Business Ideas?

[Janet Snakehole]

If you're clever at Business, help please.

So, I quit sixth form and joined another college. However, because I've missed out just over 6 weeks work, I've got all this work to do during the half term. If I do it, I get into college and all is well haha. However, the course I'm on is Applied Business ICT - well I've never even done business before.
I applied for a lower course, but they said I was too clever for it, so brought me up onto this one, ah!

Anyway, part the task:
This unit explores the world of business. You are the boss! You come up with the business idea, you decide how you will manage your business, you decide how many staff to employ, how much you need to borrow from the bank and produce the financial figures to forecast your businesses performance. How will technology help your business to operate? Can business software help you run your business? You’re the boss; these decisions are in your hands.

So I need an idea for a business, what it hopes to achieve, where I can put it etc.

If anyones got any ideas, they would help.
+rep to all those useful!

Thanks :)

[Camistheman]

Erm a website for news like
a news website i dunno LOL

[Janet Snakehole]

Erm a website for news like
a news website i dunno LOL

Haha, it can't be internet based. :(!

[Janet Snakehole]

Sorry for double post, but still need help :(

[Ramones]

Well i'm a business student, and entrepreneur wannabe. So i'll tell you what i'd do.

I'd start up a shoe shop :) Seeing as it's your first project i wouldn't purchase a building, i'd try renting a small-ish shop in a fairly busy high street. I'd do some market research into a few places, find out foot-fall figures for a number of locations, look at competition in different areas etc.
I'd employ a full time member of staff with experience to be supervisor, then possibly 2 other full time members off staff and a couple of part time students due to lower wages.
How much to loan from the bank is trickyy, you'd need to purchase all your stock then you have rent, running costs, wages. I'd say atleast 100 grand to start off with.
Financial figures, your going to be wanting to do a cash-flow forecast and make up a few figures, look on the internet for help with that, sites like bized and tutor2u are pretty decent for business.
Technology can help you with things like; electronic tills, using computer for databases/ financial figures, possible internet or website for advertising, there's loads of stuff.

Targets for the business, just make some rubbish up like staying afloat with good liquidity within the first year, aim to make a profit of x amount by year 2, expand to a different area by year 3. etc etc etc. just blag it
;) good luck

[The Undertaker]

For your product, try to find a gap in the market. Go out, preferably to non branded places, markets etc, & try to find an area or aspect of a product that is could be changed to become unique & interesting.
Local markets are good for premises as they are usually cheap to rent, have low start up costs & would cost alot less than a shop at the beginning of business.
As for staff, you only need about 2 or 3 extra staff members to begin with. You'll need extra staff though to cover home delivery etc if you choose to offer those kind of services.
You should conduct some Market research, perhaps a questionnaire, to find out what your target market is interested in, want to gain from a product. You could then capitalise on those results & make your product/s suit those answers.