Better Business - Summer 2016

Better 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 W A R D I N G R I S K TA K E R S | S U M M E R 2 0 1 6

BUSINESS

YOUNG BLOOD

IRELAND’S TEEN ENTREPRENEURS

GOING GLOBAL

THE DOS AND DON’TS OF ENTERING FOREIGN MARKETS

IN GOOD SPIRITS THE RENEWED THIRST FOR IRISH WHISKEY

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

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VICKI O’TOOLE ON THE PRESSURES OF FAMILY TRADITION

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LEADER OF THE PACK

HOW TO GET YOUR MESSAGE IN THE MEDIA

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Better 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 W A R D I N G R I S K TA K E R S | S U M M E R 2 0 1 6

WELCOME SUMMER 2016

BUSINESS

YOUNG BLOOD

IRELAND’S TEEN ENTREPRENEURS

Welcome to Better Business, a magazine dedicated to the small business community.

GOING GLOBAL

THE DOS AND DON’TS OF ENTERING FOREIGN MARKETS

IN GOOD SPIRITS THE RENEWED THIRST FOR IRISH WHISKEY

The first edition, in spring 2016, was enjoyed in

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

Edwards, even got his hands on a copy at the

02

SFA Annual Conference. This second edition

9

VICKI O’TOOLE ON THE PRESSURES OF FAMILY TRADITION

SFA 2016_Q2_Cover.indd 1

former Olympic ski jumper, Eddie ‘The Eagle’

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LEADER OF THE PACK

businesses and homes around the country and

HOW TO GET YOUR MESSAGE IN THE MEDIA

contains more stories that inform, inspire and entertain. It will showcase and celebrate the

05/07/2016 13:32

achievements of small companies, provide advice to help you in your business

On the cover: Vicki O’Toole, Managing Director, JJ O’Toole Photograph: Conor McCabe

and keep you up to date on the latest trends at home and abroad. Throughout its pages you will discover the often-hidden stories of Ireland’s small businesses – the highs, the lows, the perseverance and the innovation. In this edition we break down the barriers to selling your products and services abroad, learn about the importance of getting your communication strategy right and explore whether

Editor: Joseph O’Connor

entrepreneurship is a matter of nature or nurture by talking to some of Ireland’s

Managing Editor: Mary Connaughton

young entrepreneurs. We look at what small business can expect during the term

Creative Director: Jane Matthews Design: Alan McArthur

of the new government and give you top tips on business success, networking and

Commercial Editor: Conor Forrest

building your pension. Ireland is a nation of small businesses. Of over 185,000

Editorial Contributors: Orla Connolly,

businesses in the country, 98 per cent have less than 50 employees (small) and

Conor Forrest, Valerie Jordan, Dean Van

84 per cent have less than 10 (micro). These companies can be seen in every city,

Nguyen, Louise Swail

town and village in the country and together they provide employment to over half

Production Manager: Mary Connaughton

of the private sector workforce. The Small Firms Association has been the voice of

Production Executive: Nicole Ennis

small business for over 40 years. We are a trusted partner to over 8,500 member

Account Director: Shane Kelly

companies, spanning every sector and county. We want to make Ireland the most

Sales Director: Paul Clemenson

vibrant small business community in the world – an environment that supports

Managing Director: Gerry Tynan

entrepreneurship, values small business and rewards risk takers. Better Business

Chairman: Diarmaid Lennon

is the magazine of the small business community. We welcome your feedback, suggestions and ideas to info@sfa.ie or on Twitter @SFA_Irl.

Email info@ashville.com or write to Better Business, Ashville Media,

Patricia Callan Director, Small Firms Association

Old Stone Building, Blackhall Green, Dublin 7. Tel: (01) 432 2200 All rights reserved. Every care has been

CULTURE  Arts

Arts  Culture

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 2016. 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

THE

HISTORY ART

&

rebellion REMEMBERED

T

he Easter Rising centenary commemorations have left plenty of lasting memories.

The rebellion’s importance in Irish history has been reflected and captured in tributes, ceremonies and spectacles throughout the country – a calendar of events that has been both sombre and celebratory. The marquee Easter Sunday parades saw over 3,700 personnel from the Defence Forces and Emergency Services take part in a large-scale Dublin parade full of marching bands and airplane pyrotechnics. For many, though, the most impactful take away from 2016 won’t be military exhibition, but artistic accomplishment.

To mark the 100-year anniversary of The Rising, the Arts Council has put on an ongoing programme that attempts to

knit together the nation’s past, present and future. Encompassing everything from dance to visual arts, poetry to music, the initiatives have provided a platform for Irish artists to sketch out their own unique interpretations of the last century.

It makes sense that the arts have been such a pillar in the commemorations.

Joseph Plunkett was a poet and playwright.

Patrick Pearce, also a writer. Sean Mac Diarmada was a newspaperman and Thomas Mac Donagh’s works had been published from a young age. They may be best remembered for wielding a rifle, but their weapon of choice had long been the pen. The arts were embedded in the Rising leaders’ DNA. “This is why we wanted to produce a programme that was visionary and ambitious – because we also wanted to

A Nation’s Voice event which took place on Easter Sunday in conjunction with RTÉ

(LEFT TO RIGHT) Caroline Criado-Perez, Susan McKay, Catríona Crowe, Diarmaid Ferriter and Micheline Sheehy Skeffington at the Ennis Book Festival

ANN

“IT’S FAIRLY AMBITIOUS WHAT WE’RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE BUT I FEEL THE SECTOR ISN’T VERY WELCOMING OF WOMEN OR MINORITIES.”

FRANK

remember those artists who led the rising,” says Orlaith McBride, director of the Arts Council. “They themselves were visionary, they were pushing boundaries and they were trying to imagine a different future, and that’s really what artists do all the time.”

A NATION TOGETHER This dedication to making the arts central to the remembrance was reflected in the high-profile debut of A Nation’s Voice, a huge orchestral and choral work featuring input from composer Shaun Davey and writer Paul Muldoon, among others. The show took place at Collins Barracks shortly after Easter Sunday’s more formal tributes, with over 1,100 voices from 19 different counties joining the National Symphony Orchestra and conductor David Brophy in

ANN O’DEA, CEO OF SILICON REPUBLIC AND FOUNDER OF INSPIREFEST, TALKS TECH, THE IMPORTANCE OF DIVERSITY AND SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESSES.

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Young

Feature  Teen Entrepreneurs

BLOOD

NOT SATISFIED TO SPEND THEIR TEENAGE YEARS LEARNING ABOUT HOW TO FUNCTION AS AN EMPLOYEE IN THE WORKING WORLD, MORE AND MORE STUDENTS ARE DEVELOPING ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS AT A YOUNG AGE. ORLA CONNOLLY CAUGHT UP WITH FOUR TEEN ENTREPRENEURS DETERMINED TO SHOW THE WORLD WHO’S BOSS. EDEL BROWNE AGE: 19

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Ann O’Dea  Interview

THEN

DEAN VAN NGUYEN EXAMINES THE ROLE ARTISTS, MUSICIANS AND WRITERS HAVE PLAYED IN THE EASTER RISING CENTENARY COMMEMORATIONS.

Edel Browne first appeared on the business scene in 2013, when at the age on 16 she won the BT Young Scientist award for her Free Feet project, which looked at gait freezing in Parkinson’s sufferers. Now 19 years old, the biotechnology student at NUI Galway has amassed a vast list of achievements that include participating on the STEMette’s Outbox Incubator in London, being a founding member of the Digital Youth Council of Ireland, a Global Youth Ambassador for AAT (America’s Amazing Teens) and a Global Teen Leader for Three Dot Dash and the We Are Family Foundation. Browne is also an alumnus of the London International Youth Science Forum and has been named as one of 200 Founders of The Future by the Founders Forum.

While it seems impossible that she would have the time, Browne is also entrepreneur in residence at the NUI Galway Blackstone launchpad, which has allowed her to develop her original Free Feet project further. She says: “Free Feet won the NUI Galway Student Enterprise Awards which was an umbrella programme of the launchpad and that gave us funding and office space, which can really help us to scale and succeed this summer. It’s a fantastic opportunity for all NUI Galway students, staff and alumni to be part of.”

From her considerable list of triumphs, Browne still considers her school days success at BT Young Scientists to be her most treasured. “It was the first thing I had really won, and it has really had a massive impact on my life and career choices,” she says. “I wouldn’t be in the incredibly lucky position I’m in today without it!”

BT Young Scientist is one of the many programmes that encourages forward thinking in today’s youth, but Browne thinks that entrepreneurship as a career could be highlighted more within the education system, something she spoke about at the recent SFA Annual Conference. “They really give you an idea of what the practical applications of what potential career paths might be, but I definitely think entrepreneurship could be promoted as a viable career choice more in schools.”

In true entrepreneurial form, Browne is constantly thinking about her next move. For her, a career focused on change and innovation lies ahead. “I want to make a difference and add value with what I do - I’m just not quite sure in what way yet, but I have time on my side to think about it!”

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interview  Ann O’Dea

“I WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND ADD VALUE WITH WHAT I DO - I’M JUST NOT QUITE SURE IN WHAT WAY YET, BUT I HAVE TIME ON MY SIDE TO THINK ABOUT IT!”

Teen Entrepreneurs  Feature

ERIC LASSARD AGE: 12 While most pre-teens are trying to keep apace with the adult world, 12-year old Eric Lassard is leaving it in his wake. With a range of start-ups already in his portfolio, it’s not a question of what can he do, but what will he do next?

For Lassard, attending seminars on the theme of success at a very young age has fuelled his ambition. He boasts that his parents introduced him to his first such event when he was just five days old. “They squeezed me into a big black bag and snook me through. I was sitting there at the event and I observed the environment,” he says with complete seriousness.

At the age of five Lassard couldn’t contain his ambition any longer and began to take action. He says “I jumped on my parents living room table and I held my very first workshop. It was two hours long and my parents had to listen!”

Since then he’s grown to take on projects which have earned him the title of author, motivational speaker and entrepreneur.

Don’t let his age mislead. When it comes to business Lassard certainly isn’t kidding around. Having begun his own bakery service and published a book, The Game Changer, Lassard believes in taking full advantage of every opportunity. His core philosophy for success is to “show up no matter what” and make your idea known. “When you’re there at the opportunity, don’t just sit there and be quiet, speak up, ask questions, network. Other people will know about you and other people will know about your project. Then they can also spread the word and you can create a whole new network.”

Lassard’s ultimate ambition is to attain success equal to the likes of Mark Zuckerberg, one of his personal role models.

“He is somebody who does something to empower the world and connect to the world, which is actually really important.” explains Lassard.

For the immediate future he’s focusing on his new project 1000+, which is a financial education app for both young entrepreneurs and adults that Lassard launched at this year’s Silicon Valley Open Doors event.

An strong believer and advocate of modern education, he believes that current methods of teaching need to be reformed, making education more interactive, fun and creative. “It is lacking something because it’s out of date, in this world every single second there is a new app, a new way of doing something and unfortunately kids are limited in this traditional education. The new way of learning is through technology.”

One day, Lasssard hopes to launch a virtual school where kids from all over the world can connect and learn in their own way. Not content to wait for his years to catch up with his drive, this 12-year old is proving that ambition certainly has no age requirement. “Do not forget, life is a game. Play and win, enjoy the game!” he concludes.

A few weeks before Inspirefest it’s tough to get hold of Ann O’Dea. The CEO of Silicon Republic and founder of the event is busy finalising the impressive programme, focusing on technology, science, design and the arts, with diversity and inclusion at its heart – all of which are close to her heart after almost 25 years as a female covering the technology sector.

Ann O’Dea fell into journalism when she left Ireland following her humanities studies. After nine years in France, she returned to Ireland and carved

out a niche for herself as a freelance journalist, reporting on technology and business. It was the early ‘90s and technology was taking off – for the first time – and she says she fell in love with science, tech and innovation.

In the late ‘90s, Ann cofounded a company called IT News and Media with Darren McAuliffe, producing tech or science-specific supplements for newspapers. Around the turn of the millennium they saw their readers were moving online and made the leap to launch their own online technology

publication, Silicon Republic, in 2001 – right on time for the next wave of tech.

“Silicon Republic grew up alongside the technology industry in Ireland,” says O’Dea. “At the beginning, we would have been covering the traditional tech companies like IBM, Intel and Microsoft and then we were following the arrival of all the born-on-the-internet companies like Google, Twitter and Facebook and more recently companies like Dropbox and HubSpot.”

When Silicon Republic was founded it had about 50,000 readers a month;

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“WHEN YOU’RE THERE AT THE OPPORTUNITY, DON’T JUST SIT THERE AND BE QUIET, SPEAK UP, ASK QUESTIONS, NETWORK.” SFA | BETTER BUSINESS 17

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CONTENTS SUMMER 2016

05 12 16

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

Going Global: Advice from Irish companies that have gone down the export route

Young Blood: Four teen entrepreneurs determined to show the world who’s boss

Cover Story: Vicki O’Toole of JJ O’Toole on family tradition and putting the customer first

Rules of Engagement: How to get your message in the media without a PR team behind you

Knowledge and Passion: The Irish whiskey sector has been experiencing a resurgence after decades in the doldrums

Small Business Profile: Ciara Donlon of Theya Healthcare on the lingerie company’s journey to date

Then Ann Got Frank: Ann O’Dea, CEO of Silicon Republic, talks tech, diversity and supporting small businesses

Sector Spotlight: A look at the landscape for early childhood care and education providers

Arts/Culture: The role artists, musicians and writers have played in the 1916 commemorations

A Day in the Life... of Rebecca Harrison, MD of Fishers of Newtownmountkennedy

22 26 31

34 36 40 42 56 64

Trading Places: An Irish entrepreneur making waves down under

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Summer 2016  Contents

FROM TOP LEFT: Edel Browne on being a trailblazing teen, page 16 // Teeling Whiskey is among those benefiting from a whiskey renaissance in Ireland, page 31 // Ciara Donlon of Theya Healthcare on her company’s success, page 34 // Ann O’Dea, CEO of Silicon Republic and founder of Inspirefest, on the importance of diversity, page 36

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News  Updates

LENDING MFI CUTS INTEREST RATES ON LOANS

Orna Sexton from Coachford College and Conor Murphy from Patrician Academy, Mallow

INNOVATION

Microfinance Ireland (MFI), the Government funded not-for-profit lender to microenterprises, has reduced its lending rate by 1 per cent for all new lending, which took effect from July 1st. Furthermore, MFI, in partnership with the network of Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs), has also launched a support programme to offer expert mentoring assistance to MFI-approved loan applicants, as required.

This mentoring will be provided through LEOs across the country.

Garrett Stokes, the newly-appointed chief executive of MFI, said: “The interest rate cut and mentoring support will mean our business loans are now even more affordable. It also means that our clients can receive expert one-toone mentoring through their Local Enterprise Office, greatly increasing their chances of commercial success and helping to sustain jobs in the longer term.”

