Where can I get assistance?
Monday, 2 February 2009
Most people, because they are unfamiliar with the process of starting a business, need help in doing so. Thus, it’s no surprise that one of the questions I hear most frequently from people who are considering going out on their own is “Where can I get assistance?”. Some are even more direct, replacing the word “assistance” with “grants”!
The first port-of-call for anyone thinking of starting a business should be their local County or City Enterprise Boards. There are 35 CEBS across the country – at least one in every county, with four in each of Dublin and Cork – you’ll find a complete list and more information at www.enterpriseboards.ie. Yes, they do provide grants – for capital equipment, employment, feasiboility studies and web development, among others – but they also provide a valuable range of other supports, including subsidised training, mentoring and business advice. And these supports are usually available, even if your business / business idea does not qualify for grant aid (like all enterprise support in Irreland, the CEBs are primarily focused on manufacturing and internationally-traded services – local services are not usually supported).
The CEBS are targeted at businesses with less than 10 employees – above that, Enterprise Ireland (or Shannon Development or Udaras na Gaeltachta, depending on where you live) take over. EI provides a wide range of supports and has deeper pockets than the CEBs. However, EI is looking for a speical kind of business: what it describes as a “high potential start-up” (HPSU), which will achieve sales of €1m+, 75% export and 10+staff within 3 years. While it’s easy to write a business plan that shows all of the above, it’s more difficult to convince EI’s experienced development advisers that you can deliver on it – that’s where the challenge lies!
And there are many more organisations that can help a start-up – see the Resources page for a selection.
As a big fan of the ‘Start Your Own Business Workbook’ i was delighted to get a copy of Brian’s new book. I read it last night in about two hours and agree that it does what it says on the tin. It should help the newly redundant to ‘make an informed decision about starting a business’. One comment stood out. On page 53 when discussing common mistakes that entrepreneurs make in dealing with investors, banks and State agencies, Brian says ‘The reality is that you have NO entitlement to financing or support … So, if you are to be successful in getting the support you need, you need to understand the other person’s point of view.’ I couldn’t agree more and that is part of the added value of working with LEAP programme manager, Graham Royce and myself as part of LEAP or EnterpriseSTART.
And finally a plug if i may, check out the LEAP website to find out about the LEAP 2009 programme – our twelve month milestone driven business start-up development programme. We are currently accepting applications.
Donncha Hughes
Enterprise Acceleration Centre Manager
Limerick Institute of Technology