Young entrepreneur: fashion boutique

Kirsten explains how she opened her own shop

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A local hotspot for alternative fashion, Kirsten runs her own small boutique and is setting the trend in Dundee.

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Kirsten has taken her love of fashion and opened her very own boutique at the age of 23, with customers visiting from around the world. The shop, Missy La La's, is the only one of its kind in Dundee, reckons Kirsten. "And that's very important. It's very hard to build a business on just an idea. You need facts, you need to do thorough research."

Running Missy La La's, Kirsten has picked up a variety of skills, ranging from talking to established, older executives ("You need a get a backbone") to keeping her retail space tidy ("I'd never bothered about cleaning before.") Like many young entrepreneurs, Kirsten received help from both Business Link and The Prince's Trust. "And my mum, I can always phone her."

Updated:28/05/2010

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Follow the Prince's Trust's guide to writing a business plan. Make sure there's something about your business idea that's unique. Do your research - is there a gap in the market?
Running a business means you'll have to learn everything outside your main skill, such as admin, accountancy, marketing - even cleaning! Make a list of all the necessary skills and look for any gaps in your knowledge. You can get affordable business training from Learn Direct.
Get as much advice as you can – from other professionals in your field and from anyone who's self employed. What are their pearls of wisdom? How would they have done things differently with hindsight? Write all their tips down and keep them handy to refer back to and learn from their mistakes.
Read our articles on starting your own business and funding your own business.
For further advice on how to get started, talk to a Connexions advisor on 0808 0013 219 or contact Business Link (in England), Business Gateway (in Scotland), Business Support Wales or Northern Ireland Business Info for advice on these issues.

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