BIG NEWS FOR SMALL BUSINESS

Student App Competition Launched

The CEIA, Cork’s Technology Network, has launched a new app development competition for transition year students based on the logic of George Boole. SySTEM, a team-based competition that will run over a 12-week period starting in September 2016, will require teams of up to eight students to establish a mini-technology company and develop an app for a game incorporating the true and false values of Boolean logic.

“The key activity for teams is to have a clear idea and structure as to what they want to achieve with their game, it’s not necessarily about having a fully functioning app.

It is about participating and engaging with IT and STEM subjects,” said Dr Eamon Connolly, Electrical and Electronic Engineering Promotion Officer with the CEIA. For more on Ireland’s young entrepreneurs see our Young Blood feature on page 16

MFI: The Stats

Established in 2012

Approved €14.1 million

Loans to 944 businesses

Supported 2,148 jobs

SFA TAKES THE FLOOR Patricia Callan, SFA Director, participated in a panel discussion on Graduate Employability and the Future of Work, organised by the Association of Higher Education Career Services (AHECS).

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Updates  News

SFA MEMBERS IF YOUR BUSINESS HAS SOME NEWS TO SHARE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE FEATURED IN THE NEXT EDITION OF BETTER BUSINESS, CONTACT LINDA BARRY ON 01-6051626 OR LINDA.BARRY@SFA.IE

Brian, Padhraig and Barry O’Neill, O Brother Brewing

P2P LENDER LAUNCHES FIXED-RATE PRODUCT Irish P2P lending company, Linked Finance, has launched a new fixed-rate loan product in a bid to help small businesses that struggle to access the funds they need to support growth. These fixed-rate loans differ from the typical loans that Linked Finance offer and they are likely to make the lending platform even more appealing to a wider range of Irish businesses. One of those companies taking advantage of Linked Finance’s loan products is O Brother Brewing who have raised €20,000 to increase production capacity. The Wicklow-based brewery run by brothers Barry, Padhraig and Brian O’Neill, will use the funding to build exports and distribute to the supermarket trade in Ireland and overseas.

MOTORING

ON-SITE REFUELING For any fleet owner or operator, fuelling a fleet is one of the biggest expenses and challenges it faces. But thanks to mobile, or on-site fuelling, more and more companies are experiencing reduced fuelling time, improved efficiencies, less equipment downtime and significant cost savings, enabling them to be more competitive. One company providing this very service is On-Site Refueling. “Our customers tell us our service actually saves the expense of one driver for every 10 drivers they employ and one truck for every 10 trucks they own,” says Business Development Manager Cliff Crabb. On-Site Refueling also prides itself on providing a high standard of customer service. “Customers know we will be there during each expected service interval,” Crabb adds.

PRINTING

PROCLAMATION REPRINT

Reprographic Systems, which specialises in the manufacture of flexographic printing plates for the packaging industry, has been doing its bit for the 1916 centenary celebrations. The company, which has a base both sides of the border, was proud to have been involved in the National Print Museum’s reprinting of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic. The reprint took place on Saturday April 23rd exactly 100 hundred years to the day that it was originally printed. The press used for the reprint, a Wharfedale Stop Cylinder Press, is similar to the one used for the historic printing in 1916 and is housed in the museum in the Garrison Chapel of Beggars Bush Barracks. For a look at what the arts has been doing to mark the 1916 centenary go to our arts and culture slot on page 56

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News  Updates

EMIT Scoops Global Gong

In our spring issue of Better Business we spoke with EMIT Solutions about the benefits of partnering with multinational companies and now we can report on how the IT firm is reaping the rewards of its work with Microsoft. In June it was announced that EMIT won the 2016 Microsoft Global Small and Midmarket Cloud Solutions Partner of the Year Award.

The company was honoured among a global field of top Microsoft partners for demonstrating excellence in innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology. Responding to the win, Eamon Moore, Managing director, EMIT, said: “We’re thrilled to win on the global stage and I’m delighted with the dedication and hard work of the entire team that has resulted in this recognition. Less than two years after aligning our business with Microsoft Cloud technologies we have grown our business significantly, whilst delivering innovative and industry-leading solutions to our clients.”

Eamon Moore, Managing Director, EMIT and Aisling Curtis, SMSP Director, Microsoft

PARTNER NEWS TOP TWEETS

Some of the top tweets posted at the SFA Annual Conference #sfaconf SFA Annual Conference 2016 where the glass is definitely half full & more importantly refillable @SFA_Irl #sfaconf

Suzanne Browne @sbrowne74 #sfaconf great insights into building business: #P2P – people do business with people

McGee Pharma International @ McGee_Pharma Great to see @ mitchelloconnor at #sfaconf outlining great focus for her new role – let’s hope it can all be achieved

Becci Harrison @ fishersofnmk #sfaconf entrepreneurship – in a changing economy those who don’t take risks are taking the risk

BIO TECH

IRISH FIRM DEVELOPS NEW DENGUE VIRUS KIT

Dublin-headquartered company Aalto Bio Reagents has announced the availability of a new complete range of Dengue virus proteins for diagnostic test manufacturers, vaccine developers and researchers globally. Dengue virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus closely related to Zika virus and West Nile virus.

Philip Noone, CEO of Aalto Bio Reagents, said: “With the CDC announcement that Zika virus is a cause of microcephaly and other severe foetal brain defects, it is clear that this virus outbreak is a major global concern. In light of this, the need for access to the most scientifically proven raw materials in outbreak situations like this, where fast and accurate diagnosis is required, is becoming more apparent than ever.

At Aalto Bio Reagents, we are continuously expanding our tropical virus product portfolio to meet this need.”

Lisa Quish @ lisaquish

There I was, at the top, shaking like a leaf…It does resonate, indeed #eddietheeagle #sfaconf

Samantha Magee @sdg_magee

@SFA_IRL

CAPTION: Pictured receiving their NSAI certificates were Michael Feehan, DAA Security, Fergus Foran, DerryCourt Cleaning Specialists, Susan McGarry, Ecocem Ireland Limited, Stephen Duffy, Activ8 Energies and Una Clifford from Science Foundation Ireland

STANDARDS USERS REPORT INCREASE IN TURNOVER Irish organisations that use standards have reported an average 20 per cent increase in turnover, according to a new Behaviour & Attitudes study carried out on behalf of the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI). The research found that almost 50 per cent of the 250 firms surveyed have reported an increase in turnover as a result of using standards.

The details were announced as 24 organisations gathered at NSAI offices in Dublin for a special ceremony marking their achievement in becoming certified to world class standards.

In related news, Carr Communications’ PR campaign for its client, the NSAI, has been named the Best Public Sector Campaign of 2016 at the Excellence in Public Relations Awards. ‘Check Your Insulation Products and Installers are NSAI Certified’ beat off stiff competition to clinch the prestigious award, at a special ceremony in the Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin on June 17th.

Since the campaign was launched, five new insulation installers have applied to NSAI and were trained, audited, certified and added to the NSAI’s list of 269 registered installers.

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Updates  News

LINC HOSTS

CROWDFUNDING INFO EVENT

Pictured at the LINC event were entrepreneurs Benny Magennis, from Whackpack Furniture and Paul Canavan from Invizbox with entrepreneur students Michael Hatton, Aishling Smith, Jordan Duncan and Adedoplapo Hamid, participants from the Enterprise Garage course at ITB

The LINC at Institute of Technology Blanchardstown hosted an information breakfast event on June 17th covering all things crowdfunding. Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising many small amounts of money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Many musicians, filmmakers, artists and entrepreneurs have successfully raised funds and fostered awareness through crowdfunding along with some highly successful businesses.

THREE TOP TIPS ON CROWDFUNDING EMERGED FROM THE EVENT:

1

LOOK AT WHAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE DONE – most crowdfunding

platforms leave all campaigns, both successful and unsuccessful, up online after the campaign completes.

This information is gold to someone considering starting their own campaign.

It gives you the opportunity to have a look at what did and didn’t work and why, and helps you plan better for your own campaign.

2

START EARLY – you need to put in the ground work for six months before the date your campaign launches. This means putting up a website and Facebook page, sharing content, sharing your news and creating a buzz around what you are doing.

3

PUT EFFORT INTO YOUR DESIGN

– if you want people to part with their hard earned cash then convince them that you are a credible and realistic project by having a professional presentation online, from logo to copywriting to your video.

THIRST FOR IRISH WHISKEY CONTINUES The Irish Whiskey Association has welcomed a new report published by International Wine and Spirits Research, which shows exports of Irish whiskey continuing to grow significantly in the US, with exports increasing by 19 per cent last year, surpassing the 3 million nine-litre-case mark. The Irish Whiskey Association said that the Irish whiskey category is experiencing a revival in growth, and the US continues to be the number one export market. For a more in-depth look at the industry see our feature on page 31.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT IMMCELL Located in Swords, Co Dublin, Immcell was founded in 2011 with a vision to serve as an innovation hub for the repurposing and repositioning of existing pharmaceutical drugs. An everchanging external environment saw new emerging trends in food and medicine, leading Immcell to embrace change with an innovative spin. The company has gone from a largely research orientated company to a largely revenue earning one, entering into a new field of nutraceuticals. It has just launched its new website www. immcell.ie and has a number of products in the pipeline.

IRISH RECRUITER JOINS GLOBAL ELITE Irish recruitment consultants Principal Connections has announced that it has joined Agilium Worldwide, a global top 20 executive search organisation. The partnership is seen as a great step for the recruitment specialists who have offices in Dublin, Galway and Limerick.

Agilium Worldwide, ranked among the world’s foremost executive search organisations, is an international strategic group of retained executive search firms.

Founded in 1984, Agilium Worldwide has 51 offices in 37 countries.

“To become the exclusive Irish member of one the largest and most successful executive search organisations globally marks a critical step in our strategy to serve our clients with truly superior access to the very best senior management, executive and specialist worldwide talent,” said Pat O’Donnell, Managing Partner, Principal Connections.

Principal Connections is a recruitment and leadership advisory firm specialising in executive search, advertised selection, interim management, non-executive director and chairman appointments in addition to a variety of leadership advisory solutions.

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Know Quality When You See It Quality in education and training is no abstract concept.

Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) promotes the continuous enhancement of quality in Ireland’s further and higher education and training system and its qualifications, enabling learners and other stakeholders to know quality when they see it.

www.QQI.ie Quality for all to see

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Updates  News

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT OMEGA FINANCIAL Founded in 2001, Omega Financial specialises in providing income protection and wealth management services to medical professionals.

Its unique Day 1 Income Protection product has been underwritten by DG Mutual since 1927. Not only is it the sole income protection policy in Ireland with a 100 per cent payment record, but it is futureproofing the personal finance of professionals who are suddenly unable to work due to unforeseen situations, particularly those who have invested heavily

in their careers and businesses. Dr Vladka Vilimkova from Castleknock, Dublin who worked as a consultant paediatrician is one such client who availed of the service. She unexpectedly lost mobility in her shoulder and arm following treatment for breast cancer and was unable to return to employment. She advises: “Whether it’s your car, mortgage, supporting your family, premises and employees, we all have responsibilities to others. As a responsible person, you should be covered.”

For further details on Omega Financial’s income protection products visit www. omegafinancial.ie

He Said

“If everyone spent just €20 a week extra on Irish products, the result would be an extra spend of €170 million on Irish made products during Euro 2016. This would have a significant impact for small business.”

SFA Director Patricia Callan on how buying Irish during the Euros could boost business.

SHe Said

“Insurance costs have increased by 29.6 per cent since 2011, with costs skyrocketing in the last year in particular. Without quick actions from Government this trend will continue, with devastating consequences for small businesses.”

“Small firms will feel the impact of the vote most severely, as they don’t have the same degree of mobility or diversification as larger companies. For many Irish small businesses, the UK is their first and often their only export market.”

warns that small businesses are facing an insurance cost crisis.

speaking about the risks posed to Irish small businesses following Britain’s vote to leave the EU.

SFA Chairman AJ Noonan

SFA Assistant Director Linda Barry

SFA OUTLINES SMALL BUSINESS PRIORITIES GROUP CALLS FOR COMPETITIVENESS IN LIGHT OF BREXIT DECISION

Addressing the National Economic Dialogue on June 27th, SFA Chairman, AJ Noonan, said that “small businesses have twin priorities for this process. The first is to ensure that the Government delivers on its commitment to tax equalisation for self-employed/ proprietary directors. The second is for all parties present to agree on the importance of improving our competitiveness, particularly in light of the Brexit decision.”

In the SFA’s Summer 2016 Small Business Survey, reducing taxation on the self-employed was identified as the most important change the Government could make to boost small business.

SFA Chairman, AJ Noonan said: “There needs to be a real reward for risk-taking.

Our capital gains tax rate penalises entrepreneurial endeavour and should be reduced to 20 per cent to make us competitive with the UK offering. The move to implementing the full PAYE tax credit for self-employed people started in last year’s budget must be fully completed this year, the additional 3 per cent USC should be abolished and a real social welfare safety net for illness or losing a business should be introduced.”

On competitiveness, AJ Noonan stated: “Irish labour costs are the tenth highest in Europe and 20 per cent above the EU average. Irish small firms are at a competitive disadvantage relative to firms in the UK across a number of major business costs and total labour costs are 17 per cent higher in Ireland than in the UK.” He concluded: “Small business can lead the way in helping Ireland to continue to broaden and deepen its recovery, despite international uncertainties. But in order to do this, the Government must create the right conditions by putting in place an enabling tax environment, curbing the cost of doing business (in particular labour costs) and delivering world class physical and digital infrastructure.”

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05/07/2016 11:38

News  Updates

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR PENSION (EVEN IF IT’S IN THE UK!) GARY ELLISON OF ELLISON FINANCIAL CONSULTANTS OFFERS SOME ALTERNATIVE ADVICE ON PLANNING FOR YOUR RETIREMENT. When you finish working you’ll need an income to retire on, and unless you want to be simply surviving on the State pension of €233 per week then it’s essential that you have some form of private pension.

Now many people are put off starting their retirement planning because of the perceived cost but there are many ways to build up finance in order to generate such income.

First and foremost, you should take advantage of the generous allowance provided by Revenue. Revenue will contribute 41 per cent or 20 per cent of your pension savings premium as a tax free allowance making it far easier to accumulate your final pension fund.

But of course it’s not just how much you contribute but also when you start. The age old rule of the earlier the better definitely applies to retirement planning – the ‘rolling snowball’ effect.

One other cost efficient area to explore is to make sure that any pension benefits that you might have accrued while working abroad are transferred to you. Just because you’ve moved back to Ireland doesn’t mean that you forego these. Did you

Gary Ellison, Ellison Financial Consultants

previously work in the UK? If so, did you work for a company that provided you with a company pension? Or did you save into a personal pension plan in the UK? If so, these pension funds can be traced, retrieved, and transferred over to you in Ireland and provide you with a pension fund in Ireland in your name and thus

act as a major ‘kickstart’ to building your pension or a substantial addition to your existing pension fund. Generally, the pension fund can be transferred over tax free by a Revenue approved transfer system called QROPS (Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Scheme).

