Better Business Spring 2021 by Ashville Media Group

S U P P O R T I N G E N T R E P R E N E U R S | VA L U I N G S M A L L B U S I N E S S | R E WA R D I N G R I S K TA K E R S | S P R I N G 2 0 2 1

BUSINESS FURNITURE

Solidarity BETTER BUSINESS SPRING 2021

with SMALL BUSINESS

FOCUS DESIGNERS MAKING THEIR MARK

MINISTER MICHAEL MCGRATH ON CONTINUING SUPPORTS FOR SMES

MAKING LENDING SIMPLE WITH LINKED FINANCE’S NEW CEO,

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NIALL O’GRADY

MEET THE AGTECH DISRUPTORS

SHAKING THINGS UP IN THE FARMING WORLD

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S U P P O R T I N G E N T R E P R E N E U R S | VA L U I N G S M A L L B U S I N E S S | R E WA R D I N G R I S K TA K E R S | S P R I N G 2 0 2 1

BUSINESS FURNITURE

WELCOME SPRING 2021

FOCUS DESIGNERS MAKING THEIR MARK

Solidarity BETTER BUSINESS SPRING 2021

with SMALL BUSINESS MINISTER MICHAEL MCGRATH ON CONTINUING SUPPORTS FOR SMES

MAKING LENDING SIMPLE WITH LINKED FINANCE’S NEW CEO,

NIALL O’GRADY

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MEET THE AGTECH DISRUPTORS

SHAKING THINGS UP IN THE FARMING WORLD

On the cover: Niall O’Grady, CEO, Linked Finance Photography: Bryan Meade Photography

Editor: Denise Maguire Creative Director: Jane Matthews Designers: Alan McArthur Aine Duffy Design Assitant: James Moore Production Executive: Nicole Ennis Account Director: Shane Kelly Managing Director: Gerry Tynan Chairman: Diarmaid Lennon Email: info@ashville.com or write to: Better Business, Ashville Media, Unit 55, Park West Road, Park West Industrial Estate, Dublin 12, D12 X9F9. Tel: (01) 432 2200 All rights reserved. Every care has been taken to ensure that the information contained in this magazine is accurate. The publishers cannot, however, accept responsibility for errors or omissions. Reproduction by any means in whole or in part without the permission of the publisher is prohibited. © Ashville Media Group 2021. All discounts, promotions and competitions contained in this magazine are run independently of Better Business. The promoter/advertiser is responsible for honouring the prize. ISSN 2009-9118 SFA is a trading name of Ibec.

Welcome to Better Business, a magazine dedicated to the small business community. As I write this, I am very conscious that many small firms have not opened their doors since last year and of the challenges and financial difficulties being experienced by our smallest employers. As we continue to navigate through restrictions and commence planning for re-opening, know that the SFA continues to work on behalf of members and businesses across all sectors, to advocate for the survival of small firms and the reboot of the economy. In this edition, our sector spotlight delves into the success of the Irish furniture industry, looking at how creativity and innovation is defining this thriving sector. The HR pages provide guidance on the new Code of Practice on Addressing Bullying in the Workplace and our health section outlines tips on how to set achievable goals for 2021. Elsewhere in these pages you will meet AgTech entrepreneurs who are shaking up the lives of farmers and the future of food production and hear from Linked Finance Chief Executive Niall O’Grady about the company’s recent successes and plans to provide small firms with the right finance solutions. We recap on our successful virtual Business Connect event held in February and along the way, you will come across a diverse range of businesses whose experiences may well give you a fresh take on your own venture. This magazine contains stories that inform, inspire and entertain. It showcases and celebrates the achievements of small companies, provides advice to help you in your business and keeps you up to date on the latest trends at home and abroad. Ireland is a nation of small businesses. Of over 267,000 businesses in the country, 99% have less than 50 employees (small) and 92% have less than 10 (micro). These companies can be seen in every city, town and village in the country and together they provide employment to half of the private sector workforce. The SFA proudly represents a diverse membership of businesses with less than 50 employees: homegrown and spanning every sector of our economy. We want to make Ireland the most vibrant small business community in the world – an environment that supports entrepreneurship, values small business and rewards risk takers. Better Business is the magazine of the small business community. We welcome your feedback, suggestions and ideas to info@sfa.ie or on Twitter @SFA_Irl. Sven Spollen-Behrens Director, Small Firms Association

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CONTENTS SPRING 2021

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Big News for Small Business News, views and profiles from SFA members and small businesses in Ireland.

Getting Tech Right Cisco’s Joanne Charles discusses the tech and IT challenges facing small firms in today’s WFH environment.

Access to Finance Feature Minister Michael McGrath talks about current and future supports for small firms and ongoing challenges affecting the SME sector.

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Access to Finance BDO’s Ciara Dillon describes some of the challenges facing small firms and the advice she has imparted to help them weather the impacts of Covid.

Sector Spotlight Better Business chats to three small businesses making their mark in Ireland’s thriving furniture sector.

Cover Story The new CEO at Linked Finance, Niall O’Grady, talks to Better Business about providing small firms with the right finance solutions.

Trading Places Better Business chats to NY-based Caroline Regan about the challenges of building a new business during Covid.

Energy John Keohane, CEO at Verde LED, discusses how sustainable solutions can result in cost savings for small businesses.

Arts and Culture Author and columnist Séamas O’Reilly chats about his first book and what it’s like growing up with 10 siblings.

The Big Read In Lessons from Lockdown, South Africabased chef Liam Tomlin talks about his hopes for the hospitality industry.

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Entrepreneurs Ireland’s AgTech companies are shaking things up in what was once considered a traditional sector.

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Travel It looks like we’ll be holidaying at home this year so why not spend a few days in Ireland’s true capital. 2 SFA | BETTER BUSINESS

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Spring 2021  Contents

FROM TOP LEFT: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath, on the supports available to small businesses, page 10

// Caroline Horgan, owner of Abbeylands Furniture, on diversifying her business to the changing needs of the market, page 20 // Padraig Hennessy from TERRA NutriTECH talks about becoming an AgTech disruptor in Ireland, page 30 // Valerie O’Keeffe, CEO at ClarityVP Consulting, outlines how to set meaningful but achievable goals in 2021, page 39

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Updates  News

BIG NEWS FOR SMALL BUSINESS

IS YOUR BUSINESS SAFE FROM FRAUD? As the Covid-19 pandemic continues, businesses are at an increased risk of being targeted by fraudsters with many businesses having moved online and with employees, including accounts personnel, working from home. Invoice fraud is on the rise and while not a new scam, it can be catastrophic for businesses who fall victim. In August last year, one Dublin business alone lost €1.2 million due to this type of fraud. Invoice fraud occurs when, using a spoofed email address, the fraudster emails you pretending to be one of your suppliers. The email will mirror an email that you regularly receive from your supplier, including logos and signoffs. The email informs you that the supplier has a new bank account and that all future payments should go to the new account. When you receive the next legitimate invoice from the real supplier, you make a payment to the new bank account. Generally, it is only later when the real supplier sends you a reminder to pay the invoice that you realise what has happened. Even by doing a recall on the payment through your bank, there is no guarantee that the funds can be returned. Fraudsters are quick and will move money as soon as they receive it. For further information, visit www.FraudSMART.ie. Mark Teevan, Chair of HMI

ENERGY

IRELAND IN STEP WITH EUROPEAN PUSH TOWARDS HYDROGEN ENERGY Hydrogen Mobility Ireland (HMI) recently launched a multi week, in-service trial of a fuel cell electric bus in the Dublin area. The bus, powered by a 60KW Toyota fuel cell stack, will be the first ever hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle put into public service operation on the island of Ireland. While HMI is currently running Ireland’s first hydrogen fuel cell bus trial in Dublin, a global race to scale up green hydrogen has begun, with Europe pushing the hydrogen solution as key to the bloc’s future energy mix. Hydrogen is the lightest, simplest and one of the most abundant chemicals on earth and the most abundant in the universe. It will never run out. The Hydrogen Mobility Ireland project is a partnership of businesses from across many sectors, together with public sector and academic stakeholders, with all-island cooperation, joining together to deliver a coordinated approach to the introduction of this cuttingedge technology.

SFA MEMBERS IF YOUR BUSINESS HAS SOME NEWS TO SHARE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE FEATURED IN THE NEXT EDITION OF BETTER BUSINESS, CONTACT ELIZBETH BOWEN ON (01) 605 1626 OR ELIZABETH.BOWEN@ SFA.IE

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News  Updates

FAMILY

TOP TWEETS

FITTING IMAGE AWARDED OUTRIGHT WINNER IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR AWARDS 2020

@ChampionGreenie

If you missed our recent Champion Green Webinar on ‘How to Excel your Ecommerce Growth and Drive More Revenue’ Watch it via the link below. Thanks to Gordon

@lifestylesports

@Extras_Ireland

Great start at #BizConnect @SFA_Irl - Dr Colman Noctor on the importance of boundaries - “With more freedom comes less boundaries.” V important to regulate yourself & set boundaries for yourself and others. You may be working from home, but it does not mean you are available 24/7.

@Computerologyie

Great to see our founder, Raj Gosal, sharing his business tips for aspiring entrepreneurs in this month’s Better Business, the magazine of Ibec’s Small Firms Association… #BetterBusiness #BusinessTips

@ibec_irl @SFA_Irl @BetterBizIre @fastlaneav We are

working towards the future of hybrid events with this studio @killasheehotel with a mix of live presenters and bringing in remote presenters from any corner of the world. A great event for @sueoneillwalsh for @SFA_Irl. Thanks to @orlammccabe and her team #eventprofs.

@SFA_IRL

FUELLING CHANGE - FMO ONLINE On-site Refueling in Baldonnell is fuelled by innovation and technology to provide solution transparency, cost management and reports that help gather information for tax purposes. In light of Covid-19, On-site Refueling has streamlined its entire contactless fuelling process to bring customers reliability, scalability, transparency and greater fuel intelligence. Clients can now maximise their fuel efficiency with On-site Refueling and Fuel Management Online, working for them to track every drop while simultaneously saving money and reducing Co2 emissions! Working together with clients, On-site Refueling built a new sustainable tanker to refuel Adblue and Diesel using Posilock spill free nozzles. With digital technologies adoption rates low amongst Irish SMEs, it’s great to see this small business adopt digital technologies for the good of the company and the climate.

START-UPS

Oonagh @dot_IE Rob @XtremePush and Sven @SFA_Irl for joining!

Fitting Image have been named the outright winner for the AudioEd Corin, CTO and Donna Crawford, Visual Equipment section Service Delivery Manager, of the Public Sector Fitting Image Awards 2020. The award was given for the ongoing collaboration with The Courts Service of Ireland. Since 2007, Fitting Image has been providing electronic evidence viewing and video link facilities nationwide. The company worked closely with the Courts Service to fine-tune a technical specification that met their specific needs. They had a requirement to protect vulnerable witnesses who could not appear in open court and allow expert witnesses to appear remotely, without the expense of travelling. Fitting Image continues its work with the Courts Service, identifying their requirements and creating solutions that keep it working safe and secured.

CHANGES TO PARENT’S LEAVE FROM APRIL 2021

Parent’s leave entitles each parent to two weeks’ leave during the first year of a child’s life, or in the case of adoption, within one year of the placement of the child with the family. This leave will be extended to five weeks from April 2021. Parent’s Benefit is paid for this leave.

€48M INVESTED IN START-UPS BY ENTERPRISE IRELAND IN 2020

Enterprise Ireland, the government agency responsible for the development and growth of Irish companies in global markets, invested more than €48 million in Irish start-ups in 2020 and supported a total of 125 new start-up companies. Investment was provided through Enterprise Ireland’s High Potential StartUp (HPSU) and Competitive Start Fund (CSF) programmes. While the total number of start-ups supported last year almost matched 2019 figures (127 in 2019), the 2020 levels of investment in innovative High Potential Start-Ups was boosted by the Covid-19 Sustaining Enterprise Fund and an increase in follow-on investments to help HPSUs scale internationally. Key sectors that Enterprise Ireland invested in in 2020 included fintech, cybersecurity, digital health and agri-tech, with half of the start-ups based outside Dublin. In addition, 38 women-led start-up companies were funded – a key focus of Enterprise Ireland’s Women in Business Action Plan. SFA | BETTER BUSINESS 5

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Updates  News

COVID CONTACT THE DEPARTMENT OF ENTERPRISE, TRADE AND EMPLOYMENT BUSINESS SUPPORT CALL CENTRE FOR INFORMATION ON THE GOVERNMENT SUPPORTS AVAILABLE TO BUSINESSES AND ENTERPRISES AFFECTED BY COVID-19. TEL: +353 1 631 2002 EMAIL: INFOBUSINESSSUPPORT@ DBEI.GOV.IE

BRANDING

YALA CONNECT LAUNCHES

Yala.ie has launched a new platform for employer branding called Yala Connect. Research shows that 86% of candidates today will not apply to a company that does not have a strong employer brand. To allow start-ups and SME’s compete for talent against large corporates, Yala produces, publishes and hosts videos, pictures and authentic stories to allow companies reach candidates in a more impactful way. Barry Prost, one of the co-founders of Yala.ie, told Better Business magazine that job adverts are no longer sufficient to communicate a company’s uniqueness to potential new hires. Yala Connect gives candidates a ‘window’ to an employer’s business, with an emphasis on visual content so they can see what it’s really like to work there. Today, candidates want to learn about a company’s culture and employer value proposition before they apply. Yala Connect facilitates that and improves a company’s return on investment from their job adverts.

“We urge the Government to finalise the details of the Covid-19 Business Aid Scheme as soon as possible to ensure that no firm misses out on this new scheme. We press the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment to work closely with the grant handling agency to get these funds out to business in a fast and timely manner.” Sven Spollen-Behrens, Director, SFA

“The ‘Report of the SME Growth Taskforce: SME and Entrepreneurship Growth Plan’ sets out a wide range of recommendations with long-term strategic relevance for SME and entrepreneurs and includes a number of key SFA policy asks.” Elizabeth Bowen, SFA Senior Executive For more on the report, turn to page 42

“This report marks a big step forward in reforming our insurance sector. For too long the cost of accessing insurance has been a barrier to creating and expanding a small business, especially in the leisure, hospitality, retail and childcare sectors.” Graham Byrne, SFA Chair, responding to the Government’s Action Plan for Insurance Reform.

LAUNCH OF .IE DOMAIN PROFILE REPORT 2020 Covid-19 has promoted a mass mobilisation of digital across the economy. Businesses migrated online, many for the first time, in direct response to the lockdowns. 65,113 new .ie domains were registered in 2020, the highest ever figure and a 30% increase on 2019, according to the .IE Domain Profile Report 2020, which explores and analyses the .ie database. For the first time ever, every county in Ireland recorded an increase in .ie domain registrations. This suggests that businesses, regardless of county or whether they are in a city or a small town, were able to quickly and easily set up an online presence and meet local demand. A local .ie web address has been a lifeline to many – a way to mitigate the worst effects of the physical lockdown, including permanent closure. It has also advantageously positioned many businesses and services for a more digitally integrated post-Covid-19 economy. For further insights, check out the full report on www.weare.ie

GROFORTH RECEIVES MAJOR BUSINESS ALL-STAR ACCOLADE

Sarah Daly, Founder and CEO, GroForth

The All-Ireland Business Foundation has accredited GroForth with All-Star South Dublin Outsource Finance Department 2021. The Dublin-based company providing specialist back office support and data-driven insight for growth-focused businesses has been recognised for meeting the highest standards of performance, trust and customer centricity. The GroForth team is based in Co Dublin and is composed of qualified bookkeepers, payroll administrators and accounts staff. They specialise in providing data-driven, high-quality back office financial and payroll support services for clients, with a particular focus on bespoke services for growing businesses, technology companies and accounting firms. The team is led by Founder and CEO, Sarah Daly, who is a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and holds a Tax Technician qualification (TMITI) from the Irish Taxation Institute. Sarah has many years’ experience in public practice and in industry and is a firm believer that GroForth’s continued success depends on the success of its clients.

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News  Updates

BILLS

IRISH WATER BUSINESS CUSTOMERS

A new non-domestic tariff framework for Irish Water’s business customers is to go live on the 1 October 2021. To check the impact of the new charges on your future bills, visit the Irish Water website to use their online calculator tool. Further information is also available online including a detailed Q&A and case studies. Customers who may be experiencing billing or payment difficulties can contact their dedicated business team on 1850 778 778.

