LMDTFY News

Business Angels

Have you got your own 'Business Angel'?

When you decide to set up a business it can be daunting. You do (or should do) a lot of research into where to start including deciding on a business name, the branding, getting a website, putting together information so that you can sell your product or service, doing marketing and that's only the very beginning.

What can be daunting is finding the right people to do these things for you. How do you know whether the company quoting you £400 for a website is better or worse than the one quoting you £2000?

Budgeting is essential in a start up but a lot of people forget that costs are ongoing. It's vital to keep your business fresh so getting it ready for 'open day' isn't the end of the story.

Working with people to help your business grow over a period of time is vital - for different reasons. To keep your business message and branding consistent, so it looks smooth and tells the same story, you need to find someone who can work with your brand. They can design your website, maybe also your stationery and later they can keep the same theme for flyers and brochures.

The same with a copywriter. You can write your website or promotional material and it can say all of the right things but still sound dull. It's not easy to put life and personality into your words and there's nothing more boring than reading dull information.

When I started out, I knew exactly what I wanted to say on my website and how I wanted to say it. I wanted conversational language that was easy to understand and sounded 'normal'. I wrote my website but I just couldn't get it right. I spend ages thinking of the right words, or phrase and I should have been spending that time working on my business.

I contacted a few copywriters for quotes. One of them (who shall remain nameless) sent me a quote that was 10 pages long - it was ripped straight from an American site somewhere even though the woman lived in Brighton. It was contradictory,  poorly written, US English, and even though she said her price structure was open and honest - it had multiple prices for the same work throughout. It was without doubt the worst quote I've ever received for anything.

And I received a quote from Kate Naylor. A freelance copywriter who lives in Brighton. She wasn't salesy, didn't try to flummox me with unintelligent babble and just gave me a quote. In fact the actual quote was:

Hi Lisa,

I'd charge £xx a page to write/edit your website copy.

I'll happily do you a free paragraph/200 words so you can see how I'd approach your project before making a decision. Just shout!

Best wishes

Kate

That lack of 'whistles and bells' was enough for me to go ahead and give Kate a go. I can honestly say that without Kate I wouldn't have had a business in my first year. Everything she did was first class. Re-writes, amendments and new stuff and I'm happy to say that 3 years down the line, I still use her and recommend her to everyone who wants a brilliant copywriter. She's SEO savvy so her copy comes with added bonus and to date I've yet to find a subject she can't write about.

For me, Kate Naylor has been my 'business angel'.

Every month Kate sends out her marketing ebook which is her copywriting and marketing blog bundled together and updated on the first of each month. Please have a look at her ebook and contact her if you are looking for some help with copywriting - whatever the subject.

P.S. Before anyone asks - I wrote this myself...