Apprentice star Bianca Miller reveals her top tips for starting a business
Microsoft has teamed up with Apprentice finalist and entrepreneur Bianca Miller to launch the #My365 campaign, which aims to help budding business owners start their own venture in just 365 hours.
Miller founded The Be Group, a specialist provider of personal branding, image consultancy and employability skills training. She will be offering hints and tips to aspiring entrepreneurs every day at the My365 website. Here’s what she has said so far:
Tip 1: Get the right technology and software
Tip 2: The Vision
Tip 3: Create a business plan
“I’m an Office 365 subscriber and I’ve managed to bring Office into my businesses and what I do in my daily life. It’s great to show how businesses can use Office to optimise their planning and bring their organisation to life”
– Bianca Miller
Tip 4: Financial planning
Tip 5: Consider the finances
Tip 6: Choose your business name
“For four and a half years I’ve worked with a variety of clients including women and the youth to help them understand the power of personal branding and marketing themselves. The Be Group helps people understand their personal branding and raise their confidence”
– Bianca Miller
Tip 7: Registering the business
Tip 8: Domain and social media
Tip 9: Build your personal brand
“It’s a great time be an entrepreneur. Thanks to technology, creating a business and finding customers is far more accessible nowadays, and social media and laptops help people market their company without much money. Bloggers are making a really good living just giving their personal opinion, and that wouldn’t have happened 20 years ago. People feel empowered that on their laptops, they can write a dynamic business plan, market themselves and make a website”
– Bianca Miller
Tip 10: Creating a marketing plan
Tip 11: Creating content and website copy
Tip 12: Focus Groups
“Women are also doing better, and the playing field is starting to level somewhat. More women are starting businesses and feeling like they can do it, too. That’s partly because there are so many more role models for women now. It’s very inspiring”
– Bianca Miller