As remote working has become commonplace, developing a future workforce of creative, independent, problem-solving individuals has never been so important. STEAM Education develops and facilitates early intervention programmes, matched to your company activity and staff, which support children and teachers at upper primary school to practice and love Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths. STEAM has found that its favourite (and the school favourite) programmes involve real life inspirational STEM professionals from your companies in the classrooms. However, while we wait for vaccines and restrictions to lift small business can continue to support STEAM Education through virtual engagement programmes or simply gift a Science/Engineering Teacher-led box to a school in their locality. Read more about STEAM and what early intervention with primary schools can do for your company at https://bit.ly/The-World-Needs-STEAM

DEADLINE

NEW ‘GREEN’ SUPPORT AVAILABLE FROM YOUR LOCAL ENTERPRISE OFFICE

A new ‘green’ enterprise support has been launched by the Local Enterprise Office Network. The Green for Micro programme, an initiative from the Local Enterprise Offices with support from Enterprise Ireland, is being rolled-out nationwide to help prepare small businesses for the low carbon, more resource efficient economy of the future. With the help of a Green Consultant, small businesses with up to 10 employees can get free advice and technical support on resource efficiency, how to better understand their carbon footprint and how to implement an environmental management system to reduce costs and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

AWARD

GIVE THE GIFT OF STEAM SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING – SUPPORT FUTURE SKILLS!

SUPPORTIT AWARDED MICROSOFT GOLD PARTNER STATUS FOR CLOUD PRODUCTIVITY

SFA member supportIT was recently awarded Microsoft Gold Partner status for Cloud Productivity. Among only the top 1% of Microsoft Partners worldwide, Gold Partners must demonstrate excellent abilities in their chosen solution area and must prove they are committed to the highest level of company customer care and collaboration with Microsoft. supportIT recently wrote a blog for the SFA LinkedIn page on making the most of Microsoft Teams for Remote Working and Collaboration.

BREXIT SUPPORTS REMAIN AVAILABLE TO HELP YOUR BUSINESS MANAGE THE NEW TRADING ARRANGEMENTS WITH THE UK FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF ENTERPRISE, TRADE AND EMPLOYMENT. VISIT GETTING BUSINESS BREXIT READY TO VIEW THE MANY SUPPORTS AND RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO YOUR BUSINESS.

More details can be found at your Local Enterprise Office

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GETTING TECH RIGHT CISCO’S JOANNE CHARLES, A SPEAKER AT THIS YEAR’S BUSINESS CONNECT EVENT, DISCUSSES THE TECH AND IT CHALLENGES FACING SMALL FIRMS IN TODAY’S WFH ENVIRONMENT.

Joanne Charles, Head of Commercial & Small Business, Cisco Ireland

his year’s Business Connect event was held virtually and was, for the first time, completely free of charge. Attendees heard from a wide range of speakers covering diverse topics such as the impact of technology on our mental lives, the do’s and don’ts when applying for finance and how to adapt for business in a virtual world. Joanne Charles, Head of Commercial & Small Business at Cisco Ireland, delivered an engaging and informative presentation on how businesses can meet the challenges of adapting their business in an increasingly online environment. Following Joanne’s presentation, questions from attendees were focused mainly on the challenges of remote working. “Small businesses that don’t have dedicated IT resources can face difficulties when it comes to working from home. I was asked numerous questions about working from home, security and collaboration. Remote work continues to dominate the business landscape, but without the proper tools, workers are less efficient, productivity slows and security is compromised. Small businesses rely heavily on trusted advisors and partners – people to confirm exactly what they need to look out for. With Cisco technologies and our strong partner community, we can take this worry away,” said Joanne. Legislation around providing staff with choice when it comes to where they work, while maintaining productivity and operating costs is currently being discussed

by Government. Achieving that balance can be difficult, says Joanne, but the right IT solutions from the right provider are out there, with 0% interest finance packages. Remote and secure cloud-based solutions such as Webex can provide a business with the flexibility and security that small businesses require. “There are three elements to Webex – Meetings, Calling and Teams, all integrated into one platform. It doesn’t matter if an employee is working from home, in the office or doing a bit of both – the solution and the experience is the same irrespective of where their employee sits.” Since the start of the pandemic, cyber-attacks on small businesses have quadrupled. “There are a number of cloudbased security offerings that help protect businesses. The identity of their employee is unique to the individual. Businesses should be using authentication tools to correctly identify an individual as they come onto the business network. Many of these tools and solutions provided by Cisco are available on a trial basis so customers can try them first.” The Cisco Designed portfolio, specifically created for the SME sector, delivers simple and secure flexible products and services. “Being able to connect allows a small business to grow and a network that’s easy to operate and manage is crucial to that growth. For example, the Meraki cloud-based solution is ideal for companies that don’t have dedicated IT resources. All of our solutions for small businesses provide essential help and comfort so businesses can focus on growth.”

“SMALL BUSINESSES RELY HEAVILY ON TRUSTED ADVISORS AND PARTNERS – PEOPLE TO CONFIRM EXACTLY WHAT THEY NEED TO LOOK OUT FOR. WITH CISCO TECHNOLOGIES AND OUR STRONG PARTNER COMMUNITY, WE CAN TAKE THIS WORRY AWAY.” 8 SFA | BETTER BUSINESS

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Business Connect  Events

The event, which was held on the 11th of February, was aimed at small businesses looking to supply to large indigenous and multinational firms and bigger businesses interested in diversifying their supply chains. Thanks to its position as part of Ibec, the SFA was uniquely placed to create this marketplace event, bringing its members together with leading companies from across the Irish business ecosystem. After Business Connect was officially kicked off by SFA Chairman Graham Byrne, CEO of Flender and Sharon Higgins, Director of Member Services at Ibec, returning MC RTE’s Richard Curran introduced the first session of the morning, ‘Re-setting the Dial for 2022’ with Dr Colman Noctor, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist. In ‘Adapting for Business in a Virtual World’, we were joined by Alan Wyley, Chief Commercial Officer at Luzern; Joanne Charles, Head of Commercial & Small Business at Cisco; and Cathy McGovern, Founder & Director at Inspiration.

BUSINESS CONNECT FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, THE SFA WENT VIRTUAL WITH ITS ANNUAL SFA BUSINESS CONNECT MARKETPLACE EVENT. After some virtual networking, our third session was on ‘Winning Big Business’. Musgrave Group CEO Noel Keely started us off and was joined for a panel discussion by Dom McGroddy, Lily’s Tea; Chris Mitchell, Green Angel; Brian Fitzpatrick, Oriel Sea Salt; and Michael Ferncombe, Borrisoleigh Bottling. This session gave great insight into how smaller companies can win big contracts and put themselves in the best position possible to succeed in such a competitive environment. Eoin McGee, RTE Broadcaster on How to be Good with Money started our final session entitled ‘Looking for Money?’, with some great advice for small businesses in need of financial assistance. Adding to the list of financial experts, we were joined by John Madigan, Head of Marketing and Research at SBCI, Eoghan Hanrahan, Regional Director Dublin at Enterprise Ireland, Garrett Stokes, CEO at Microfinance Ireland and Mags Brennan, Head of Business Banking at PermanentTSB. During the virtual coffee breaks, delegates were given the opportunity to join breakout networking sessions with the 500+ other delegates from large and small organisations and had the chance to visit the SFA National Small Business Awards Finalists and Sponsors who were exhibiting. All delegates made the most of the chance to network, ask questions and identify real opportunities to grow their business.

SFA VIRTUAL EVENTS If you missed out on Business Connect this year, we have plenty of upcoming virtual events such as the SFA Annual Employment Law Seminar on 22 April which you can register for now at www.sfa.ie/Events. If there are any events that you would be interested in the SFA hosting, let us know by emailing info@sfa.ie.

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Finance  Access to Finance

Show

resilience MINISTER FOR PUBLIC EXPENDITURE AND REFORM, MICHAEL MCGRATH, TALKS TO BETTER BUSINESS ABOUT CURRENT AND FUTURE SUPPORTS FOR SMALL FIRMS AND ONGOING CHALLENGES AFFECTING THE SME SECTOR.

It’s been a year since Covid hit our shores and in those 12 months, the government has been roundly commended for the supports it has put in place to support small businesses through numerous lockdowns and limited trading conditions. Some liquidity supports have proved more successful than others; the scheme available through Micro Finance Ireland, offering businesses loans of between €5,000 and €25,000, has seen considerable takeup while SBCI schemes, administered through banks and non-bank lenders, have also been largely welcomed by small firms across the country. While loan schemes can provide struggling businesses with a safety net, some may be reluctant to take on further debt. “I would acknowledge that for many businesses there isn’t a great appetite to take on additional debt, which is perfectly understandable given the enormous challenges they have faced. Many have been closed fully or partially for almost a year while others have had to dramatically change how they run their business. It has been a period of massive upheaval for small firms and I know that many are under huge pressure at this time,” said Michael McGrath, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

Michael McGrath, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform

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Access to Finance

 Finance

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Finance  Access to Finance

BUSINESS CLOSURES SUPPORTS While supports have thus far been welcomed by small businesses, the Minister acknowledges that the Government must be prepared to do more. “We are conscious that in the months ahead as the economy hopefully enters a reopening phase, businesses will have significant hangover from the past year. We recognise that there will be a need for us to do more. We’re currently considering what our options are to assist businesses when it comes to the reopening phase over the months ahead.” Almost €2 billion of taxation liabilities have been warehoused by businesses so far. It’s a facility that’s open to small firms but again, one that may not appeal in a period of such heightened uncertainty. “It’s an excellent facility for business owners that have understandable cashflow problems. People shouldn’t be afraid to use it. I know that businesses are anxious to stay on top of their tax liability but the important thing is to engage with Revenue and see what their options are.”

According to the latest insolvency statistics published by Deloitte, the total number of corporate insolvencies recorded in Ireland in 2020 was 575, representing a marginal increase of just 1% from 2019, when the total number recorded was 568. With its range of supports, the closure of small businesses is something the Government is trying to avoid. “The employment wage subsidy scheme is currently being paid at a cost of close to €400 million per month, while the CRSS is costing over €20 million per week. We also have the local authority commercial rates waiver which has been extended, along with all the other supports, to the end of June. In addition, we’re giving an 80% guarantee in respect of loans available through the CGS. We would like to see a greater demand for credit available under that particular scheme and we would welcome feedback from businesses who have sought and perhaps had difficulty in accessing that funding.” The Government can’t give any guarantees that some small businesses won’t go out of business in the months ahead. “We’re doing what we can and we are prepared to do more. New legislation is due to come in over the next number of months that will provide a restructuring framework suitable for the rescue of small and micro companies. That legislation could help to save some small businesses that otherwise might fold, given the extremely difficult circumstances that they are operating in.”

Paschal Donohoe, Minister for Finance and Michael McGrath, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform

BREXIT It’s not just Covid that’s having a detrimental effect on small businesses and their ability to operate. The altered trading environment with the UK has resulted in supply chain difficulties and complex, unforeseen problems for companies forced to adapt to a new way of doing business. “I have been contacted by small businesses who have been trying to get materials into Ireland and have encountered difficulties, sometimes on the UK side and sometimes at the port here. When we investigated, there were very specific reasons why those issues arose. A growing percentage of the trade coming into Ireland is being greenlighted by the customs officials. There are problems around the complex issue of rules of origin and that’s having an impact on some businesses but most are finding workarounds.” The government, says the Minister, is working with the UK government through the EU to see how outstanding issues can be managed in the best way possible. “The bigger picture is that if we didn’t have a trade deal, we’d be looking at an entirely different and much more difficult scenario. The change in relationship is permanent so businesses are going to have to adjust to the new reality.”

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Access to Finance

 Finance

NATIONAL RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE PLAN (NRRP) Ireland’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan is due to be submitted to the European Commission by the end of April. Led by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, it will enable Ireland to access funding of €853 million under the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). The Plan must conform with the rules of the EU programme. “There has to be an emphasis on the green transition; 37% of the expenditure must relate to climate measures and 20% must relate to digital investments and reforms. In overall terms, it must strike a balance between investments and reforms, it must be consistent with the specific recommendations that Ireland has received in recent years from the European Commission, it must improve our performance on climate action measures and finally, it must support digitisation of key public services.” The funding will, says the Minister, be funnelled into public investment to support Ireland’s transition to a low carbon economy but the Department is also considering grants for businesses to enable them to make the transition to more environmentally friendly practices. “There will be opportunities for businesses to avail of supports to help them to decarbonise their own business model.”

Michael McGrath, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform

REGIONAL GROWTH It’s likely that Covid-19 will lead to permanent changes in the way our lives are structured. Remote working has transformed how companies do business and has led to many employees swapping cities for more regional areas. “In a strange way, the pandemic has thrown up some opportunities for regions, towns and villages around the country. As we come through the pandemic we need to think carefully about what is the correct balance going forward.” A return to the old ways is probably not on the cards, says the Minister, and a hybrid approach to how we work will be favoured. “That means that people living outside Dublin and the east coast may well now be able to hold down a job that would normally be based in the capital. That will be a big change.” Part of the ongoing review of the National Development Plan points to more balanced regional development in a coordinated and organised way. “We need to ensure we’re developing the country in a way that is consistent with Project Ireland 2040. The Government will do all it can to exploit those opportunities.”

OPENING UP THE COUNTRY Towards the end of February, Minister McGrath stated that the Government was determined to avoid a fourth lockdown. “I’m deeply conscious of the impact that these lockdowns have had on small businesses in particular. I know that many are genuinely fearful about their ability to survive in the bounce back. We need to give these businesses hope that the country can and will reopen and that the Irish economy will recover. I have no doubt that our economy will begin to recover in the second half of this year. Our overall message is, we want to help businesses get through this period.” There will be significant legacy issues for many businesses, says the Minister, as arrears on loans and rent mount up. “I want to reassure them that the Government is going to stand with them and help them get back on their feet. I also want to commend small firms for their resilience and for all they’re doing to try and keep their businesses going. I know that above all else, small firms guard their human capital and will mind their people. Ultimately, the recovery of many of these businesses will depend on the outstanding people that they have working with them.”

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Close Brothers Commercial Finance  Access to Finance: Partner Profile

HELPING BUSINESSES SUCCEED CLOSE BROTHERS COMMERCIAL FINANCE HAS PARTNERED WITH THE STRATEGIC BANKING CORPORATION OF IRELAND (SBCI) TO PROVIDE €30M OF FUNDING TO BUSINESSES IN THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND. How can I access the lower-cost loans through Close Brothers?

As the sixth lender and the only nonhigh street bank to be accredited by the Government of Ireland, Close Brothers Commercial Finance is tasked with delivering the Future Growth Loan Scheme which supports strategic and long-term investment. The Scheme, which will see in total the roll out of €800 million in lending, is funded through the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, delivered by the SBCI and supported by the European Investment Fund and the European Investment Bank. Close Brothers is well-positioned to tailor finance packages for SMEs who are aiming to innovate or grow their operations now. The merchant banking group first opened its doors in Ireland during the financial crisis over 10 years ago and has a reputation for offering prudent, reliable support to businesses who require access to working capital.

What is the Future Growth Loan Scheme?

• The Future Growth Loan Scheme (FGLS) is funding for business expansion, improvement of premises, investment in machinery or equipment and innovation in research, people or systems practices • The long-term loans provide between €25,000 and €3,000,000, with repayment terms over seven to 10 years • Loans are unsecured up to €500,000 and optional interest only repayments may be available at the start of the loan term, subject to credit approval • Designed to be a lower-cost loan scheme, the loans are available to independent SMEs and small mid-caps, with fewer than 250 employees and a turnover of €50 million or less.

• The FGLS funding from Close Brothers is available to new and existing customers using its invoice finance, asset finance and asset-based lending products • With offices in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Belfast, Close Brothers has a robust funding presence across the market and its team of local experts can provide bespoke finance packages for businesses in Ireland. Commenting on the Scheme, Paul Stephens, Head of Corporate & ABL at Close Brothers Commercial Finance, said: “As a specialist lender, we are delighted to have partnered with the SBCI to offer competitively priced loans to small and medium-sized businesses using our finance products. The Future Growth Loan Scheme provides a sustainable way to invest in operations and encourage growth.”