By the time you reach retirement, it is too late to plan. You need to start a personal pension if self-employed, or a Directors Executive Pension if you have a limited company, or if you are seeking a new employment as PAYE, then join an employer/company that offers a company pension plan – one where the employer will contribute premiums to your pension.

Ellison Financial Consultants is a financial broker and a specialist in UK pension transfers to Ireland. It can carry out your pension transfer for you, and help and advise you on pension fund growth and choices in maximising your income in pension encashment and retirement. For further details contact Gary Ellison on (01) 8038105/087 2589894, email gary@ellison.ie or visit www.ellison.ie. Dr Gary Ellison, t/a Ellison Financial Consultants, is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

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05/07/2016 11:38

Feature  Exporting

Going

GLOBAL STARTING TO SELL ABROAD CAN BE AN INTIMIDATING STEP TO MAKE FOR A SMALL COMPANY. BETTER BUSINESS SOUGHT ADVICE FROM A FEW IRISH COMPANIES WHO HAVE GONE DOWN THE EXPORT ROUTE.

Think that your company is ready to begin selling its wares overseas, but not sure where to start? Exporting isn’t just for large companies, especially now that the internet has made it easier than ever to reach customers around the world.

There are a whole host of issues to potentially put a firm off taking the export plunge – shipping, distribution, currency conversion, taxes, duties, marketing, packaging – to name but a handful.

However, none of those, individually nor collectively, are anything that an expansion-hungry business can’t overcome.

Enterprise Ireland highlights success in export markets as crucial to the long-term growth of Irish businesses and the Irish economy. The organisation offers a number of supports for companies focused on growth through international sales.

The state agency pinpoints a number of reasons why Irish firms should consider selling abroad, including: spreading business risk across markets; opening the business up to new ideas for products and services; achieving greater economies of scale; improving cost-competitiveness;

enhancing credibility with customers; and increasing the skills, knowledge and expertise amongst staff.

Many firms are seemingly heeding that advice. Statistics show that the value of goods exported out of Ireland in 2015 rose by an incredible 20 per cent to €111 billion.

While pharmaceuticals and chemicals account for much of that activity, a number of more mainstream sectors continue to enjoy strong growth. Bord Bia estimates that the value of Irish food and drink exports increased by 3 per cent in 2015 to exceed €10.8 billion for the first time. This was the sixth consecutive year of growth for the sector.

For most Irish firms seeking to establish international sales, the UK represents the most attractive first port of call. The reasons for that are fairly unsurprising - familiarity, common language, short distance and good transport links.

But many Irish firms are increasingly looking further afield when identifying potential markets. Irish exports to Arab markets surpassed all forecasts in 2015 with the value of goods and services

topping €5.3bn, from a previous high of €4bn. Evidence of the increasingly adventurous nature of Irish companies can be found by browsing through the list of recent Enterprise Ireland trade missions.

Some of the recently visited countries which catch the eye include Iran, Ghana, Nigeria, China and the Czech Republic.

First Export Steps How do you know if your firm is ready to export? A handy first port of call for any business seeking to answer that question is the Export Health Check function on the Enterprise Ireland website. The free tool features 10 questions and a firm’s answers

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05/07/2016 11:23

Exporting  Feature

Exporting to the UK Your Brexit Guide Now that the UK has voted leave the European Union, what should Irish exporters do?

• Stay calm – clear heads and strategic planning are crucial to navigating Brexit.

• Communicate with your clients and suppliers as soon as possible. Emphasise that there will be no immediate changes to trade agreements. Reassure them that you are putting in place a strategy to deal with post-Brexit implications as they relate to your business relationship.

• Review your client and supplier contracts and evaluate the possible impact of currency volatility. Discuss options, such as pricing your contracts in Euro, with your financial advisor or bank.

• If drawing up or renewing contracts with customers/ suppliers/distributors in the UK, ensure that there are flexible review clauses written into the documents.

are used to produce a downloadable list of practical tips and templates.

One Irish firm which has leaned on Enterprise Ireland to make the leap overseas is Blessington-based Ventac, which manufactures an innovative range of noisereduction materials for use in noisy vehicles such as tractors, buses and trucks.

According to Darren Fortune, Managing Director of Ventac: “Our first real overseas contract we won was with Alexander Dennis in the UK in 2008. Alexander Dennis are the biggest bus and coach builder in the UK and we had been trying to supply them for some time. Persistence finally paid off when Alexander Dennis

decided they wanted to restructure and enhance their brand. They were also losing business contracts to competitors and one of the reasons was the noise levels on their buses. This was our opportunity to support ADL and improve the noise levels on their buses. Our partnership helped them win new contracts and today they are one of our biggest customers.”

With that UK contract in the bag, Ventac has since gone on to sell its products into a whole host of other countries. Fortune adds: “We currently export to the UK, Czech Republic, Turkey, Netherlands, Latvia, Belgium, Switzerland and the USA. The European markets we sell into are

• Competitiveness is more important than ever in the current uncertain environment.

Re-examine your cost base and consider ways of increasing your competitive advantage, for example by developing management capabilities in your firm.

• Put in place a process to review your medium-term business strategy, including market diversification, currency hedging and risk management.

If you are unsure of how to proceed, contact Linda Barry, SFA Assistant Director, on 01-6051626 or linda.barry@sfa.ie

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Feature  Exporting electronic customs services. This company was using our system (myCustoms) for about two months when they came to us and asked if we could develop myCustoms to allow them to conduct their business in Northern Ireland as well as the Republic of Ireland. We were able to specify the requirements for connecting myCustoms to the UK HMRC customs system and proceeded to develop and test the gateway. This development allowed us to commercialise our software, not only in Northern Ireland but also in all other parts of the UK. This development has allowed us secure a contract with Asda, the third largest supermarket in the UK.”

Stephen Treacy, CEO, CustomsMatters

supported by localised Ventac support offices. We have overseas offices in the Netherlands, Czech Republic and Turkey.

This gives us a presence and credibility in our target market and shows the customer we are committed to supporting them locally.”

Fortune believes that one of the main challenges likely to be faced by any small Irish firm seeking to sell abroad is credibility in terms of the company brand.

Fortune says: “You are selling into a foreign market against local competitors and it’s important that you have a visible presence in this market. That means getting on a plane and spending the time with your targeted market. The different cultures you come across in European markets are fascinating and challenging, you need to understand the business norms and respect the different cultures in these markets.”

When it comes to the biggest challenge faced by Ventac in its pursuit of sales abroad, Fortune pinpoints the language barrier. However, he believes that this has become easier in recent years as English increasingly becomes the main business language. Fortune is complimentary about the help offered by Enterprise Ireland, particularly in the areas of market research and introductions to potential customers in new markets.

Trade Shows Attending an overseas trade show can be a good way for a business to ascertain the potential of an unknown market. Taking a stand at a foreign event can be pricey for a small firm. The good news, however, is that

trade fair costs are one of the expenditures covered under Enterprise Ireland’s Internationalisation Grant, designed to help Irish firms research and explore business opportunities in international markets.

The grants are available to clients of Enterprise Ireland and cover 50 per cent of market research costs, up to a maximum of €35,000. As well as trade fair costs, the grant can be used to support the cost of company employees undertaking the research, foreign travel and subsistence and external consultancy fees.

Santry-based customs solutions company CustomsMatters made its foray overseas after attending trade shows. The firm’s CEO Stephen Treacy explains: “One of the main challenges we faced when starting to sell abroad was a lack of really worthwhile market intelligence, i.e. size of market, number of potential customers, number of competitors etc. We looked to see if there were industry associations or indeed trade shows that our prospective customers or competitors would attend. Trade shows and industry associations proved to be a vital source of information. The customs software market is well established in the UK and we were successful in our application to join a very useful and helpful industry association called the AFSS (Association of Freight Software Suppliers).”

Treacy says that CustomsMatters secured its first overseas contract in 2008, after they were approached by a company from another country who had been using their product here in Ireland. “We had just secured a contract with a well-known lowcost German retailer for the provision of

Do Your Research CustomsMatters has since also moved into the US market. Treacy’s advice to any company considering exporting is to carry out lots of market research. But he stresses that getting on the ground as soon as possible is vital in winning over the trust of customers.

“A significant challenge faced by new entrants is trying to service a market remotely. It is imperative to be ‘on the ground’ and talk to as many people as possible, be they prospective customers, competitors or industry practitioners.

There is no substitute for face-to-face market intelligence. To that end we have set up an office near our target area of London Heathrow.”

Back at Ventac, Fortune also extols the virtues of market research when entering new markets. “You must understand the customer and their needs, understand what the competition is offering, and understand the environment in which you wish to do business,” he says. “This will enable you to positon your company differently from your competitors, and you can then tailor your offering to meet the customer’s needs.”

When asked to single out one key piece of advice for any firm that wants to start exporting, Fortune is unequivocal: “Go for it,” he says. “European markets can be challenging but there are many great benefits to be gained. Irish companies have built a great reputation for innovation and reliability in export markets. It is very important to ensure you have the right internal structures and resources in your organisation to develop your chosen export market. When your opportunity comes with a new customer, it is critical to deliver on what you promised. You also need to have patience and resilience when entering new markets. It takes time for companies in foreign markets to believe and engage with you.”

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05/07/2016 12:18

Young

Feature  Teen Entrepreneurs

BLOOD

NOT SATISFIED TO SPEND THEIR TEENAGE YEARS LEARNING ABOUT HOW TO FUNCTION AS AN EMPLOYEE IN THE WORKING WORLD, MORE AND MORE STUDENTS ARE DEVELOPING ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS AT A YOUNG AGE. ORLA CONNOLLY CAUGHT UP WITH FOUR TEEN ENTREPRENEURS DETERMINED TO SHOW THE WORLD WHO’S BOSS. EDEL BROWNE AGE: 19 Edel Browne first appeared on the business scene in 2013, when at the age on 16 she won the BT Young Scientist award for her Free Feet project, which looked at gait freezing in Parkinson’s sufferers. Now 19 years old, the biotechnology student at NUI Galway has amassed a vast list of achievements that include participating on the STEMette’s Outbox Incubator in London, being a founding member of the Digital Youth Council of Ireland, a Global Youth Ambassador for AAT (America’s Amazing Teens) and a Global Teen Leader for Three Dot Dash and the We Are Family Foundation. Browne is also an alumnus of the London International Youth Science Forum and has been named as one of 200 Founders of The Future by the Founders Forum.

While it seems impossible that she would have the time, Browne is also entrepreneur in residence at the NUI Galway Blackstone launchpad, which has allowed her to develop her original Free Feet project further. She says: “Free Feet won the NUI Galway Student Enterprise Awards which was an umbrella programme of the launchpad and that gave us funding and office space, which can really help us to scale and succeed this summer. It’s a fantastic opportunity for all NUI Galway students, staff and alumni to be part of.”

From her considerable list of triumphs, Browne still considers her school days success at BT Young Scientists to be her most treasured. “It was the first thing I had really won, and it has really had a massive impact on my life and career choices,” she says. “I wouldn’t be in the incredibly lucky position I’m in today without it!”

BT Young Scientist is one of the many programmes that encourages forward thinking in today’s youth, but Browne thinks that entrepreneurship as a career could be highlighted more within the education system, something she spoke about at the recent SFA Annual Conference. “They really give you an idea of what the practical applications of what potential career paths might be, but I definitely think entrepreneurship could be promoted as a viable career choice more in schools.”

In true entrepreneurial form, Browne is constantly thinking about her next move. For her, a career focused on change and innovation lies ahead. “I want to make a difference and add value with what I do - I’m just not quite sure in what way yet, but I have time on my side to think about it!”

“I WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND ADD VALUE WITH WHAT I DO - I’M JUST NOT QUITE SURE IN WHAT WAY YET, BUT I HAVE TIME ON MY SIDE TO THINK ABOUT IT!”

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Teen Entrepreneurs  Feature

ERIC LASSARD AGE: 12 While most pre-teens are trying to keep apace with the adult world, 12-year old Eric Lassard is leaving it in his wake. With a range of start-ups already in his portfolio, it’s not a question of what can he do, but what will he do next?

For Lassard, attending seminars on the theme of success at a very young age fuelled his ambition. He boasts that his parents introduced him to his first such event when he was just five days old. “They squeezed me into a big black bag and snook me through. I was sitting there at the event and I observed the environment,” he says with complete seriousness.

At the age of five Lassard couldn’t contain his ambition any longer and began to take action. He says: “I jumped on my parents living room table and I held my very first workshop. It was two hours long and my parents had to listen!”

Since then he’s grown to take on projects which have earned him the title of author, motivational speaker and entrepreneur.

Don’t let his age mislead. When it comes to business Lassard certainly isn’t kidding around. Having begun his own bakery service and published a book, The Game Changer, Lassard believes in taking full advantage of every opportunity. His core philosophy for success is to “show up no matter what” and make your idea known. “When you’re there at the opportunity, don’t just sit there and be quiet, speak up, ask questions, network. Other people will know about you and other people will know about your project. Then they can also spread the word and you can create a whole new network.”

Lassard’s ultimate ambition is to attain success equal to the likes of Mark Zuckerberg, one of his personal role models.

“He is somebody who does something to empower the world and connect to the world, which is actually really important.” explains Lassard.

For the immediate future he’s focusing on his new project 1000+, which is a financial education app for both young entrepreneurs and adults that Lassard launched at this year’s Silicon Valley Open Doors event.

A strong believer and advocate of modern education, he believes that current methods of teaching need to be reformed, making education more interactive, fun and creative. “It is lacking something because it’s out of date, in this world every single second there is a new app, a new way of doing something and unfortunately kids are limited in this traditional education. The new way of learning is through technology.”

One day, Lasssard hopes to launch a virtual school where kids from all over the world can connect and learn in their own way. Not content to wait for his years to catch up with his drive, this 12-year old is proving that ambition certainly has no age requirement. “Do not forget, life is a game. Play and win, enjoy the game!” he concludes.

“WHEN YOU’RE THERE AT THE OPPORTUNITY, DON’T JUST SIT THERE AND BE QUIET, SPEAK UP, ASK QUESTIONS, NETWORK.” SFA | BETTER BUSINESS 17

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Feature  Teen Entrepreneurs

LAUREN BOYLE AGE: 11 After the airing of a Late Late Show episode where CoderDojo founder James Whelton discussed the benefits of his innovative coding club for kids, Lauren Boyle was hooked. Within her first year of coding, Boyle won one of CoderDojo Coolest Projects prizes and since then, her accomplishments and her skills, not only as a coder but an entrepreneur, have grown significantly.

At just 11 years old, Boyle is the founder of a series of websites aimed at helping children navigate daily issues. The first, Cool Kids Studio, is a website dedicated to teaching children about social relationships, homework and even bullies. Since her success with Cool Kids Studio, Boyle has branched out to create two new sister sites, one that tackles healthy eating and another that provides children with creative art projects. She has also launched her own app, Cool STEAM Kids, which encourages children to get involved with science and technology.

