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Topics

Activities

Personal business skills

	Starting out
	Characteristics of a small business
	The attributes of a business operator
	What to expect from running a small business	Sacrificing salary

Identifying business opportunities

	Ways of getting into small business	Purchasing a franchise
	What are the risks involved?
	Undertaking a feasibility study	Feasible business ideas Testing feasibility
	Conducting a SWOT analysis	Gaining staff input for a SWOT analysis Conducting a SWOT analysis
	What will be your competitive edge?	Identifying a niche

Accessing information and advice

	The information you need to know	Promotional activities
	Professional advisors
	Industry associations	Industry associations

Defining your market

	Understand your marketplace	Identifying competition
	Undertaking a gap analysis	Filling market gaps Matching services to needs

Market analysis and research

Researching the market

	Marketing information approach
	Types of market research	Secondary external research Sources of secondary external materials
	Survey techniques
	Customer satisfaction survey	Customer satisfaction survey Interviewer influence
	Competitor analysis
	Observational research
	'Grass roots' information systems

Self tests

	Personal business skills
	Identifying business opportunities
	Accessing information and advice
	Defining your market
	Market analysis and research