One of the joys of setting up your own business is getting befuddled by all the information that can be flung in your direction. Yesterday I went to my first startup business fair, at ExCel in the East End of London. Now I can cope with discussing concepts, seeking out suppliers and, most fun of all, deciding on prospective stock, but this was something else.
For those of you who are worried about global deforestation I think I’ve discovered the root cause – all the flyers and promotional materials handed out at business fairs. Within seconds of getting inside I was already weighed down by the first carrier bag of ‘stuff’, and a lot more was to follow.
All in all I suppose the day was a qualified success: I attended an interesting seminar on web traffic optimisation (see www.weboffin.co.uk); got hold of all the necessary bank and government agency bumpph; and had a good chat with a chap who sells a very funky soft phone setup. However to get all this wheat I had to sort through a lot of chaff.
Many of the exhibitors seemed to be just in the business of selling a website and a small online retail unit to fast buck merchants. It made me wonder how many people are still trying to setup a business that they believe in, something that will give them both an income and no small measure of job satisfaction for decades to come? At least the web boffin was in it for the right reasons. Anyone who skips at work must be alright.
