gruntygiggles
New Member
- Posts
- 75
- Location
- Old Sodbury
Firstly and this is not a rant at you.......we are all entitled to our own opinions and if you don't agree with those opinions, fine. However, you don't know someone that you've never even met well enough to assume he has the kind of attitide that you imply he has. You came on here asking a question, don' slam people for giving input.....even if you do think it's negative.
I personally agree that if we all just sit back and do nothing, we'll have nowhere to go, but I'm not going to offend or badmouth someone that doesn't want to or have the time to do anything about it themselves.
You did not come to the wrong place, read what people have posted.......A LOT of good advice. It is common sense that if you want to know FC rental costs, that you should call the FC.....could be mistaken for a sarcastic dig if you're the sensitive type, but I think it's just a good point, simple as that.
Now, a few people have asked for feedback, which you have yet to give on what you believe you could offer that would make opening a business at this site again a finacially viable venture. So....do you have anything in mind?
Personally, I think the capital needed, the security that would be required and the administration of getting this off the ground would be an enourmous task for one person. You have a good point about volunteers and I'm sure you could find some, but they need to have something to volunteer for.
If I were you, I would go to your bank, pick up a pack on starting a business and it should include a disk that you can stick in your pc, that has a template business plan, including budgeting, cashflow, forecasting etc.
If you've never written a business plan before, these are free and very easy to use.
Then, get in touch with the FC and ask the questions you want the answers to. I would advise setting up a meeting and going there to talk face to face. You'll get more information that way and they may be able to give you details on the financial performance of the previous business there. You can also get these details for a small fee if you know the name that the business was run under, just contact companies house for help. You should have a good read through these and try and locate he people that were involved. They may have no interest in doing it all again, but they might be able to give you the reasons for the failure and even might be willing to help you should you be successful in your new venture.
When you have gathered this information, get in touch with every 4x4 school, pay&play site in the country. Search through their websites, pick up the phone and find out what they are offering that was not previously offered at your site. If you feel that there is a very successful P&P site, 4x4 experience site or driver training company, get the names of the MD's, chairmen, senior members.
Next step.....write your business plan. Take time over it, include details of the previous financial performance and the reasons for the failure. Include your predicted financial performance and give the reasons why you believe your business will be lucrative and sucessful, detail the new services offerings etc. that you plan.
Get on forums, like this one and say that you have a solid business plan and believe that you can make this site work, but need help. Ask if there are any experienced negotiators or senior sales professionals out there (consultative sales, not traditional aggressive) and see who comes forward. You may need to offer some form of profit share, but worth it for the right people. Obviously, if you have this experience, you can do it yourself. While on these forums and through asking local groups of 4x4 enthusiasts (not just Landies), do your market research. What other P&P sites are in your area? Would they use the site if it was opened again? Would they pay the prices you would charge for the services that you'd be offering??? Etc etc...You should be doing this from the start really!
Then.....if you have the capital and security in place, you can go to the FC and pitch your idea to them. If you don't, I would stay away from finding ways to raise your own capital to cover the full cost. I would raise half and then approach the companies that you found to be the most successful while researching.
Go to these companies with a solid meeting set up with the decision makers (MD, etc) and tell them what you are doing. Propose a partnership between the two of you, which will allow you to get the site re-opened and allow them to expand their business by having a new site. You could get legal advice on franchises and pitch the idea that your capital buys your franchise and then the site is run under theoir company name, web site, set up etc. There are so many ways that you could work together with one of these companies, splitting the cost and sharing the profit, but you'll need to get a good 2-4 hour initial meeting arranged and go in armed with an experienced negotiator and influencer and the legal, financial and FC knowledge that you will have gained through your research.
You have to be really serious about this and prepared to lose hours and hours of time spent with your family on evenings and weekends to get this going, but if you're determined enough, can offer a viable business opportunity and get people on board with you, I dare say you could make it happne!
Good luck!
