LiveWIRE FAQs

1. Q: What is the average age of a person seeking to start a new business?

A: Shell LiveWIRE attracts a wide range of individuals seeking advice on how to start their own business. Though we focus primarily on helping young entrepreneurs (ages 16-30) to go into business for themselves, our Business Library, Social Network and Discussion Forum are open to people of all ages. The following link to our Discussion Forum will give you an idea of the ages of the users currently taking advantage of our resources.

http://shell-livewire.org/forums/showthread.php?t=5041

2. Q: Where can I get advice on how to print a quality business card and letterhead? What makes a successful business card or logo?

A: Many of our Discussion Forum members have asked questions and/or commented on this issue. To see their advice and suggestions, please follow this link (http://shell-livewire.org/forums/showthread.php?t=22886&highlight=business+card).

In addition, our Business Library has a section explaining the importance and benefits of well thought out logos and business cards (http://shell-livewire.org/business-library/sales-and-marketing/Marketing/Logos/)

3. Q: Where can I find information on how to set up an e-commerce website?

A: This is a question asked by many of our community members. To see their discussion of this topic, click the following links:

1. http://shell-livewire.org/forums/showthread.php?t=22808&highlight=ecommerce

2. http://shell-livewire.org/forums/showthread.php?t=22175&highlight=ecommerce

Alternatively, this topic is also covered extensively in our Business Library:

An Introduction to e-commerce

http://shell-livewire.org/business-library/sales-and-marketing/e-commerce/

4. Q: How should I go about setting up my own website?

A: Our Business Library gives you everything you need to know about starting up your own Website http://shell-livewire.org/business-library/general-management/business-websites/

To see how other entrepreneurs have gone about setting up their own sites, please check out the following links to threads in our Discussion Forum:

1. http://shell-livewire.org/forums/showthread.php?t=22869&highlight=website

2. http://shell-livewire.org/forums/showthread.php?t=22839&highlight=domain

3. http://shell-livewire.org/forums/showthread.php?t=21183&highlight=drive+website

Our Discussion Forum has many helpful and committed members who are always eager to give tips and advice, so once you’ve created your site, feel free to post the link on the Forum and you should receive some helpful feedback!

5. Q: What is the difference between .com, .co.uk and other website suffixes?

A: Our Business Library addresses this and many other questions pertaining to domain names and how to establish a business website. For specific information on domain naming, please click here: http://shell-livewire.org/business-library/general-management/business-websites/domain-names/

For more information on how to create a business website, please click here:

http://shell-livewire.org/business-library/general-management/business-websites/

This topic has also been discussed in our Forum. To see what other entrepreneurs like you have said about this issue, please click the following link:

http://shell-livewire.org/forums/showthread.php?t=22839&highlight=domain

6. Q: Do I need a web developer or designer in order to start my own website?

A: The following link to our Business Library takes you through a checklist of skills to see which aspects of website creation you should undertake yourself and which tasks you should outsource:

http://shell-livewire.org/business-library/general-management/business-websites/skills-audit/

For more information on how to create a business website, please click here:

http://shell-livewire.org/business-library/general-management/business-websites/

7. Q: What resources are out there for people seeking to start their own business?

A: Our Business Library (http://shell-livewire.org/business-library/) provides free guidance and links to many useful websites and resources.

Registration with Shell LiveWire is completely free and provides you with access to many useful tools for starting your own business including guides on 'Writing Your First Business Plan' and 'Market Research for the First Time' which are available in the My Business Kit (http://shell-livewire.org/my-business-kit/preview/) section.

We also recommend you check out the Shell LiveWIRE 'Grand Ideas' Awards which award £1,000 each month to 5 innovative new businesses (www.shell-livewire.org/awards)

8. Q: How can I get funding for my business?

A: This topic is covered extensively in our Business Library at the link below:

http://shell-livewire.org/business-library/finance-and-funding/

Also discussing this topic are previous Shell LiveWIRE Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award winners Lucy Cohen in our Discussion Forum (http://shell-livewire.org/forums/showthread.php?t=22836) and Nicky Gray in her interview available in our Video Lounge (http://shell-livewire.org/video-lounge/)

9. Q: How can I drive people to my website?

A: A number of our community members have discussed this topic in our Forum. To see what advice they have to give, please check out the links below:

http://shell-livewire.org/forums/showthread.php?t=22820&highlight=website+traffic

http://shell-livewire.org/forums/showthread.php?t=165

10. Q: Is it advisable to start up a business during a recession?

A: Fashion designer and entrepreneur Wayne Hemingway and Shell LiveWIRE Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award winner Nicky Gray discuss the advantages of starting a business during a recession in their interviews which are available for view in our Video Lounge: http://shell-livewire.org/video-lounge/

