Entrepreneurs Give - And Get - Good Advice

Great Yarmouth, United Kingdom, June 15, 2007 --(PR.com)-- "Don't expect overnight success and put in a lot of work" are the astute words of advice from young business owners, 20-year olds Craig Randall and Matthew Reed, whose web design business is building a steady client base since it began test trading in July last year. Both entrepreneurs attended the NWES business start-up courses together after attending East Norfolk Sixth Form College in Gorleston.

“The marketing course was particularly helpful,” says Craig. “It’s our most important area, it keeps us going. People don’t realise how much you need to market your product or service. You probably need to market your business as much as carry out the work for your customers. NWES also helped us get our business plan done. We didn’t have a clue as to what it should look like, but we managed to produce a good one with the help of our business advisor Stephen Barron.” Craig and Matthew established Webgrafix with the knowledge gained from their college studies. Both achieved a BTEC National Diploma in ICT and ebusiness, and further self taught themselves about web design when they left fulltime education. Craig’s business idea was born from his disappointment with several interviews and after visiting his local jobcentre, was pointed in the direction of business start-up experts NWES, a move he considered a real alternative to employment.

He says: “Setting up your own business is something different – it’s a good thing to do.” Matthew’s story was similar when he was turned down for web design roles due to lack of commercial experience. Webgrafix operates as a business from the homes of Craig and Matthew. “We like working from home,” says Craig. “It means we can work in our own time, mainly in the evening when we can get some peace and quiet.” It also proves an efficient and cost- effective option: “We have what we need – computers and access to the internet. We don’t need stock or large amounts of space.” As providers of “professional, affordable and inspiring” web design, Craig and Matthew’s business is getting a good name for itself with several customers approaching them through recommendations and referrals. A number of jobs are in the pipeline, including one design request from a fellow NWES student. When asked what highs come with co-owning his business, Craig refers to his past studies: “Going on an e-commerce website building course was good. We’ve completed them for some of our customers and they’ve been really happy with what we’ve produced.” Long term, Craig and Matthew would like to employ an additional person to join the company, when the workload and cash flow grows. In the meantime, these young entrepreneurs from Gorleston and Bradwell have a good business on solid ground.

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