“AS A SPECIALIST LENDER, WE ARE DELIGHTED TO HAVE PARTNERED WITH THE SBCI TO OFFER COMPETITIVELY PRICED LOANS TO SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES USING OUR FINANCE PRODUCTS.”

Close Brothers: modern merchant banking

Close Brothers is a UK merchant banking group providing lending, deposit taking, wealth management services and securities trading. Close Brothers Group plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a member of the FTSE 250. The group’s core purpose is to help the people and businesses of Britain and Ireland succeed over the long term. To achieve this, all of its diverse, specialist businesses have deep industry knowledge so they can understand the challenges and opportunities that the group’s customers and clients face. To find out more about how to access a FGLS loan or other funding, businesses should call 01 699 4260 or visit www.closecommercialfinance.ie

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www.microfinanceireland.ie

Supporting your business through COVID-19 Business Loans up to €25,000 Contact us about our Covid-19 business loans. Or visit your Local Enterprise Office.

Microfinance Ireland (MFI) benefits from a guarantee funded by the European Union under the programme for Employment and Social Inclusion (EaSI)

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Microfinance Ireland  Access to Finance: Partner Profile

SUPPORT WHEN IT’S NEEDED MICROFINANCE IRELAND IS HELPING SMALL BUSINESSES MANAGE ONGOING FINANCIAL CHALLENGES IN 2021. Microfinance Ireland (MFI), the Government funded, not-for profit lender is providing much needed financial support by way of business loans up to €25,000 to support microenterprises through the current period of uncertainty and to protect jobs in businesses right across the country. While business owners are trying everything possible to sustain their businesses through what will be at a minimum, another three to four months of full Level 5 restrictions, Brexit may continue to make its presence felt, creating negative ramifications and/or supply chain issues for Irish businesses over the next number of months. In a direct response to the pandemic, the Government provided a broad range of financial supports to support small businesses through what has been a significantly challenging period over the past 12 months or so and with unfortunately, no signs of abating in the near-term. These support initiatives are all experiencing strong demand across all sectors. Loan finance from Microfinance Ireland is available specifically to support those microenterprises that want to or need to borrow to fund their business but are unable to access finance from banks and other commercial lending providers. Microfinance Ireland has a number of loan options up to €25,000 to help businesses based on their specific business needs. Whether a business is currently closed due to Covid-19 or additional working capital/funding is required for Covid-19, Brexit or in the normal course of business, or you are considering starting a new business and having difficulty in accessing funding from banks and other commercial providers, then MFI may be able to help.

After what was an extremely challenging year for small business, MFI is very pleased that in 2020, over €27 million in loans were approved, supporting over 1,200 of these small businesses across the country. This represented a 172% increase in loan volumes compared to that of previous years for MFI. Almost 70% of these loans supported businesses specifically to manage the financial impacts of Covid-19. Microfinance Ireland’s CEO Garrett Stokes explains: “We are here to support micro-enterprises who cannot get finance through commercial lending providers. Micro-enterprises represent approximately 94% of all businesses in Ireland and can be any type of business – a sole trader, partnership or limited company – that has less than 10 employees and an annual turnover of up to €2 million. The MFI Covid-19 loan is there specifically to support businesses who were negatively impacted by the pandemic and we also have other funds for start-ups or other microenterprises that are just starting up or looking for funding for changes to their businesses needed for normal trading purposes or because of Brexit.” Stokes continues: “The biggest challenge for all businesses at the moment is the ongoing ‘rolling lockdowns’ that many businesses have experienced for almost 12 months now. While thankfully, the rollout of the vaccine programme is underway, it may take some months yet before life and business returns to normal – whatever the new normal is! Businesses should assume it could be towards the back end of the year before their business is trading without the fear of closure and

Garrett Stokes, CEO, Microfinance Ireland

extensive restrictions. This needs to be factored in when determining borrowing needs and the ability to repay over the next 12 months or so. The longer the period of restrictions for businesses, the longer it will take for businesses to recover.” To conclude, Stokes recommends: “I advise all businesses to continually review your financial position taking both Covid and Brexit into account during 2021 and get adequate support facilities in place. MFI is delighted to receive applications from eligible small businesses that need to borrow and we assess all applications in a fair and supportive manner. Our mandate from Government is to support small businesses, protect jobs and the economy overall – that support is needed now as much as ever.” For more information, go to microfinanceireland.ie/ loan-packages-2/

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Access to Finance  BDO

WEATHERING THE STORM HAVING ADVISED A NUMBER OF SMALL BUSINESSES THROUGHOUT 2020, BDO’S CIARA DILLON DESCRIBES SOME OF THE CHALLENGES FACING SMALL FIRMS AND THE ADVICE SHE HAS IMPARTED TO HELP THEM WEATHER THE IMPACTS OF COVID. The importance of cashflow

For every business, cashflow is critical. Small businesses may not have had as much cause to plan or forecast their cashflow prior to the pandemic, but it’s something that has become a necessity since March 2020. BDO has advised several businesses on how to prepare cashflow, plan out their needs and create a more detailed financial plan. Good cashflow is all about looking at how you minimise your costs, what your revenue is going to look like and where you can get financial supports.

Financial supports

The financial supports made available to small businesses in 2020 and 2021 have made it possible for many to continue operating. As we head into 2021, the Credit Guarantee Scheme (CGS) is one such support and what is positive about the CGS, particularly for the food/drink and agri-business sector, is that it is also open to primary producers. The Enterprise Ireland Sustaining Enterprising Fund has been increased; there is a 50% non-repayable grant element to it which will prove helpful to eligible businesses in the manufacturing and internationally traded services sectors. Microfinance Ireland also has a number of financial support options for smaller businesses. An alternative source of funding for SME is via equity. Private equity can help businesses reverse the economic damage of Covid-19. The Employment and Investment Incentive Scheme (EIIS) is a helping hand for SMEs and looks to deliver equity investment. However, I think there are simple improvements that could make the Scheme more attractive to both businesses and investors – remove the requirement for 30% of the investment to be spent for the investors to obtain relief and introduce a lower rate of capital gains tax for investors.

Brexit

Brexit has brought its own issues for small business. The EU and UK have reached a free trade agreement with zero tariffs but there are difficulties around understanding the rules of origin criteria. An example is the Irish bakery industry and the problems that small companies are having when it comes to importing flour from the UK. If an Irish baker imports from the UK, to qualify for the zero percent tariff, the flour must be either EU or UK origin. Irish bread is typically made with flour imported from the UK and this flour can contain up to 45% of flour of US or Canadian origin. Consequently, this flour does not fulfil the origin requirements for flour as laid down in the EU-UK trade agreement and is therefore subject to duty rates of €172/tonne.

Ciara Dillon, Head of Food/Drink & Agri-Business, Tax Director at BDO Dublin

“AS WE HEAD INTO 2021, THE CREDIT GUARANTEE SCHEME (CGS) IS ONE SUCH SUPPORT AND WHAT IS POSITIVE ABOUT THE CGS, PARTICULARLY FOR THE FOOD/ DRINK AND AGRI-BUSINESS SECTOR, IS THAT IT IS ALSO OPEN TO PRIMARY PRODUCERS.” In addition, SME’s are bearing the non-trade barrier costs associated with Brexit such as export customs paperwork, while some companies must also complete import customs documentation in the UK.

Digital transformation

Small businesses have commenced or developed their on-line offering, either through on-line trading vouchers or through the Enterprise Ireland on-line retail grant scheme. We were involved in

helping several clients with the latter. To access the online retail grant support, companies must have a bricks and mortar business, however it would be great to see another one of these schemes that would apply to non-retail like manufacturing or crafts businesses. Continued assistance and support to SME’s to enhance their digital capabilities will be an important aspect in a post pandemic recovery. Ciara Dillon is Head of Food/Drink & Agri-Business, Tax Director at BDO Dublin

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06/04/2021 10:52

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Sector Spotlight  Furniture

Focus Furniture ON

CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION DEFINE IRELAND’S FURNITURE DESIGNERS AND SUPPLIERS. BETTER BUSINESS CHATS TO THREE SMALL BUSINESSES MAKING THEIR MARK IN THIS THRIVING SECTOR.

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Furniture

 Sector Spotlight

mall and medium sized firms dominate Ireland’s wood and furniture manufacturing industry and are responsible for the interior construction and fit-out of domestic, contract and commercial interiors. Activities of this sector include commissioned furniture, joinery, kitchen design and manufacture, hotel interiors, contract furniture, office interiors, fitted furniture, craft products, door production and more. Although there is very little definitive data on this sector, the Irish Wood and Furniture Manufacturing Network (IWFMN) estimate that in 2019 there were more than 1,000 small firms serving regional economies, employing approximately 10,000 people directly. Over the past few years, Ireland’s furniture makers have been particularly adept in exporting their products, particularly to the UK. According to the IWFMN, there is significant untapped potential for growth and scale-up for firms in this sector. Based in Navan, Co Meath, Abbeylands Furniture is an excellent example of a company that has adapted its business model to take advantage of changing trends. Exports are also vital to the company; in 2020, 30% of its business was made up of exports to the UK. Originally set up in 1979 to supply foam products to the furniture trade, Abbeylands Furniture has since diversified into home interiors and today supplies retailers across Ireland and the UK including Harvey Norman, EZ Living, Right Price Furniture, Michael Murphy, Dwell and Stonehouse. The company still supplies foam and fibres to the furniture trade, with foam now accounting for about 20% of sales. Caroline Horgan took over the business in 1999 from her father, Danny Fitzpatrick. “Back then, the sector was in steep decline due to the growth of leather imports. We had certain resources available to us like sewing, foam and fibres so it made sense to move into soft furnishing,” says Caroline. A contract with Dunnes Stores to supply own label products led to larger orders which in turn led to a more coordinated range of cushions and throws. “In 2006, we re-launched at the January Furniture Fair at the NEC, Birmingham with our new brand, Scatter Box. We came home from that event with a full order book and leads.” Marketing through social media channels has proved a game changer for the business. “Huge investment has gone into marketing and building a solid customer base. Photography and how we present our products have been vital, as have our Look Books. Our first Look Book was a turning point for the business in getting the brand recognised.”

Caroline Horgan

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Sector Spotlight  Furniture

The company has diversified into several markets in recent years, although the UK remains its largest export market. “With the uncertainty of Brexit, we’ve started to explore the prospect of exporting to other European markets. We’ve been working with Enterprise Ireland’s Brexit team and the plan was to make progress in other markets in 2020 but then Covid hit.” The pandemic has impacted firms in the furniture sector to varying degrees; some have even seen an increase in revenue. Set up by Andrea Griffin in 2017, Glam Doll supplies Hollywood mirrors and specialty lighting predominantly to the public. Thanks to multiple lockdowns business is good, says Andrea. “With people staying at home, there’s a lot of home renovation going on. In 2020, sales were up by about 80% and we’ve also seen an uptick in our lighting products, especially our ring lights which people are buying for their Zoom calls. That’s a new market for us and one that’s performing very well.”

The idea for Glam Doll came about when Andrea’s daughter asked for a mirror with lights for her bedroom. “At the time I thought, no problem but I was surprised not to find any in the Irish market. I recognised an opportunity to develop something different so I set about designing a product range to bring to the Irish market.” Andrea designs the majority of products herself which are manufactured to her specifications in factories in China. Products are sold on the Glam Doll website or from the company’s showroom in Maynooth. The most popular product in the Glam Doll portfolio is the ‘Beverly’, a makeup mirror featuring 14 cool touch LED light bulbs. “My ambition with the company is to make women feel special and to create a little haven for them in the corner of the bedroom. The feedback we get from customers is always so positive, it’s great to see how happy our products make them.” About 30% of the

“MY AMBITION WITH THE COMPANY IS TO MAKE WOMEN FEEL SPECIAL AND TO CREATE A LITTLE HAVEN FOR THEM IN THE CORNER OF THE BEDROOM. THE FEEDBACK WE GET FROM CUSTOMERS IS ALWAYS SO POSITIVE, IT’S GREAT TO SEE HOW HAPPY OUR PRODUCTS MAKE THEM.”

Andrea Griffin

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Furniture

business is B2B, with products going to professional salons and makeup artists. The rest, says Andrea, is B2C. Exports to UK customers currently account for about 20% of revenue. “We want to increase that to 45% and we’re also planning on expanding into Germany and Poland as we’ve seen organic traffic from those regions. We’ve had over 8000 customers from 16 countries since launching, which has been very exciting.” Brexit hasn’t created any unforeseen issues when it comes to exporting to the UK, says Andrea. “We’ve partnered with a great logistics company that processes a lot of the paperwork for us. There are definitely a few more steps that we have to go through but Brexit hasn’t been a barrier and in fact, we saw an uptake in sales of about 60% from the UK in January.” No other company in Ireland is currently supplying products like the ‘Beverly’ to the consumer market. Andrea’s main competition is from firms in the UK, Australia and the US. “In America, our competitor is doing $17 million a year so there’s definitely room for Glam Doll to grow in this space.” Creative businesses involved in the commercial side of lighting and furniture may be feeling the effects of the new WFH environment we’ve found ourselves in over the past 12 months. Leo Scarff Design, a studio involved in custom lighting, furniture design and sculptural structures for the office, retail, hospitality and domestic sectors, expected business to slow down but he’s been pleasantly surprised. “Things have actually improved or in some cases, kept pace with anything we would have done in recent years. Business is good, both from an interior design perspective and from the furniture side.” About 70% of the studio’s business consists of commercial projects, ranging from offices and healthcare facilities to retail display. “For us, the retail market is stagnant right now. About 30% of our work is in the domestic market, we actually have three jobs on at the moment in the domestic space and we’re also working on an office foyer.” One particular project involves quite a bit of research into what the office environment is going to look like in the next few years. Covid is going to change that landscape significantly, says Leo. “There’s a lot of talk in the media about this notion of ‘distributed work’ but what that really means is that people will still need to work in an office and need a base. That base will be laid out differently and the type of furniture going into it will change. Larger companies may also opt for more than one base; they’ll want spaces located where employees live to enable them to hold meetings there etc. We’ll also have a lot more business hubs. We recently completed Cavan Digital Hub, a new business hub featuring a variety of spaces available to local companies.”

 Sector Spotlight

Leo Scarff

“IT’S CERTAINLY A NICHE AREA BUT THE SOUND IN SPACES SECTOR IS EXPANDING AS OFFICE DESIGN ADAPTS TO A COVID WORLD. WE CREATE A LOT OF ACOUSTIC PODS, QUIET SPACES FOR PEOPLE TO SIT AND WORK.” The studio is also currently working with a Canadian company on a range of acoustic products, a sector that’s set to grow substantially, says Leo. “It’s certainly a niche area but the sound in spaces sector is expanding as office design adapts to a Covid world. We create a lot of acoustic pods, quiet spaces for people to sit and work.” Since setting up the studio in 1997, Leo has seen several design companies come and go. He credits the studio’s survival and growth to an ability to diversify and adapt. “I never wanted to be a jack of all trades but it’s important to have a few things going at any one time. That’s why I’m still here and getting work – if things slow down in one area, you can pick it up in another. Innovation is the one thing that will make your business last.” SFA | BETTER BUSINESS 23

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Advice  Wise Guys

WISE GUYS

SIX INDUSTRY EXPERTS SHARE ONE PERSONAL NUGGET OF ADVICE FOR ASPIRING ENTREPRENEURS.

Data Dara Keogh CEO, GeoDirectory

We come across many businesses who overlook a key asset because they just don’t realise its value. If you have a business, you have customers. And if you have customers, then you have data. So my advice is to recognise that data is an asset that can tell you so much if you take the time to listen to it. For example, it can help you verify who your customers are, it can help identify opportunities and finally, it can help you win new customers.

Insurance Roland Hesse

Managing Director, Allianz Partners To make your business succeed, I believe it is most important that everyone understands the bigger picture and is working towards common goals and understands their purpose. Have a communication structure which suits everyone and engages staff. Consider implementing a reward system where performance is measured and more importantly, celebrated. I strongly recommend introducing the “meet me in the middle principle,” which asks everyone to confirm how they contribute towards the strategy of the company and how they are making a difference.