This has also been a hot topic for discussion in our Forum in recent weeks. To see what other entrepreneurs are saying about this topic, click the following link:

http://shell-livewire.org/forums/showthread.php?t=22847

11. Q: What factors should I consider when coming up with the name of my business?

A: There are a number of factors that should be taken into account when attempting to come up with the perfect name for your new business. To see some tips that other entrepreneurs have offered, please click here:

http://shell-livewire.org/forums/showthread.php?t=22852&highlight

12. Q: I’ve come up with an original business idea. What do I do next?

A: Our Business Library (http://shell-livewire.org/business-library/) provides free guidance and links to many useful websites and resources.

Registration with Shell LiveWire is completely free and provides you with access to many useful tools for starting your own business including guides on 'Writing Your First Business Plan' and 'Market Research for the First Time' which are available in the My Business Kit (http://shell-livewire.org/my-business-kit/preview/) section.

We also recommend you check out the Shell LiveWIRE 'Grand Ideas' Awards which award £1,000 each month to 5 innovative new businesses (www.shell-livewire.org/awards)

13. Q: How do I go about marketing my business?

A: Our Business Library has a vast amount of valuable information on how to successfully market your business, including details on how to write your own marketing plan. For more information, please click here:

http://shell-livewire.org/business-library/sales-and-marketing/Marketing/

14. Q: How do I go about writing my business plan

A: A thorough explanation of how to write a business plan and information on its importance can be found in our Business Library: http://shell-livewire.org/business-library/business-planning/writing-a-business-plan/

This topic was also covered in our recent Live Chat with Kerry Dixon, Local Business Manager for Barclays, the transcript for which can be found here: http://shell-livewire.org/forums/showthread.php?t=22809

15. Q: How do I make the transition from full-time employment to running my own business? (video lounge Nicky Gray)

A: To see how other entrepreneurs like you have made the transition from full-time employment to running their own businesses, click here:

http://shell-livewire.org/forums/showthread.php?t=22846&highlight=transition

http://shell-livewire.org/forums/showthread.php?t=9086&highlight=transition

Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award winner Nicky Gray has also offered advice on this topic. To see her interview in our Video Lounge, please click here: http://shell-livewire.org/video-lounge/

16. Q: What makes a successful and effective elevator pitch?

A: An elevator pitch is a brief overview of your product or business and is an effective promotional tool if it is done correctly. To hear Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award winner Nicky Gray’s advice on how to make a successful elevator pitch, please click here: http://shell-livewire.org/video-lounge/

17. Q: What are the key tips for people wishing to start their own business?

A: Fashion designer and entrepreneur Wayne Hemingway, Pamela Holstein, Head of PR & Marketing for the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce and Shell LiveWIRE Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award winner Nicky Gray offer tips on how to start up your own business in their interviews which are available for view in our Video Lounge: http://shell-livewire.org/video-lounge/?category=how-to-videos

18. Q: Am I too young or inexperienced to start my own business? Where can I see some success stories of other young entrepreneurs who have started new businesses?

A: Shell LiveWire has helped over 600,000 young people between the ages of 16-30 to explore starting their own businesses. To see videos of former Shell LiveWire winners and people just like you who decided to start their own businesses, please visit our Inspiration page:

http://shell-livewire.org/forums/showthread.php?t=22641&highlight

19. Q: Where can I go to get quick or real-time answers to questions I may have about how to start up and run my own business?

A: In addition to the free resources available at your fingertips in our Business Library , Shell LiveWire also has a large community of entrepreneurs who are very active in our Social Network and Discussion Forum and who are always eager to help answer questions. Similarly, free registration with Shell LiveWire enables you to use our Chat Room, participate in discussions in our Forum as well as the use of My Business kit, which provides you with valuable templates as well as helpful marketing and organisational guides.

20. Q: Where can I meet and chat with like-minded entrepreneurs?

A: Shell LiveWire also has a large community of entrepreneurs who are very active in our Social Network and Discussion Forum and who are always eager to help answer questions. Similarly, free registration with Shell LiveWire enables you to use our Chat Room, participate in discussions in our Forum as well as the use of My Business kit, which provides you with valuable templates as well as helpful marketing and organisational guides.