Boyle recalls her most memorable career highlight to date as being named the 2014 European Digital Girl of the Year. “The next morning it was so cool, I was interviewed by Fran McNulty on Morning Ireland from my hotel room in Rome. It felt like I was in a very nice dream. I was just home from Rome and I went straight to the Web Summit to speak in front of 5,500 school kids, which was awesome! The following day I spoke at the main Web Summit event.”

Boyle is confident that, as her career progresses, coding and technology will remain at the forefront of her endeavours. “I hope to set up a business some day, I have lots of ideas. I would

probably like to start my own business in the science, tech and engineering fields,” she says. “I realise coding is an important skill and whatever career I choose, I’m sure there will be some aspect of coding involved.”

Boyle will be spending her summer returning to the CoderDojo Coolest Projects competition along with developing a new futuristic education project impacting over 1,000 people in ten countries as part of the EmTechLeaders team. Unlike most professionals three times her age, Boyle prides herself on realising the need for a healthy work-life balance. Along with her coding projects she’ll be setting aside plenty of time for her other passions like violin, hockey, basketball, skiing and some quality time with her friends.

“I HOPE TO SET UP A BUSINESS SOME DAY, I HAVE LOTS OF IDEAS. I WOULD PROBABLY LIKE TO START MY OWN BUSINESS IN THE SCIENCE, TECH AND ENGINEERING FIELDS.” 18 SFA | BETTER BUSINESS

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Teen Entrepreneurs  Feature

LUKE BYRNE AGE: 16 Like most great ideas, Luke Byrne’s inspiration for Headphone Helpers didn’t come about after hours spent cloistered in a dark room trying to invent the next big product. Instead, the 16-year old Wicklow native encountered a problem in his everyday life and chose to see it as an opportunity instead of a barrier. When his earphones continued to fall out during his routine run, Byrne set his mind to finding a solution. “That kind of started me off and pushed me on, so it was a problem that basically I wanted to solve,” he explains.

His patent-pending invention comprises a silicone band which runs across the back of the neck and secures a pair of headphones neatly in place. Byrne’s Headphone Helpers took centre stage at this year’s Student Enterprise Awards, which saw 201 student entrepreneurs from 69 different schools showcase 76 enterprises.

The competition may have reached its conclusion with Byrne securing the top prize in the senior division, but his ambitions for this handy invention haven’t stopped there. “I have plans to push the product as far as I can,” he says. “The Leaving Cert is around the corner at the moment so I think that will be taking first preference but I’ll be pushing it along as well.”

Since his win, Byrne has received a wealth of praise and media attention from the likes of Two Tube, The Irish Examiner and The

“I’VE A FEW UP MY SLEEVE SO WE’LL SEE WHAT WE DO IN THE FUTURE. HOPEFULLY I CAN MAKE A FEW MORE THINGS AND GET A FEW MORE BUSINESSES OUT THERE.” Irish Independent. His Headphone Helpers have also been discussed on the Late Late Show by presenter Ryan Tubridy. “I’ve had some great publicity such as Two Tube. I was on there and people received it very well. My website has gotten a lot more hits and of course, sales have gone through the roof, so we’re doing well,” he says.

This is an entrepreneurial first for Byrne who is hoping to make business a long term career in the future. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. Setting up the company has been brand new so I had to get used to doing things by myself which was a great experience.” Judging on his early success, it is likely that this won’t be the last we hear from Byrne and he’s already contemplating future projects. “I’ve a few up my sleeve so we’ll see what we do in the future. Hopefully I can make a few more things and get a few more businesses out there.”

For now, it’s just a case of getting his Leaving Cert out of the way!

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05/07/2016 12:19

how to ...  Tips

Patricia Callan

Director @Small Firms Association

d e t c e n n o et C

G

TIPS FOR NETWORKING SUCCESS

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IT’S ALL ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS People do business with people they like. Approach every engagement as if it’s a personal rather than business one. Good relationships are twoway, and are built on trust. Listen effectively. You need to be as focused on how you can deliver for the other person as on what they can do for you. Become known as a connector and you will be sought out by others.

NOBODY LIKES BEING SOLD TO Selling is an art. Nobody likes being sold to. Everyone likes to learn new things and to avail of new products and services that will assist them in achieving their own goals. Position yourself as an educator, rather than a salesperson.

Bear in mind that even though what you’re offering may not be directly relevant to the person you’re speaking with, they will likely know someone it is perfect for.

NETWORKING Networking forms part of all SFA events – check out www.sfa.ie/events for more. You can also join our virtual community online by following us on Twitter: @SFA_Irl or connecting with our LinkedIn group.

BE PREPARED Your time is valuable. Only attend networking events where you are interested in the subject being discussed and where the people you will meet are likely to be of use to you.

Get the attendance list in advance and identify five new people that you are going to talk to. Bring your business cards or company information. Arrive early so you are well positioned in the room.

ALWAYS FOLLOW-UP Write the name of the event you met at on the person’s business card.

Send a follow-up mail or make a phone call within 24 to 48 hours. If you have promised a referral, follow through. If a referral works out for you, say thank you.

Send handwritten thank you notes – in an electronic world it makes a great impression. Evaluate each event and note the things you said that connected with people.

ELEVATOR PITCH You should be able to describe who you are and what your business does in 90 seconds. This is known as your elevator pitch and should always be the same. It’s how you want every person you meet to describe you to someone else.

It’s easier said than done, so write it out and get practicing! You only get one chance to make a good first impression.

UPSKILL Networking is a very valuable skill and should be cultivated.

If it is not something that comes naturally to you, then you should attend a training programme to help you. Having the courage to not stick like glue to people you already know, spending just the right amount of time and politely moving on, are all things that can be learnt. It’s important to enjoy yourself, otherwise it shows. Upskill and gain in confidence.

The SFA run dedicated speed˜networking events,

which are a great introduction to networking. These are facilitated three-minute one-to-one meetings, which allow each person to spend 90 seconds delivering their elevator pitch, in a seated format, and you are guaranteed to meet 20 people in an hour.

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05/07/2016 11:36

Business  Cover Story

LEADER OF

THE

BETTER BUSINESS WAS IN RAHEEN, CO LIMERICK TO CHAT WITH VICKI O’TOOLE, MD OF IRELAND’S OLDEST PACKAGING SUPPLIER, ABOUT THE PRESSURES OF FAMILY TRADITION AND PUTTING THE CUSTOMER FIRST. oldest packaging supplier and O’Toole’s journey to the top was by no means an easy one.

It was certainly never O’Toole’s intention to manage the company inherited by her husband. But that didn’t mean the once homemaker and mother of five lacked ambition. She recalls a conversation with her best friend where she said she never wanted to be remembered as someone whose biggest accolade was being a good mother and wife. As important as those things were, she strove for more. “I knew there was something else I was going to have to

do. I didn’t know what it was going to be. I certainly never thought for a second it would be in packaging.”

But business was in O’Toole’s blood. Her father, himself, ran a fifth generation business in Limerick. She says she learned a lot from him at a young age, and despite studying law when she left school, it was business that always interested her, even at social events. “I always remember, even way before Fergus got sick, we’d be having dinner with friends or people we had in our house and I always seemed to lean towards the men’s conversation,” recalls

Photo: Conor McCabe

“I love the business but the main thing is that I just don’t want to let these people down,” says Vicki O’Toole gesturing towards the family portraits on the wall of her Limerick office. “Even though I know they’re not here, I do feel like they’re out there somewhere saying, ‘God, look at her now.’”

Look at her indeed. O’Toole is managing director of JJ O’Toole, an Irish company steeped in tradition. She took over the business in 2010 following the death of her husband Fergus, grandson of the original founder. At 102 years old, the company is Ireland’s

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Cover Story  Business

“I KNEW THERE WAS SOMETHING ELSE I WAS GOING TO HAVE TO DO. I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT IT WAS GOING TO BE. I CERTAINLY NEVER THOUGHT FOR A SECOND IT WOULD BE IN PACKAGING.”

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Business  Cover Story

“IF I DID SELL IT, IT WOULD BE A SHAME BECAUSE WITH IT BEING SUCH A LOVELY BRAND, I WOULD ALWAYS WORRY THAT SOMEBODY, IF THEY WERE BIG, WOULD GOBBLE IT UP AND THE WHOLE IDENTITY OF IT WOULD BE GONE.”

O’Toole. “I was quite interested in what they were saying about business, as long as it wasn’t getting boring to an extent where it wasn’t making any sense to me.”

But ultimately it took a tragic circumstance and the necessity to support a family for O’Toole to take that leap of faith. It was a move that would eventually see her leading a staff of 27 and a successful business with an annual turnover of €9 million. “But I’m lucky that, and I’m not lying when I say this, I do love packaging,” she says with all sincerity. “It would be really, really hard if I didn’t.”

Based in Raheen Business Park, Co Limerick, JJ O’Toole offers packaging solutions to some of Ireland and Britain’s leading brands such as Avoca, Dunnes Stores, Brown Thomas, Fenwick and Selfridges. The company supplies packaging to all sectors from industrial to retail, and that can be anything from toilet rolls to its exquisite, luxury packaging.

Although it primarily markets itself as a packaging supplier, JJ O’Toole also acts as a middleman, limiting the links in the supply chain for its customers. That means being involved in design, sourcing (anywhere from Tipperary to Vietnam), production and even storage.

Along with offering the above, the company prides itself on customer care and, according to O’Toole, at the company, the customer always comes first, something she believes sets it apart from its competitors. “I was asked years ago, ‘tell me words that are synonymous with your company’,” she recalls. “And what makes us stand out from others is that we are customer centric. That’s really important, that they come first. On LinkedIn, you often read about how employees are number one. I don’t get that at all, our customers are number one. My colleagues and I are equally number two. You have to understand that without clients we’d have

no business.”

When it comes to winning new clients, in any industry it can be a real challenge for small businesses to compete with large multinationals, and it’s no different in packaging. Despite this, O’Toole asserts that being small often works in her favour and that on more than one occasion, the company has been flexible enough to have helped clients emerge unscathed from a difficult scenario.

“When you’re dealing with the likes of Selfridges, who are huge and who were voted best department store in the world consecutively three times now, you might wonder, ‘why would they bother with us?’

But sometimes small is better than big. Big doesn’t always mean best. We’re a family business, and we’re very responsive. We are more flexible but as well as that, each client means so much to us. We don’t have 500 large clients, we don’t want 500 large clients. When they send us an email we want to be able to respond and know what we’re talking about.”

Keeping ahead of the curve when it comes to packaging concepts and trends has proven critical too. Environmentally friendly packaging is truly on-trend right now and soon JJ O’Toole will be supplying Selfridges with bamboo bags, a bold move for the department store given that most in the UK still use plastic. “They’ve gone a step further than they’ve even needed to go and that’s so admirable,” says O’Toole.

“I’m adoring the eco packaging. That has just gone to a different level and Selfridges have to be complimented for that.”

O’Toole clearly has a passion for packaging. You can hear it when she speaks about the creative side of the process and points to the latest designs for Fenwick stacked beside her desk; the kind you’d see carried by glamorous shoppers on Fifth Avenue. “They’re just prototypes, not the final versions,” she says. “But

they had a famous designer who was an illustrator for Vogue magazine and he designed their artwork for their 125th birthday. I work closely with them so I love that part. I flew over to London to visit their flagship store on Bond Street and it was lovely to speak to their designers and their buyers and to bring over samples. We had to talk about the handles, eyelets and finishes. So when someone says to me, ‘sure it’s only a bag.’

I’m like, ‘hello? No it’s not!’”

All things considered, O’Toole came late to business, having married young and rasied five children. So does this mean that she’ll stick around the boardroom that little bit longer than most would? And given the family history of the company, will it be one of her children (her eldest is almost 30) who takes over the reins once she decides to call it a day? O’Toole is far from emphatic in her response, though she is sure that anyone who takes charge will be put through their paces first.

“Who’s to say that anybody who would ever run this business, family or non-family, are going to excel in it?” she asks. “Just because you’re blood doesn’t mean that you’re going to be good at it.

That’s what I’m trying to avoid here. You sometimes see how children of doctors end up becoming doctors too but later they realise that they’re not crazy about it. Sure look at me, I did law because I thought Daddy thought it would be a great idea, and I hated it.”

SFA FACT Did you know?

Vicki has plans in the pipeline to write a book. She says her friends are worried because they’re all going to feature in it. Regardless of the content, we have no doubt it will be perfectly packaged!

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Cover Story  Business O’Toole says she has “a major problem” with any of her children seeing the business as something to fall back on. “It’s not going to happen here, it’s no fallback,” she insists. “For instance, if my son JJ wants to come in here, he has to work for at least two or three different companies to get experience. He has his master’s in finance but he has to get more qualifications so he can sit here. You open a can of worms when you start talking about it but I’m very open with my children on the issue. I’m kind of saying to them, ‘If I sell it in two years’ time, what are you going to do then?’

They had better have a plan B.” If O’Toole was to sell the company, there would be a lot of factors to consider, breaking a century-old family tradition being one. “If I did sell it, it would be a shame because with it being such a lovely brand, I would always worry that somebody, if they were big, would gobble it up and the whole identity of it would be gone. Change is good but there’s so much history in this place that you want to keep it. So it’s tricky, but I don’t know.”

Before any such decisions need to be made, O’Toole has plenty to keep her busy in the forseeable future. For one, she would like to have more of a footing in the UK market over the next five years, where much of the company’s high-end business comes from. That’s on a commercial level, but from a personal perspective, she hopes that her life becomes less hectic, enabling her to have a healthier work-life balance and to spend more time with her family and less time sifting through emails and sourcing manufacturers.

Plenty to keep O’Toole on her toes by the sounds of it. And those family portraits on her office wall will undoubtedly continue to act as a constant reminder of the family tradition over which she presides.

According to O’Toole, it’s the fear of failure that truly keeps her motivated.

“Does it weigh heavily?” she asks. “It does, even though people say there’s no huge expectations on me, there is. Funnily, the more successful you become the more expectations you put on yourself. I work primarily for my children and then for everybody that works here. I’m very conscious that some of them have wives and they have kids and you don’t want to let them down. So yeah, that’s my motivation.”

Vicki O’Toole has been managing director of JJ O’Toole since 2010. This year the company won Best Services Company at the SFA National Small Business Awards. Photo: Conor McCabe

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Feature  Media Engagement

RULES

OF

ENGAGEMENT

WITHOUT BIG ADVERTISING BUDGETS AND SPECIALISED PERSONNEL, DEVELOPING A STRONG MEDIA PRESENCE IS A REAL CHALLENGE FOR ANY SMALL BUSINESS. BETTER BUSINESS LOOKS AT HOW YOU CAN GET YOUR MESSAGE IN THE MEDIA WITHOUT THAT PR TEAM TO CHURN OUT PRESS RELEASES AND CHASE DOWN EDITORS. When it comes to PR, larger firms often have the luxury of possessing entire departments dedicated to managing the press. However, it’s not all about resources and more about know-how and, when tackled efficiently, effective media exposure can be both as valuable and obtainable for the small business owner as it is for the mulitnational. Some of the biggest roadblocks affecting how small companies interact with the media is an unfamiliarity with relevant news outlets, poorly written press releases and a lack of press contacts.

