A short article discussing the setup and running of a new business in the UK.

As many of my regular readers will know, the UK is one of the last of the larger countries that is still not out of the recession. Unfortunately for those of you looking to start your own business, this is something that is becoming more of a hindrance than a help. During the deepest part of the recession, a minefield of help was made available to those already in business, but not to those who were starting their own businesses for the first time.

It can take many things to start a new business, skill, talents, a need for the product, a reliable customer base, and a willingness to help those around you to help themselves.

Whilst the last in that list may not be something that you would typically associate with a new business or a part of the skill-set of a business person, it almost certainly is in any customer facing business.

I will go into a bit more detail about each of the aforementioned skills, and link to places that offer training in each of these areas.

Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills are crucial in any business, but more so in a business which demands a customer facing role. Being able to talk to your customers in a language that they understand as well as providing themselves with enough information about a person through a conversation as well as their physical and/or emotional reaction to be able to appeal to the side of them that will make them feel they need to buy the product or service you are selling.

Read more in Small Business
« Questionnaire for Micro-finance Borrowers
The Categories and Key Issues for Your Internet Business Plan »

Some of the best people to make sales are described as physcoanalysists. I am one of those types of people, whilst it is not always possible to be able to make a sale, it greatly improves your chances of doing so if you are able to understand the person within a few short minutes and how they would react to a given situation. For example knowing if a strong sales pitch would work or a more suttle approach is needed.

Working on your interpersonal skills is something that you should be constantly doing, especially when looking at setting up your own business. There are a few courses available in the UK that help guide you on this, but none of them will ever give you those skills, they will merely open your eyes to what you can do with yourself.