focused on my goals. 

“Juggling tasks effectively was probably my biggest challenge when I started up. Marketing, networking and meeting clients and potential customers – there are so many things to do and it can be hard to get the balance right. Sometimes, I have to work weekends, late nights and early mornings just to catch up.

Start-up marketing

“During my first 12 months, raising awareness of my business was the key challenge. My parents faced the same problem. The service we offer is relatively unheard of in the UK, so it wasn’t just a question of telling people my business name, I also had to explain exactly what it did and how this could benefit them.

“Because I can’t really rely on repeat business – most people only move a few times in their lives – I constantly need to find new customers. To save effort and cost, I knew I had to build relationships with estate agents and house finders, because they could recommend me. I networked like mad and fortunately I came to the attention of a couple of journalists, which resulted in free newspaper publicity. This generated many leads.

Reality check

“The reality of running my own business didn’t surprise me. I’d seen it at close quarters with my parents’ business, so I’d no illusions. As the owner of the business, I knew it would mean a different kind of stress for me.

“There are times when my motivation has wavered, but it’s unbelievably rewarding when you start seeing results. I’ve never considered closing down the business; belief gets you through, even though things in the property market have been very tough for a while now. I’m confident my business will go onto even better things when the market begins to move a bit more.

“What am I most proud of? Quite apart from winning significant business, having professional advisers acknowledge the validity of my business model was particularly pleasing. I’ve also built up quite a good following on Twitter – online social networking sites can be an effective way to attract customers. It’s a brilliant resource for getting hints and tips, too.

Likes and dislikes

“I enjoy dealing face to face with clients and being on the spot on moving day, orchestrating the various people involved to ensure it all goes smoothly. Because of the state of the market, MoveMinder grew slower than my initial business plan projections, so keeping the plan up to date was a monthly task I hadn’t bargained on.

“During my first year, I made slight changes to improve the business, such as introducing a client satisfaction questionnaire so I could keep in touch with customer expectations, and a client charter, so customers would know what service to expect. I didn’t need to make any radical changes because I’d done the initial thinking and market research when setting up my business.”

Claire’s three key lessons

• Research your market thoroughly to identify likely customers, assess competition and confirm there’s sufficient demand for your product or service.
• Get professional advice about your business model/plan. This will help you test whether your figures add up.
• Communicate your socks off. Talk to everyone and network like mad. When you’re up and running, communicate well with your customers. Failure to do so can tarnish your reputation – and lose you business.