Make room for a little Boom! (From Bournemouth Echo)

Make room for a little Boom!

7:30pm Wednesday 17th February 2010 in

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EMMA Wimhurst doesn’t think there is ever a bad time to start a new business.

And she should know. The Dorset mum created her first company, Diva Cosmetics, from scratch and sold it off a few years later for more than a million.

Now she has successfully published Boom!, her first book, telling others how to make their business successful, too.

“The one thing I wanted to be really sure about was that the book represented me,” she says.

“A book has to be an extension of yourself.

“People always say that when I’m talking about business I am energetic and passionate so that was what Boom! had to be.”

Boom stands for Business Owners’ Operations Manual.

“And that’s exactly what it is, a book to help business owners operate their business better,” says Emma.

As per her philosophy, Boom! could not have arrived at a more auspicious time, with business owners desperate to stay afloat in the recession and an increase in the number of people who want to run their own enterprise.

The government-funded Business Link has reported a 25 per cent increase in inquiries from possible start-ups and the British Bankers’ Association (BBA) figures for “small businesses establishing new banking relationships” showed 142,500 in the first quarter of 2009.

“Providing you start your business well and correctly and don’t cut corners, there isn’t a bad time to start,” insists Emma.

“Look at the phenomenal major businesses that do well in a recession.

“The businesses that tend to fail are the ones which aren’t run properly.

“It’s not that they are a bad idea but you just have to fight a bit harder.”

Emma believes this is a good thing for any business: “To have to go back and assess your core values: what are you offering, what are you providing and why are you different?”

Since selling Diva, Emma has launched a second career as a business adviser and mentor, travelling the country and giving talks and presentations, and she is thriving on it.

“Since Boom! launched it has been unbelievable the amount of people who are independently blogging and Tweeting and talking about the book,” she says.

“At the end of last year I was invited to speak at the Everywoman conference with Jo Cameron and Ruth Badger from The Apprentice.

The first person who walked in came straight to our stand and said she’s been following me on Twitter and had come in specifically to buy Boom!”

So, if she has one tip for Echo readers who are running or about to run their own business, what would she advise?

“People fundamentally forget that customers are essential to every business,” she says.

“I don’t care whether it’s a paper or whether it’s a hairdressers, we all need customers.

“So many people say to me; ‘I have this restaurant or this product’.

“And I say ‘That’s really interesting but who is your customer?’ Go and find your customer, get into their mind and find out what they really want.”

* Emma is offering 100 Daily Echo readers the opportunity to receive a DVD (RRP £9.99) absolutely free.

In this DVD Emma is interviewed by Paul Lavers and reveals her top business secrets and shares how her 7 Business Disciplines will help you achieve outstanding results in your business.

To be in with a chance of receiving a copy of Emma’s DVD, simply visit: emmawimhurst.co.uk/echo The first 100 responses will then be sent their DVD direct from Emma Wimhurst.