When starting out, you need to be clear about what your business is all about. What will your business do, what are you going to offer and what will make your business special?

To help get you get started with describing your business and what will make it unique, watch our short introductory video Describing your business.

Most businesses succeed by developing a product or service that delivers what a particular group of customers want. From a broad idea of what you're going to offer, you can start refining the details until you've got something that's exactly tailored to suit those customers. Focusing on a specific market 'niche' like this can give you the edge over other businesses. You can get advice on the importance of tailoring what you're selling - and how you're selling it - in Defining your product or service.

Before you start talking to potential customers, it's worth making sure you know how to describe your business and the marketing messages you want to get across. Can you describe your business? will help you check if you're ready for this.