Making it Happen

The staff of Local Enterprise Offi ces go above and beyond the call of duty to help ‘make it happen’ for entrepreneurs and small business owners, Chair of the Network Oisín Geoghegan tells InBUSINESS.

This year has marked fi ve years since the establishment of Local Enterprise Offi ces in local authorities and Chair of the Network Oisín Geoghegan says it has been the busiest and most successful yet.

Since the Local Enterprise Offi ces were set up fi ve years ago, a great deal has been achieved in helping small businesses to start and grow. Since 2014, Local Enterprise Offi ces have supported the creation of over 18,000 new jobs in small Irish companies in towns and communities all over the country. Alongside this, LEOs have trained nearly 145,000 entrepreneurs and senior managers, helping them to up-skill and further develop their businesses. Local Enterprise Offi ces are funded by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation through Enterprise Ireland.

“We have also made a very significant contribution financially, providing €81.5 million in direct financial assistance to small businesses and startups since 2014,” Mr Geoghegan points out.

Initiatives such as the new Productivity Challenge (to enable Irish SMEs to become more productive and competitive), the popular Trading Online Voucher scheme, and a new startup campaign (Start) have seen great engagement across the country. “In addition, sixteen projects led by LEOs across the country were approved for funding through a new €2.5 million LEO Competitive Fund designed to stimulate innovation in Irish small businesses,” notes Mr Geoghegan.

“At local level, in every county, city, town and village, the LEOs have been actively stimulating enterprise, working to help anyone with a small business or an idea for a new enterprise.

“Winning the ‘Best Local Government Support to Business’ award means a great deal to all staff in the 31 Local Enterprise Offi ces, especially as 2019 is an important milestone year for LEOs,” Mr Geoghegan says. “Each Local Enterprise Offi ce is an extremely busy place. At the heart of every LEO, there is a small, dedicated hardworking team, led by a Head of Enterprise. The staff of LEOs continually go above and beyond the call of duty to help ‘make it happen’ for owner/managers of small business and aspiring entrepreneurs. They are focused on serving the needs of these entrepreneurs and helping them to plan, start and grow their businesses, whatever challenges they face. This award recognises their efforts, supports and achievements and this recognition is hugely important.”

Local Enterprise Week—one of the biggest initiatives of the year for small businesses—will take place from March 2nd to March 6th 2020, under the theme of ‘Making It Happen’.

For more information visit localenterprise.ie