• Search
  • Newsletters
  • Crossword
  • Notices
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
  • Sign In
The Irish Times
Fri, Jan 15, 2021

  • The Irish Times
  • News
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Life & Style
  • Culture
  • More
  • Video
  • Podcasts
  • Executive Jobs
  • Search
  • Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Sign In
  • Local Enterprise Office
Sponsored content is premium paid-for content produced by The Irish Times Content Studio on behalf of commercial clients. The Irish Times newsroom or other editorial departments are not involved in the production of Sponsored content.

Starting a business? Let your Local Enterprise Office make it happen

Sligo company Quickcrop, now a multi-million euro business, started with funding from their Local Enterprise Office

Thu, Feb 28, 2019, 10:00
Sponsored by Local Enterprise Office
Andrew Davidson and Niall McAllister: “We went to our LEO and they were very quick to support us”

Andrew Davidson and Niall McAllister: “We went to our LEO and they were very quick to support us”

   
 
 

One of the most challenging aspects of starting your own business is knowing where to begin, and who to ask for good advice. There are 31 Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) in Ireland offering a range of support for those just starting out in their business, or those who want to develop. All 31 are coming together for “Local Enterprise Week” which will run from March 4th to March 8th. It features more than 300 events in LEOs around the country. Local Enterprise Week, which is supported by Enterprise Ireland and the local authorities, is a celebration of local enterprise and businesses and the events are designed to help you plan, start or grow your business in 2019.

Local Enterprise Week

Oisin Geoghegan is head of enterprise at Local Enterprise Office Fingal and chair of the network of Local Enterprise Offices.

“There will be a wide range of events for Local Enterprise Week including things like business advice clinics and networking events. There are management development programmes and seminars on things like how to raise finance for your business, how to prepare for Brexit, how to use technology in business, how to exploit social media. Nearly all of the events are low cost or free of charge which makes it very accessible.”

[For a flavour of events taking place around the country, click here]

Geoghegan said this week was important to each LEO as it is a celebration of what small businesses mean to the local and national economy, as well as what they mean to their communities.

Oisin Geoghegan: “Local Enterprise Week is shining a light on enterprise and the contribution small businesses make to our economy and to our society”
Oisin Geoghegan: “Local Enterprise Week is shining a light on enterprise and the contribution small businesses make to our economy and to our society”

“It’s shining a light on enterprise and the contribution small businesses make to our economy and to our society. It’s showing, in a very positive light, a lot of what’s going on in the country in terms of entrepreneurial activity, innovation and there is an awful lot of really good initiatives going on in Ireland. It’s also connecting people who are in business or setting up a business with the State agencies that are there to help and support them.”

The LEOs are the “first-stop shop” for business support. There are many support services that are available including funding and other financial supports for qualifying businesses. Then there are “soft-supports” like management development programmes, business mentoring services and networking opportunities.

“Specifically, each LEO provides a range of supports for entrepreneurs at any stage of business. From those who have an idea for a business and want to ascertain whether it’s going to be viable or not, to those with businesses who are actually in the process of getting started, through to existing businesses that are looking to grow and develop. They can all avail of support services from their LEO.”

One of the key things for anyone thinking about starting a business, said Geoghegan, is to be honest with yourself. “The first thing I would advise someone is to focus on yourself and identify your own strengths and weaknesses in driving this business.”

“If you have an idea for a business and you are looking to bring it to market you are really better off to take a step back and undertake a ‘start your own business course’ to enable you to upskill yourself with the requisite skills to run a business.

Quickcrop

Niall McAllister runs Quickcrop with his business partner Andrew Davidson. It is a Sligo-based online garden supplies company that helps you grow home-grown produce, with little fuss. They received a lot of support from their LEO in Sligo and the company is now a multi-million euro business.

McAllister agrees with Geoghegan about being brutally honest with yourself from the outset of starting a new business.

“My business partner, Andrew, finance is not his forte, he is massively creative, he’s built a fantastic website, the look and feel of what we do is all based around him but I have a good financial head. He didn’t say: ‘Oh, I don’t have a good financial head, so I can’t run a business.’ He said: ‘That’s my weakness, I’ll find somebody who is strong in that area.’ And that’s what we did. So my weaknesses are his strengths and vice-versa, so you don’t have to have it all yourself.”

McAllister said their LEO in Sligo was a huge support to them at many stages on their start-up journey.

“I think we were about a year into the business when we were growing the plants which people put into their beds in our own small little polytunnels, and we realised if we were going to do this we were going to have to do it properly and put up a big tunnel which was about €9,000. We knew we couldn’t afford that. I had written a business plan and we went to our LEO and they were very quick to support us. I think they funded 50 per cent of that, which made a massive difference. We were then able to really start to build the business.”

As well as availing of the support of a business mentor, Quickcrop also received funding for various steps along the way with their LEO. “I have to say they were fantastic every time. We have a very good relationship with them and they understood very early on what Quickcrop was about, and the potential of it.”

