How do you go about starting a small manufacturing business?

The Breakroom > The Water Cooler

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Jonny:
Agree with above and went same way 51 months ago.
Built up tooling and machinery over the last 20 odd years, think you can back date 5 years if got receipts.
Self employed you are the business just register with HMRC and pay the basic on monthly basis around £11.
Employ a good accountant may knock you £600 p/a but money well spent, the online way is meant to catch you out.
No H&S your not employing.
Biggy is I couldnt find an insurance company, soon as you mention power tools they enquire further and further and when state lathes expect to be greeted with an instant "we don't insure".

Best marketing is word of mouth, if your good enough you don't need to tout or advertise. Expect massive influxes this will always catch you out no matter how much you plan ahead such as 11 1/2 months work within 6 days all you can do is book a time slot provisionally.
Trade want everything for nowt and sell at three times your price, not worth it. Key is finding and establishing a niche, sell direct but you have to be the best and always stay two steps in front of competitors having bigger better tooling.

Small scale can come under local gov as cottage industry and no need to inform them unless creating a nuisance.

shipto:
some banks give "free" small business advice I have quoted the free because you probably pay later.

S. Heslop:

--- Quote from: chipenter on June 29, 2014, 03:09:21 PM ---Just make some instruments and sell them , will give you an idea iff there is a market , after all Stradavarious was a one man band at first .

--- End quote ---

I was planning to do it from the garage to test the waters, but i've just ran out of space to set up the tools required. It's getting kind of ridiculous in there! Renting a unit would let me set up properly.

Thanks for the replies though. I guess I was worrying too much since I've had run-ins with health and safety in the past.

One place I volunteered at a few years ago was fine with me climbing around the front of a moving locomotive, and doing drive-by pruning over a gorge (fun, but I wouldn't do it again!), still wouldn't let me near the lathe due to law and insurance. Which is understandable but i'd been assuming the worst in terms of setting up a business.

awemawson:

"Renting a unit would let me set up properly."

Key to starting a one man business when you are not sure of the market, is strictly controlling your costs. This militates very much against that strategy.

micktoon:
Hi Simon , I am with the ' just do it ' lads, try to make in your garage and sell from home if you can to test the waters as once you rent a unit its money going out even if you do not sell anything or spend the week putting up shelves etc. You could test the waters without going fully into it as long as you just keep all receipts for what you buy and all payments received, if it looks like its a no go, thats the end of it , if it looks ok you still have the paper work to keep things right, I am thinking part time type thing along with what your doing now before registering self employed etc ? What type of instruments do you make out of interest ?
Cheers Mick

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