The start of a long journey....research!

Well today was the first day I had chance to at least make a dint in the research process that is going to be involved in getting this project off the ground. Well, ok, so I have looked at suppliers and traders and their prices, but if I dont have a a stall, it will be a bit more difficult! As such, I was hoping to speak to someone in the Market Office today. I have to admit I was quite surprised to see that they had no lift, or ground floor office, so for someone who is disabled, or like me, with a pram, its quite difficult. A gentleman who worked there passed me, and told to press the diabled intercom, to which I got no response. He asked if he could help me, so I explained I was only calling by to get the rental information. He said that the prices start at £190pw and go upwards from there. He went to fetch me some more info, but when he came back, he said the prices are split into rent and service charge now, so the rents start at £53. Now those prices dont add up! I kindly took the information (which has some quite comical mistakes, such as unfinished sentences in it!) and came home. I then called the office and left a message for Linda Bulbeck to get back to me. This is the woman who helped up get organised for the street party we held last year. A friend told me tonight that I seem to know the right people, and as I think about it, she is probably right!

I also had chance to sit down and try and think about the questions I need to ask in order to get the information I need. I could probably fill 2 A4 pages with questions, but think I might split my research in order to make sure I get information from all my target audiences. I have decided to do seperate ones for

• Women who planning to start their family
• Women who are currently pregnant
• Women who are already mums

The reason for this is because I have decided to follow another friends advice, who pointed out that we are short of nursing outfits as well as maternity.

All in all, not the most successful of days, but there is plenty of time!

Let the battle commence!

First of all, thank you for supporting me with my blog. I have made the decision to write a blog because I want to be able to keep everyone updated with the progress of my project.

As you may know, 18 weeks ago, I gave birth to my beautiful daughter. At 28, I was pretty much last in a long line of friends to start a family! Which is why I was so surprised to discover how little choice there is when it comes to maternity and nursing wear in the Grimsby area. My friends had complained about this, but I had naively presumed that as the years passed by, and the number of pregnancies locally increased, that this issue would have been resolved. Apparently not. I, like many other local pregnant women, made do with larger sized clothing, or designs more flattering for bumps and curves. One alternative was to pay high prices for clothes I would only wear for a few months. And even those stores that did sell maternity wear, were limited to say the least. The other was to risk ordering online, which with my body size, is difficult as they never fit right (pregnant or not pregnant), and I hate buying without trying.

Now, most people dream about setting up their own business, the independence it brings, and the chance to do something a bit more fulfilling in life. Well, last Friday, I had that exact thought. In a few weeks time, my maternity pay will come to an end. My contract at work has ended, so I have no job waiting for me. Also, because of our circumstances, I wont be entitled to apply for other benefits. In other words, I have nothing to lose. So I might as well try, right? My biggest concern is funding, but I dont try, I'll never know.

So, here we are, at the beginning of my journey to setting up shop. I have a meeting with E factor on the 12th April, who will assist me with a business plan.  In the mean time, I have been told to start researching my competitors (that wont take long!) and identifying my market.

So wish me luck ....as tomorrow, I will make my start! :)