“Local Enterprise Offices are incredibly supportive of businesses. They run a lot of really great courses about social media or how to manage your cash flow. If you’ve done your work and you have a plan and you’re prepared to invest in it yourself, time-wise and your own money, they are extremley supportive. Here in Sligo, they are absolutely excellent.” said McAllister.

If you want to see a selection of the events taking place around Ireland, click here. 

If you’d like to grow your start-up, talk to your Local Enterprise Office. Together, we can make it happen.

To find your Local Enterprise Office, see localenterprise.ie/makingithappen

Funding for Local Enterprise Offices, which work in partnerhip with Enterprise Ireland and local authorities, is provided by the Government of Ireland through the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation.

More in Sponsored

There is plenty to keep you occupied in this southside village ad if you want, town is just a hop and a skip away. Illustration: Aoife Dooley Rathcoole Co Dublin is within city reach but has all the calm of the country
The Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, received conditional marketing authorization by the EMA in December and is now being rolled out nationwide. Photograph: Getty images A triumph of science and innovation
With a host of local amenities, schools, shops and a beautiful beach, Bettystown is a winner. Illustration: Aoife Dooley Bettystown Co Meath is ideally situated for both Dublin and Belfast
IT Tralee hosts two technology gateways, Shannon ABC and IMaR, which offers expertise in ICT and engineering to Irish firms. Photograph: Domnick Walsh/Eye Focus Cork and Tralee institutes of technology build on decades of industry collaboration
Subscribe
About Us
Policy & Terms
Cookie Settings
Subscribe
  • Why Subscribe?
  • Subscription Bundles
  • Digital Subscriptions FAQs
  • Gift Subscriptions
  • Home Delivery
Irish Times Products & Services
  • ePaper
  • eBooks
  • Crosswords
  • Newspaper Archive
  • Email Alerts & Newsletters
  • Article Archive
  • Executive Jobs
  • Page Sales
  • Photo Sales
About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • The Irish Times Trust CLG
  • Careers
Download on the App Store Download on Google Play
  • Our Partners
  • Rewarding Times
  • MyHome.ie
  • Irish Racing
  • Top 1000
  • MyAntiques.ie
  • The Gloss
  • Irish Times Training
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Information
  • Cookie Settings
  • Community Standards
  • Copyright
  • FAQs
© 2018 THE IRISH TIMES

Sign In

Forgot Password?
Don't have an account?
Subscribe

  • Digital Subscriptions FAQs
  • Subscriber Only Articles
  • The ePaper
  • Subscriber Rewards
  • Subscriber Tour
  • Breaking news app
  • My Account
  • eBooks
  • Email Newsletters
  • Crossword Club
  • Newspaper Archive
  • Sign Out
SUBSCRIBE

Fri 15/1/2021
  • News
    • Coronavirus
    • Ireland
    • World
    • Politics
    • Crime & Law
    • Health
    • Education
    • Subscriber Only
    • ePaper
    • Brexit
  • Sport
    • Gaelic Games
    • Soccer
    • Rugby
    • Golf
    • Racing
    • Other Sports
    • Women in Sport
    • Comment
  • Business
    • Open for Business
    • The Economy
    • Your Money
    • Companies
    • Technology
    • Work
    • Commercial Property
    • Comment
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Letters
    • Columnists
    • An Irishman's Diary
    • Opinion & Analysis
    • Martyn Turner
  • Life & Style
    • Food & Drink
    • Homes & Property
    • Health & Family
    • People
    • Travel
    • Motors
    • Fashion
    • Abroad
  • Culture
    • Books
    • Film
    • Music
    • Stage
    • Art & Design
    • TV, Radio, Web
    • Tuarascáil
    • Heritage
  • More
    • You are what you read
    • eBooks
    • Offers
    • Jobs
    • Family Notices
    • Competitions
  • Video
  • Podcasts
    • Confronting Coronavirus
    • Inside Politics
    • The Women's Podcast
    • Inside Business
    • Added Time
    • World View
    • Back to Yours
    • The Irish Times Book Club
  • Executive Jobs
  • Crosswords
  • Newsletters
  • Notices
Forgot Password?

Invalid email or password.

Not an Irish Times subscriber? Subscribe
  • Digital Subscriptions FAQs Frequently asked questions about your digital subscription
  • Subscriber Only Articles Specially selected and available only to our subscribers
  • Subscriber Rewards Exclusive offers, discounts and invitations
  • Subscriber Tour Explore the features of your subscription
  • Crossword Club Digital Simplex and Crosaire crosswords
  • Newspaper Archive 150 years of Irish Times journalism
  • My Account Manage your account
  • eBooks Carefully curated selections of Irish Times writing
  • Email Newsletters Sign up to get the stories you want delivered to your inbox
  • The ePaper An exact digital replica of the printed paper
  • Breaking news app Our Apple and Android apps to read on the go
  • Sign Out