But before considering these pitfalls, focus should remain chiefly on the service or product being offered by your business.

“Anyone planning to do media needs to consider two very clear questions,” states Barry McLoughlin, Senior Training Consultant at the Communications Clinic in Dublin. “What does my audience know about my product or service now? And what do I want my audience to know about my service or product afterwards?” Most small businesses are so eager to create a

media presence for their company that they don’t address these two issues as carefully as they should, resulting in poor coverage if they get any at all.

Next, consider what type of press would give you optimum exposure to your target audience. While it’s tempting to aim for national press coverage, if you’re a local business trying to seek out local custom, this type of coverage is no good to you.

Always consider your audience and their news habits. Local customers will listen to central broadcasts and read regional newspapers, so direct your attention towards these media outlets. “People think I’ve got to be on Pat Kenny or I had better be on Sean O’Rourke, not at all. If you can get on local media, that generates an awful lot of interest in the locality, people will hear it,” says McLoughlin.

Another tactic is seeking out publications or journalists that frequently write about your industry. The more relevant your business is to a publication the more exposure they are likely to give

your story. Within a specific publication, find a journalist who has an interest in the type of news you’re trying to promote.

Make sure you’re not only familiar with their area of interest but also their previous publications, their writing style and their deadline dates. “The Irish media is particularly open and supportive of entrepreneurs and Irish businesses so they already have a headstart,” says Astrid Brennan of the FleishmanHillard Boutique, which offers communications services to small businesses in Ireland. “However, they need to be familiar with the format of certain columns and journalistic styles to be able to make the right approach. They also need to understand the lead-times of certain publications, which work months in advance.”

A small company can make a memorable impact on the press by simply writing an effective press release. A keen attention to grammar, spelling and punctuation should be a given for anything your business sends out, but before you begin to construct your

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Media Engagement  Feature

“THE IRISH MEDIA IS PARTICULARLY OPEN AND SUPPORTIVE OF ENTREPRENEURS AND IRISH BUSINESSES SO THEY ALREADY HAVE A HEADSTART.” Astrid Brennan, FleishmanHillard Boutique

release you should ask yourself the same question that any feature writer would: Why is this story interesting? “A typical mistake that smaller companies make is they send out a press release that’s written from the company’s point of view, rather than the reader of a newspaper article’s point of view,” says McLoughlin.

Instead of using your press release as a sales pitch, you have to offer the audience something different; tell them a story. “Most of us are generally interested in things we haven’t heard before, find surprising or help solve our problems,” says Brennan. Putting a spin on a good story, whether it be sponsorship of a local club or a charity event at your place of business, can be of real interest to a reader. Journalists are bombarded with press releases on a daily basis, so sifting through them is more of a penance than a pleasure. Most PR professionals advise against exacerbating this problem by providing tedious information about every event. Brennan warns: “If you keep

sending irrelevant releases, then your big announcements won’t make any impact.”

To ensure your release is noticed at all, a strong headline is a must. “An effective press release will always have a killer headline that will grab attention,” says Brennan. In addition, your first paragraph is the most important and should always contain the ‘Five W’s’ and one ‘H’ of journalism. That’s who, what, where, why, when and how. Also, don’t have your best information tucked away at the bottom of the page. Chances are if the story hasn’t gotten interesting by the end of the first paragraph, nobody will read the second.

Once an expertly crafted press release has been sent out, the work isn’t over. At this stage a PR department starts making phone calls to relevant publications and broadcasters. Calling the specific journalist, suggesting how your news could fit into their publication, and adding a human element to the name on the press release can have a huge effect on the chances of them reading and publishing your news.

Make sure your contact details are easily accessible on your press release for anyone who wants to investigate your story further. If you’re sending the release via email, include links to relevant information about your business or service. Being accessible to the media may also mean working outside normal hours to accommodate a journalist on a deadline. “Timing is everything so find out when the deadlines are and make sure you provide information or pictures well in advance,” says Brennan. “Most journalists are also incredibly busy so ask them when would be a good time to call back or arrange to meet them at an event they are attending.”

Finding the time and resources to carry out the above efficiently will undoubtedly be your biggest challenge as a small business, but taking that extra hour to have someone proofread a press release or putting in a follow-up phone call to the regional newspaper might make all the difference.

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05/07/2016 11:35

Advice  Wise Guys

WISE GUYS

IN BUSINESS AND THRIVING - SIX INDUSTRY EXPERTS SHARE ONE SECRET OF THEIR SUCCESS

1

HR Fredericka Sheppard

Joint Managing Director, Voltedge

2

Naturally we buy from the person who offers us what we need or who helps us define and understand what’s needed, not just what’s on offer. Since launching Voltedge Management, we continue to challenge ourselves with this question: ‘are we providing the services and supports our clients need?’ It’s fundamental to our success, providing customised interventions and expertise that enables our clients to achieve their business goals and in return brings us closer to achieving ours!

How do we define success?

FINANCE Michael Quinn

Managing Director, Mortgage Brain Ireland Persistence, that’s my little secret! We dived from €3 billion in mortgage transactions to zero after the crash in 2007/8. By persisting, we relaunched our mortgage trading exchange (mte) again in 2013 with Haven Mortgages and partnered with the Association of Expert Mortgage Advisors (AEMA) this year to bring the benefits of mte to all lenders and brokers. We then launched IrishMortgages, a free app which has been used 30,000 times by consumers and generated €40m in broker leads.

One must ‘endeavour to persevere’. My mother always said ‘finish the job’!

3

FOOD Tom Noonan

Marketing Manager, Java Republic For us in Java Republic I think the secret of our success is the passion that permeates throughout our business. We have a real love for coffee and that drives us every day.

From green beans to roasted coffee to brewing the coffee in your cup, we pride ourselves on the love of our product and this has undoubtedly contributed to the success of the business.

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

“Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.” Conrad Hilton

4

DESIGN Caríosa Sullivan Founder, Able Table

Take chances, even when you think you don’t have a chance! In business we tend to view risk-taking negatively, but while some risks certainly don’t pay off, it’s important to remember that some do.

The Able Table started out as a simple idea that we knew could make a difference to people’s lives. By taking risks we have managed to turn a small concept into a growing business.

If you are a business leader

5

EVENTS Emma O’Farrell Founder, BlogConf

A mixture of hard work, positive thoughts, kindness and good luck have gotten me to where I am today. I have always tried to return a kindness shown to me - that feels like a natural trait, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I try to always be myself and being true to myself seems to have inspired confidence in others towards me. I’m young, I’m focused and I believe I have a long way to go! Wherever I’m going I want to enjoy the journey and I hope there will be others who will join me along the way.

Conrad Nicholson Hilton

(December 25th, 1887 – January 3rd, 1979) was an American hotelier and the founder of the Hilton Hotels chain.

6

FASHION Eoin Cooney Founder, Slaint

Slaint was created to fill a gap in the market by creating technology enhanced fashion products with an actual function. Fashion and technology brands are collaborating on one-off products which are, for the most part, a novelty and lose relevancy almost immediately. The future is upgradable, modular products that can stay relevant in an ever changing marketplace.

We are raising capital to develop products like this.

The wearables market is forecast to double in the next four years and we want to be at the forefront of that.

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

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Advice  Marketing Small business owners often wear many hats – operations, strategy, finance, HR, sales, marketing and general problemsolving! This balancing act can often result in certain areas of the business being neglected. When it comes to marketing, a big issue cited by small businesses is a lack of time or skills, or difficulty in knowing where to begin. Equipped with a focused plan, marketing becomes less daunting and much easier to implement. Follow this simple guide to get you started.

MAP YOUR DIRECTION Conduct a situational analysis to examine the current position of your business in the market. Identify areas of your company that have a potential to grow or an area that you have a unique selling proposition (USP). Set your marketing goals – for example desired sales growth, market share and customer satisfaction.

DEFINE YOUR TARGET MARKET Really get to know your target customer. Segment the market into a smaller niche where your business can be stronger and meet the needs of these customers. By targeting specific segments in the market and then positioning your offering to occupy a meaningful position in the mind of your target customer, you can focus your attention and budget and increase your chance of success.

HONE YOUR CONTENT

PUT ON YOUR MARKETING HAT

SFA EXECUTIVE LOUISE SWAIL PROVIDES A SIMPLE GUIDE FOR ANY SMALL BUSINESS ON HOW TO WRITE A MARKETING PLAN.

Start by looking at your value proposition. What is this really worth to your customer? What problem do you solve for them? When you have answered these questions, focus on this in your key communication messages. Content marketing is one of the newer buzzwords in marketing and can be a great tool for a small business to position themselves as an expert in their industry. It really boils down to creating quality, unique, honest content that your customers will actually want to read, share and come back for more. Technology has reduced the barriers to entry in creating rich content such as videos, podcasts and blogs.

CAREFULLY SELECT YOUR TOOLS There are so many marketing tactics available to reach your customer – print, radio, TV, websites, email marketing and social media to name just a few. Analyse where your target audience and your competitors hang out. Resist the urge to jump on every social network. What works for a B2C business might not work for a B2B business or what works in one industry might not work in another. Think strategically on the value of a marketing channel and focus your time and budget on a select few where your target market is most likely to be.

EVALUATE YOUR EFFORTS Most small businesses want to see an increase in sales as a result of marketing activities but not all results are quantitative – note the importance of brand building and creating awareness about your product or services, which can slowly build up to a sale and a direct return on investment.

Try to track any campaigns you execute; digital marketing tools are making this easier for small businesses with analytics available. Then refine and revise your marketing plan.

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Whiskey  Industry

KNOWLEDGE AND PASSION:

Whiskey IRELAND’S

RENAISSANCE

THE IRISH WHISKEY SECTOR HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING A RESURGENCE AFTER DECADES IN THE DOLDRUMS. BETTER BUSINESS DELVES A LITTLE DEEPER INTO ITS RENAISSANCE. Irish whiskey (with an ‘e’) has been brewed on these shores since the sixth century, one of Ireland’s proudest traditions.

Wind back the clock a mere 200 years and you’d encounter a distillery in almost every settlement across the country, though a combination of technology, Irish independence, prohibition in the USA among other factors conspired to drive the industry to its knees.

Beginning in the 1990s, however, hope was kindled, partially prompted by the acquisition of Irish Distillers by PernodRicard in 1998, and by 2013, exports had risen by 220 per cent. One of the country’s fastest growing sectors, Irish whiskey producers now employ over 700 people, export to 77 markets, and also support the Irish agricultural sector, with a domestic spend of €350 million every year. According to Bord Bia, the beverage sector is one of the best performing in terms of export growth, driven to a large degree by growth within Irish whiskey production.

And it shows no signs of stopping. One of

the latest additions to the market is Teeling Whiskey Co, which set up shop in Dublin’s Liberties in June 2015. At the helm is Jack Teeling, whose father established the Cooley Distillery in the 1980s, another milestone in the industry’s current renaissance. “You don’t tend to drink what your parents drink. But you might drink what your grandparents drink. So it’s cyclical. It’s Irish whiskey’s turn to shine,” says Teeling.

One of the driving forces behind the renewed growth in the sector is the Irish Whiskey Association (IWA), a relatively new kid on the block. Established in 2014 as part of employers group Ibec, the all-island association represents the rapidly expanding industry – both old players and the new – in a bid to share expertise and cooperate in building the Irish whiskey brand, and counts 90 per cent of Irish whiskey producers among its membership.

The association’s mission is fourfold: promoting Irish whiskey both at home and abroad, supporting new entrants to the market, protecting the high standards

of Irish whiskey, and ensuring that public policy supports sustainable growth. Last year, the IWA launched an important document known as the ‘Vision for Irish Whiskey’ strategy, which sets out the industry’s ambition for future growth, and outlined a strategy by which to ensure the sector’s success, touching upon adequate infrastructure, promotion, sustainable supply and demand, tourism approaches, and the development of a strong home market.

“In the last decade, the category has grown by almost 200 per cent. Last year the category exported 7.3 million 9 litre cases of Irish whiskey to over 77 countries.

This figure is set to exceed 24 million cases by 2030,” says Miriam Mooney, Head of the Irish Whiskey Association. “The Irish whiskey industry is firmly in expansion mode, with exports set to double by 2020 and double again by 2030. There is significant room to grow as an industry, with demand currently outstripping supply, leaving room for both established distillers and smaller entrants.”

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INDUSTRY  Whiskey

Irish Whiskey Museum Shebeen

Whiskey tasting at the Irish Whiskey Museum

Teeling Whiskey Distillery, Dublin

Victorian Bar at the Irish Whiskey Museum

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Whiskey  Industry

Brothers Jack and Stephen Teeling with the 60,000th visitors to the Teeling Whiskey Distillery, Dave and Jane Lussier

“THERE IS SIGNIFICANT ROOM TO GROW AS AN INDUSTRY, WITH DEMAND CURRENTLY OUTSTRIPPING SUPPLY, LEAVING ROOM FOR BOTH ESTABLISHED DISTILLERS AND SMALLER ENTRANTS.” Whiskey Tourism The whiskey renaissance isn’t simply boosting business growth – it’s also enticing visitors and their cash. Take the recent opening of the Walsh Whiskey Distillery in Co Carlow, heralding the return of whiskey distilling in the county following a gap of 200 years. With an investment of €25m, the distillery also incorporates a visitor centre, and husband and wife team Bernard and Rosemary Walsh plan to welcome 75,000 whiskey tourists to Royal Oak each year.

“What is notable about the influx of new entrants is the fact that they are not concentrated in one urban area – they are present across the island of Ireland. This offers huge potential for regional tourism, and as the industry develops we would assert that Irish whiskey tourism should feature as part of Ireland’s tourism offer by government agencies,” says Mooney.

“In addition to the visitor centres, there are a number of other opportunities for Irish whiskey tourism, including food and whiskey pairing, Irish whiskey pubs and

hotels and Irish whiskey tours/trails.”

The Irish Whiskey Museum, located in the heart of Dublin city, and overlooking Trinity College, is one of a number of organisations to spring from this renaissance. Launched in November 2014, it’s the first Irish whiskey museum in the world and depicts the origins, rise and fall of Irish whiskey, alongside its current revival. At the helm is general manager Ailbhe Roche.

“It is an interactive, modern experience with captivating anecdotes from our talented storytellers and an exclusive range of Irish whiskey memorabilia dating back to the 1800s,” she explains. “We welcome a range of different visitors from Irish to the international market, including the US, UK, Germany and Western Europe too.”

With the history of Irish whiskey so close to hand, does Roche believe that a resurgence was inevitable? “I think it was only a matter of time,” she affirms. “Ireland was renowned for its whiskey [in the] 1800s. In fact a Scottish distillery, DCL, set up in Phoenix Park stating that there

Teeling tasting booth

were over 100 distilleries in Scotland and not even 20 in Ireland, but the demand for Dublin whiskey is fivefold. It was due to unfortunate events such as prohibition in the US, the civil war in Ireland and the introduction of blending whiskeys in Scotland, among others, that led to the decline in Irish whiskey distilleries.

