Evaluation

I won't lie, at the beginning of Enterprise, when we first started going to lectures and whatnot, it wasn't the most enjoyable of subjects. I did however gain an interest in the subject nearer the end, and I'm really quite pleased this subject was part of the course. I've actually got a lot out of it, and it's given me something else to think about in terms of what I want to do after college. I really wish I listened a little more in the lectures as I'm still not 100% on everything.

I'm most definitely relieved now the presentations are done and dusted, as I'm sure, are many other people. I HATE presenting, and the build up beforehand was the worst thing in the world, but I got through it and I believe I done fairly well. Once I'm up there and I'm doing it, I'm fine.

I expected the questions asked after presenting to be a lot more deep and technical but they were fine, so I'm rather chuffed about that!

I'm glad we're made to present, even though I'd much rather not. It definitely prepares us for what's to come.

Naming my business

I've been browsing through the business link website, and I've been looking at how to go about naming a business.

'Choose the right name for your business

Introduction

Choosing a name for your business is a creative and enjoyable process. It is also one that you need to get right. Customers may infer a lot from your business name and first impressions count.

While it may be tempting to try to stamp your individual personality on your business name, there are many other issues to consider. Being objective and choosing a name that reflects your business strategy can be more valuable, especially as your business develops.

This guide shows you how to create the right impression, display your business name, consider whether your business name will be your brand and get your name on the web. It also outlines the specific rules that you must follow when choosing a company name for a limited company, sole trader or partnership.'

I think it will make things a little easier and more straight forward once I choose a name for my proposed business. Although I've already worked on the P.E.S.T and the four P's, once I've got this detail sorted, I can go back and see whether or not the information I've got so far goes with the name. It's all very well deciding upon a name, but what I choose needs to say something about me. It needs to give off the right impression.

'Points to help you decide on a name for your business

• Do you want the name to reflect what your business does - framing, moving, cleaning, building? Or would something more abstract be suitable?
• Would it be a good idea to include your own name?
• Do you want a traditional-sounding name, conveying durability and old-fashioned values, or a modern name, suggesting a fresh, innovative approach?
• Think about the future - avoid words or phrases that are likely to date quickly.
• If you're likely to be trading overseas, check that the name doesn't mean anything inappropriate in the relevant languages and that it can be easily read and pronounced.
• Think about callers and customers - avoid very long names, strange wordings and unusual spelling. If you're planning to advertise in directories such as the Yellow Pages, think about using a name that appears near the beginning of the alphabet - it will ensure it's an early entry.
• If you're focusing on the local market for your product or service, think about using the name of the city or town in the business name.
• Keep your trading name creative, but your corporate name bland. This will give you the flexibility to develop other brands and trading names in the future.'

There are rules I must think about also, something I didn't realise! (http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/about/gbhtml/gp1.shtml#ch2)

'Before choosing a name you should search the index of company names to ensure your chosen name is not the ‘same as an existing registered company. You are also advised to check Trade Marks Register of the UK Intellectual Property Office to ensure that the proposed name is not identical or similar to an existing trade mark. The address and contact information can be found on this website. You can also contact the Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys via their website. The registration of a company name does not mean the name or part of a name might not infringe other laws such as trade mark law.

1. Can I choose any name I want for my proposed company?

There are a number of rules which apply to company names. If your company is:

• a private limited company - its name must end with"limited" or, if its registered office is in Wales, with "cyfyngedig" or with the permitted alternatives, ie "ltd" or "cyf". There is an exception to this rule: a private company limited by guarantee can apply for an exemption if:
  
  
  • the objects of the company are the promotion or regulation of commerce, art, science, education, religion, charity or any profession, and anything incidental or conducive to any of those objects;
  • the company’s articles:
    - require its income to be applied in promoting its objects;
    - prohibit the payment of dividends, or any return of capital, to its members; and
    - require each member to contribute to the assets of the company if it is wound up during the time that he is a member or within 1 year of him ceasing to be a member

• a private unlimited company - its name may end in "unlimited" but it is not required to do so;

• a public limited company - its name must end with "public limited company" or "plc", with our without full stops. If its registered office is in Wales, it may end with "cwmni cyfyngedig cyhoeddus" or "ccc" with or without full stops.'

