2 March 2012 Last updated at 12:22 ET

Prince Charles offers business advice in Llandovery

Prince Charles visited the bird hide near Brecon on Friday

The Prince of Wales has advised new companies to keep their business ideas initially small during a visit to Carmarthenshire.

The meeting was set up to try to develop a strategy for growth which could boost Llandovery's local economy.

Earlier, the prince visited a bird hide in Powys built using techniques one of his charities aims to preserve.

The hide, at Llangorse Lake, near Brecon, has been constructed from Welsh stone, green oak and has a reed thatch.

It has been built to look out over the reeds at the lake which is home to large flocks of Canada geese.

The prince later held a meeting with several dozen business people, councillors and community leaders in Llandovery.

He listened to the ideas being discussed before advising his listeners to "keep it small".

He said: "I'm not an expert on this by any means but having, in the last few years, established myself in Wales, in this very special county of Carmarthenshire, I have become more and more attached to this town.

"It has a very special atmosphere and has a lot going for it - but it could have a lot more.

"The secret is not to be too ambitious at the start," he said.

The town's profile has been raised since the prince bought a farm in nearby Llwynywermod six years ago.

The prince told the gathering that small changes from planting trees and improving signage at the entrance to the town could make a difference.

Prince Charles handed out ceremonial leeks to soldiers from 1st Battalion the Welsh Guards to mark St David's Day

He added: "If you take the small steps to start with people notice."

He said that making small improvements to a town's physical structure could also have an impact.

He said this would encourage agencies and organisations to help the town develop.

"You will find an increasing number of people wanting to help. Success breeds success. I've seen it before," said the prince.

'Very nice'

The Duchy of Cornwall bought a 190-acre farm in Llwynywermod six years ago and has since transformed the original buildings.

The prince also met school children from Ysgol Rhys Prichard in Llandovery.

After listening to songs sung in Welsh the prince mingled with the children.

"This isn't the first time I have met him it's about the third time. He is very nice," said Tia Mackenzie Jones, six.

"He asked us if we missed our lunch and what we were going to do after we had finished singing."

The work on the bird hide at Llangorse Lake was carried out by apprentices with the Prince's Foundation for Building Community who attended a summer building workshop.