Have you got a brilliant business idea but not sure how to put it into practice? There's never been a better time to start a business in the UK: with new t...

How to design a product to suit customer need

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Have you got a brilliant business idea but not sure how to put it into practice? There's never been a better time to start a business in the UK: with new technology, handy online tools, and plenty of support on offer, it is now cheaper, quicker and easier than ever.

The result is that new companies are rapidly springing up in the UK economy; in 2014 a new company was born every minute, 

. And this number is expected to grow exponentially in 2015.

At the heart of every great business is the customer. If you want to know if your idea can become a business, ask yourself: "

" It seems a very simple question but many businesses struggle to explain what they do

With planning and the right tools, you can minimise risk and design a business product or solution that is tailored to the needs of your customers.

. A description such as "men and women from 15 to 80 years old' is too broad!. To offer tailor-made solutions that suit your users, know who you are talking to and be able to empathise with them.

. This is when Product Design kicks in: it is a very simple process of testing your services without having to invest lots of money in development

We have put together a hands-on workshop to demystify and shed some light on the Product Design process. It's divided into 4 core phases:

By the end of the workshop, you'll be able to understand the product design process from idea to execution, validate business and user assumptions, explore solutions with sketches and prototypes and document the process with personas, sitemaps, flows and wireframes.

But most importantly, you will learn to how to craft experiences that are useful and enjoyable.

 on 31st March 6.30pm at Somerset House in London:

"A goal without a plan is just a wish." -

&lt;p&gt;My career spans almost 35 years and started in retail and commercial banking. Of course, my apprenticeship strarted before this working in hospitality and catering.&amp;nbsp; Apart from the usual paper-rounds my first job, at 13 was working on a Saturday for the local fish "n" chip shop! I progressed to working in the local golf club, a 4 star hotel and local pubs as waiting and bar staff whilst studying.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The call of a full-time beckoned and I joined the TSB in my local town. I moved on from there to work for the pioneering and multi-award-winning First Direct in Leeds. My 3 years&amp;nbsp;at First Direct&amp;nbsp;taught me many things but most importantly about good leadership and the impact that has on culture and engagement.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;In 1995 I moved to take up my first management position for a medium-sized foodservice business in Huddersfield. Starting small with an internal sales team of 4 the aim was to transform the culture from one of order taking to sales &amp;amp; customer service focused.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;I achieved this, improving the contribution from sales office activity to revenue whilst reducing error rates by 90%.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;In 2002, the company merged with a similar-sized business in Lancashire. A new role was created for me to handle compliance. The aim was to standardise H&amp;amp;S and Food Safety processes, improve awareness through training in these mandatory areas of business and to continue supporting internal sales offices with training and integration.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;I took some professional CIPD&amp;nbsp;qualifications at this time to strengthen my knowledge of people development and training, achieving a Distinction grade.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;In 2004 my compliance management role became a Directorship and I continued to hold this position until 2007, implementing ISO9000:2000 during that time. Also, extending the training scope of the role to all sales roles, external and internal.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;In 2007, I took the role of Commercial Director. The aim was to steer the company through the recession and ensure we grew profitably. Quite a challenge considering around 65% of our revenue was supplying the "at-risk" sectors pubs, hotels and restaurants. Discretionary spending and spend on eating out were about to come under scrutiny. We needed a plan! We grew profitably for the 6 years I held the post. This was achieved by changing culture, changing the team capabilities in line with a new growth strategy and a lot of hard work!&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;In 2013 I left that business having finished the financial year adding £1.2mn for growth and increasing gross profits.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Since then I have supported around 100 businesses with strategy, planning, leadership and team development as well as sales and marketing plans.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Often, I work with the support of Lancashire or Cumbria growth hub and their funding for the client. I am an approved coach and business advisor with both growth hubs.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;My sole purpose is to ensure business owners focus on their own definition of success, not what the books or industry experts" tell them they should be achieving.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;I found that getting the right people on the bus and in the right seats (as Jim Collins&amp;nbsp;would advise us) was the right approach for me.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

Managing Director

Paul Aisthorpe on the importance of good mentoring

Discover how transformative the right mentor can be.

I am a Chartered Accountant, having earned a respected reputation in the field of accounting, with more than 15 years of experience in working with small and medium-sized enterprises. Having worked with business owners ranging from one-man start-ups to large companies requiring a different level of services, I have developed a passion for the profession and I am driven by the success of my clients. I have spent many years in business working at boardroom level, holding various positions before being motivated to start my own practice, Makesworth Accountants, where I have blended my technical skills in accounting and tax with my business skills derived from my time in the industry. I have embraced the changing times and technologies and strongly agree that accountants are moving from being number crunchers to being reliable and trusted advisors. Throughout this process, Makesworth has been able to secure various affiliations and awards.
My objective is to add value to my clients’ businesses through the application of my extensive experience and knowledge in accounting, tax, HMRC investigations, business start-ups, and much more.
You can expect us to provide expert solutions for your business needs no matter what business model you have. You will receive a cost-effective service and a free initial consultation.

Chartered Accountant

Accountancy, Taxation and Business Advisory

Accountancy, Taxation and Business Advisory Services in the UK

I am an experienced consultant bringing planning, sales, business development, commercial, operational and other business support designed to make a real difference to business performance. I also undertake coaching, team leadership and management and personal development training. Work includes business planning, business strategy, marketing &amp; sales, financial and commercial management, people management, improving operational performance or in leading an organisation through to personal and business skills development. I have worked with a large range of clients from entrepreneurs to construction (e.g. groundworkers, civil engineering or contractors), engineering and manufacturing, garden centres and shops, nursing and care homes, retail and professionals, health service and larger organisations such as DHL, RIAS, Zurich Insurance, Interserve, R &amp; W Civil Engineering, Johnson Controls and local Councils. I am a qualified and experienced Investors in People Specialist and has advised around 300 clients to successful IiP Recognition and assessed over 250 more. Consultancy followed a first career in Barclays Bank in a variety of roles including senior departmental manager, Training Manager and Resourcing and Selection Manager for the UK Bank.

Practical project management

An initial discussion to understand what you want to achieve and to agree what you need and to scope out how the support should work whether it be 1 : 1 or in a group setting.

How to design a product to suit customer need

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