TRICKY BUSINESS

PROGRAMME 3: RUTH MCKAY

ACTIVITIES

Guidance

These activities support a mix of individual, paired and group work.

Before viewing

Discuss how entering higher education and getting a degree can help people with their career ambitions. For example, how does it open up new career opportunities, prepare individuals for working life and get them ready to run their own businesses?

Create a spidergram of the knowledge and skills that are needed to run a business. Share and discuss your ideas.

List the information that you would expect to see on someone's business card. Share and discuss your ideas.

After viewing

To view 4Learning video clips you will need Windows XP/2000 and Windows Media Player 9, 10 or 11. Unfortunately, the clips are not supported on Macintosh computers.

The video clips may contain a few seconds of extra material at the beginning and end. We have therefore included opening and closing descriptions to help identify the intended scene.

Business basics
Clip one: 01:10 – 02:33

• Opens with Ruth saying, 'When I decided to start up the company I'd actually done some market research in a couple of areas and realised that small to medium companies just couldn't afford to pay for professional marketing advice.'
• Closes with the narrator saying, 'There are hundreds of small businesses on her doorstep so she is potentially sitting on a goldmine.'

Watch the clip and answer these questions.

• What type of business is Unique Solutions?
• What services does Unique Solutions offer potential clients?
• What is its target market?
• How could a high-street location help the business?
• Will Ruth make a good entrepreneur?

Imagine that you are a sole trader setting up a small office. List the office equipment that you will need. Decide which are essential items and which you could do without. You have a budget of £1,000 for essentials and must not overspend. Using the internet, stationery catalogues and other resources, research the cost of your essential items and finalise your shopping list.

Photo shoot
Clip two: 03:01 – 05:10

• Opens with the narrator saying, 'Before she can start to take on clients, Ruth has to market her own company.'
• Closes with the narrator saying, 'There's 10 minutes left before the photographer has to leave so it's a mad dash to the next location.'

List the problems that Ruth has with her photo shoot and identify the cause of each. Discuss how Ruth could have avoided these problems and produce a checklist for her to use on her next shoot.

Marketing materials
Clip three: 05:59 – 07:38

• Opens with the narrator saying, 'Following the photo shoot, Ruth decides to visit her business adviser to talk about her publicity materials.'
• Closes with the narrator saying, 'So right from the word go it seems as though the marketing theory that Ruth is relying on is not turning out to be all that helpful.'

Describe the problems that Graham identifies with Ruth's marketing materials and explain why they occurred. Working in pairs or groups, answer the following questions to produce a creative brief for Ruth:

• Objectives: what is the purpose of the marketing materials?
• Target audience: who are the marketing materials aimed at?
• Key messages: what are the important things that potential customers need to know?
• Tone and style: what is the best way to communicate these things to potential customers?
• Materials: which of the following core marketing materials does the business need – logo, business cards, letterheads, website, email, brochure, press packs, uniform?

Select and produce one piece of core marketing material for Unique Solutions using the creative brief that you have produced. Display, share and discuss your results.

Advice from the top
Clip four: 12:12 – 14:41

• Opens with the narrator saying, 'Despite the fact that her client is very unhappy with her, Ruth is pleased with the article that appeared in the press the next day.'
• Closes with Angela saying, 'So you've ended up with everything focusing on you rather than the limousine company.'

Discuss the following questions.

• Why did Ruth go to see Angela Casey and was it a good idea?
• How does Ruth feel about her PR work for the limousine company?
• How does Angela feel about Ruth's PR work for the limousine company?
• What lessons did Ruth learn from her visit?
• Would you employ Ruth to do some PR work for you?

Angela took on the role of mentor when she met Ruth. What do mentors do? Should all new entrepreneurs try to find a mentor when they are starting out in business? If so, who could help them to do this? Are there any other parts of life where having a mentor might be helpful?

Bidding for a contract
Clip five: 17:32 – 20:00

• Opens with the narrator saying, 'Ruth has arranged a meeting with him to pitch some ideas.'
• Closes with Ruth saying, 'But I've still got the dissertation to hand in; that'll be my next one.'

Working in pairs or small groups, answer the following questions:

• What was the purpose of Ruth's meetings with Marketing Director Brad Greenwood?
• Why did they have two meetings?
• How well did Ruth sell herself and her business?
• What could she do better next time? (Think about planning, preparation and the marketing mix – price, product, place and promotion).

Share the highlights of your discussion with the rest of the group and negotiate a list of ten things for Ruth to remember when she next bids for a contract.