Free Beer Tokens - Business Plan Opinion
Discussion
In exchange for some beer tokens, I would like to ask someone for their frank and honest opinion on my business plan.
Myself and a colleague are about to embark on a new business venture. The business will deliver small scale technical systems and products to local government. Between us we have considerable experience, sales and technical expertise, great ideas and lots of energy and enthusiasm for what we are about to embark on. Trouble is, neither of us has every set up or ran our own business. Are we about to make a terrible mistake?
I would really appreciate some good honest upfront advice from a friendly pistonhead. I am not looking for investment, loans, orders or anything like that, just advise. If you have experience in investing in business’, reviewing and advising on business plans, are a prolific entrepreneur or think you can help in other ways then please drop me a like via my profile.
I am based near Cambourne, Cambridgeshire.
Any help appreciated.
Regards,
Richard.
Myself and a colleague are about to embark on a new business venture. The business will deliver small scale technical systems and products to local government. Between us we have considerable experience, sales and technical expertise, great ideas and lots of energy and enthusiasm for what we are about to embark on. Trouble is, neither of us has every set up or ran our own business. Are we about to make a terrible mistake?
I would really appreciate some good honest upfront advice from a friendly pistonhead. I am not looking for investment, loans, orders or anything like that, just advise. If you have experience in investing in business’, reviewing and advising on business plans, are a prolific entrepreneur or think you can help in other ways then please drop me a like via my profile.
I am based near Cambourne, Cambridgeshire.
Any help appreciated.
Regards,
Richard.
I have to second that... I run a (very small) software/ Database company and have tried on numerous occasions to get into government or local councils directly only to be met with some variation of "oh you need to be registerd with scat" or some other buying body that only the likes of Logicacmg or Capita can get on 
Thirded.
I used to work for Local Government. All sorts of bullsh1t accreditations needed.
Also, before you could be accepted as an 'approved contractor', you had to provide evidence in the form of past accounts that your company was financially stable. Of course, if you are a start-up company, you can't become financially stable until you get the work, but you can't get the work until you are financially stable...
My advice? Stick to the private sector. They have much more money to spend, anyway!
I used to work for Local Government. All sorts of bullsh1t accreditations needed.
Also, before you could be accepted as an 'approved contractor', you had to provide evidence in the form of past accounts that your company was financially stable. Of course, if you are a start-up company, you can't become financially stable until you get the work, but you can't get the work until you are financially stable...
My advice? Stick to the private sector. They have much more money to spend, anyway!
Hi Richard
I do a lot of work with both local & central Government. There are ways of getting around the accreditations (especially within local gov) however no government body will buy a software application that doesn’t have significant support behind it - it's just too high risk for them. If you are a 2 man band, then it's highly unlikely that you will be able to sell business critical software to anyone in the Public Sector. That said, it depends on how hard you try and what perception you can create with the right decision makers. NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!
As for more money in the private sector, well that may be true, however the public sector are awash with cash at the moment, and now is the best time to sell to them especially if your software has application within their modernisation agenda.
Northgate (a well known public sector IS provider) has just paid it’s first dividend for 6 years and has been buying up lots of smaller companies that provide to the public sector.
Good luck and I hope that you succeed in you venture
Jason
I do a lot of work with both local & central Government. There are ways of getting around the accreditations (especially within local gov) however no government body will buy a software application that doesn’t have significant support behind it - it's just too high risk for them. If you are a 2 man band, then it's highly unlikely that you will be able to sell business critical software to anyone in the Public Sector. That said, it depends on how hard you try and what perception you can create with the right decision makers. NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!
As for more money in the private sector, well that may be true, however the public sector are awash with cash at the moment, and now is the best time to sell to them especially if your software has application within their modernisation agenda.
Northgate (a well known public sector IS provider) has just paid it’s first dividend for 6 years and has been buying up lots of smaller companies that provide to the public sector.
Good luck and I hope that you succeed in you venture
Jason
Thanks for the advice. I currently work for a large company selling to local government so am quite versed in ISO, 3 year accounts etc... Taking all of that in to account, we believe we have the right strategy to enable us to sell confidently in to this market and overcome those difficulties.
we must just be lucky then. wer're a small consultancy firm and 75% of or business over the last 8 years is LG software support, strategy and a couple of products.. we're not acredited with anyone. It does help though if you can get people within the lg area to refer you to others.
Tendering can be a pain in the butt though, and a bit pointless I always think as any buyer worth there job will have decided which product /supplier they want and what a reasonable cost is before they go out to tender !!!!!
Just wait till yo get a HLF or NOF contract now they a laugh.
Really had my eyes open to how poor and wastefull and organisation HLF is they must waste 75% of the money..
Tendering can be a pain in the butt though, and a bit pointless I always think as any buyer worth there job will have decided which product /supplier they want and what a reasonable cost is before they go out to tender !!!!!
Just wait till yo get a HLF or NOF contract now they a laugh.
Really had my eyes open to how poor and wastefull and organisation HLF is they must waste 75% of the money..
The issue of tendering and resource is an important issue and one that I think you will have problems with.
We've just had to place a £30,000 performance bond against a 20 month contract despite big resources, impecible finances and a track record that leaves our competitors standing.
As said, there are ways round this.
Good luck.
We've just had to place a £30,000 performance bond against a 20 month contract despite big resources, impecible finances and a track record that leaves our competitors standing.
As said, there are ways round this.
Good luck.
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