Name: Switched on Products
Based: Ilford
Website: lightswitchtimer.co.uk
The past 18 months has seen us go from a prototype on the kitchen table to the high street. It’s been exciting and scary in equal measures.
By using the great business resources available online we created a very detailed plan for the first year and a goal-based three-year plan for the business. Creating and focussing on a clearly defined plan with an emphasis on the sales and marketing of our new product, we always kept our focus and were able to measure and track our progress.
We clearly didn’t hit all of our first year targets. Having a clear set of objectives made it easier to focus and be proactive rather than only reacting to the day-to-day needs of the business.
It also meant that, by highlighting them early on, we were not able to shy away from learning new skills in areas we had no experience. This gave us the time to ensure we could prepare by learning these skills in advance.
As a result we were able to perform all the marketing, website maintenance, AdWords and SEO in-house – not only helping our cashflow in the early days but allowing us to respond to opportunities as they presented themselves.
Naiem Dakri is the founder of Switched on Products