After reading through these rules, I now know I won't have to worry about adding on an additional ending to my companies name as it will be a public unlimited company.

There are also a few more rules which need to be taken into account..

• your company name ends with limited, or Ltd, public limited company or plc, for companies, or limited liability partnership, LLP or Welsh equivalents - this must not be used anywhere other than at the end of the name
• the name isn't offensive
• the name isn't the same as - or very similar to - one already in the register
• the name doesn't include any sensitive words or expressions - unless you have obtained permission to use them'

Some more information taken from business link..

'Choose the right name for your business

Here's how I chose the name for my business

Managing director Nick Jenkins founded Moonpig, a London-based company selling personalised greeting cards over the internet.

What I did

Consider how a name could work as a memorable brand

"I wanted business to spread by word-of-mouth so it was important my company's name was both catchy and memorable. I decided it had to be only two syllables so that people wouldn't forget it, and phonetic so that they wouldn't misspell it. Moonpig is fun and cheeky. Most of our cards are humour based and Moonpig encapsulates that.

"The name also had to be easily represented in graphical format. Once you've seen our logo you never forget it. I commissioned a cartoonist to design the moonpig. The whole branding exercise cost £200 and three days' work, but it has been far more effective than we could ever have expected."

Ensure the name is available on the internet

"Control of a domain name was very important for us. To check what was available, I sat on Nominet for four days plugging in variations of names. I originally came up with lots of different names - red-dog, green-carrot, that sort of thing - but they were all already taken.

"Moonpig was actually my nickname at school. It was available as both a '.com' and a '.co.uk' which was also an important consideration.

"Moonpig is a completely unique word. The only references to it on Google are links to our website."

Trade mark the name

"Having the '.com' and '.co.uk' gave the name Moonpig some protection against copiers but we thought people might also try other permutations of Moonpig to capitalise on our success. It wasn't that expensive to go for trade marking and it gave the name an extra layer of protection.

"I employed a trade mark attorney and Moonpig is now a trade mark in the UK and the US.

"It's such a small insurance premium. In a customer-facing brand I think it's critical as the brand name is the thing that customers really recognise."

What I'd do differently

Start out with a general, bland registered-company name

"Although we continue to trade under the name Moonpig, we changed our name at Companies House to Altergraphics Limited in 2001, when we received venture-capital investment. The new investors seemed reluctant to write out a cheque with the word Moonpig in it.

"It might have been easier if we'd started out with Altergraphics as our company name anyway. Moonpig pigeonholes us as funky and humorous which is great as a trading name for our current website, but having Altergraphics as a corporate name gives us the flexibility to develop other brands under different trading names in the future."

Business plan

I have watched a business grow, slowly, and has given me great interest, more so that I am actually looking forward to creating my own.

I have thought about the kind of business I could start, one which reflects an interest of mine. I have a few interests when it comes to the design industry, and something I don't put into practise enough is photography, therefore I want to use this as a starting point. I want to expand my knowledge of the subject and get a deeper understanding of building a business through this media.

During an enterprise session, we wrote a 500 word summary of our values; 'I am a loyal designer who pays close attention to detail and works hard to obtain the strongest results possible. I am a caring person and take into account everyone's thoughts, opinions and suggestions.'

Proposed Position Statement

• Who am I - who are they?
• Where are they - how will they find me?
• How will I promote myself - what do they want to hear?
• Who else is out there - how good are they?
  

1. I have a keen interest in typography and wish to persue a career which involves this line of work, whether it be for magazines, newspapers, books, business indentities etc.

