2021 – WILL IT BE THE YEAR YOU DECIDE TO GO FOR IT?

As 2020 draws to a close, there will be very few of us who won’t be glad to see the back of it.  

This time last year, when we were jokingly looking forward to the year of ‘2020 vision’, little did we know what was just over the horizon.

If there’s one thing that the events of 2020 have taught us, it’s that nothing can be taken for granted.  It may well be stating the obvious but life is short, and if we have a dream then we should do something about realising it when we can, and not put if off to some distant time in the future. 

Making the move into self-employment surely falls into that ‘realising a dream’ category but in practice there’s nothing very romantic about making it work.   It’s not just about whether there’s a market for what you can do or sell or whether you can afford to keep body and soul together until such times as you start to see a return for your efforts.  Stepping out of the comfort zone of being an employee or needing to find a new way of making a living because you’ve lost your job, needs courage and planning. 

You’ll have seen the advertising campaigns for the Go For It programme featuring all sorts of people, running all sorts of businesses.  The one thing they have in common is that when they contemplated starting out on their own they reached out for the help and support that was available.  

If you live in the eastern region of the Newry, Mourne and Down Council area – namely Ballynahinch, Saintfield, Killyleagh, Strangford, Downpatrick, Castlewellan and Newcastle – and you’re contemplating the potential for starting up your own business, then Down Business Centre should be your first port of call for advice, guidance and support.

We deliver the Go For It programme in this area.  That means we’re here to help would be entrepreneurs – and yes you’re an entrepreneur even if you’re just planning to work on your own account – to define their business idea, develop a business plan to get them started and support them as they turn that plan into reality.

We know that when we start talking about business plans many people with a great business idea but no experience of writing a plan run scared.  We understand it can be daunting but with the help of one of our Go For It Business Advisors we can help break the planning process down into manageable stages – covering objectives, strategy, sales, marketing and financial forecasts – and you’ve got a robust plan in place it’s not only the route map for your new business but it’s a wonderful confidence booster.  

So if you’re considering making 2021 the year you Go For It then please contact our Business Advisor Joan O’Hara for an informal and confidential chat.  You never know, it might just be the first step towards realising your lifelong dream. 

Joan O’Hara: joan@downbc.co.uk