Events Martina Quinn

Founder and Managing Director, Alice PR & Events Surround yourself with a strong team – people who you trust and who have diverse skill-sets. Involve people in your business who have different perspectives and working styles to you. These don’t always have to be employees; they might be associates, mentors or drawn from your personal contacts. Be as open as possible with your team about the business’s development, finances and future plans. This helps make everyone – no matter what their role – feel like they have a stake in the company’s overall success.

There are many definitions, but there’s one thing that all great business leaders agree on, and that’s how success can only come by persevering despite failure.

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Wise Guys  Advice

“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”

Whiskey Aidan Mehigan

Founder, Gortinore Distillers & Co You can learn something from everybody in your organisation. It’s really important to listen to your staff when it comes to customer feedback as customers are the most important part of your business. Staff are the second most important. The feedback that you get can often seem superfluous, but I’ve found it to be invaluable. It allows you to look in places that you wouldn’t normally look and that’s what makes a strong leader in any organisation - being able to identify blindspots.

If you are a business leader

PR Olivia Collins

Managing Director, Food PR Know the media your target market listens to, watches and follows on social media. When developing marketing campaigns, think about how you could incorporate PR into the strategy. PR exposure is not just for big brands. Media are very friendly to small businesses that are doing something innovative and new. Develop your PR materials and ensure you have great high-quality imagery; the results you will get can literally make your business. Develop good media relations by following your target media on Twitter and engaging with them when relevant.

Jimmy Dean US country music singer, television host, actor and businessman (1928 – 2010)

Social Media Melanie Boyle

Founder/Director, STOMP Social Media Training If time management is an issue, use Google Calendar, available everywhere and free! Colour-code, add separate diaries for work and home and get free reminders. If sales is an issue then how aware is your audience? Have they had an opportunity to consider all the elements you can offer them and when did you last ask for a sale without a discount? If going live terrifies you, practice first on your personal profile and make the audience only you!

and you feel you have some words of wisdom to share with he small business community please email info@sfa.ie

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Cover Story  Linked Finance

Bryan Meade

“WE FIND THAT SMALL FIRMS WANT TO TALK TO THE DECISION-MAKERS, THE PEOPLE WHO TRULY UNDERSTAND THEIR BUSINESS. WE’RE A SMALL BUSINESS OURSELVES SO WE UNDERSTAND THEIR REQUIREMENTS AND WHAT IT IS THEY NEED FROM A LENDER.”

Niall O’Grady, CEO, Linked Finance

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Linked Finance  Cover Story

AS THE FIRST ALTERNATIVE LENDER APPROVED UNDER THE CGS, THE FUTURE’S LOOKING BRIGHT FOR LINKED FINANCE. THE COMPANY’S NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE, NIALL O’GRADY, TALKS TO BETTER BUSINESS ABOUT PROVIDING SMALL FIRMS WITH THE RIGHT FINANCE SOLUTIONS AND WHY ALTERNATIVE LENDING IS SET TO DEFINE THE FUTURE OF FINANCE IN IRELAND.

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Cover Story  Linked Finance

in January this year, Linked Finance was approved as a lender under the Government’s Covid-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme (CGS). As the first non-bank lender to be approved under the CGS, which was designed to offer low-cost loans for businesses affected by the pandemic, the approval marks an important step forward not just for the company, but for how businesses access finance in this country. Linked Finance is Ireland’s largest peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platform. Since 2013, the company has delivered over €140 million in loans to Irish firms. As an approved lender under the CGS, Linked Finance can now offer borrowers decisions on loans of up to €250,000 in less than 24 hours from receiving their documents. Niall O’Grady, the company’s new Chief Executive, couldn’t have picked a more exciting time to join the Linked Finance team. “It’s certainly been a busy few weeks! I joined Linked Finance in mid-January just as we were approved as a lender under the CGS scheme. The CGS has given us a real boost; we’re probably running at about twice the rate compared to an average month last year. For Linked Finance to be one of the first alternative lenders approved by the SBCI is a real endorsement of how solid the business is and how well it’s run and professionally managed.” Speed and simplicity define the Linked Finance business ethos. Decisions are often made within a day and in less than a week, a business will have access to funds. The Linked Finance operation works because it’s based on developing close relationships with customers. “We find that small firms want to talk to the decision-makers, the people who truly understand their business. We’re a small business ourselves so we understand their requirements and what it is they need from a lender.” Linked Finance isn’t a catch all; its one area of expertise is finance for small businesses. “That means we’ve got really good sectoral knowledge on what the trends are and what advice to give to individual customers.” Since joining, Niall has been busy talking to staff and reaching out to customers to find out what it is they need to successfully run their business. “The consistent feedback is that they really appreciate speedy decision-making and simple processes.

Niall O’Grady, CEO, Linked Finance

They describe situations of being asked for additional documentation which of course leads to further delays. When a small or medium sized company decides they need finance, they will have worked out all the details for themselves so they expect to deal with a financial company that can put them through a simple process and make a fast, informed decision to let them get on with running the business. That’s really what Linked Finance does and one of the reasons I joined.” Niall joined Linked Finance from 123.ie, the RSA subsidiary, where he was Managing Director and Director of Distribution for four years. Before that, he was Commercial Director at Permanent TSB for five years. His mandate at Linked Finance is, quite simply, to grow the business. With the fundamentals already in place, he’s off to a great start. “We already have a good digital presence and an excellent reputation amongst business owners, accountants and financial advisors. A speedy decision-making process also puts us ahead of our peers. The first thing I’ll be concentrating on is expanding our coverage of the market. We need more people around the country.” Traditionally a Dublin centric business, Linked Finance is in the process of recruiting staff to areas across the country with the aim

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Jason Clarke

Linked Finance  Cover Story

Linked Finance’s partnership with the SBCI is, however, the primary focus for 2021. It’s a platform for growth for the rest of the year, says Niall, and has placed the company in an optimum position going forward. “We have funded over €6 million in January and February and expect that positive momentum to continue throughout 2021. Our involvement with the CGS has been a fantastic success for us; applications are running into the tens of millions. About 85% of the loans that we have approved and sent out this year have been through the CGS.” Small businesses applying for loans from Linked Finance range from sectors like retail and wholesale to professional services like accountancy and legal firms. The ability of companies to change up their offering to adapt to Covid has, says Niall, been inspiring. “One of the most impressive things I’ve seen since joining Linked Finance is how small businesses are adapting to ensure revenue keeps coming in. Businesses within the hospitality and travel sector in particular have been very successful when it comes to diversifying. We would expect those sectors to recover in Q3 or Q4.” To allow that to happen, we need to ensure that this lockdown is the last. “When business owners start to believe that this is the final one, they immediately start preparing to open. That may involve some finance requirements but either way, they’re thinking medium term as opposed to day-by-day and that’s very important for the economy.” The CGS is due to finish in June, although there is some talk about it being further extended. “We would support it being extended until the end of the

“ONE OF THE MOST IMPRESSIVE THINGS I’VE SEEN SINCE JOINING LINKED FINANCE IS HOW SMALL BUSINESSES ARE ADAPTING TO ENSURE REVENUE KEEPS COMING IN.” of growing the brand. Even during lockdown, customers appreciate when they’re talking to someone that’s within a certain radius, says Niall. “That recruitment drive is in anticipation of the opening up of the economy. We want to be ready to help businesses that will need our support.” Leveraging its relationship with the SBCI is another priority for the company going into 2021. “We have our first tranche of capital guaranteed funding going out at the moment and we’ll potentially be looking for a second to continue that momentum. After that we’ll be looking at enhancing our digital capabilities to ensure we increase our speed and reduce the time it takes to approve loans.” Right now, the Linked Finance team is looking at adding a range of simplification initiatives to make it as easy as possible for customers to interact with the business. “We want to develop the peerto-peer aspect of the business, as well as talking to more potential funders in Ireland and internationally.”

year and more generally, the government measures that have been put in place. I think it’s important the government considers a phased withdrawal of them. People have been well supported and as demand comes back, supports need to reduce but there has to be a balance. People are talking about a tsunami of demand suddenly starting, but it won’t. It will be more gradual so businesses need those supports through that transitional period.” For the next two to three years, an Ireland-focused strategy will define the business. Geographical expansion may be considered, says Niall, once the company is satisfied that it has fully grown the business at home. “It’s an exciting time. The potential for growth right now is huge. I think the days of only having relationships with individual banks is being replaced by a range of solutions, including those provided by alternative lenders. We want to be part of that change.” SFA | BETTER BUSINESS 29

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Entrepreneurs  Entrepreneurs AgTech

IRELAND’S AGTECH COMPANIES ARE SHAKING THINGS UP IN WHAT WAS ONCE CONSIDERED A TRADITIONAL SECTOR.

Meet the

or a country that’s synonymous with farming, it makes sense that it’s Irish AgTech firms that are using technology to improve the lives of farmers and the future of food production. Irish AgTech is making a global impact, delivering forward-thinking solutions to some of the industry’s greatest challenges. Since 2012, approximately $1 billion (€920 million) has been invested in Irish agrifoodtech companies, with Ireland being one of only a few countries worldwide to see a rise in deal activity in 2019. Ireland is leading the way with technology solutions that improve agricultural efficiency through greater automation. By applying AI and IoT technology such as wearable devices, companies around the country are helping livestock farmers to improve yields while minimising waste. Better Business caught up with four such companies to find out how their technology is helping to transform farming in Ireland.

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 Entrepreneurs

PADRAIG HENNESSY

Entrepreneurs AgTech

The idea for TERRA NutriTECH came about when Padraig Hennessy saw a cow go down with a condition called grass tetany and die within 20 minutes. “At that time we were installing water systems on farms through our sister business. We had started to get requests from farmers who were looking for more efficient ways of putting minerals into water. When we saw what happened to the cow, we began to really explore that idea. That was definitely our eureka moment,” said Padraig. Padraig and the team searched the world market for a technology that fit all their criteria but came up short. After cobbling together a tech solution in 2013, they quickly realised they were onto a winner. “In the first three years, we doubled the size of the business every year. In 2017, we knew we needed to upgrade the technology but then we had the Brexit vote and at the time, we were importing all our minerals from the UK. The day after the vote, I began to make my first phone calls about getting a manufacturing facility here on our home farm in Kildare to start producing our own minerals. That was operational within about 10 months.” Once the facility was up and running, it was time to embark on a significant technology upgrade. The company’s current solution, the OPIS Controller, has been designed to automatically overcome variations in water consumption, ensuring that the animal receives the correct dose of magnesium and minerals, whatever the weather. It’s plug and

“WE DEVELOPED THE CONTROLLER WITH A LOT OF FUNCTIONALITY THAT REALLY BRINGS THE DOSING TECHNOLOGY INTO THE 21ST CENTURY.” play and easy to install and it’s also robust enough to go to international markets and not be reliant on technicians for installation. “We’re in ruminant at the moment but we know there’s a huge opportunity in poultry and pig. We developed the controller with a lot of functionality that really brings the dosing technology into the 21st century.” It’s companies like TERRA NutriTECH that are driving change in the AgTech space, says Padraig. “It’s the smaller start-ups that are disrupting the industry and it’s these companies that can deliver real change to help with emissions, improved returns and better data.” Padraig and a number of other players have just set up a new organisation called AgTech Ireland. “The aim is to enhance and promote AgTech adoption messaging and collaboration within companies. It’s our voices that need to be heard as much if not more so than the large players.”

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Entrepreneurs  Entrepreneurs AgTech

“APART FROM US, THERE’S NO TECHNOLOGY OUT THERE THAT CAN SOLVE THE DRIFT AND COVERAGE PROBLEM THAT CREATES SUCH AN UNSUSTAINABLE INDUSTRY.”

GARY WICKHAM

Gary Wickham and David Moore, co-founders of technology and IP company MagGrow, have created a patented technology that reduces waste associated with conventional pesticide spraying. It’s a solution that farmers can retrofit onto any tractor boom, regardless of make or size. “70% of the pesticides sprayed by farmers don’t reach or stay on the target weed or crop. Most farmers don’t know that. Our magnetic assist technology reduces spray drift and delivers better crop and weed coverage, as well as reducing water by up to 50%. Our solution dramatically reduces the waste by solving the compromise between drift and coverage associated with conventional spraying,” said Gary. The Irish tillage and crop markets are quite small, so Gary and the team knew from the start that this was a business that needed to go global. “We have a few customers in Ireland and we’re building that out this year. We’re currently based in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and some European countries. Regardless of the country you are in though, farmers are all facing the same challenge - the need to grow more food, increase profitability and protect the environment. The only way this can be achieved is through sustainable intensification of food production and that’s where MagGrow technology steps in.” The company’s very deliberate science-based approach towards developing an effective technology has resulted in an easy to use, lowmaintenance product that delivers a return of investment of less than one year. “Apart from MagGrow, there’s no technology out there that can solve the drift and coverage problem that creates unsustainable practices. In our testimonial videos, growers state that they are getting 20-30% higher yield using up to 50% less chemical and water. That’s a dramatic improvement in profitability driven by sustainable innovation.’’ In 2019, MagGrow signed a commercial agreement with US agricultural company Trimble to distribute its technology through their dealer network. To date, the company has installed over 200 units in its target territories. “We see real growth for MagGrow going forward. At the Innovation Arena at the Ploughing in 2016, we took home a gold medal in the sustainability category for a start-up company. We have come a long way since then and we’re only getting started.”

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Entrepreneurs AgTech

Terry Canning set up CattleEye in January 2019 to provide farmers with a completely hardware-free method of monitoring dairy cows. Along with his partner Adam Askey, the pair set about developing an autonomous monitoring system for ruminant livestock based on video analytics and powered by Artificial Intelligence. This isn’t the first AgTech company that Terry has been involved in. “In 2005 I founded FarmWizard, the world’s first software service for managing livestock. I sold that business in 2015 and shifted my focus to CattleEye. The aim of the business is to improve animal welfare and to provide farmers with accurate data to make better decisions,” said Terry. CattleEye uses a simple plug and play device; the farmer sets up the camera outside the milking parlour, it connects to the cloud and AI then takes over to determine if there are any issues with the cow’s feet. The technology is used to monitor livestock, specifically dairy cows. Lameness is a big problem for dairy farmers and one that they’re increasingly taking action on. “You tend to see more problems with cow’s feet in dairies where the cows are housed all year round. You don’t really see large numbers of housed cows in Ireland so we’ve focused the business on Britain and we’re also starting to move into the Middle East and China where we believe we’ll be able to hit the large farm market quickly.” The US is another target market for the business. “The US differs from Europe in that we have legislation that maintains high standards of animal welfare whereas over there, it tends to be driven by consumer trends. There are a lot of housed animals in the US so we see it as a growth market.” Retailers in the UK have also gotten behind the business. “We’ve worked with a number of them to develop the system. For example, we ran a validation study with the University of Liverpool, part funded by Tesco, which compared output from our cameras to an expert going onto a farm; the results showed that we were as effective as vets in watching and analysing the animals.” Since setting up FarmWizard in 2005, Terry has noticed a significant shift in how AgTech businesses are viewed. “Back then people thought you were a bit crazy for trying to get farmers to change. Now, there are billions being spent by investors in this type of technology.”

 Entrepreneurs

“THE AIM OF THE BUSINESS IS TO IMPROVE ANIMAL WELFARE AND TO PROVIDE FARMERS WITH ACCURATE DATA TO MAKE BETTER DECISIONS.”

