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How to start your business in Ards and North Down
Start-up support for entrepreneurs in the Ards and North Down Borough Council area
Selling tobacco and nicotine inhaling products
Guidance on preventing the sale or display of tobacco and nicotine products, such as e-cigarettes, to anyone under the age of 18.
Benefits of mentoring
Advantages of business mentoring can include building your network and helping your personal and professional development.
Business mentoring
How a business mentor can offer you guidance and support to help your business succeed, and how to become a business mentor.
Six tips for successful primary market research
When you carry out field research to gather market information – ask the right questions, talk to the right people, interpret carefully and be impartial.
Customer research: what you need to know
The key things to find out about your customers and the factors that influence their buying decisions including loyalty, satisfaction and service.
Should I use a market research agency?
How to choose between alternative methods of completing field research and how to find professional researchers if you decide to outsource your field research.
Market trends and competitor intelligence
Key things to find out about your market to remain competitive including the demand for your product or service, market trends and competitors’ plans.
Three market research pitfalls to avoid
Points to bear in mind while utilising the published market data you've gathered: be cautious about out-of-date information and misleading averages.
Five tips for effective market research
Tips to improve the quality of your market research – from using field research and market reports to interpreting the data.
What is business mentoring?
Business mentoring is a supportive and guiding relationship that can be as informal or formal as you need it to be.
Plan your field research
How to plan your field research for gathering market information including surveys, interviews, observation research and experiments such as blind taste tests.
Measure and monitor your Facebook activity
How to track the success of your business’ Facebook activity using Insights, and use this information to post better content and improve audience engagement
Set up and run a Facebook business page
How Facebook works, how to set up a page and how you can use it as part of your marketing plan to reach your audience and engage wit customers online
Developing your sales forecast
How to improve the accuracy of your forecast by breaking down your sales figures into smaller categories such as by product, market, region or customer.
Sales forecast assumptions
How to build expected changes in your business relating to factors such as your products and your market into a sales forecast.
Plan and forecast sales
How to use sales forecasting, a monthly prediction of your sales, to improve the management of your business and avoid cashflow problems.
Advantages and disadvantages of Facebook for business
The advantages of a Facebook businesses account such as targeted advertising and customer engagement and the disadvantages such as getting negative feedback.
Create a sales plan from a sales forecast
Advice on how to achieve your sales objectives by creating a sales plan including your focus, the necessary changes, the steps involved and your target markets.
How to find a business mentor
Experienced business mentors can be found through local business networks and dedicated support organisations.