2. Since being introduced to Adobe after effects, I have taken a huge liking to animation. I find it fascinating as to what can be achieved with one piece of software, so I aim to further my knowledge and continue using this method of working in future.

Television is something I would absolutely love to work with, so animation is something I could end up doing after the course.

3. I have an open mind when it comes to working local, national or transnational. A part of me would like to stay in my own country as I'm familiar with the language and cuture, whereas another part wants to explore and have the experience of working in another country. It'd be extremely interesting to see what it would be like to work with, with those from other countries.

4. My computer skills have improved massively over the past few years. I enjoy working on computers as I am particularly keen on precise, clean outcomes.

5. Photography is something I've always enjoyed doing, however I haven't used the skillsI have an awful lot. So another of my aims is to ensure I start using photography in my work more.

6. If I were to design packaging or something 3 dimensional, I want to be able to send it on to be produced by someone else. My weakness lies in the final resolution. I've found my ideas have always been the strongest part of my work.

7. The level of competition for jobs by the time I finish this course will be high. There will be so many people trying to find work in the best companies, so I must take advantage and use all the information I can get to help me be one of those people who get the job I want.

I will build my portfolio and seek experience during the remainder of my college years to help me get a clear idea of what it is exactly I want to do, and to begin building relationships with companies which will enable me to build a promising list of contacts.

8. I find working with other people extremely useful and worthwhile. It's good to be able to use other people's skills to produce work.

9. I have often thought about freelance work. I don't want to completely rule out this option, although I don't really think it's for me. I think I need some motivation behind me to make me work hard, so working within a company or in a team would push me and I'd constantly know people rely on me to produce the work.

10. My ambition in life is to be successful in whatever I end up doing. I will put 100% into my job and aim as high as possible.

Task 4

Who else is out there? How good are they?

I've been struggling a bit trying to find companies that work in areas I'm interested in.

www.gdusa.com/index.php

I did however, come across this website in browsing as the images caught my eye.

I've looked through the past

issues of the magazine and I've taken a great liking for the front covers in particular.

They're all so fresh and simple.

This is a news magazine for graphic designers and other creative professionals. It touches on many subjects such as the environment,sustainability, package design.. and many others.

Strengths -The magazines are extremely neat and tidy. They use different media to suit the contents for each book, which gives it a unique feel and keeps you wondering what's to be offered in the next issue. Even though every magazine is individualized, they all belong to a set; the 'GD USA' logo at the top left of every issue.

-The site includes links to various pages; current issues, past issues, contests, winners gallery, subscriptions, enewsletters, gdusa store, free stuff, advertising.

Weaknesses -Although clicking on a cover directs you to information from inside the magazine, the website doesn't allow you to see any examples from inside.

-As far as I can tell, the company are based in America. I'm still unsure where I'd prefer to work, so I thought it better to whack it in the weaknesses section.

-The site doesn't really explain what the magazines are about or what the company do exactly. It'd be handy to have an 'About us' section on the website.

Another company I have a keen interest in is Creative Review. They are another magazine full of visual communication.

Strengths -The website allows you to not only read briefly about past issues, it lets you see inside the magazine.

-It has an 'About' link, which explains about the company, what they do and have done.

Weaknesses -

A company I've been looking into is Blue Stone Design. They are a marketing and branding consultancy based in Leeds. It's quite self explanatory and obvious as to what they do. They create brand identities for other companies.

Seeing I have a keen interest in logo design and typography, I find knowing about this company is handy.

I love using calligraphic typefaces. This (below) is really nicely made, as each letter elegantly connects with each other.

Strength -The website allows you to read a brief

description about the company and what they do.

-The homepage looks quite serious, although the description about the company comes across informal yet sophisticated. They obviously want to seem approachable but there's a sense of seriousness about it.

-Links are there to enable the viewer to browse through the clients they have dealt with, and shows their portfolio so you can get an idea as to the style of their work.