However, the knowledge and passion remained. Over the next number of years, Ireland will grow from having a handful of distilleries to approximately 20 and growing.”

Building Momentum Going on the IWA’s ambitions as outlined in their strategy document, the future signs are also positive – employment within the industry is due to grow by 30 per cent by 2025 (from 5,000 to 6,500), exports look set to double by 2020, while the medium term figures for whiskey tourism are to increase from 600,000 to 800,000 per annum. By 2030, Irish whiskey’s slice of the global pie should have grown by 300 per cent, from 4 per cent to 12 per cent, as new markets such as Asia beckon.

Alongside government support and continued investment by distilleries, maintaining quality will continue to set Irish whiskey apart from the crowd. “It is important that Irish whiskey stays true to the quality which we were renowned for,” says Roche. “We need to set ourselves apart from other international brands and so far, I believe, we have managed to achieve this.”

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Small Business Profile  Theya Healthcare

BRA-VO FOR

DONLON

THEYA HEALTHCARE WAS AMONG THE BEST EMERGING NEW BUSINESSES AT THE SFA NATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS AWARDS 2016. BETTER BUSINESS CAUGHT UP WITH FOUNDER CIARA DONLON TO HEAR ABOUT THE LINGERIE COMPANY’S JOURNEY TO DATE. Every year around 2,600 women in Ireland are diagnosed with breast cancer.

Overcoming breast cancer typically involves surgery for most of those and can involve the removal of one or even both breasts.

Finding suitable underwear after such surgery has long been a struggle for survivors. Helping them find a solution was the reason why Dubliner Ciara Donlon hit upon the idea of setting up Theya Lingerie, a specialist designer and manufacturer of underwear tailored to the needs of women who have had breast surgery.

Donlon founded Theya in the summer of 2013, having spent the previous few years owning and running a lingerie shop called ‘Cup Cakes’ in the Ranelagh area of south Dublin. Prior to that Donlon spent around a decade working in marketing for a range of companies including telco Vodafone and advertising agency McCannBlue.

Donlon had to call on her marketing experience early doors, following the rise of the Isis terrorist organisation in the Middle East. That’s because Theya Lingerie was originally called Isis Rose - after Isis, the Egyptian goddess, and Donlon’s grandmother Rose who had went through a double masectomy back in the 1970s.

Needless to say, Donlon was forced to re-think the company name and settled eventually on Theya - which means ‘goddess’ in Greek.

Altering the name must have been a wrench, but Donlon has ensured her grandmother’s legacy lives on within the company by incorporating a rose into the Theya logo.

Ciara Donlon, Theya Healthcare

The Early Days Donlon hit upon the idea while working in Cup Cakes and encountering numerous women who were looking for postmasectomy lingerie. “The only thing that was available to them was very functionallooking lingerie,” says Donlon.

Theya, based in UCD’s Nova Innovation Centre, received a massive boost in 2012 after she applied to Enterprise Ireland’s first female feasibility fund. “Over 400 women applied and I was awarded one of 15 grants. Interestingly, before they added the word ‘female’ to the name of the fund, hardly any females applied for it,” she says.

Donlon used the feasibility funding to carry out a series of focus groups to identify what her potential clients wanted in underwear. The general feedback was

that women were looking for something that was functional and comfortable, but that was also attractive.

Donlon explains: “When women have this surgery, they lose a lot of their femininity. They’ve lost one or even two breasts - and most likely their hair too - so having a bra that looks good can help to give them a bit of a psychological boost.”

Donlon has since gone back to the EI well, availing of the Competitive Start Fund in April 2014 and High Potential Start-up matched funding of €250,000 in October 2014. This cash has allowed her to bring in additional staff.

While funding has no doubt provided

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THEYA Healthcare  Small Business Profile

“WE WANT TO BE A ONE-STOPSHOP FOR WOMEN WHO HAVE GONE THROUGH A TRAUMATIC AND LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE.” a boost for Donlon, she admits that managing cashflow has been one of her firm’s biggest challenges. “The time it takes to get the promised investment into the bank account and the amount of work involving lawyers is tough. Finding good people has been challenging too,” she says.

Clasping Success The design of Theya’s underwear is done

by Donlon’s fellow director, Kelly Lakin, a lingerie designer with more than 20 years’ experience, who she found on the professional networking website LinkedIn. Theya’s bras are front-adjustable, wire and seam-free and pretty. There are no labels on them either to prevent skin irritation (following breast surgery, most women typically have to go through radiotherapy, meaning their skin is burnt). Theya uses bamboo fabric in its bras, which boasts antibacterial and skin-cooling qualities.

The range, which is manufactured in China, is design protected and patent pending and can be worn directly after cancer or cosmetic surgery until healing is complete. The lingerie is available to buy in Arnotts as well as a number of other independent lingerie stores and pharmacies across Ireland, and also the Theya website.

The company’s bras start from €50, with briefs priced around €30.

Having been identified by Enterprise Ireland as a high potential start-up, Donlon has big plans for future expansion. The company’s products are already stocked in a number of stores in Canada, France and Portugal, with North America next on the company’s planned hitlist.

An expansion into the nightwear and swimwear markets is also on the cards, while sportswear too remains an option.

“We want to be a one-stop-shop for women who have gone through a traumatic and

Lingerie from Theya Healthcare

life-changing experience,” says Donlon.

“My expectation is that the company will become profitable in 2017” - a remarkable feat for such a small company and proof of why Donlon has been ear-marked as one of Ireland’s brightest young entrepreneurs.

When asked what advice she would offer to other aspiring female entrepreneurs, Donlon says: “Ask for a lot more than you want, surround yourself with a strong team and don’t be afraid to value yourself and your idea. To be honest, I don’t like answering the female question as regardless of sex we all face the same issues when growing a business. The only thing that does differentiate us at the start is the inclination of venture capitalists to invest in men more than women but this does seem to be changing.”

SFA FACT Did You Know?

THEYA Healthcare’s lingerie is now available online in the UK and internationally through House of Fraser, which delivers to over 150 countries worldwide.

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interview  Ann O’Dea

THEN

ANN

FRANK

ANN O’DEA, CEO OF SILICON REPUBLIC AND FOUNDER OF INSPIREFEST, TALKS TECH, THE IMPORTANCE OF DIVERSITY AND SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESSES. A few weeks before Inspirefest it’s tough to get hold of Ann O’Dea. The CEO of Silicon Republic and founder of the event is busy finalising the impressive programme, focusing on technology, science, design and the arts, with diversity and inclusion at its heart – all of which are close to her heart after almost 25 years as a female covering the technology sector.

Ann O’Dea fell into journalism when she left Ireland following her humanities studies. After nine years in France, she returned to Ireland and carved

out a niche for herself as a freelance journalist, reporting on technology and business. It was the early ‘90s and technology was taking off – for the first time – and she says she fell in love with science, tech and innovation.

In the late ‘90s, Ann cofounded a company called IT News and Media with Darren McAuliffe, producing tech or science-specific supplements for newspapers. Around the turn of the millennium they saw their readers were moving online and made the leap to launch their own online technology

publication, Silicon Republic, in 2001 – right on time for the next wave of tech.

“Silicon Republic grew up alongside the technology industry in Ireland,” says O’Dea. “At the beginning, we would have been covering the traditional tech companies like IBM, Intel and Microsoft and then we were following the arrival of all the born-on-the-internet companies like Google, Twitter and Facebook and more recently companies like Dropbox and HubSpot.”

When Silicon Republic was founded it had about 50,000 readers a month;

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05/07/2016 11:20

Ann O’Dea  Interview

“IT’S FAIRLY AMBITIOUS WHAT WE’RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE BUT I FEEL THE SECTOR ISN’T VERY WELCOMING OF WOMEN OR MINORITIES.”

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Interview  Ann O’Dea today it has around a quarter of a million readers each month. It has become a go-to destination for tech and innovation news in Ireland, Europe and beyond – about half its readers are from overseas. O’Dea took over the role of CEO in 2011, and these days a huge amount of her focus is on organising the annual conference, Inspirefest.

Now in its second year, Inspirefest is a unique conference on technology, science, design and the arts that also hopes to foster diversity and inclusion. O’Dea had been concerned about the “male and pale”, as she’s termed it, majority in tech and decided to do something about it.

“Over the past few years we’ve been running leadership events and because we are male and female cofounders we are always focused on getting a good gender balance – and I think we were quite unique in that. Most of the events we went to were quite ‘male and pale’: white, middle-class men mainly. Whether it was the guys in suits or the guys in hoodies, it just felt incredibly male dominated.

And we were aware of fantastic women in the industry, but we weren’t seeing them represented.”

O’Dea also realised that the issue wasn’t just around gender, but that minorities were seriously unrepresented. Inspirefest widened its focus to include speakers and attract people of different sexual orientation, background, ethnicity – the whole gamut.

“It’s fairly ambitious what we’re trying to achieve but I feel the sector isn’t very welcoming of women or minorities. If you look at the US, your average senior woman in technology leaves the industry after seven years – that’s very serious.

It’s been called ‘death by a million cuts’: it’s the small, undermining things. The famous tipping point if you’re working in any workforce that has one dominant player is that you end up with a certain culture and the minority feels like an outsider.

“I don’t believe we’ll get to 50:50 any time soon and it wouldn’t even be my target, but we have to get past the 30 per cent tipping point. Then we could tip over

O’Dea’s Ones to Watch Intercom

“I’m a huge admirer of the business model and acumen of the guys at Intercom,” says O’Dea. Intercom is developing a range of products for online businesses to communicate with their customers.

The head office is in San Francisco and the engineering is based out of Dublin. “They’re becoming a real international success story, so I would watch that space.” intercom.io

Nuritas

Nuritas is a biotech company uncovering sustainable ingredients, including foods currently not used to their full potential to find new health foods and optimise the use of global resources. O’Dea says: “Nuritas, which is led by Dr Nora Khaldi, are doing fantastic things in food science and I think it could be a game-changer. They’re definitely ones to watch.” nuritas.com

into different behaviours – all the research shows it.”

The line-up for this year’s festival included Raju Narisetti, Head of Strategy for News Corp; Ellyn Shook, Chief Leadership and Human Resources officer at Accenture, one of the top companies for females in senior executive positions;

“BUSINESSES THAT WANT TO HANG ON AND DO THINGS THE WAY THEY’VE ALWAYS BEEN DONE WILL BE LEFT BEHIND. BUSINESSES TODAY HAVE TO CONTINUOUSLY REINVENT THEMSELVES.”

Lorna Ross, Director of Design at the Mayo Clinic on designing to make healthcare more human centric; and Claire Calmejane, Director of Innovation at Lloyds Banking Group on fintech.

On the arts side of things, Zoe Philpott, an artist and technologist, performed a piece of theatre about Ada Lovelace, a mathematician, writer and the first computer programmer in the 19th century.

Last year’s Inspirefest audience was about 65 per cent female and 35 per cent male (the aim is never to be 100 per cent female). And though women make up only about 25 per cent of the technology industry, O’Dea has had no trouble finding remarkable female role models to feature. She is also the brains behind Silicon Republic’s Women Invent campaign, which covers remarkable women in STEM and declares that “there are no token women; they are all brilliant”.

O’Dea wants to be part of the solution to the gender imbalance, not just its critic. “We’re a news publisher and I think organisations like us have a responsibility to reflect the industry as it is. It’s 25 per cent women but if you opened your average technology publication you would think it was only around five per cent. We need to keep the dialogue going and keep talking about it.”

Reporting on tech news and a business owner, O’Dea also has a unique vantage point of the start-up and small business landscape in Ireland. What would she do to help small businesses succeed?

“I think in policy making we could cut some of the small businesses some breaks – even some practical tax breaks. I also think we need to make it much more attractive for founders of small businesses to offer share options to their team members – it’s very tricky in Ireland. It’s good to be able to reward important team members and really make them feel a part of the business.”

O’Dea believes there are some fantastic developments emerging in the tech sector, but she also thinks we are overlooking the important role that small businesses play in our economy. “I do think we have lost sight a bit of small businesses, calling everything start-ups. A lot of them are just small enterprises and not all of them are suitable for venture capitalism.

“I think sometimes we look at the big success stories and maybe don’t do enough to support the organisations that are growing slower but gradually adding jobs to the economy, because of course, the biggest employer in Ireland is still the small business sector.”

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05/07/2016 11:20

Mindfulness  Health

SWITCHING OFF WHILE MINDFULNESS TECHNIQUES HAVE LONG BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE FLOWER POWER ERA, THE PRACTICE SERVES A VALUABLE PURPOSE IN ACHIEVING OUR PROFESSIONAL GOALS, OFTEN FOCUSING THE MIND AND PREVENTING CONCENTRATION LOSS.

ACHIEVE MORE Ambition and drive have always been key ingredients for success but in recent years employers have recognised the increasing cost of employee burnout. With our attention generally torn between the past, present and future, it’s easy to feel like we’re living our lives on autopilot, just waiting for the next hurdle. Mindfulness training can be an inexpensive way to tackle employee productivity, job satisfaction and absenteeism, which can come at a significant cost to a company’s bottom line. According to an SFA report, 4,052,222 days were lost in 2014 due to absenteeism, amounting to a loss of over €490 million a year for employers.

SMALL BEGINNINGS

Companies that have embraced the practice of mindfulness, among them big names such as PwC, Google and BT, have seen impressive results. “Overall mindful organisations are better able to manage challenging, highly competitive environments,” says Lyda Borgsteijn, owner and founder of The Primal Rabbit. “If you are fully present on the job, you will be more effective as a leader, you will make better decisions, and you will work better with other people.” Coupled with employee satisfaction this type of training has been proven to refine leadership qualities, creating further progression in demanding, high stress fields. When the race to success is a marathon, not a sprint, there are tangible benefits to slowing down and catching your breath.

As a small business mindfulness training days may be outside the limits of your budget but that doesn’t mean you can’t introduce it to your work environment. Create a walking club so employees who are desk bound all day can be active in a different setting, enabling them to gain some head space. A ‘no food at the computer’ rule can be an effective way to help employees concentrate on the social aspect of eating and it provides a proper break from work. “Mindfulness is about actively taking a moment to be inactive every day. It’s a moment to shut down and step away from all the ‘noise’ and just take a moment to get some much needed mental clarity,” says Borgsteijn.

W: www.mindfulnessmatters.ie

W: www.theprimalrabbit.com

W: www.sfa.ie/advice

IMPRESSIVE RESULTS

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05/07/2016 11:45

Sector Spotlight  Childcare

EARLY DAYS FOR REFORM OF EARLY

YEARS

EARLY YEARS SERVICE PROVIDERS IN IRELAND HAVE BEEN FACING A MYRIAD OF CHALLENGES IN RECENT YEARS. BETTER BUSINESS CHECKED IN WITH SOME OF THOSE ON THE FRONTLINE TO HEAR ABOUT THE ISSUES AT HAND. If there is one sector in Ireland that feels it has been let down by successive governments, it is those working within the early childhood care and education field.

