There has never been a better time to take the plunge and run your own business. From tots to teens and young professionals to silver surfers – technology and social media have made it easier and more affordable than ever before to successfully launch a business. Whilst many businesses can be set up on a shoe-string budget, there are also lots of funding resources out there, like the ever-popular crowdfunding sites, that can help you get your business up and running without having to go begging to the banks.
There are literally hundreds of different franchise opportunities and UK businesses for sale out there, each with their own benefits, target markets and set-up costs.
We’ve taken a closer look at the two ends of the age spectrum and the increasingly lucrative markets – kids and senior citizens.
As the 31st President of the US once said, “Children are our most valuable resource.” They’re your customers of today AND tomorrow, so getting them on board and converting them into loyal, life-long customers early on is a smart move for the savvy business person. From food to fashion and toys to technology – kids have the potential to be customers for decades to come. And it’s the latter market we’ve looked at, technology. More and more children across the UK have access to mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets. Technology has been big business for a while now so if you can design software, apps or any online products aimed at kids then you can capture a generation and grow your product range as they do. Plus if they teach kids a thing or too along the way then their parents will sit up and take note too!
Fast forward fifty years or so and senior citizens represent one of the most increasingly lucrative markets around for 2015. As the ageing population grows and people live longer there are more and more reasons to market to them than ever before. The rise of the silver surfer has led to a rise in online businesses as well as other services, not necessarily related to health and well-being, but fashion, travel, food, technology – the list is endless.
So if you’re looking into a franchise business then don’t just concentrate on the ‘what’ it is your going to sell but the ‘who’!