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Visit: Spextacular

What are their external influences?

Spextacular have to comply with considerable legislation and, as a small business, this not only costs her money but also takes valuable time away from customers and the day-to-day running of the business operations. Chris has made the decision to register for VAT voluntarily since all of her suppliers charge VAT that Chris is able to reclaim. The disadvantages are that Chris has to charge VAT on the goods and services she supplies and she has to complete detailed paperwork every three months to send to HM Customs and Excise.

She also has to comply with the Optician's Act 1989 and ensure that her products and services meet legislative requirements. For example, customer prescriptions must not be more than two years old and Spextacular is not allowed by law to supply to those registered blind or visually impaired.

Chris has had to ensure that her Web site meets numerous legislative requirements, including Data Protection requirements, Distance Selling laws and copyright legislation, as well as normal consumer protection laws. Chris used the services of a solicitor to check things on her behalf and also to write her Terms and Conditions to ensure legal compliance.

To comply with accessibility requirements Chris has facilities on the Web site for enlarging or reducing the size of the font for example. Chris has also tried to reflect the diversity of her customers by using a range of images that include people of differing age, gender and race.

Currently, Chris does not employ staff directly, but, as the business grows and she starts to employ staff, she will have to ensure she meets employment laws and health and safety requirements.

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