While some progress has been made in the last 15 years in areas such as the availability of funding for capital costs, implementation of various Government schemes to facilitate access to services for families, the enactment of legislation and regulations, and the introduction of training and qualifications, support for the sector has fallen short of what is required to secure the delivery of high quality affordable services for all families.

At present, childcare costs more in Ireland than in almost any other country in Europe, and it can account for as much as 40 per cent of parents’ disposable income, compared with an EU average of just 14 per cent. But high costs are just one part of the problem and as long as State funding remains depressed, with childcare workers’ pay staying low, the sector will struggle.

Someone well placed to comment on early years services in Ireland is Denise McCormilla, CEO of the National Childhood Network (NCN), a quality support organisation established in 1997 to provide a forum for a range of voluntary, private and statutory groups to work together to

advance the development of quality childcare services in the southern border counties. The Monaghan-based network believes that the engagement of a knowledgeable, competent, well trained and highly skilled childhood workforce is the key to services achieving and maintaining national quality standards and best outcomes for children. However, the ability of such a workforce to efficiently deliver on this is not guaranteed under current policies and it has put forward three key proposals to Government to ensure the right conditions are in place. They are: • To complete and launch its Early Years Strategy so that all stakeholders can progress the development of quality services in a cohesive way.

• To develop a comprehensive plan to support all early years services in meeting Ireland’s national quality standards as outlined in the Siolta and Aistear frameworks by 2020, at which time meeting these standards should be a requirement of law.

• To develop one single funding scheme with increased funding to the sector so that qualified, well trained and competent staff can be employed and remunerated appropriately within a diverse range of services that meets the needs of children

and families.

“There are so many challenges currently facing the sector that it’s overwhelming,” says McCormilla. “We continuously work to drive the quality agenda along with many others involved in the sector. The majority of services in this country do meet the requirements of the preschool regulations.

However, securing sufficient Government funding to maintain quality services and remunerate staff adequately for all of the work required of them is very challenging.

“Staff carry out many duties and responsibilities, both in their direct and indirect work with children, which often goes unrecognised when it comes to staff pay. Time is also required to carry out all of the administrative work involved in operating government schemes and to meet the requirements of regulators and agencies promoting the quality agenda as well as engaging with parents.”

Service providers on the frontline echo such concerns. Marian Wallace of Dublinbased Busy Bees Childcare Ltd says the biggest challenge currently facing early childcare providers is trying to keep up with the rapid changes taking place within the sector. “New regulations have just been announced (see panel) after years of waiting

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Childcare  Sector Spotlight and yet providers are only given one month to implement them,” she says. “Furthermore, the sector has seen a big increase in the standard of educational provision and staff qualifications expected and yet these increases have not been matched in funding or investment.”

Wallace says that trying to provide high quality care and education to children at a price that parents can afford remains an ongoing challenge, considering little government contribution, staff wages, overheads, insurance costs, rates, resources and training. “Perhaps the most frustrating of challenges to the sector is the introduction of a second ECCE year without any consultation with childcare providers,” she adds. “If we are meant to be partners in the care and education of our youngest citizens, then the Government needs to respect and invest in us, not just inspect us!”

And that seems to be a major bugbear for most providers, according to McCormilla.

That lack of sufficient engagement. “One of the greatest grievances providers have is the lack of consultation by decision makers with people at the coalface,” she says. “There needs to be an increased and continuous consultation with service providers who are delivering the Government schemes.

This would be a help to their effective delivery rather than a hindrance. This was a major issue for services involved in establishing the National Forum for Community Childcare Services.”

A Level Playing Field Meanwhile, Keira Hanney of Fairyland Creche in Galway cites commercial rates as a major challenge to her service provision and says some providers are getting special treatment when it comes to these charges.

“Exclusive ECCE services that run sessional groups from 9 to 12 and 12 to 3, and those that offer additional hours to parents before and after these services, do not pay commercial rates, whereas full day childcare providers that operate from 9 to 6 as well as ECCE services are being discriminated against by having to pay these rates. We are now being assessed by the Department of Education and Skills which also inspects national schools, yet national schools do not pay rates. Also, there are services that have claimed the ‘ECCE only’ exemption but are clearly operating a full-day care service. Where is the equality in this? The Government needs to make it a level playing field for all early childcare providers.”

According to Orla Meehan, Assistant Manager at Obair Newmarket on Fergus Ltd in Co Clare, mere survival as a provider given the current conditions is as a success in itself. “A major challenge is to continue

REGULATION CHANGES Changes in regulations for early years services which came into effect on June 30th 2016 include: ■ A pre-school centre must register with Tusla, the child and family agency, and be inspected before it can open.

Denise McCormilla, CEO, National Childhood Network

to be sustainable while providing access to a quality, accessible, affordable childcare service,” she says. “Government can assist through adjusting State supports to ensure that children from low-income families are able to avail of and benefit from quality childcare, and by increasing the financial subsidies under CCS, TEC and ECCE programmes. They also must ensure that pay and conditions in childcare reflect the drive to professionalise and keep qualified staff in the sector.”

It’s these shortcomings for staff that is a recurring theme when speaking to providers about their biggest obstacles. But McCormilla is keen to highlight some of the great work happening in early years right across the country. She cites the NCN’s Healthy Ireland Smart Start campaign, a programme resulting from over a decade of collaborative work with the HSE aimed at ensuring children in pre-school settings are supported to adopt healthy lifestyle behaviours in early childhood.

“One hundred and seventy services in the country now have this recognition by the HSE of being a health promoting preschool setting,” she explains. “They don’t get an extra penny in their pocket but they are able to show evidence of how they are promoting children’s health and wellbeing within their services to a high enough standard where the HSE are happy to verify them. Thirty of those services came and showcased their work and we were all just blown over because there are

SFA FACT Did You Know?

In 2014, Tusla, the child and family agency, took over responsibility from the HSE for inspecting early years services. The agency operates under the Child and Family Agency Act 2013.

■ All staff working with children must have at least a level 5 qualification in early childhood care and education (unless they retire by 2021).

■ All staff must be vetted before they start work; then they must be trained in the pre-school’s policies and procedures and supervised and monitored on an ongoing basis.

■ An outdoor play area is mandatory.

■ Tusla must be notified of serious incidents within three days.

■ A person trained in first aid must be available to children at all times.

■ A complaints procedure must be in place.

■ Each service must conduct an annual internal review.

For further details visit dcya.gov.ie

poor and mediocre services out there that you hear a lot about but the fantastic services get little or no recognition.” McCormilla says the problem is that all providers receive the same capitation, and for that reason there is no way of rewarding those providers that go the extra mile on a day to day basis, 52 weeks a year. “That’s just not fair or just.”

So there’s still plenty to be done to address the challenges facing the childcare sector in Ireland. As part of the new Government, Richard Bruton as Minister for Education and Skills along with Katherine Zappone as the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs will be responsible for any policy changes.

Given Zappone’s track record in women and family issues, there is some optimism that her department can rise to the task of securing the right level of investment for the sector.

One way or another, childcare providers in Ireland – who would not traditionally be seen as lobbyists – will now need to make their voices heard in order to obtain the support needed to help build an early childhood care and education system that really works for children, parents, staff and providers alike.

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Interview  Trading Places

TASTE SUCCESS FOR

CONOR FORREST SPOKE WITH EAMON EASTWOOD, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF SYDNEYBASED IMPORTER TASTE IRELAND, TO DISCOVER MORE ABOUT BUSINESS GROWTH AND SUCCESS DOWN UNDER.

There was a line in Eamon Eastwood’s LinkedIn profile that intrigued me before we first spoke. Verbatim, it read: “At 25 years old Eamon turned a pallet of Irish potato crisps (chips) into a million dollar business called Taste Ireland, importing and distributing Ireland’s leading food brands across Australia. Oh, and he did it in just five years.”

Eastwood left Tyrone in 1999, arriving in Australia during the Olympic games. He fell in love with the country, particularly Sydney, and soon his mind turned to making his visit a more permanent affair. As a student on a export graduate programme in New York, Eastwood noticed that regions such as the Americas featured Irish food brands distributed on a large scale. In Australia, however, there were no such brands. Sensing an opportunity, Eastwood imported a pallet of Tayto crisps – 50 cases – and began delivering them to Sydney pubs at night.

Tricky Course From such humble beginnings, Taste Ireland has experienced considerable growth, with Eastwood describing the

business as the largest Irish/British importer of food brands in the world. Hefty contracts with Woolworths and Coles have been secured since 2011. But it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. Having established a basic market for Tayto crisps in Sydney, Eastwood invested his life savings into a container of crisps to kick-start the business. That shipment never arrived though, so with a loan from his brother and the provision of a second container at cost from Tayto, the ship steadied and Taste Ireland began to gain traction.

There were other issues, too. Importing from one side of the world to the other is no simple task, with distribution deadlines to be met, and fines paid in the event of failure. Even the climate proved challenging. In the early days, chocolate proved a little tricky to import – chocolate in the northern hemisphere, Eastwood explains, doesn’t require a wax ingredient to prevent it from melting too soon. So, when importing chocolate products into a very hot Australian summer, caution must be exercised, with cooler bags and ice gel

packs deployed to make sure products arrive in good condition to consumers.

Success brought further challenges, including dealing with the major stores, which have a reputation for driving a hard bargain. “Woolworths and Coles are notoriously tough to deal with, they are a duopoly down here and they’ll certainly squeeze every little bit of margin out of you,” says Eastwood.

Getting your name out there as quickly and cost effectively as possible can be make or break for many start-ups. Investing in social media boosted awareness of the business, while Eastwood also became very active in the Irish-Australian community through sport, business and culture, building up his brand and customer base. A director with The Club Kidpreneur Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that aims to help kids start micro-enterprises, he’s also involved in the development of Gaelic games in New South Wales and a board member of The Lansdowne Club, which was founded by a number of Irish-born businesspeople in Australia and engages with young Irish professionals in Australia.

His hard work paid off, as major supermarket chains in Australia came calling. His suppliers in Ireland quickly realised that Eastwood wasn’t simply just “another ex-pat flogging our brands to other ex-pats”, and got on board.

“Thankfully the three or four large manufacturers that we work with in Ireland are 100 per cent behind us now, and that’s made all the difference. But it was a very tough slog at the start,” he says. “It was a

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Trading Places  Interview

huge grind. The exchange rate at the time wasn’t in our favour, it had never been done before. It was new to me really, the importing of food brands from the other side of the world, so there was a lot of quick learning to be had before we built up a substantial business model and got it really going.”

Expansion So where to from here? With ten staff and over 200 Irish food brands on offer, the Australian market is just the first stepping stone for Taste Ireland. Having recently developed a comprehensive five-year plan, opportunities in Asia have been earmarked, including a recent launch in Thailand, with plans to develop the business in Hong Kong and Singapore, as well as closer to home in New Zealand.

The grocery market is a key channel for Eastwood and Taste Ireland, providing the largest return on investment, though there are other important secondary avenue for sales.

“We have a few sales guys dedicated to the independent channel – pubs, convenience and food services,” he explains. “So we have four channels to get the products out there.” However, it’s not simply about identifying new markets, but spotting the food trends to ensure Taste Ireland keeps on top when it comes to their product offering. “I have to keep an eye on brands, in terms of what people want. A healthy nation that Australia is, they’re prepared to buy no sugars,” Eastwood explains.

With the business continuing to grow and expand – including a recent tripling of their range in Woolworths, and 20 per cent growth for FY16 – does Eastwood plan on leaving Australian shores behind him any time soon? The answer is no, or at least not just yet. “I’ve really enjoyed it down here in Sydney, it’s such a diverse place, culture, attractions and of course the weather. Everything is based outdoors, the alfresco cafés, the beaches, the events – everything is based around sunshine, and I think that says a lot about peoples’ mood and psychology as well.

It’s a lovely place to live, Sydney, it’s a fantastic city. So I’ll probably be here for another while.”

Nor does he plan on cashing in on his hard work, however tempting that may be. “We have had people interested in buying the business over the last year or so, but I don’t think we’re ready for that just yet.”

Eamon Eastwood, Founder, Taste Ireland

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05/07/2016 11:43

HR  Employment Law

GETTING TO GRIPS WITH

EMPLOYMENT LAW

BETTER BUSINESS LOOKS AT THE TOP 10 RECENT CHANGES TO EMPLOYMENT LEGISLATION THAT EMPLOYERS SHOULD FAMILIARISE THEMSELVES WITH.

The SFA responds to tens of thousands of queries from members each year, some 83 per cent of which relate to employment law or HR. Employment legislation is a complex area in Ireland and whether you have one or 1,000 employees, all employers must keep abreast of legislative changes which effect their obligations. Since August 2015 there have been a number of changes to employment law in Ireland. Here we outline the top 10 recent amendments and what they mean in reality for you as an employer.

1

Annual leave while on certified sick leave

From August 2015, The Workplace Relations Act 2015 defined that employees can accrue annual leave while on certified sick leave. There are some limitations to carrying leave forward for instances of longer term sick leave; for example, the annual leave entitlement for any given leave year that was accrued during certified absence can only be carried forward for up to fifteen months.

4

2

Monitoring working times and rest periods

The European Court of Justice ruled in September 2015 that time spent by employees with no fixed place of work travelling to the first and last locations of the day constitutes working time for the purposes of the Organisation of Working Time Act. When monitoring working times and rest periods employers must afford the correct rest periods to employees and generally not let anyone work over 48 hours per week (over a 16 week average), including, in appropriate cases, travel time.

3

Workplace Relations Commission

Under The Industrial Relations (Amendments) Act 2015, the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) was formed in October 2015. The WRC replaced NERA, the Labour Relations Commission, the Employment Appeals Tribunal, the Equality Authority and the Rights Commissioner services. The WRC provides advice, inspection and dispute resolution services for employers and employees. The Labour Court was also reformed under the Act to hear complaints on appeal from the WRC and deal with industrial relations matters.

Internal collective bargaining FROM OCTOBER 2015, THE INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS (AMENDMENTS) ACT 2015 ALSO OUTLINED AN IMPROVED FRAMEWORK FOR INTERNAL COLLECTIVE BARGAINING, WHERE UNIONS ARE NOT PRESENT. AN INTERNAL MECHANISM FOR RESOLVING INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS DISPUTES MUST BE AVAILABLE IN EMPLOYMENT, SUCH AS EMPLOYEE REPRESENTATIVE GROUPS.

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Employment Law  HR

Regulation orders and employment agreements

7

From October 2015, Employment Regulation Orders and Registered Employment Agreements can be registered with the Labour Court to set higher sector specific terms and conditions, such as a higher minimum wage, shift premiums or public holiday benefits for a certain industry.

8

Employment equality

The Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2015 changed an exception outlined in the Employment Equality Acts for religious, educational or medical institutions that are under the direction or control of a religious body. These bodies can no longer discriminate on the grounds of civil status, gender and sexual orientation.

