Home-grown ideas

Finding solutions to daily problems can lead to profitable and viable business opportunities

Home help in virtual space

VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS LTD

With the roll-out of broadband technologies, increasing commute times and the rising cost of child care, more people are choosing to set up their own companies, working from home. The changing face of the workplace led IT entrepreneur Kevin Donohue to set up Ireland's first online network of virtual assistants, val.ie.

The site, which was set up in March and went live in September, is made up of a network of self-employed professionals, called virtual assistants (VAs), who are available to work on client projects from home offices using broadband technologies.

"Over the past number of years, there has been a trend where working from home as an independent sole trader was becoming very much an accepted practice in places like the United States," explains Donohue.

"All of the indications are that people are looking to improve their work-life balance and by setting up their own businesses and joining the val.ie network, virtual assistants have the flexibility to organise their schedules to work on client projects of their choice.

"We are confident that many organisations will make val.ie the first port of call when it comes to engaging a professional for a work project. The benefits to both virtual assistants and client companies who use our network are immense."

There is no charge to client companies searching the site for an appropriate virtual assistant. The service is funded through VA membership fees which provide VAs with marketing, advertising and corporate identity support to help them establish their own business as a VA. Also included in the membership fee is the cost of a management diploma course certified by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) which all registered VAs must undertake.

The Val network includes IT and marketing consultants, accountants, project managers, proof readers, web designers and administrators with at least five years career experience.

Since setting up in March, Donohue says he has had about 520 enquiries from people wanting to work from home. "There is an initial screening conversation over the phone based on their CV. I then meet with the candidates for an hour and a half suitability assessment. Out of the 520 enquiries, to date I have met with 90 virtual assistants of which 26 at this point have joined," he says.

Since September, he has had more than 20 enquiries from businesses.

"There has been six engagements as a result of that in which they have ended up working with the VA."

Setting up top standards

ALLERGY STANDARDS LTD

Allergy Standards Limited was established in June 2000 by Dr John McKeon and Dr John O'Mahony, two qualified doctors with a specific interest in allergies and asthma.

It was set up to develop a certification process that could be applied to soft toys, bedding products and indoor environments to ensure that they fulfilled certain criteria making them suitable for use by individuals with asthma and other allergic sensitivities.

Allergy Standards' patented and registered intellectual property includes a portfolio of proprietary testing protocols and suitability specifications for products to be certified. They can then carry its asthma-friendly certification mark on the product packaging. Although the company test marketed its certification process in Ireland, it is looking to the United States as a primary market.

With asthma or allergies affecting up to 75 million people in the United States, a comprehensive proactive approach to avoid allergy triggers is advocated by expert groups.

However, confusion still exists for consumers at the point of purchase due to many unsubstantial product claims.

Many good manufacturers such as Dyson make products that would be helpful in an allergy action plan, but find it difficult to communicate this message.

The asthma-friendly certification programme, with its distinctive mark, was developed by Allergy Standards to fill this data gap between healthcare professional, patients and manufacturers.

The programme is administered in the United States in partnership with the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA).

"Although we started in toy certification, we moved very much away from that much more into high end goods," explains McKeon.

"We now have some big heavyweight clients such as Dyson. "Every Dyson sold in America carries our asthma-friendly certification mark.

"Our certified bedding products are in JC Penney, Target and will be in Walmart later on in the year," he says.

Real-time bookings

AVVIO

Booking a hotel room is set to become a lot easier following a business collaboration between two leading Irish software companies and up to 1,000 hotels across Ireland and the UK.

Over the next year and a half, Avvio.com and Tierney's Office Automation will roll out new online technology offering clients greater control over their hotel reservations through the provision of real time accommodation rates and room availability updates. Anyone visiting a hotel website that uses this new technology will be able to view exactly what the hotel reservations staff see, in terms of room rates and availability.

Developed by Avvio, Ireland's Convert 4.0 software will interface with Tierney's existing "Hotellinx Suite", property management software installed in hundreds of hotels worldwide.

"The new technology enables customers to view real-time rates, as and when the hotelier introduces them and . . . makes double booked rooms a thing of the past," says Brian Reeves, managing director.

Limerick-based Avvio works with around 30 per cent of the hotels in Ireland, including Ashford Castle, Dromoland Castle and Lynch Hotels .

The Avvio innovation is expected to yield in excess of €45million in accommodation bookings for clients in 2007, according to David Collins, commercial director. The company, which employs 27 people, is now planning a major expansion overseas.

Saving paper

WPA MOBILE

An Athlone-based technology start-up is aiming to remove the paperwork for companies' field staff and allow management keep track of field jobs at the same time.

WPA Mobile provides mobility solutions which enable field workers in service companies to access desktop-like functionality while on the move using a hand-held device. Technicians can enter orders online, register working hours and report on quality issues through a laptop or pocket PC.

"It eliminates paper work from the field," explains director Oliver Heaney.

"We provide an end to end solution and provide the hardware and software and all of the integration that takes place between the back office and the handheld device. It is all completed in real time," says Heaney. "That is the important thing. It shows where somebody is at any particular time."

The development of WPA's technology is being supported by the Software Research Centre at Athlone IT under Enterprise Ireland's Innovation Partnership Programme.

The company currently employs 11 people, with plans to create 20 new positions as part of a €2 million investment.