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Entrepreneurs  Entrepreneurs AgTech

JAMES GREEVY Paperwork isn’t something that farmers have time for and yet, they have a huge amount to get through every year. The idea for Herdwatch came about in 2012 when CEO and co-founder Fabien Peyaud developed an app to help farmers organise and manage their paperwork quickly and efficiently. “The initial offering was a simple, easy to use app that allowed farmers record their basic farm compliant information. It proved invaluable, especially during spring-time when the vast majority of calves are born in Ireland. Every animal that’s born needs to have a passport created for it within 27 days. That’s a huge paperwork burden when a farmer is so busy. Herdwatch provided farmers with a tool that slotted seamlessly into their operations and could record paperwork as they were going about their jobs, even offline,” said James Greevy, Head of Innovation at Herdwatch. That simple idea took off and since then, product offering has grown along with customer base. Today, it’s a complete farm management solution for dairy, beef and suckler farmers in Ireland and the UK, used by about 14,5000 farmers and growing. From the start, Herdwatch has operated a mass market business model. Farm technology has, says James, always been targeted at the top 5% of farmers, the guys who are already milking 1000 cows. “We said we’d target everybody else. Our story is about taking the farmer that wants to improve their business operation and moving them from a pen and paper style of recording to cloud-based digital record-keeping.” Farmers detest paperwork so was Herdwatch a hit with farmers from the get-go? “The challenge was convincing them that the phone was trustworthy and a simpler way of doing paperwork. Once they came around to that idea, they very

“OUR STORY IS ABOUT TAKING THE FARMER THAT WANTS TO IMPROVE THEIR BUSINESS OPERATION AND MOVING THEM FROM A PEN AND PAPER STYLE OF RECORDING TO CLOUD BASED DIGITAL RECORD-KEEPING.” quickly got on board with the technology and today, one quarter of all dairy farmers in Ireland use Herdwatch. Farmers tell us that by using it, they save about three hours a week.” Herdwatch is currently in the process of launching a new feature in partnership with Done Deal, allowing for greater security in online trading. “Farmers will be able to create a code for their animal and verify that the information they’re providing is correct. With everything online now, being able to verify the provenance of an animal is extremely important. With Herdwatch and through this new feature, we’re allowing farmers to embrace technology in a safe and effective way.”

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Applying for finance

 Tips

Natasha Kinsella Dublin Regional Skills Manager, DRSF

s d e e n s l l i k s g n i y f i t n e d I NATASHA KINSELLA AT THE DRSF DESCRIBES HOW SMALL FIRMS CAN ADDRESS THEIR SKILLS NEEDS THROUGH FUNDED TRAINING AND EDUCATIONAL PROVISION.

For any business, but particularly SME’s who are considering the type of upskilling required to grow and develop, it’s important to understand and articulate the provisions required that ensure a return on investment. The below will help you begin your journey in addressing skills needs:

STRATEGY SKILLS PLAN

Based on occupational roles within the company, it’s important to plan out and identify what skills (soft or technical) are required to do the job. This will help you to understand the skills and behaviours required. It then allows you to establish a strategy plan and select the correct type of training to achieve the required outcome.

WHAT’S REQUIRED IN THE FUTURE

More than half of SME’s consider upskilling to new fill positions. Consider what type of training might strengthen your current skills base as the business develops. Building talent internally supports employee retention while providing pathways for employees to develop. This also allows the company to consider new hires that bring new knowledge and skill for the future.

IDENTIFY CRITICAL SKILLS

Some SME’s say they have difficulty filling roles due to skills gaps. In order for any company to identify critical skills, it’s important to understand what skills they as a company value and what skills employees need to do their jobs well. When answering these questions consider all job descriptions, business objectives and company values.

CLOSE THE SKILLS GAPS

This can be achieved through new recruitment needs and upskilling existing workforce. The importance of acting on any identified skills gaps is the most critical part of the process to ensure ROI. The right upskilling training/education can help close gaps between current and desired skill levels. Investigate the most cost-effective funded state provisions available to SME’s. Regional skills can support you with this.

Natasha Kinsella is the Dublin Skills Manager at the Dublin Regional Skills Forum. The DRSF is part of a national network (nine Regional Skills Forum Managers), supported by the Department of Further and Higher Education Research Innovation and Science and focused on fostering stronger links between enterprise and education/training providers

MEASURING CURRENT SKILLS

In order for any SME to measure current skills, consider surveying employees based on each occupational role and feedback from assessment reviews. This process will identify any skills gaps that need to be addressed to allow the person perform better at their job.

CALL TO ACTION

DRSF can support SME’s with both identifying your skills needs and providing a one stop shop to navigate the full offerings of all funded state training across the entire educational system.

To connect further with the Dublin region, visit www.regionalskills. ie/regions/dublin/ business-upskillingreskilling-supports/ or email natashakinsella@ regionalskills.ie

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Trading Places  Caroline Regan

brand BUILDER MEET THE

BASED IN NEW YORK, CAROLINE REGAN HELPS IRISH BRANDS BUILD THEIR ONLINE PRESENCE. BETTER BUSINESS CHATS TO THE ENTREPRENEUR ABOUT BUILDING A NEW BUSINESS DURING COVID AND WHY NETWORKING IS SO IMPORTANT IN THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS. 36 SFA | BETTER BUSINESS BUSINESS

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Caroline Regan

 Trading Places

Back in 2019, Roscommon native Caroline Regan had a flash of inspiration – what if she set up a business in her adopted hometown of New York that helped small and medium-sized brands launch and grow their business on Amazon? It was an idea that firmly took root and today, Caroline runs Regan Brands with her business partner, Hui Cox. Describing the business as “kind of like Enterprise Ireland”, Caroline spent 2020 growing the company, a strategy she was able to devote all her time to thanks to lockdown. To date, the company has several firms on its books including a jewellery business, a medical firm, a wellness line and a vitamin company. “We don’t just help Irish companies although we have several Irish partners at the moment. We oﬀer our services to businesses all over the world. Essentially, we’re another avenue for firms to explore when they want to scale up and grow their business beyond their home country.” The idea for Regan Brands wasn’t Caroline’s first lightbulb moment. After moving to the US in the mid90’s, she worked for all the major beauty companies in Saks Fifth Avenue for several years. She also spent five years at Bergdorf Goodman and was Head of Sales for Erasa XEP 30 which received the Best in Beauty Breakthrough Award by Allure Magazine. After 9/11, she decided to return to Ireland with a very specific idea for a new business. “I had just spent six weeks in Ireland and was back in the US, working out one morning in Curves. It struck me that Curves was something that could really work in Ireland so I quit my job, went back home and opened my first Curves branch in Bray. I ended up running 13 of them and it gave me a huge entrepreneurial buzz. You can’t go back to working for someone else after that.” Curves very quickly became the most successful gym franchise in the country, growing to 7,000 members across 13 locations in the greater Dublin area. It was a bold move but one that paid oﬀ. Following her involvement with Curves, Caroline opened a spa on Dublin’s South Anne Street called FAB (Face & Body), one of Dublin city’s SFA | BETTER BUSINESS 37

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Trading Places  Caroline Regan

first medi spas. After about five years, she decided to move back to the US with a new venture in mind. “When you’ve spent as much time in New York as I have, you tend to build up close relationships with lots of buyers, particularly when you work in the beauty industry. The global beauty business is very small so you know everybody.” Those close relationships helped with the formation of Regan Brands. “Over the years, I had gotten to know the buyers in all the major departments of Amazon, QVC and Big Box Stores. In terms of setting up a business like Regan Brands, I was definitely one step ahead thanks to those relationships.” Caroline’s partner joined the business just recently and brings extensive entrepreneurial experience to the table. “Hui is originally from China and is married to an Irish citizen. In China, she was head of procurement for Taco Bell and held several high-level roles at Starbucks. She has really great contacts in China which are proving really useful for the business.” Caroline’s role as co-chairperson of the Irish Network NYC from 2015 to 2020 also helped to push the new business in the right direction. “When you move to New York, it’s almost mandatory that you network and join these kinds of organisations, not just for business but to

Caroline Regan, Principal, Regan Brands

“RIGHT NOW, WE’RE LOOKING FOR ALL SORTS OF COMPANIES. THERE’S A WONDERFUL START-UP WORLD IN IRELAND, WE’RE AN EXTREMELY RESILIENT COHORT. WE’RE HERE TO HELP THOSE BRANDS BREAK OUT AND GROW.” develop a social life. The Irish Network in New York is also a great space for mentoring and deepening ties between modern Ireland and the US.” Caroline is also involved in the Awaken Hub, a platform that provides a range of supports to Irish female founders including events, mentoring, access to networks and potential funding streams. “It’s a wonderful organisation run by Donegal native Mary McKenna. Each month, there’s a Zoom meeting with breakout rooms and from that alone we’ve gotten lots of customers.”

Businesses coming to Regan Brands need to be scalable and clear on their goals. “Most consumer lifestyle brands don’t have the opportunity to work directly with Amazon. Our process includes making the introduction to the relevant team at Amazon and overseeing the onboarding, account management, marketing and everything inbetween.” For a company that enlists the help of Regan Brands, Caroline and the team will manage its Amazon account once it hits the warehouse facility with an expert team running the brand’s

online shop, allowing the company to focus on growth in Ireland and elsewhere. Regan Brands can also help firms enter the Chinese market. “We have people on the ground with over 20 years’ experience when it comes to issues like compliance.” At the moment, Caroline is on the lookout for new brands that are eager to expand their presence. “Right now, we’re looking for all sorts of companies. There’s a wonderful start-up world in Ireland, we’re an extremely resilient cohort. We’re here to help those brands break out and grow.”

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Wellbeing Health  Health

> Take a step back

Assess what happened in 2020. From there, pick out three key successes and three things that did not work out so well for you.

> Find the ‘why’

We can sometimes be too casual in how we determine our goals. Look at the motivation behind the goal and question what is driving it.

NEW PERSPECTIVE VALERIE O’KEEFFE OUTLINES HOW TO SET ACHIEVABLE GOALS FOR 2021.

■ It forced us to stop ■ It made us face our own mortality ■ It made us reflect and ask questions of

ourselves

Over the past 12 months, we have seen more clearly the impact of our choices. Looking ahead in 2021, we need to ensure that we put these learnings into action and prioritise the areas that are most important to us. But how do we do this in practice? Committing our goals to paper is one thing, but the real hurdle lies in following through on them.

Identify the outcomes that you want to see and devise your goals around delivering these. Then put a realistic timeframe on them.

> Aim high

Building on your new perspective, use some of your goals to test the boundaries of your comfort zone. Think about how you can be more curious about your role or your profession.

> Incorporate learning

Try to include an aspect of knowledge development in some of your goals.

> Identify your top three

Understanding the context of 2020

2020 had a significant impact on everyone – whether you run a large or small team or whether you’re an employer or a sole trader. The unprecedented events that unfolded and continue to unfold have given us all a new perspective. No matter what our circumstances, we shared a common set of experiences in 2020:

> Focus on the outcomes

Filter your objectives down to three key goals for 2021. Creating a small number of core goals helps you to stay focused.

Implementing your goals > Once you’ve established your top three goals, divide them into smaller tasks that can be addressed on monthly.

Valerie O’Keeffe, CEO, ClarityVP Consulting

Valerie O’Keeffe is CEO of ClarityVP Consulting. For many years, she has helped leaders and teams to maximise their strengths and achieve significant results. With a former career in finance, Valerie uses her leadership experience and background in behavioural psychology to work with clients across a broad range of sectors. ClarityVP Consulting, 15 Herbert Place,Dublin 2 Email: valerie@clarityvp.ie www.clarityvp.ie

> Stay disciplined. Being accountable to yourself is critical to achieving goals.

> We also need to acknowledge our

achievements. Be kind to yourself!

> We can all get trapped in the ‘always-

on’ cycle, but it’s important to nurture our whole selves so we don’t deplete our resources.

Finally, use your new perspective to consider how you can be more productive. Move outside your comfort zone, enjoy putting new learnings into practice and see the impact it will have on your clients and your team. SFA | BETTER BUSINESS 39

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SFA HR  Bullying & Harassment SFA HR

Stamp out

bullying AT WORK

NOW’S THE TIME FOR EMPLOYERS TO GET UP TO SPEED WITH NEW REGULATIONS AROUND BULLYING AT WORK WHICH FOR THE FIRST TIME, INCLUDE CYBER OR DIGITAL BULLYING.

A new "Code of Practice for Employers and Employees on the Prevention and Resolution of Bullying at Work" came into effect in December 2020. This unified "Code" amends and replaces two previous codes published by the Health and Safety Authority and the Labour Relations Commission, replaced by the Workplace Relations Commission. The Code underlines employers’ responsibility to prevent bullying in the workplace by creating a framework to discourage such behaviours and to deal with any complaints of this nature sensitively.

Workplace Bullying Though the definition of bullying in the Code has not been amended, it describes the act of bullying to be a pattern or trend of behaviour that a reasonable person would regard as undermining an individual's right to dignity at work and which is intended to intimidate, offend or humiliate. Along with providing examples of what amounts to bullying, the Code provides a nonexhaustive list of what is not bullying such as presenting constructive feedback or performance management. In a welcomed development, the Code declares that bullying can be conducted by cyber or digital means. This inclusion is reflective of the current remote working situation in operation for many businesses.

Prevention The Code describes the steps an employer should take to prevent bullying in the workplace. These non-exhaustive steps include conducting risk assessments in relation to workplace bullying, identifying control measures which will be implemented to prevent the risk and maintaining the workplace safety statement.

CODE OF PRACTICE ON ADDRESSING BULLYING Visit www.workplacerelations.ie to read the Code of Practice on Addressing Bullying in the Workplace and see ww.sfa.ie for more information on Anti-Bullying/Bullying and Harassment policies and relevant procedures to ensure compliance with the Code.

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Remote Working and Employee Well-being  SFA HR

In addition, an employer should develop and implement an effective anti-bullying policy which is in line with this Code. The Code places an emphasis on the importance of creating a positive organisational culture to maintain a workplace free from bullying. A positive culture is one in which employees are comfortable raising issues of concern to them, especially of inappropriate behaviours and where there are supportive, effective and fair processes underpinning this in place. Methods to achieve this include widespread anti-bullying policy awareness, good leadership reflecting the intolerance of improper behaviour, regular communications on the topic and appropriate training for those tasked with receiving and resolving complaints.

Mediation The Code of Practice emphasises that early intervention may offer the best possible opportunity for a positive outcome in restoring workplace relationships. It highlights the value of mediation as an important option for consideration, particularly at an early stage of the process when it is likely to have a greater opportunity to resolve the matter. Mediation is an informal voluntary process where an impartial and competent third party enables individuals to work through conflict or disagreement, with a view to improving their relationship. It is a valuable tool at any stage in a procedure, but particularly beneficial at the earliest possible stage. The objective is to find a mutually agreeable and confidential way forward to achieve a resolution for both parties, with a view to enabling a more harmonious working relationship in the future. At a company or employer level, workplace bullying can have consequences such as reputational damage, absences of employees, decreased productivity and poor morale. In any proceedings for an offence under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, any contravention of the code of practice is admissible in evidence. Failure to follow the code of practice is not an offence of itself. However, failure to follow the Code will be admissible in evidence at the WRC, Labour Court or Court. It is of paramount importance that employers update their Anti-Bullying/Bullying and Harassment policies and relevant procedures to ensure compliance with the Code.

IMPROVE YOUR VIRTUAL MEETINGS

Useful tips on how to maintain a level of collaboration and engagement during online meetings.

Preparation

The most productive meetings have a clear desired outcome. Drafting a meeting agenda and guidelines in advance will help ensure everyone is on the same page before a virtual meeting takes place.

Agenda Key talking points Meeting structure (i.e., when and for how long the topic should be discussed) Attendees – only invite those who need to be there What each team member/team is responsible for bringing to the meeting Any relevant documents, files or research

Establish Etiquette Guidelines

Employers should familiarise themselves with the feature to mute all participants so that they can control the meeting, designate the speaker and eliminate unwanted background noise. At times it is necessary to facilitate conversation; employees should be asked to turn on their audio and camera to accommodate this session. Some employees may not be comfortable speaking up; structure the meeting in a way that gives everyone equal opportunity for their voices to be heard, where everyone gets some time to contribute.

Designate an IT Guru

Provide contact information for in-meeting technical support and provide training on how to collate different presentations into one PowerPoint and trial screen sharing.

Test-Drive the Meeting

Nothing kills momentum at the start of a meeting like a 15-minute delay because people need to download software or cannot get the video to work. Prior to a virtual meeting or presentation, all participants should test the technology to make sure they are comfortable with the major features.

Allocate Time for Informal Conversations

Whether there is partial or complete remote working within the business, it is important that a setting of conversations and connection are created which will develop rapport among employees. By doing so, employees will feel more engaged and perhaps more comfortable voicing their opinions or offering critical feedback.

Embrace the Video

One-to-one calls should be encouraged among team members who should not rely on email as a means of communication. By hopping on a quick video call, co-workers can stay connected while also discussing work objectives. When it is not possible for teams to meet face-to-face, they miss out on nonverbal cues and body language, however video conferencing circumvents this issue and makes the meeting feel much more personal.

