As starting a new business - I think - this might be useful...

We have brainstormed on our new business idea. A way of smaller brands getting in on the mobile games party.

In essence, a soft way brands can engage with their target market on mobile phones with minimal investment.

Or is it a platform for brand focused mobile competitions.

Or a portal for pay as you go brand able mobile games.

Or even more grandiose, an ecosystem to help part time freelance mobile game creators.

Who knows - what we do know is that it is just an idea. And now it's time to face reality and work out whether your idea is a viable option.

As Smarta advises, be thorough in your assessment: if the figures don't add up, chances are it's not going to work out.

Don't be disheartened, though - if you've already had one idea, there will be plenty more where that came from.

So what makes a good business idea

Once you've come up with your idea, you need to make sure there is a market for it. Do this by conducting extensive market research - find out how many people would buy into your idea, what the competition is like and what your customers will be like. Will they be able to afford your product or service?

We have done this by asking our target market with a series of surveys in survey monkey and on linkedin.

But...Do the figures add up?

Smarta advise "Look at figures from competitors to work out what sort of demand you will have. What will your production costs be like, and how much will you need to charge for your offering to make it viable? Will your target customers be able to afford it? What will your margins be like? How much repeat custom will you get?

A good idea gives the business room to grow. Don't just latch on to a trend - your business needs to be more than a one-trick pony if you want it to expand and flourish. Try to forecast how the market will look in one, two and five years - will there be as much demand for your product then?

Your business idea doesn't need to be new, but it does need to distinguish itself from the competition. Check it's unique by conducting an extensive competitor analysis, and even if you're not planning to lodge a patent, make sure it isn't violating copyright law by checking the Intellectual Property Office's patents database.

Why some business ideas don't work

One of the major causes of business failures is bad market research. While you may be enthusiastic about getting started straight away, conducting exhaustive market research is absolutely essential. Without it, you won't have the information you need when you're marketing and pricing your offering.

When the majority of business ideas fail, it's not because it was a bad idea - it's because it was the victim of bad marketing. Make sure you know exactly who your customers are, what their habits are and how they react to various forms of marketing.

(We hope we have this covered a little as kinda great marketing is what we do...)

A business which doesn't distinguish itself from its competitors will find itself struggling. Define strong unique selling points (USPs) for your business to prevent this from happening. Look at your competitors' weaknesses and build on that: is there space for a premium version of their product? Could you add value by offering a wider range or better customer service?

If your costs are too high, you'll find it difficult to make any money, so start small and keep your overheads to a minimum. If it isn't absolutely necessary to take office space, start from home instead - and while having your product manufactured in the next town may be great for your carbon footprint, there's a good chance it could hit your bank account hard.

If your proposition is badly priced, your customers will be decidedly unenthusiastic about buying from you. Make sure you look at your potential customers' spending habits and earning power to determine how much - and how often - they will be willing to pay.

If your business is started purely to make money, there's a good chance it will fail. To start a successful business, you need to be absolutely passionate about your proposition so you are committed to steering it through the good times as well as the bad.

So our new idea massmob - which has been created to help mobile developers make money - giving Manchester developers the ecosytem they need to survive is kinda passionate :)

We want to put the fun back into games creation and let talented people make money from this, from their mobile phone!