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Can I Really Start My Own Business?

Who can help me? Where can I get the money? And what has it all got to do with this owl?

We've been speaking to some top business brains, who have revealed all...

Why start a business?

We reckon there are three good reasons:

Firstly, it's a good opportunity to make fat piles of cash - although we'd like to think that it's about more than just money.

More importantly, you get to be your own boss. This was a big motivation for Dragons' Den's Sarah Willingham, who set up her own restaurant chain because she didn't want someone else telling her where she had to be on on a Monday morning.

Finally, real business can be very different to the sort of thing you might see on the telly.

Business Is Fun

Dragons' Den's Sarah Willingham tells us why everything isn't exactly how it looks on TV.

There's a lot more to it than being given a good going over by Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden!

Isn't it all a bit daunting?

We get it - it's all well and good Sarah telling us how much fun business is, because she's worth several million pounds.

But she and fellow dragon Nick Jenkins both worked for other people, and built up their experience before they started their own businesses.

It took them years to get where they are today.

How old do I need to be to set up a company?

Dragons' Den's Sarah has an answer which might surprise you.

Nobody's expecting you to make loads of money straight away!

How do I get started?

All of our experts agree that it helps to have experience before you set up your own business, and if you want work experience with Steve Bartlett's multi-million pound company Social Chain you'll have to really think outside the box.

Social Chain founder and CEO Steve Bartlett

Steve doesn't accept CVs. That's why the last person who got an internship at his company decided to send their request in - yep, you guessed it - attached to an owl.

Obviously some companies do prefer emails to birds of prey, but it's important to stand out from the crowd.

When you're looking to persuade people to back your business it helps to know what you're talking about. Getting experience of the industry is a great way of building your knowledge and understanding, says Dragons' Den's Nick Jenkins:

It pays to get a job - in more ways than one

Dragons' Den's Nick Jenkins tells us why experience can be so important for entrepreneurs

What's the dream?

It goes without saying really - every business starts with an idea.

For Steve, this was turning viral social media accounts into a marketing agency. His company now uses their millions of social media followers to help companies advertise their products or services.

He thinks the internet presents a great opportunity for young people, in particular, to set up businesses:

"Young people are the best at social media and technology. They spend most of their time on it, and so are able to create businesses better than the older generation when it comes to these areas."

Can you 'accidentally' launch your business career?

Lauren Pope explains how to set up a business without even knowing about it.

Former TOWIE star Lauren Pope's hair extensions business evolved a little bit differently, but they both had one thing in common.

They both came up with a concept that they loved, and worked out how they could make money out of it.

Ask for advice

Radio 1's Gemma Cairney recently set up her own business, and one of the keys to her success was speaking to someone who'd already been there and done it.

She set up several meetings, over breakfast, to talk through the company's progress with her business mentor.

A mentor can be a huge help in overcoming some of the difficulties you'll face creating a business for the first time, so don't be afraid to ask people - they'll probably be quite flattered that you came to them for help.

How do I ask someone for business advice?

Lauren Pope doesn't hold back when she needs to get hold of someone.

Put together your business plan

This is where the hard work really begins.

You're probably going to need some money to get your business of the ground. And this money can come from one of two places.

You can either save the money yourself, or you can find someone who's willing to lend you it.

Who's going to invest in my business idea?

If you're looking for financial support, it might not be as hard to find as you think.

To persuade investors to give you their cash, you're going to need a business plan - and it'll have to cover absolutely everything:

  • Who are you, and why should people invest in you?
  • What will your business sell?
  • Who else is already selling it?
  • Who's going to buy it?
  • How will you reach your customers?
  • How will you structure the business?
  • What do you want to achieve in the next year, three years and five years?
  • How much money will you need?
  • How much money do you think you can make?

These are just a few of the main points your business plan will need to cover. Make no mistake - this isn't the sort of thing that you can write up in an afternoon.

It could take weeks to put together, but it's really important that you get it right if you're going to convince someone to invest in you.

, a charity that helps young people get started in business, popped in to the Academy to give us some advice, and you'll be able to find loads of information on putting together a business plan online too.

For more advice and inspiration, take a look at .

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