Knocky's Nose
Mon nez est retiré.
As it's quiet on here, I'll ask some advice and opinions from the good people on here who all seem to be sagely and wise when it comes to the Brighton area.
It's almost in the bag that I'll be taking a franchise for the Brighton Area (my territory will be BN1, BN2, BN3, BN41, BN42). It's a business where you get around 5% 'walk in' and the other 95% of it is dealing directly with businesses and individuals..
The master franchisee was hell-bent on something slap bang in the middle of Brighton Centre. The premises needs to be about 2,000 sq/ft with large access doors or roller shutter and the target rent is £20k p/a. I laughed when he suggested the town centre and explained that Brighton rents pretty much lock horns with London in many cases. He now realises his mistake, and will listen to suggestions..
The ideal premises would be in a busy area with lots of passing traffic or footfall for brand awareness purposes, or even on a small industrial estate next to a main road. Decent access both in and out of Brighton would be handy as we'd have 1-2 vans out and about collecting goods.
Any suggestions?
My second question is.. is it worth joining any trade bodies in Brighton to make contacts, or is it just a load of berks talking bollocks and doing some mutual back slapping over lunch once a month? I've always avoided these, but being new to the Brighton business scene I'm not sure what the 'vibe' is. I can say that in Eastbourne there's very much a small-town mentality, you'll only do well if you're cheap, if the price is low enough - poor service will be accepted, and the council will always do feck all to help you.
So, there we go. In a nutshell - "What's the best area for value for money in or around Brighton that's not a dump, and would you hob-nob in Business Circles or just crack on yourself with your own marketing, making your own contacts?"
Thanks, and I will readily accept sarcasm, attempts at wit and humour, plus valid opinions and advice in equal measure.
It's almost in the bag that I'll be taking a franchise for the Brighton Area (my territory will be BN1, BN2, BN3, BN41, BN42). It's a business where you get around 5% 'walk in' and the other 95% of it is dealing directly with businesses and individuals..
The master franchisee was hell-bent on something slap bang in the middle of Brighton Centre. The premises needs to be about 2,000 sq/ft with large access doors or roller shutter and the target rent is £20k p/a. I laughed when he suggested the town centre and explained that Brighton rents pretty much lock horns with London in many cases. He now realises his mistake, and will listen to suggestions..
The ideal premises would be in a busy area with lots of passing traffic or footfall for brand awareness purposes, or even on a small industrial estate next to a main road. Decent access both in and out of Brighton would be handy as we'd have 1-2 vans out and about collecting goods.
Any suggestions?
My second question is.. is it worth joining any trade bodies in Brighton to make contacts, or is it just a load of berks talking bollocks and doing some mutual back slapping over lunch once a month? I've always avoided these, but being new to the Brighton business scene I'm not sure what the 'vibe' is. I can say that in Eastbourne there's very much a small-town mentality, you'll only do well if you're cheap, if the price is low enough - poor service will be accepted, and the council will always do feck all to help you.
So, there we go. In a nutshell - "What's the best area for value for money in or around Brighton that's not a dump, and would you hob-nob in Business Circles or just crack on yourself with your own marketing, making your own contacts?"
Thanks, and I will readily accept sarcasm, attempts at wit and humour, plus valid opinions and advice in equal measure.