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SFA Policy  Policy Update

DRIVING GROWTH FOR SMALL FIRMS

THE LONG-AWAITED ‘REPORT OF THE SME TASKFORCE: SME AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP GROWTH PLAN’ PROVIDES SMALL BUSINESSES WITH A BLUEPRINT BEYOND COVID-19. Following an autumn of consultation, the Government recently launched the ‘Report of the SME Taskforce: National SME and Entrepreneurship Growth Plan’. SFA members Geraldine Lavin and Geraldine Magnier contributed to the report’s subgroups, along with SFA Director Sven Spollen-Behrens and Senior Executive Elizabeth Bowen. The 'Report of the SME Growth Taskforce: SME and Entrepreneurship Growth Plan' results from the commitment in the 'Programme for Government – Our Shared Future' to draw up an ambitious long-term strategic blueprint for SMEs and entrepreneurs beyond Covid-19. It has been developed by an SME Growth Taskforce of entrepreneurs, business leaders and other individuals. The SME Taskforce’s Growth Plan sets out a wide range of recommendations for Government with long-term strategic relevance for SMEs and entrepreneurs, including in the areas of digitalisation, clustering, regulation and education. These recommendations will be reviewed and taken forward, as appropriate, by an SME and Entrepreneurship Implementation Group in early 2021. The SFA has already been invited to be a member of this group. The development of the Taskforce’s SME and Entrepreneurship Growth Plan was informed by the recent OECD Review of SME and Entrepreneurship Policy in Ireland, which the Small Firms Association was a key contributor to and is based on four thematic pillars: Entrepreneurship; Productivity, Digitalisation and Competitiveness; Clustering and Networks; and Internationalisation. It also contains a dedicated chapter on the climate policy context for Irish SMEs. 42 SFA | BETTER BUSINESS

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Policy Update  SFA Policy

Submissions It has been a busy season for Government consultations, with the SFA providing views and opinions on issues such as the introduction of a Statutory Sick Pay Scheme, Right to Disconnect and a Review of the National Development Plan. In our submission to the public consultation on a Statutory Sick Pay Scheme (SSP) for Ireland, SFA expressed its concern about introducing such a scheme in the current economic circumstances which, SFA believes, would be financially irresponsible and unsustainable. Feedback from members shows that small business owners are very concerned about the financial and administrative cost of running a SSP scheme. Increased labour costs threaten the competitiveness of small businesses and reduce their capacity to maintain and create jobs. SFA outlined that 2021 would be a very difficult year for small firms, as they continue to recover from months in lockdown and severe trading restrictions and begin to manage the new trading relationship with the UK. It was the SFA’s view that the Government should be doing everything in its power to reduce business costs so employers can get to the other side of this health crisis and prepare for a postBrexit environment, not adding costs and making Ireland a more difficult place to do business in during this crisis. The SFA made a submission to the WRC public consultation on the introduction of Code of Practice on the Right to Disconnect. In the submission it expressed views that any legislative intervention on working time as part of the policy response to make remote working a permanent option for life after the pandemic is likely to bring unhelpful rigidity to an increasingly flexible world of work. This flexibility is also highly prized by employees and often strongly supported by other government initiatives. Where concerns arise about excessive working hours or disproportionate reliance on digital devices, SFA recommends, in the first instance, a raising of awareness of existing legal remedies and the promotion of workplace culture that embraces a balanced and flexible approach to working time.

Therefore a Code of Practice, that reflects the existing protections which are in place encourages a partnership approach between employers and employees, raises awareness, provides guidance on working time or disproportionate reliance on digital devices and is a welcome mechanism to address these issues rather than legislation. Infrastructure is particularly important to smaller firms in order to give them a level playing field. Smaller firms are more likely to be embedded within their communities and are therefore less likely (or able) to relocate. As a result, the performance of local economies and the vibrancy of many communities depend on the existence of small businesses. The SFA acknowledges that since the launch of the National Development Plan (NDP) less than three years ago, a number of factors, including the twin crises of Brexit and Covid, have significantly changed the policy landscape in the intervening period. In its submission to the Review of the NDP, the SFA stated that the overarching priority for the small business community is that development will continue to take place in a planned way, focused on the factors that can rebuild and boost Ireland’s competitiveness and backed up with the necessary capital investment. To better benefit small firms and deliver the infrastructure and services that Ireland needs to develop out to 2040, the NDP must adopt a better approach to procurement to assist the small business community within Ireland and the single market, not just buyers. The SFA submission sought to see greater communication between buyers and sellers through ‘meet the buyer’ events and Local Enterprise Office training. The SFA called for greater awareness of new green procurement processes and that all should be done to counter the continued perception around emphasis still being placed on lowest price over value for money when awarding contracts to a tenderer. Competitiveness must also be maintained as rising business and insurance costs in the construction sector are becoming a threat to small firms bidding for public procurement contracts.

"TO BETTER BENEFIT SMALL FIRMS AND DELIVER THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES THAT IRELAND NEEDS TO DEVELOP OUT TO 2040, THE NDP MUST ADOPT A BETTER APPROACH ALL ROUND TO PROCUREMENT TO ASSIST THE SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY WITHIN IRELAND AND THE SINGLE MARKET, NOT JUST BUYERS.”

SFA | BETTER BUSINESS 43

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DeCare SFA partnership Ad Print.qxp_Layout 1 20/10/2020 12:25 Page 1

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30/03/2021 14:29 09:09

DeCare Dental Insurance Ireland Ltd  Partner Profile

MAINTAINING THAT HUMAN CONNECTION IN THE MIDST OF YET ANOTHER LOCKDOWN, SELF CARE HAS NEVER BEEN MORE IMPORTANT WRITES DAVID CASEY, HEALTH PROMOTION MANAGER AT DECARE DENTAL. When we break it down, the human connection really links to a sense of love and belonging. Love and belonging are essential to the human experience and are key over the next few weeks as we yet again navigate a new normal way of life. As we move into uncertain times this year and with additional restrictions, it’s important that we stay connected. Connection is the energy that exists between two people when they feel seen, heard or valued. We are wired for connection and in fact, it’s in our biology. From birth we need connection to thrive emotionally, physically, spiritually and intellectually. It’s hard science; in his book ‘Social Intelligence’, Daniel Goleman explores the neuroscience evidencebased links which showcase the human experience and its need for connection. Technology has become an imposter for the human connection which we are all lacking throughout this global pandemic. In a technology crazed world, it is important we do not confuse being

Over the next few weeks, try to be mindful of the following:

David Casey, Wellness Health Promotion Manager, Decare communicative with feeling connected. Brene Brown states that ’Just because we are plugged in doesn’t mean we are seen or heard’. We need to be mindful to connect and talk and open up to our loved ones throughout this difficult time. Be kind to yourself throughout 2021 in regards goal setting. Sometimes just getting up and getting through is enough – there are many months in the year to achieve our goals. Invest in self-care for you. Just like the analogy of the plane and the oxygen masks, how can you help others and be innovative and creative if you do not attend to yourself first?

• Be aware of your thoughts, feelings and emotions. Take notice of the small everyday things that make you happy. It is the ordinary moments and not the extraordinary that bring us the most joy. • Be active and get out for that walk, run or cycle. Physical activity benefits every aspect of our mental health. Try to go during the working day in the hours of daylight, perhaps on a lunchbreak, as it refreshes the mind and body. • Connect and make sure we feel that sense of love from family, co-workers and friends. Say how you feel – we are all having low days and the mental health of everyone has been comprised in some way. You are not alone. Only by talking can we end the stigma that exists around our mental wellbeing. Embracing our vulnerability and having those conservations will help end stigma. Conversations are the antidote to stigma by talking about how we feel. Make connection your 2021 New Year Resolution! Find out more at wellness.decare.ie and www.decaredental.ie

Stay safe

Below is a list of contacts that you can reach out to if feeling lonely and alone throughout these challenging times: Samaritans

Pieta House

yourmentalhealth.ie

Shine

116 123 (ROI) for 24-hour access

(01) 6282111 if you are experiencing suicide distress

for nationwide listings of support services

info@shineonline.ie for info on support for mental illness

If you need support also you can talk to your GP or company EAP programme.

SFA | BETTER BUSINESS 45

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30/03/2021 14:34

Partner Profile  Knowledge Transfer Ireland

GROW YOUR BUSINESS WITH KTI ENGAGING WITH KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER IRELAND (KTI) IS AN EXCELLENT WAY FOR COMPANIES TO EVOLVE THEIR BUSINESS, SAYS KTI PROGRAMME MANAGER SIOBHAN HORAN. Knowledge Transfer Ireland (KTI) was set up to help businesses better access Irish expertise and technology, making it simple for firms to connect and engage with Ireland’s diverse research base. Through KTI, the wealth of technology research and knowledge that’s spread across our universities and Institutes of Technology can be accessed by industry and applied to their business to create new products and processes and ultimately, to create new jobs for Ireland. In order to grow your company and stay competitive, companies must constantly investigate new ways to evolve their business. “For SMEs in particular that don’t have large R&D teams, it can be difficult to access that knowledge. We want to highlight that there’ s a huge amount of information and expertise in our universities which can be maximised by SMEs to their benefit,” said Siobhan Horan, Programme Manager at KTI. If you have a process that needs to be improved or you are looking at developing new products and you’re looking for specialists to help you, KTI offers resources to you draw on the expertise of a researcher that specialises in that field. “Small businesses can tap into that knowledge and gain access to academic expertise and research. Alternatively, you might

be looking to carry out some R&D and want to get involved in a collaborative research project. There’s a lot of state funding available in Ireland to make that possible.” Collaborating with a university or Institute of Technology will help a business with that development; at the end of the process, IP can be licenced and commercialised to create new products and processes. KTI’s aim is to help make it easier for companies to create and develop commercial benefits through such engagement with research. “We want to see new jobs in Ireland and new products on the market and we want investment in Irish research to benefit Irish society and our economy. There are so many societal benefits associated with knowledge transfer; and we have lots of examples of SMEs that have created commercial benefits and improved competitiveness through working with the research base. Finding out how to engage with Ireland’s research base couldn’t be easier. KTI’s website features a host of tools to help businesses find academics specialising in their area. “If a company doesn’t have an existing relationship with a university or Institute of Technology, it can be difficult to forge those important

“FOR SMES IN PARTICULAR THAT DON’T HAVE LARGE R&D TEAMS, IT CAN BE DIFFICULT TO ACCESS THAT KNOWLEDGE. WE WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT THERE’ S A HUGE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION IN OUR UNIVERSITIES WHICH CAN BE MAXIMISED BY SMES TO THEIR BENEFIT.”

Siobhan Horan, KTI Programme Manager

links. We put the tools in place to help you find the right person and start the discussion from there.” Companies of all size engage with Ireland’s research base, from the large multinational to the very small SME. “KTI’s website also has information on the State supports that are available to small businesses along with an R&D Find Funding tool which is freely available.” KTI is currently running a series of webinars which aims to shine a light on how businesses can tap into the research expertise that’s out there. The next webinar is takes place in April and is focused on how Brexit impacts intellectual property. For more information, go to www.knowledgetransferireland.com/ Events/

46 SFA | BETTER BUSINESS

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30/03/2021 14:53

Credit Review Office  Partner Profile

AN INDEPENDENT VIEW CREDIT REVIEW IS ON HAND TO HELP SMALL BUSINESSES NAVIGATE THE TRICKY ROUTE TO DEBT RESTRUCTURING DURING COVID. Last year, almost a quarter of all SME borrowers across AIB, Bank of Ireland and Ulster Bank availed of system-wide payment breaks for up to six months, offered by the banks in response to the Covid-19 crisis. With ongoing lockdowns and closures, businesses may need further payment breaks or restructuring of debt if they cannot meet debt commitments. The Central Bank and the Government, together with the banks, have agreed that these solutions will be agreed on a case-by-case basis by the lender and the borrower. When you approach your bank, you may request a revised repayment plan or the bank may propose one. But what if you cannot agree terms with your bank? Credit Review can help. Our mission is to

assist SMEs and farms, which are viable or potentially viable, to get access to the bank finance they need for their businesses. We don’t just deal with new applications for credit but also review changes to existing credit facilities – where credit facilities are being restructured, reduced or even withdrawn. So, if you need assistance in altering the repayments on your existing debt – for example, by extending the term of the loan to reduce monthly payments – you can appeal to Credit Review. Or, if your bank proposes to reduce your overdraft limit and you believe you need to keep it at the existing level, you can appeal to Credit Review where we will take an independent view on what your business needs.

Catherine Collins, Deputy Head, Credit Review Office Contact CreditReview.ie and talk to one of our professional reviewers so that you are fully informed on bank credit issues relevant to your business. Phone 087 121 7244 or email info@creditreview.ie

Credit where it’s due during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Considering your credit needs during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic? Need to restructure your existing credit facilities? Established by the Minister for Finance, we are here to help. Call our helpline on 087 121 7244 or visit creditreview.ie

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30/03/2021 14:38

Partner Profile  Iconic Offices

FLEXIBLE OPTIONS FOR A CHANGING WORLD WHEN RESTRICTIONS EASE, WILL BUSINESSES HEAD BACK TO THE OFFICE, STAY AT HOME OR GO DOWN THE BLENDED ROUTE? WHATEVER THE PLAN, FLEXIBLE WORKSPACES FROM ICONIC OFFICES MIGHT JUST BE THE ANSWER. With so many of us adopting a WFH strategy, requirements around office space have changed and it looks like those changes aren’t going to revert any time soon. Some businesses have handed back or cancelled long-term commercial leases, some are downsizing, while others are reassessing their options. Flexible workspaces can provide businesses with the breathing room they need to expand or contract as required, whether that’s in terms of physical space or flexible payment plans. Founded in 2013, Iconic Offices is the market leader in sourcing, designing and managing design led flexible workspaces in Dublin. The company can provide spaces ranging from 1 to 500 desks, with prices to suit start-ups right through to billiondollar companies. These workspaces are backed up with a high-quality service, robust IT systems and are complimented by a range of meeting rooms, exclusive lounges and experienced administrative support.

How flexible workspaces work

A business can take a fully-furnished serviced office or a coworking space or indeed a combination of both. These spaces require minimal set-up time and no set-up costs. “We offer a plug and play model that enables you to simply come in, plug in your laptop and focus on running your business while your serviced office provider, such as ourselves, looks after everything else,” said Joe McGinley, Chief

Joe McGinley, CEO, Iconic Offices

Executive Officer at Iconic Offices. Most landlords are looking for 10-year contracts but with flexible workspaces, companies can commit to as little as a month. “We can tailor agreements on spaces depending on what the client’s requirements are. We will also custom build spaces; essentially, whatever the client needs, we’re here to make it happen for them.” In light of Covid, the company is now offering even more flexible and low commitment products so that people can work the way they need as they need it – space for a day, a week, a month or a year. Contracts are even more flexible with clauses to cater for level changes in government plans.

Safety

Employees are understandably cautious about returning to the office, something that Iconic Offices has taken on board. “As a workspace provider, we house over 2,000 members and 50+ staff. It was our belief that we must be in front of the situation, putting people first and committing to new procedures that empower and support everyone. For that reason, we reacted quickly and went about adjusting our workspaces last summer.” The company has introduced a 16-point plan which includes the installation of thermal scanners on arrival, Perspex screens, increased sanitation stations and signage. “We haven’t passed those costs onto our clients – we believe we must maintain customer service and put the client first

48 SFA | BETTER BUSINESS

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Iconic Offices  Partner Profile

and this was another way to commit to doing so. We carried out a survey recently which showed that occupiers of our buildings feel much safer than they thought they would in returning to the office.”

A changing customer demographic

So who’s using the type of flexible workspaces offered by Iconic Offices? “In 2019 we were typically talking to business owners, the senior decisionmakers and their right-hand people.We’re still meeting those individuals but now we’re also seeing individual employees looking for solutions to support working from home. In particular, HR managers and personnel are becoming a key part of the puzzle in planning to return to work.” The company’s client list includes several Fortune 500 companies along with startups and indigenous Irish companies, across all types of industries. “Traditionally around 40% of our client base would have been tech firms and FDI companies but that has changed; tech firms are working from home and FDI has decreased so we’re seeing requests from a much broader business community.”