-The company look to have worked with a few large companies i.e. Morrisons, Siemens.

Weaknesses -The links to the company's blog, clients, portfolio etc are at the bottom of the home page in a tiny sized font. If I hadn't of carefully searched the page, I probably wouldn't have spotted them.

-The portfolio contains only a few examples of their work. They're either very secretive about their work or they haven't dealt with many clients.

Task 3

How will I promote myself? What do they want to hear?

When it comes to promoting yourself, or your company, there are endless amounts of ways to do so. The main way to promote is generally by business cards, or word of mouth. These are also the cheapest and easiest ways, and in some cases, the most effective.

1. Personal Selling

A way in which I would use personal selling to promote myself is by busniess cards. These are a very effective way to build relationships with people and other companies. Business cards can be simple, as long as they have the right infortmation on them. My name, my email address, a potential website address and my phone number would be all it needs for someone to either find our more about me, or contact me personally. Unfortunately, these things come with cons. Designing, printing and distributing business cards can be time consuming.

Another way to personally sell myself is by having an exhixition stand. Friends, family, companies, people of the streets would be able to view my work, therefore be able to interract with eachother and form opinions and views. These could then be spread by word of mouth.

Personal selling enables relationships to form between myself and companies. This tends to have high success rates.

2. Public Relations

If I wanted to use public relations to promote myself, I might use write a short ''story'' which would be placed in a newspaper. This would mean anyone would be liable to read it as it reaches a wide audience. The only problem with this, is that although newspapers are fairly popular, not everyone reads them.

I could also join a charity event. This would help build relationships and help me gain the trust of the public as they would see me volunteering and helping others. As much as doing this would credit myself, it would be extremely time consuming and expensive in the way of travel expenses.

3. Advertising

This form of promotion is extremely long lasting therefore making it very effective.

A good way for me to advertise would be through websites. Every website has adverts, whether they're small or big, at the top or bottom of the page. Clicking on links allows you to explore what else is to offer.

TV advertisements are also a really powerful way to promote. If I worked with a company, this form of promotion would be very beneficial as it has an extremely wide audience, so would reach out to anyone watching. Television is a vastly used media and is one of the most popular ways to promote. One of the main things to take into consideration when wanting to use television advertisements, is cost. It's a very expensive way to advertise. So, when pricing a television commercial, you need to weigh the costs of two seperate things: 1. The cost of producing the commercial, and 2. The cost of airing it.

It is estimated that the average cost of producing a 30 second national television commercial is nearly $350,000, which is roughly £220,000.

4. Promotions

This is a very handy way to attract new custom. Sales and discounts are what people take great pleasure in, and they tend to go all out. I haven't a clue if typogaphers have sold their typefaces for two for one's! Haha!!

I think, if I were to go freelance and design typefaces and tried promoting my work, I could offer discounts for a certain period of time, just to see how well they go down, however, I don't think this would help me an awful lot.

Working for a company, such as Creative Review etc.. special introductory offers could be included with each magazine. This could temporarily lift sales, and would again, hopefully attract new customers.

5. Direct Marketing

Sending iinvitations or mail shots to clients and the public allows you to put your own personal touch on what is being given. A free gift could be included, just so they know you're trying your hardest, and builds a trusting relationship. This method is highly effective, and is handy as the success rate can be measured, so you can figure out when thing's work and don't work, which leaves room for improvement.

6. The Internet

These days, the internet is the most commonly used media, and supposedly makes life easier with just a click of a button. It's that common, we'd rather sit in front of a laptop and type to friends rather than physically go out and see them to talk face to face.

Links are found everywhere on the internet, and can lead to whatever websites you want which can promote your work.

This is very similar to 'advertising'. If my work were to be on the internet, I'd probably put links to my webpages on the most commonly used sites, such as facebook, or myspace.

There are many ministock websites, which work can be uploaded onto and sold via the web. I'd probably use one of these to start myself off. It is also very easy to do.

