Bringing it all back home

On the quiet outskirts of Caherciveen, Co Kerry, Paula O'Connor and her husband, Richard Murphy, have established a small but growing secretarial, computer and printing business from their home. The company provides its services to local businesses, community groups, clubs and individuals all around South West Kerry and it has been up and running for just over two years.

O'Connor comes from Caherciveen and she is a former second-level teacher who used to teach maths and geography. "I had heard of the teleworking concept and I began thinking about how I could apply it in my situation," she says. "I did a bit of market research and found that there was an opportunity for someone to provide secretarial type services from a local base so I took the plunge, invested in a computer and opened my doors for business with normal office working hours."

Once people knew the service existed, business began to flow and O'Connor had to invest in more equipment to meet the growing demand. "I found I needed to expand the range of services I could offer and I'm now in a position to do everything from photocopying and scanning, to typing letters, doing up newsletters and e-mailing," she says.

"I also discovered that people often needed to have material printed and this is how my husband came to be involved. We decided that there was an opening for us to offer printing services as well, so he gave up what he was doing and went off for training in this area. We invested in the necessary printing equipment and set up a printing business in March 1997.

It prints letterheads, business cards, flyers and so on - "basically the type of things people around here need to have printed," says O'Connor.

The printing side of the operation has been installed in separate premises nearby and between them the couple manage what has become a steadily growing business. "At the moment we do everything ourselves which means we have very little time off, maybe one day at the weekend," she says.

"We don't mind the long hours because we're building a business for ourselves. Eventually we will probably have to employ someone part-time to help. When I look at what I started with and what I have now, I can really see progress. Customers are happy with what we do, they keep coming and that's good job satisfaction."

In addition to the mainstream business, O'Connor also provides computer training. "I go out to companies and give on-site computer training to employees and individuals also come to my office for training," she says. "I also give classes through the VEC to both day and night students. I'm a tutor with the National Council for Vocational Awards and a registered assessor with the VEC for their European Computer Driving Licence courses.

"My husband's background is in computers so if I'm not here, he takes over the office so there is always somebody here," she continues. "It can be tough at times working for yourself, but the rewards are significant in other ways. Life is good here, we live in a lovely location and if we wanted to stay we had to find something to do and make a go of it. There is not much industry around here so a lot of people are self-employed which means there is quiet a strong entrepreneurial culture in the area."