The Lennox Building

“WE CAN TAKE A LOT OF THE GUESSWORK OUT OF RETURNING TO THE OFFICE BY PROVIDING A BESPOKE PACKAGE AND SPACE THAT SUITS A COMPANY’S SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS.” Putting the customer front and centre

The Wilde, private office

Catering for ‘blended’ working

Blended solutions mean a custom multi-angled approach, unique for each business, that enables people to work in multiple ways. People can create their own ‘hub’ and have staff rotate in and out, they can opt for a bespoke package where some teams are in an office and some utilise the “Work From Home”

ergonomic setup we offer or they can take coworking space for some staff and get together in large meeting rooms once a month. “It’s unique to each business and we mould a product and service solution depending on their unique needs. We can take a lot of the guesswork out of returning to the office by providing a bespoke package and space that suits a company’s specific requirements.”

Iconic Offices has remained open and available to their members and any business that requires space, while putting safety and guidelines first. “As an Irish SME ourselves, we are learning through this and taking any challenges as opportunities to evolve and pass that gain onto our members. With everything in-house and a HQ on Merrion Square, We take a hands-on, personable approach and we care about the success of our members.” Businesses appreciate the risk-reducing approach taken by Iconic Offices, says Joe. “If someone were to visit one of our workspaces, they would be struck by the huge amount of safety precautions that have been taken. We recognise that there is a lot of responsibility on companies that are returning to work at the moment and a lot of concern commercially as to where businesses are at. One of the things we can bring is certainty.” SFA | BETTER BUSINESS 49

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NSAI.ie/COVID-19

Here to help.

Resources from the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) are here to help your organisation through the COVID-19 pandemic, including: Workplace Protection and Improvement Guide Consolidating the practical advice available on protecting employees and the public during the COVID-19 pandemic. Retail Protection and Improvement Guide The retailer’s one-stop-shop guide to preventing, mitigating and recovering from the spread of illness. Shopping Centre Recovery and Protection Guide Guidelines for shopping centres restoring business operations following a closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Guidance on Manufacturing and Importing PPE and Medical Devices To ensure compliance with the EU legal framework during the COVID-19 pandemic. SWiFT 19:2020 Barrier Masks for consumers - requirements A consensus-based specification for non-medical and non-PPE masks (barrier masks) for the general public. Medical Equipment Standards The COVID-19 Response Package provides access to a set of Medical Supplies Standards at no cost.

1 Swift Square, Northwood, Santry, Dublin 9, D09 A0E4 + 353 1 807 3800 NSAI and the NSAI logo are registered trademarks of NSAI.

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30/03/2021 17/02/2021 14:30 16:00

NSAI  Partner Profile

BREXIT – THE NEW REALITY IRISH BUSINESSES MUST ABIDE BY NEW RULES AROUND THE PURCHASE OR USE OF PRODUCTS FROM THE UK, WRITES NSAI. What has changed

The Brexit transition period ended on 31 December 2020 and the UK became a ‘third country’ where EU law no longer applies. The EU-UK Trade & Cooperation Agreement (TCA) came into effect. While the TCA provides for tariff and quota-free trade in goods, it does not replicate what went before. The seamless trade which existed up to 31 December 2020 has generally ended. This means changes for businesses buying products from the UK or using UK manufactured products.

What has not changed

All the EU rules that applied to products in 2020 continue to apply unchanged in 2021. UK products must meet any specific requirements set out in Irish Law. Remember that it is rules concerning where the product is placed on the market that apply, not where it is manufactured.

“THE GENERAL PRODUCT SAFETY DIRECTIVE AND RELEVANT IRISH LEGISLATION AND STANDARDS APPLY TO ANY OF THESE PRODUCTS IMPORTED INTO IRELAND FROM GREAT BRITAIN.”

Can I continue to sell British products?

What about Northern Ireland products?

Yes, once they have been certified in accordance with relevant EU and Irish legislation. This means that any products manufactured in Great Britain (England, Scotland or Wales) can be sold once they meet the requirements of the relevant EU product legislation, including being CE marked if required and having a valid EU declaration of performance. Compliance for products which are not covered by specific EU regulations is determined by other reference documents. The General Product Safety Directive and relevant Irish legislation and standards apply to any of these products imported into Ireland from Great Britain. Products that only have the new ‘UKCA’ mark and a UK declaration of conformity cannot be placed on the EU market, so make sure that you only buy CE marked products from your British suppliers.

Under the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, EU product legislation continues to apply in Northern Ireland (NI) and NI continues to be treated as if it is part of the EU Single Market. Goods moving between NI and the EU continue to do so with no significant changes and the responsibilities of Irish businesses are the same as if they are trading within the EU. But beware of products bearing a ‘CE UK(NI)’ mark – they can only be sold in NI and cannot be legally placed on the EU market.

Can I sell products that have been certified using British Standards?

There are areas where it is no longer permitted to use a British Standard (BS) to demonstrate conformity or performance. The EU Commission has indicated that the use of a BS on an EU

declaration of performance where a harmonised European Standard must be used for product certification is no longer permitted.

What else?

If you import products from GB-based suppliers, you will need to consider the impacts of customs processes and potential supply chain disruption. If your suppliers rely on certification or conformity assessment from UK-based certification bodies or UK accredited test laboratories, you will need to check that their certification is acceptable under EU or Irish law.

Where can I get information?

For general information on Brexit readiness in the area of standards and certification: www.nsai.ie/brexit/brexit-readiness/ SFA | BETTER BUSINESS 51

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Partner Profile  Fáilte Ireland

FÁILTE IRELAND: NEW SUPPORTS TO HELP TOURISM BUSINESSES RUN A MORE SUCCESSFUL FOOD OPERATION AMANDA HORAN, ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER AT FÁILTE IRELAND SPEAKS TO US ABOUT THE RANGE OF PRACTICAL NEW SUPPORTS AVAILABLE TO HELP TOURISM BUSINESSES INNOVATE THEIR FOOD OFFERING, BUILD EFFICIENCIES AND UPSKILL STAFF TO BOOST SALES WHEN THEY RE-OPEN. “As the National Tourism Development Authority, we continue to focus on what we can do to support tourism businesses to survive in this challenging environment and provide a range of supports on areas including finance, sales and marketing and operational performance through our online Covid-19 Support Hub. In response to Covid-19 safety operating guidelines, we identified food as a key area for innovation and have developed a suite of supports to help businesses run a more successful food operation when they re-open,” says Amanda. Two such new supports are the Inside Food podcast series and the Breakfast Innovation Toolkit.

Inside Food podcast series

“We developed the Inside Tourism Business Podcast to offer expert advice, insights and practical tools to help tourism businesses navigate the challenges they are facing. Series One of the new podcast looks Inside Food, examining the consumer trends that will shape eating out when businesses can re-open, menu innovation, managing food costs and reducing food waste, while improving service quality and driving sales and revenue,” says Amanda. Hosted by food consultant and facilitator, Ruth Hegarty of egg&chicken, the seven-part series features leading hospitality experts and operators, including hotel management consultant, Joe Quinn, chef and food consultant, Niall Hill, sales and customer service strategist, Cariona Neary plus The Twelve’s Fergus O’Halloran, Clayton Hotel Dublin Airport’s Phillip O’Neill, Gather & Gather’s Mark Anderson, the IRFU’s Maurice McGeehan and a number of international contributor experts.

The podcast series aims to help businesses consider ways to further efficiencies while maximising revenue, says Amanda. “Our experts and industry guests look at how businesses can begin to adapt their offerings now to suit new consumer demands when it is safe to re-open and discusses smart advice and actionable takeaways.” Subscribe to the Inside Food podcast now wherever you listen to your podcasts or visit www.failteireland.ie/podcasts for more details.

Breakfast Innovation Toolkit They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But could it become your business’ most important food experience? “More hotel residents eat breakfast than any other food offering and as it is often your last visitor service touchpoint before checkout and departure, it’s a real opportunity to make a positive impact and drive increased revenue for your business,” says Amanda. But what are people looking for when it comes to breakfast? “Safety guidelines in response to Covid-19, modern lifestyles and nutrition as well as changing dietary needs have influenced what visitors want from a breakfast experience,” says Amanda. “Our new Breakfast Innovation Toolkit looks at everything from how to re-engineer your breakfast menu to work with the seasons, add local flavours and offer healthy options, to considering new ways to grow your breakfast customer base while ensuring customer safety. With resources including food and labour cost calculators as well as best practice kitchen and service checklists, the toolkit will help businesses plan and innovate their breakfast offering now to drive revenue and deliver great service when it is safe to reopen.” For more information on the Breakfast Innovation Toolkit, the Inside Food podcast series and a range of expert supports for tourism businesses, visit Fáilte Ireland’s online Covid-19 Business Support Hub at www.failteireland.ie.

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06/04/2021 11:10

INSIDE TOURISM

BUSINESS Series 1: INSIDE FOOD

Tune in to Fáilte Ireland’s NEW PODCAST Inside Tourism Business is the definitive podcast for tourism operators. Bringing you expert advice, insights and practical tools, the podcast will help you navigate the challenges your business is facing, drive efficiency, and maximise revenue. Series one of Fáilte Ireland’s new podcast looks Inside Food, examining trends and tackling costs to help businesses innovate and run a more successful food operation when tourism and hospitality can re-open.

Subscribe now wherever you listen to your podcasts or visit www.failteireland.ie/podcasts for more details.

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30/03/2021 10:13 11/03/2021 14:31 11:22

Feature  Verde LED

THE

lightbulb

MOMENT

JOHN KEOHANE, CEO AT CORK-BASED ENERGY SERVICES COMPANY VERDE LED, DISCUSSES HOW SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS CAN RESULT IN COST-SAVINGS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES Q. As one of the first LED companies on the market, where did the idea for the business come from? JK: Back in 2010 in the throes of the recession,

myself and my brother-in-law were investigating opportunities in the energy/renewable space sectors. We looked at wind and solar but they were heavily reliant on grants and subsidies and the paybacks were much longer. LED lighting was one that kept coming top of the list in terms of return on investment, a crucial factor in terms of getting people to make the jump to energy efficiency solutions. At the time, technology was improving rapidly so you had a situation where prices were decreasing and efficiencies were increasing. We realised that was a very nice proposition for the customer. Even today, it’s still an extremely compelling offer to customers looking to make energy savings. Paybacks are three years or less in most cases. Q. What sectors did you target? JK: The shift in technology presented us with

an opportunity to capture the industrial and commercial client base. We began operating in

the middle of a recession and that actually worked for us as people were looking for ways to reduce their energy costs. We entered the market at a very good time. Since then, we’ve done a huge amount of business in the pharma sector and in the healthcare space. We do a lot of work with the HSE and with third level institutes as well as secondary schools. We typically work with customers that have an energy bill of over €50,000 per annum. For customers with a smaller energy bill, the savings aren’t as high and the initial €10k outlay is a much harder proposition. A lot of smaller businesses would still see renewable energy and energy efficiency as an expense rather than a cost saving opportunity. Q. Is that mindset starting to change? JK: It’s changing slowly. I think it comes down to

education and being aware that sustainability and energy savings need to become part of business strategy at all levels. For small businesses, upping their green credentials and ensuring they’re as sustainable as possible translates into a better image and profile; it makes them more attractive to customers.

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Verde LED  Feature

Q. The renewable market has expanded since 2010. Have you adapted to keep up with those changes? JK: We started off solely in LED lighting but

in the past couple of years, we’ve set up an EV charging division and we’re looking to establish a solar PV division this year. Essentially, we’ve become an energy services business providing customer with a one stop shop solution for energy efficiencies and renewables. We’re making energy savings simple; most people want to implement sustainable measures into their business but a lot of the time they don’t know where to start and there’s an apprehension around how much work it will be. That’s where we come in. As a turnkey solution provider, we become the energy division within a company. We’re there to deliver the savings, implement the projects, manage them and even fund them if necessary. Q. Do you have projects outside of Ireland? JK: The first couple of years was all about

John Keohane, CEO, Verde LED

Q. HOW DO YOU DIFFERENTIATE VERDE LED FROM FIRMS OFFERING SIMILAR SERVICES? JK: We try and focus on a narrow range of products and solutions to ensure a successful job every time. We know that we’re not the only lighting company in the world so we need to make sure that what we do, we do it extremely well. Repeat business depends on it and we’re happy to say we have a lot of customers coming back to us on a regular basis. Starting out in a recession was probably a great grounding as it gave us a strong sense of discipline and the resources we needed to get through the tough times.

establishing Verde LED in the Irish domestic market and once we did that, we decided to investigate opportunities overseas. In 2012 we exhibited at Light + Building in Frankfurt, the biggest lighting fair in the world. It was a big punt for us; it cost about €50,000 to exhibit and that was huge money for us at the time. Thankfully, it paid off and we picked up a couple of oversees distributors. That started our expansion into overseas markets through a distribution network. Organically we started growing customers in other markets, for example companies that we had in Ireland wanted us to follow them into the UK. That led us to other countries including Holland and China but our primary focus is still on delivering turnkey solutions in Ireland and the UK. Q. What are your plans for 2021? JK: Once the country is vaccinated and things

begin to return to normal we believe we’ll see a big upturn in activity, with projects that were on hold finally going ahead so we’re ready for that. We have 22 members of staff right now but we’re planning on taking on another four to five people this year. We’re also planning on introducing a new technology arm to the business in April. It’s an idea that had been sitting in the background but was accelerated by Covid. We’ve been working with Enterprise Ireland and we’ve just finished out the R&D phase which was very successful. We’re into the commercialisation phase now. It’ll be an interesting development for the company so watch this space! SFA | BETTER BUSINESS 55

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Travel  Cork

REDISCOVER éire

The People’s

Republic

IT LOOKS LIKE WE’LL BE HOLIDAYING AT HOME THIS YEAR SO WHY NOT SPEND A FEW DAYS IN THE TRUE CAPITAL OF IRELAND.

OUTDOORS BALLYHOURA MOUNTAIN BIKE TRAILS The largest trail network of its kind in Ireland, Ballyhoura Mountain Bike Trails include 98km of forest road climbs, tight twisty singletrack with loads of ups and downs, board walk, tight turns and technical rocky sections. The trails range from the moderate 6km Greenwood loop to the demanding Castlepook loop, over 50km in length. Facilities at the trailhead include map boards, car parking, toilets, showers and bike wash facilities.

OUTDOORS BALLYCOTTON CLIFF WALK Along the Cliff Walk from Ballycotton village to Ballyandreen beach, you’ll be flanked by meadows on one side and the ocean on the other. The walk extends over five miles on a footworn track along the cliff face, with stunning views the whole way.

IMAGES COURTESY OF PURE CORK. FOR MORE GREAT THINGS TO SEE AND DO IN CORK, VISIT WWW.PURECORK.IE

56 SFA | BETTER BUSINESS

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WHERE TO EAT:

OUTDOORS FOTA WILDLIFE PARK

W ild life

Pa rk

Fota Wildlife Park, part of the Zoological Society of Ireland, is located on 100 acres at Fota Island, 10km east of Cork City and is currently the second largest visitor attraction in Ireland outside of Leinster. The park opened in 1983 and is home to a number of endangered animals, with almost 30 mammal and bird species.

Cork  Travel

t Fo

POMPEII PIZZA AT THE FRANCISCAN WELL BREWERY Founded in 1998 on the North Mall, the Franciscan Well Brewery is one of Cork’s most celebrated pubs. Its pizza kiosk, voted best pizza in Cork on a couple of occasions, has a set menu of 10 different pizzas. Customers can relax in the beer garden and watch as their pizzas are prepared. W: www.pompeiipizza.ie

Ballycotton Cliﬀ Walk

PARADISO Cork’s most famous vegetarian restaurant is owned and run by Denis Cotter who has published four cookbooks. The award-winning restaurant has an innovative menu of fresh and local ingredients that go into dishes like aubergine, knockalara and spinach parcels, feta and pistachio couscous cake among others. W: paradiso.restaurant

The Everyman

CULTURE The Everyman Built in 1897, The Everyman is the oldest purpose-built theatre building in Cork. The beautiful 650 seat theatre is a jewel of late Victorian architecture. A listed building, the theatre is steeped in history and is a favourite with audiences and performers alike for its intimacy and atmosphere.