This method of promotion is handy, as it is a 24 hour sales tool, and is available to absolutely anyone.

The only downfall is it needs to be updated constantly, which would take time. Any websites also need to be designed well, otherwise this would effect any potential sales.

Task 2

P.E.S.T analysis

(Political, Economical, Social, Technological)

First example:

The coffee shop in Headingly-

POLITICAL:

Fair trade has become increasingly big over time as it started off as just a small campaign. The idea behind fair trade, is to give the producer in the country of origin a fair price for their crop.

''To be certified for Fair Trade, the importer must follow the regulations. This means meeting a minimum price and ensuring conditions for the small time farmer to be able to operate fairly. Fair Trade involves growing organically, and some farmers may need help to switch to this system.''

Starbucks, as well as other companies, is one of the most popular cafes which support fair trade.

''The USA drinks a staggering one fifth of the world's coffee production, so it's heartening that more than a hundred companies have registered to be F.T. coffee suppliers.''

ECONOMICAL:

People are cutting back when it comes to eating out, unless they're reeeally full of monies. These days, it's a lot cheaper to eat at home and make food from scratch than it is to take regular visits to cafes.

''Eating out is a luxury many people are cutting back on, cafe owners say. (ABC News: Cate Grant)''

SOCIAL:

Cafe's are an extrememly social place. Whether you've been invited for a coffee to catch up with some old friends, or if you simply fancied getting out of the house, cafe's have endless uses, most of which include socialising at some point.

It's always interesting meeting new people, and becoming a regular customer in a particular cafe can also build relationships with the staff. Doing this can also have an effect on the prices. Regular custom could potentially make your coffee 20p cheaper. Bonus!!

TECHNOLOGICAL:

Free internet access is given in most larger cafes. These days, people go to cafes purely for this. Although free internet is a bonus, it's been highly taken advantage of, therefore decreasing social activity.

Second example:

Asda supermarkets-

POLITICAL:

Asda is in a very competitive industry, what with Sainsburys, Tesco, Morrisons etc.. constantly in battle with prices.

There are so many stories saying Asda are the cheapest supermarket out there. 'ASDA is still the UK's cheapest supermarket, a 'shopping basket' survey says today.' However, there are also stories demanding asda is no longer the cheapest.

ENVIRONMENTAL:

''Asda's newest trolley promises to be more environmentally friendly and much easier to steer.

Asda is rolling out a new trolley which it claims is more environmentally friendly and much easier to steer.

The trolleys, designed in partnership with its German supplier Wanzl, feature an independent suspension system and "softsteer" front castors giving a smooth, quiet ride and making the trolley much easier to steer even when fully loaded. The new design also reduces trolley vibration over rough or uneven surfaces so cutting noise levels by up to 75 per cent.

Howard Willis Asda's customer services innovation manager said at the launch: "Noise pollution is something we take very seriously at Asda and with hundreds of trolleys in use in our car parks, anything we can do to reduce local disturbance to the environment is welcomed - especially at night."

SOCIAL:

Although supermarkets, especially Asda, are extremely busy, they're also a very social place. There are constant discussions about products between colleagues and customers, debating whether or not to buy those crips, or get that butter. Endless amounts of branding help.

Although shopping can be tedious and boring for some people, it can also be a good way to bond with family members. Taking the kids out can be stressful, but it also gets them out the house, and can also be educational as they learn about prices and the importance of money.

TECHNOLOGICAL:

Supermarkets are growing, constantly when it comes to technology. Checkouts are becoming touch-sensitive, lottery machines are becoming easier to use and also touch-sensitive. Some shops have also introduced a price reader in the occasional isle.

Technology these days are trying to make things a lot easier for people these days.

I have become more aware of what P.E.ST actually means now I have analysed a particular profession. I think it's important to know about the political, economical, social and technologial side when it comes to jobs in the industry. They all differ in each job, which makes it interesting to explore.