BASTION Located in the very centre of Kinsale, Bastion is a contemporary restaurant owned and run by chef Paul McDonald and his partner Helen Noonan who runs front of house. Regional ingredients lead the way at this much celebrated restaurant which was awarded a Michelin star in 2020. W: www.bastionkinsale.com

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Travel Travel   Cork Cork

STAY

THE DEAN CORK Opened late 2020 and located at Horgan’s Quay, The Dean Cork is one of the city’s most exciting places to stay. If you fancy treating yourself, why not book The Dean Penthouse featuring two supersized ensuite bedrooms, each complete with freestanding copper bathtubs, with an adjoining loft featuring a private bar, foosball table, huge Smart TV, dining table, hand-crafted furniture, record player, vinyl, guitars, games and more. W: www.thedean.ie/cork

CULTURE ALLIHIES COPPER MINE MUSEUM & CAFÉ Allihies, the last village at the end of the Beara peninsula, sits between a rocky mountain range and the rugged Atlantic coast. Located in the old Methodist church built for immigrant Cornish miners, the Allihies Copper Mine Museum offers a fascinating insight into mining in Allihies from the Bronze Age through to the 1960s, with particular emphasis on copper mining in the 1800s. Follow your museum visit with a tasty, fresh lunch at the Copper Café or follow the Copper Mine Trail across fields and up mountains.

THE MONTENOTTE Built within the former 18th Century residence of a Merchant Prince, the Montenotte Hotel is just a stroll from many of Cork city’s highlights. The hotel features a 20m swimming pool, sauna, jacuzzi, tiered Victorian Gardens, an in-house cinema and a bar overlooking the city. W: www.themontenottehotel.com

Cobh Museum

CULTURE COBH MUSEUM Cobh Museum is situated overlooking Cork Harbour with exhibitions reflecting the cultural, social and maritime history of Cobh and the Great Island. Formerly known as Queenstown, Cobh has a long maritime history and is known globally for its association with emigration. It was also the last port of call for the RMS Titanic and holds the last written record for the ship in the Pilot’s Log book.

INCHYDONEY ISLAND LODGE & SPA Located just outside Clonakilty in West Cork, Inchydoney Island Lodge & Spa combines a beautiful location, contemporary accommodation, unique seawater therapies and excellent dining to create a very special getaway. Kids are also catered for; the Children’s Lounge features books, puzzles, a giant Connect 4 game and an Xbox. W: www.inchydoneyisland.com

58 SFA | BETTER BUSINESS

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Séamas O’Reilly

 Arts and Culture

DERRY

boy

AUTHOR AND COLUMNIST SÉAMAS O’REILLY CHATS TO BETTER BUSINESS ABOUT HIS FIRST BOOK, DID YE HEAR MAMMY DIED, DUE FOR RELEASE THIS SUMMER AND WHAT IT’S LIKE GROWING UP WITH 10 SIBLINGS.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have 10 brothers and sisters? Séamas O’Reilly, the Twitter-famous columnist and author of ‘Did Ye Hear Mammy Died’, knows all too well.

The Derry native’s first book hits the shops in July and centres around the death of his mother when he was just five years of age. The idea for the title, he says, came about from his experience at his mother’s wake. “I knew that my mum had died but I didn’t know what it meant. So I walked around at the wake with a very happy head on me and went up to people and said, did ye hear mammy died? Three days later, I was asking when mum was coming back from being dead. The book is very much about how we deal with grief and memory and how my dad managed with 11 children on his own in a small bungalow in rural Derry.” Throughout the book, Séamas describes the logistics of what it was like to be one of 11 kids in a single parent family and the quirky little workarounds that his civil servant father came up with. The fact that all 11 siblings performed well academically wasn’t the result of a hard taskmaster but more to do with their geographical location. “People always assumed my dad was really pushing us but he had so much on that I’d be surprised if he knew what GCSE’s I was doing. Instead, he brought us up somewhere really boring where we had nothing to do and he built bookshelves in every room. Bored out of our minds, we were reduced to the tedium of educating ourselves.” Séamas describes a man trying to bring order to chaos through small, seemingly insignificant acts. “Every single film that was ever on TV was taped; he ended up creating an 800-strong library of recorded films. He taught himself how to use computers and made a database of every one of them and then he put them in a binder where the front half was organised chronologically and the back was alphabetical. They were great, we got so much use out of them. Looking back now, you see a man with an interest in order at a juncture in his life when there wasn’t any.” At one point, says Séamas, his dad was contending with six teenage daughters at the same time. Using the bathroom in the morning became a military operation. “He was a man of a certain age and vintage SFA | BETTER BUSINESS 59

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Arts and Culture  Séamas O’Reilly

“THE GOOD THING ABOUT HAVING 10 SIBLINGS IS YOU HAVE 10 EXTERNAL HARD DRIVES WHO HAVE ALL WITNESSED THINGS FROM SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT ANGLES. IT WAS GREAT BEING ABLE TO MINE THEIR MEMORIES AND ASK QUESTIONS THAT YOU REALLY WOULDN’T ASK IN NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES.”

from rural Northern Ireland, bringing up six modern teen daughters and teaching them about periods and everything else.” Through single-handedly raising his children on his own, he became more of an emotionally supportive figure than perhaps he would have if circumstances had been diﬀerent. “I had a dad that was very free with a hug and was happy to tell you he loved you. I wasn’t seeing that at my friend’s houses.” For many, Derry city was brought to full, technicolour life for the first time in ‘Derry Girls’. The show achieved something that Séamas saw very little of growing up. “Derry Girls is a story set in Northern Ireland which just happens to be a story set in Northern Ireland. Like all teenagers the girls want to be cool and go on dates, they like music and clothes. Growing up in Derry, that’s something we didn’t see. Every time there was a Derry story, it was specifically about the Troubles.” Apart from the cultural figures that left the city, like John Hume or Seamus Heaney, Derry didn’t have a social footprint. It didn’t really exist, says Séamas, to the point that people didn’t know that Derry and Londonderry were the same place. “With my book, I wanted to put some of those ideas across – the humour of the place and interesting characters that are quite universal but also very specific.”

Séamas O’Reilly, author and columnist

Séamas now lives in London with his wife and three-yearold son. As well as his Twitter posts detailing his experiences as a dad and that time he inadvertently found himself on ketamine while serving drinks to the President of Ireland, he also writes for The Irish Times, the Observer, the New York Times and Irish Tatler. Writing about the untimely death of his mother was, he says, a difficult but ultimately cathartic process. Just five years of age when his mother died, his bank of memories wasn’t as plentiful as those of his brothers and sisters. “The good thing about having 10 siblings is you have 10 external hard drives who have all witnessed things from different angles. It was great being able to mine their memories and ask questions that you wouldn’t ask in normal circumstances.” At the age of 8, Séamas was asked to write down every memory he had of his mum for Mother’s Day. “I had 10 and was very upset that I only had that many. You don’t form a lot of sticky memories before the age of five. I tried it again 10 years later and could only think of five, which was really distressing.” Over the course of writing the book, Séamas was struck with three more memories. “It’s a good lesson for writers – keep writing and all of a sudden, stuff will come up. Writing about my mum’s death was tough but it also felt useful and productive and for that, I’m very grateful.”

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31/03/2021 11:45

The Big Read  Lessons from Lockdown – Cooking after Covid

HARDLEARNED

LESS

CREATED BY CHEF JP MCMAHON, ‘LESSONS FROM LOCKDOWN’ EXAMINES WHAT IT’S LIKE COOKING AFTER COVID. HERE, LIAM TOMLIN TALKS ABOUT HIS HOPES FOR THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

As I watched the horrific scenes unfold of jets flying into the New York Twin Towers on 9/11, little did I realise that it marked the beginning of a life-changing period for me, my business and the way we live our lives today.

To download the E-book, go to www.foodontheedge.ie

Almost simultaneously, the unexpected collapse of my business forced me into a self-imposed lockdown for 12 months, after which I emerged stronger, more focused and inspired. It also presented an opportunity for my wife Jan and I to move from Australia to South Africa. That same feeling of dread came over me late in 2019 as reports of an unknown, highly contagious virus unfolded in Wuhan, China. Even then, not for a minute did I comprehend that within months it would spread its deadly tentacles across the globe with devastating effect and eventually find its way to South Africa. Again, the catastrophic impact it was about to have on me, my expanding business, my partners and hundreds of staff was incomprehensible. When lockdown came at the end of March, the alarming repercussions to our economy caused immediate unemployment, poverty, hunger and a drastic change to the daily life we had taken for granted for so long. This time, the difference was that I was not alone; 7.8 billion people throughout the world were experiencing the same anguish and apprehension for the future.

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Lessons from Lockdown – Cooking after Covid  The Big Read

Liam Tomlin heads up Chefs Warehouse and Thali Restaurant Group in South Africa

Although our restaurants have been closed for the best part of five months, I have never worked so hard in my life at keeping myself, our businesses and staff afloat and in a healthy, positive state. During this time I have acquired a few new skills, have rewritten my job description several times over, I have learnt some of the biggest, most powerful lessons in my life and I’ve been fortunate to have had the support of some of the most unselfish and inspirational people over and above my family, friends and work colleagues. Although I have fought hard against negativity and the relentless challenges, I fear that the worst is yet to come as far as the knock-on effect that Covid-19 will inflict on all sectors of the hospitality industry. A few of us have got off relatively lightly compared to others who rely on our borders reopening to restart their businesses, who depend on foreign travellers to fill their rooms, who need to export, who suffered the complete ban on the sale of their products, who could not trade due to curfew restrictions, who lacked the funds to survive lockdown and those with non-negotiable, greedy landlords and unscrupulous insurers who refused to honour policies. No matter how difficult their own circumstances or situation, people in the hospitality industry are always the first to help out, putting the less fortunate first, often

at their own expense. My chefs and I experienced this first-hand at the beginning of lockdown. A group of Franschhoek chefs and restaurateurs led by Margot Janse, Chris Erasmus and Linda Coltart rallied together to assist in cooking for “Isabelo”, Margot’s charity, an initiative that feeds hundreds of hungry schoolchildren on a daily basis. But as the hunger crisis grew, it extended to a feeding program for thousands of families in the winelands. While we donated restaurant facilities and cooking skills, our generous suppliers, the community, sympathetic landlords, farmers, faithful customers and guests, made daily donations – by the ton – of meat, fish, poultry, fruit, vegetables, dairy products and dry goods. Even the local kids baked cookies and rusks. Hunger was a serious issue long before Covid-19 but swiftly grew out of proportion as most of the Franschhoek community, along with many other towns and villages who rely on the tourism industry for employment suddenly found themselves laid-off, retrenched or placed on short-time. The pervading concern was not knowing whether or not the next paycheque was coming and if not, whether they qualified for UIF – and if they did, would it be paid – regardless that contributions had been paid in full. On average, these employees feed four people or more, with many just one meal away from hunger and the reverberating panic galvanised us into helping to prevent a situation that promised to escalate into starvation. What is patently clear is that this problem won’t magically disappear once those of us are lucky enough to reopen our doors and begin to trade again. We need to continue to donate our time, energy, vision, ingredients and facilities to sustain these valuable feeding programs, perhaps on a slightly reduced scale but if there’s one thing that my peers and I have realised, it is that hunger is endemic and cannot be ignored any longer. As lockdown was extended, the situation worsened. People’s moods changed and anxiety crept in with the stress of not knowing if a job would still be there. Mounting debt, daily business closures, retrenchments and the loss of so many loved ones took its toll. Mental health issues, depression and suicide will be on the increase and more than ever we need to be considerate, understanding and empathetic towards each other. Regularly check-in on neighbours, make sure the guy working next to you is OK and greet that person on the street that you’d normally ignore. Kindness costs nothing. As we pick up the pieces of our lives and businesses again, I predict that the pace will be a little slower and more considered but people will still want choice, experience and value. Collaborations will become more important than ever. We need to stand together, support each other and having had so much time to analyze our businesses over the past five months, one imperative is clear and that is to support LOCAL at every given opportunity and I urge others to do the same; shop local, eat local, travel local, spend local, promote and most importantly, enjoy local. I am optimistic about the future of our collective industries. South Africa is our home and Jan and I are here for the long haul. However, few of us will come through this dark period untouched by loss. During lockdown, I lost my friend Laurence Dworkin to Covid-19. We also lost one of our shining star chefs, Mark Mbotya, in a horrific car accident as he was returning to work after three months of lockdown. In Mark’s memory, we will create an internship within the Chefs Warehouse Restaurant Group to give less fortunate kids the opportunity of a career in this industry that we all love. Hospitality. SFA | BETTER BUSINESS 63

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Profile  A Day in the Life

DAY

LIFE in the

4.45AM I get up early with my husband every morning, he’s a truck driver. I do yoga and take some time to read before I start work at 6am. The plan is to get an hour or two in before the kids wake. 6AM There are two very distinct strands to Johnny Magory; one is our products, books and toys and the other is our online courses and workshops. Sales from either our stockists or website is the priority in the morning. We’re back to packing our own orders at the moment and Fastway collects at 9am so all orders must be ready by then. 9AM I’ve permanently taken on home schooling for my youngest child so that kicks off from 9am to 12pm. We live in the countryside and our house is surrounded by forests and lakes, so we spend a lot of the day outdoors. Coming from the corporate world I used to be very structured, but this past year has taught me that I don’t need to rigidly stick to 9 to 5 hours. It’s very much about getting that life/work blend now. 1PM I try to be out in the office by about 1pm every day. My office is a converted shipping container in the garden. It’s been a godsend since lockdown started. Afternoons are a mash-up between new product development, artwork or even new courses. There’s also a big push to get our next initiative out for April, a ‘Self Publish Successfully’ course. It’s a guide for people who want to write and publish children’s books in the space of six weeks. 4PM It’s time for our virtual courses with our writing clubs, either for children or adults. They’re proving really popular at the moment and got us through losing all our events last March. 6PM My mother drummed it into me that sitting down together as a family for dinner is important, so I make sure that happens every evening. 9PM The mobile is left in the kitchen and I’ll read for about an hour, then it’s lights out at 10pm. WWW.JOHNNYMAGORY.COM

EMMA-JANE LEESON, CEO AT JOHNNY MAGORY, DESCRIBES A TYPICAL DAY THAT’S ALL ABOUT GETTING THE WORK/LIFE BALANCE JUST RIGHT

Emma-Jane Leeson, CEO, Johnny Magory

“COMING FROM THE CORPORATE WORLD I USED TO BE VERY STRUCTURED, BUT THIS PAST YEAR HAS TAUGHT ME THAT I DON’T NEED TO RIGIDLY STICK TO 9 TO 5 HOURS.”

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COVID-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme

• •• •

Key features of the Covid-19 Scheme Loans from €10,000 to a maximum of €1,000,000 per borrower; Terms of between 3 months up to 5.5 years; Loans unsecured up to €250,000 (unless it is a requirement of the product feature, e.g. asset finance, invoice discount facilities); The Scheme permits the refinance and rollover of debt incurred as a result of Covid-19 (e.g. Covid-19 related expenses that were initially funded through short term/temporary facilities such as overdrafts); Loans will be available up to the end of 2021.

• Loans can be used for • Scheme costs •

Working capital or investment requirements.

The interest rate applicable to the loan will be determined by the participating lender. In addition, the participating lender will collect a premium which is payable to the Government of Ireland.

Who can apply?

• • •

To be eligible a borrower must

• •

Be a viable business with up to 499 employees (Micro, SME or small Mid-Cap enterprise), including Primary producers (Agriculture/Fishing); Have or expect to have a reduction of minimum 15% in the turnover or profitability as a result of Covid-19; Meet the eligibility criteria.

How do I apply?

The Covid-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme is available trough a wide range of lenders (banks, credit unions and non-bank finance providers). The updated list of the Scheme providers is available on the SBCI website www.sbci.gov.ie

For further queries on the Covid-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme, please visit www.sbci.gov.ie or call 1800 804 482.

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“The course is tailored to the needs of our business”

Skills to Advance Highly subsidised Supervisory Management training ₀ To help team leaders and supervisors meet the business challenges of Covid-19 ₀ To upskill in people management, digital and remote working Contact your local Education and Training Board or visit skillstoadvance.ie

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30/03/2021 19/03/2021 14:32 17:03