5

Paternity leave

The Irish government proposed in Budget 2016 to legislate for paternity leave. From September 2016, fathers can opt to take two weeks leave in the first 26 weeks after their child’s birth. There will be no obligation on employers to top-up the social welfare payment. Until September there is no entitlement to paternity leave.

10

6

Zero hours and flexible working contracts

A report commissioned by the previous government around zero hours and flexible working contracts in late 2015 proposed to legislate for further protections for employees. The Programme for Government published in May 2016 stated that the new Government “will tackle the problems caused by the increased casualisation of work that prevents workers from being able to save or have any job security” but it remains to be seen whether any new legislation is planned.

Minimum wage NATIONAL MINIMUM WAGE FROM JANUARY 1ST 2016 FOR AN ADULT WORKER (18+) CHANGED TO €9.15 PER HOUR, AN INCREASE OF 50C. THERE ARE ALSO SUB MINIMUM RATES FOR YOUNGER WORKERS AND APPRENTICES.

9

The right to monitor employees

The European Court of Human Rights ruled in January 2016 that employers have the right to monitor employees.

This can be in the form of monitoring work emails, electronic messages, internet usage and CCTV footage. However, a company policy must be in place to set an expectation of monitoring as Ireland’s constitution outlines a right to privacy which extends to the workplace.

For further insight or HR advice, contact Ciara McGuone, SFA Executive, on 01 6051668 or ciara.mcguone@sfa.ie

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SFA Policy  Politics

THE POLITICS OF

SMALL BUSINESS

FOLLOWING PLENTY OF WRANGLING AND MUCH POLITICKING, A NEW GOVERNMENT IS FINALLY IN PLACE. BETTER BUSINESS LOOKS AT ITS COMMITMENT TO SMALL BUSINESS AND AT THOSE WHO’LL BE CALLING THE SHOTS.

The Programme for Government sets out in broad strokes the policy commitments of the incoming Government. The ‘Programme for a Partnership Government’ runs to over 150 pages and contains many pro-enterprise ideas. A range of these were proposed in the SFA’s Small Business Manifesto in the lead up to the election and echo the positions that the association has been advocating for many years.

Some of the wins for small business include the following.

TAX: Increase in the self-employed tax credit to €1,650 by 2018, to match the PAYE tax credit for employees.

JOB CREATION: Continuation of the successful Action Plan for Jobs process.

BROADBAND: Provision of additional funding, if needed, to deliver next generation broadband to every house and business in the country by 2020.

There are other measures in the Programme for Government which will have to be progressed very carefully to ensure that they are fit for purpose and do not create unintended consequences.

SAFETY NET: The commitment to introduce a PRSI scheme for the selfemployed is welcome, but it is critical that such a scheme is voluntary.

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Politics  SFA Policy

WHO’S WHO? THE SMALL BUSINESS TEAM IN GOVERNMENT A Fine Gael led minority government was formed in May, ten weeks after the General Election. Small business issues cross over a number of departments and ministries, but there are some key players who will impact the sector over the term of the Government.

Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

Mary Mitchell O’Connor is a Fine Gael TD for the constituency of Dún Laoghaire. She was elected to Dáil Éireann on her first attempt in the 2011 General Election and topped the poll in the most recent election. She is a former county councillor and school principal.

Speaking at the SFA Annual Conference, Minister Mitchell O’Connor recognised the contribution of small business to local economies and stated her mission to “reduce risk and increase reward” for businesses. She says she is committed to “work tirelessly on the small business agenda” and that she has ‘Think small first’ written in bold and taped to her desk.

OUR VISION FOR SMALL BUSINESS On May 25th, the SFA launched its ‘Vision for small firms in Ireland’, a roadmap for how to transform the small business landscape over the next 5-10 years.

Do you agree with the statements below? Join the conversation by using #smallbizvision on Twitter @SFA_Irl and LinkedIn www. linkedin.com/company/smallfirms-association “The spread of small businesses and the sectors in which they play a role are central in the domestic economy.”

“The sense that setting up a business is an unconventional career decision, along with the begrudgery experienced by many successful small business owners, must be consigned to the past.”

“The right mix of skills is needed to make a successful business. More time should be invested in hiring the right people and upskilling others.”

Eoghan Murphy TD

Minister of State for Financial Services, eGovernment and Public Procurement (Fine Gael Dublin South-East)

John Halligan TD

Minister of State for Training and Skills (Independent - Waterford)

ACCESS TO PUBLIC CONTRACTS: The initiatives included to improve access to public procurement for smaller businesses fail to distinguish between small and medium size enterprises. The crux of the problem relates to small firms (<50 employees) accessing public contracts, and grouping these companies with medium businesses (51-250 employees) conceals the scale of the problem and hampers efforts to design targeted solutions.

WAGES: The Programme for Government commits to containing income demands to the genuine delivery of productivity improvements – but it also aims to increase the minimum wage to €10.50 per hour.

This 14 per cent increase in the NMW over five years is not in any way related to

Pat Breen TD

Minister of State for Employment and Small Business (Fine Gael - Clare)

productivity improvements and will be contested by the SFA on behalf of small businesses.

SKILLS: The commitment to invest in skills and training to allow all to benefit from new opportunities in a recovering economy is welcome. A key element of this must be to ensure that a greater proportion of funding is targeted at in-work training.

The SFA will be active in lobbying the Government to ensure that these commitments are implemented in the most favourable way possible for small businesses through written submissions, participation in working groups and meetings with Ministers and senior civil servants.

“Government bodies and larger enterprises should be more open to innovative new start-ups as quite often smaller companies are excluded from quoting for certain jobs due to their limited size and lack of financial history.”

“The availability and affordability of appropriate finance is the perennial problem at each stage of a business’s lifecycle.”

“Business-owners in Ireland are among the most compliant in the world. It is important that public perceptions, as well as those of government and agency officials, are updated to match this reality.”

Find out how these elements fit into the ‘Vision for small firms in Ireland’ at www.sfa.ie

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Events  Roundup Sharon Ní Bheoláin, Conference Chair

NEXT GENERATION BUSINESS

THIS YEAR’S SFA ANNUAL CONFERENCE EXPLORED HOW SMALL BUSINESSES CAN ADAPT AND EVOLVE IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS AND BECOME A NEXT GENERATION BUSINESS. The SFA Annual Conference 2016, Next Generation Business, took place on May 25th in the O’Reilly Hall in UCD, with the support of NSAI and One4All. The conference brought together 300 small business owners and managers to hear from expert speakers, discuss the future of small business and network with each other and with policymakers, exhibitors and corporate representatives.

The aim of the day was to provide information, advice and inspiration to small businesses, exploring how they can adapt and evolve in order to achieve success and become a next generation business. The SFA ‘Vision for small firms in Ireland’ was launched at the conference by SFA Chairman, AJ Noonan.

The conference opened with a session on ‘The workplace of the future’, looking at what the current crop of talent wants and how employers can adapt. There was an emphasis on employees’ need for recognition and their desire to do valuable work. The panel discussed the importance of purpose over process in terms of recruitment and talent management. Small businesses were challenged to think strategically about future skills needs, employee retention and succession planning.

American social media guru, Mark Schaefer, led a workshop on social media for small business. He presented social media not as rocket science, but as a return to the way business was done 100 years ago – by connecting with people.

Keynote speaker Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards with AJ Noonan, SFA Chairman, and Patricia Callan, SFA Director

The conference was attended by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD, in her first major engagement with the small business community since her ministerial appointment. She gave a far reaching address, presenting the different government supports available to business, and gave strong assurances that small businesses will be at the top of her agenda as Minister.

In a session on ‘The environment for success’, the speakers and panellists explored the opportunities but also the challenges ahead.

The discussion ranged from the changes that the Brexit vote will put in motion, to issues like cost, but also issues like cost competitiveness, labour market pressures and the need to look at productivity in the workplace.

The final part of the day was dedicated to entrepreneurial culture.

Social attitudes around entrepreneurship were shown to be positive in Ireland, but specific areas need to be addressed such as the perception of risk/reward and the attitude towards failure. Delegates heard about the 60,000 Rebounds organisation in France, which supports people whose businesses fail and coach them back into future business success.

The importance of self belief, determination, risk and resilience were taken up by Eddie the Eagle, who entertained and inspired participants with the story of his journey to the 1988 Winter Olympics.

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Roundup  Events

Delegates in UCD’s O’Reilly Hall LEFT: Conference speakers Danny McCoy, Ibec CEO, AJ Noonan, SFA Chairman, Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, and Michael Dawson, Group CEO of One4All, with Patricia Callan, SFA Director

BUSINESS BYTES SEASON ROUNDUP

Delegates visit the exhibition area

The 2015-2016 SFA Business Bytes season finished on a high in June, with the final event on creating a customer service culture. Business Bytes are free training seminars, which take place on the second Wednesday of the month, supported by Bord Gáis Energy. The 2015-2016 season kicked off in October 2015 and was launched by then Minister of State for

Minister English with SFA members at Business Bytes launch

Skills, Research and Innovation, Damien English. Over 600 owner-managers participated in the eight events in the series, which covered a wide range of topics including employment law, government supports, digital marketing strategy, responsible business practices, buying and selling a business and how to deal with difficult conversations in your business. Business Bytes will return in Autumn 2016 with a new schedule of training and networking events for small businesses.

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Commercial Profile

SMART INVESTING: IT’S TIME NOT TIMING

ANDY IVORY CORR, HEAD OF INVESTMENT SALES, NEW IRELAND ASSURANCE CHECKS IN ON THE GLOBAL INVESTMENT LANDSCAPE FOR THOSE ASSESSING THE POTENTIAL OF FUTURE PORTFOLIO RETURNS. If saving is consumption postponed, then by extension, quantitative easing (QE) must be consumption brought forward.

If this is the case, then we now find ourselves with historical low bond yields, Brexit unfolding across the Irish sea, interest rates as good as zero, slowing GDP growth in most western economies and debt levels continuing at close to pre-crisis levels. The key difference being that the debt is now held on sovereign balance sheets instead of the balance sheets of banks.

Investment Returns 2012-2014

It’s interesting to note that recent research from State Street Global Advisors (SSGA) indicates that for three years from 2012 to 2014, developed market equities only had two days where the market moved by +/-2 per cent, in fact in 2013 there wasn’t a single day with such movements. This level of calm isn’t what we would normally expect from equity markets. When we couple this benign equity market with the phenomenal returns generated from bonds over the last few years (because of QE!), it makes for the perfect combination of high returns, with low levels of volatility. So for investors worried about risk management in their investment portfolios, in real terms for the last number of years there wasn’t too much risk to manage! Portfolios holding high levels of (supposedly) low risk assets made above average returns with below average levels of risk.

Changing Investment Landscape

2015 and early 2016 brought about a change as investors started to recognise that the goldilocks scenario may be running out of steam and from April 2015 it became a more challenging time for investors with volatility returning to many asset classes. QE in the eurozone had seen almost one-third of eurozone bonds become negative yielding, with a negative interest rate policy then introduced

Andy Ivory Corr, Head of Investment Sales, New Ireland Assurance by the ECB. Still, inflation stubbornly refused to come through. Japan then followed suit into negative interest rate territory as their QE programme failed to ignite the growth rates they hoped for, and as a recent financial journalist put it, brought life to the expression ‘pushing on a string’ i.e. when you push on a string it doesn’t go anywhere.

Negative interest rates simply distort the risk-free rate of return and potentially reduce consumption as it forces people to save more, not less!

Future Investment Outlook It’s reasonable to suggest that the four key factors of inflation, interest rates, GDP growth and corporate profitability constitute the fundamental economic and business conditions underpinning equity and bond returns. Consideration of where each of these lie today in the economic cycle is critical in assessing the potential for future portfolio returns

and long-term market trends.

As we are now late in the current investment cycle, valuations across all risk assets are no longer cheap and as central banks attempt to normalise and pull back from their various support measures, it would imply that volatility is likely to stay high. Successful investment over the next few years will require realistic expectations of return, diversification of assets and a focus on downside risk management.

So as Warren Buffett so eloquently opined, the stock market is a mechanism for transferring wealth from the impatient to the patient, it may be wise to be patient for the next few years!

The information set out is intended as a guide only and should not be relied upon. All opinions and estimates constitute best judgement at the time of publication and are subject to change without notice.

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Commercial Profile

LEADERSHIP IN PRACTICE DIT COLLEGE OF BUSINESS’S MBA PROGRAMME CHALLENGES PARTICIPANTS TO APPLY THEIR LEARNING TO REAL-TIME COMPANY SCENARIOS, ADDING TANGIBLE VALUE TO THEIR SKILL-SET AND TO THEIR ORGANISATIONS. data analytics, and innovation and commercialisation.

Immediate Impact

DIT Aungier Street campus

DIT Aungier Street library The DIT College of Business provides a portfolio of programmes that aims to assist Irish business manage the myriad opportunities and challenges presented by rapidly changing domestic and global economic environments. The college maintains close links to industry and understands that in order to continue to thrive and scale, Ireland’s small business community requires strong leaders with effective strategic skills. This emphasis

on leadership development is a key feature of the DIT MBA. Delivered on a part-time basis at DIT’s Aungier Street campus, the MBA has been designed to develop participants’ management and leadership capabilities. In conjunction with core finance modules, the DIT MBA ensures participants engage with current and highly relevant issues facing Irish business today through modules such as strategic management,

DIT MBA’s learning approach is committed to applying knowledge to real-life management scenarios. This challenges participants to apply their learning to address company specific problems in real-time, thus adding value to their organisations. In tandem with this approach, participants also engage in a comprehensive leadership development programme focused on identifying and developing personal leadership potential in a team environment. “Our students are engaged on a learning journey that has an immediate impact on their professional lives and their personal growth,” explains Dr Katrina Lawlor, Head of the Graduate Business School at the College of Business. “Both the student and indeed their employer are eager to see a tangible return on investment and the MBA programme delivers on this through the adoption of a learning approach focused on high impact teaching pedagogies.”

This approach is further brought to life through the DIT MBA Silicon Valley Immersion, which affords participants the opportunity to experience an entrepreneurship-rich environment, to engage in business concept development and to pitch to venture capitalists. Additionally, through regular student presentations, the MBA affords participants the opportunity to hone their communication skills.

Dr Lawlor believes that an entrepreneurial mindset is a common requirement at management level, be it at a start-up or within an established organisation. The DIT MBA’s focus on innovation enables participants to unleash their personal leadership potential, to lead with an informed focus and to drive change within their organisations, their industry and their own career.

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Commercial Profile

SELL OR SCALE? IRISH BUSINESSES ARE AMBITIOUS, BUT IS IT OFTEN EASIER TO SELL THAN SCALE, ASKS DANIEL MURRAY, HEAD OF DELOITTE PRIVATE.

The Deloitte Private team has released a report on the challenges and opportunities currently facing private Irish businesses. For this report, we asked private businesses where their top priorities lay. The ambition that is present amongst these businesses is clear. In fact, expanding into new markets was identified as the top business priority amongst respondents.

We’ve heard it often. Ireland’s entrepreneurial spirit is strong – innovation, knowledge, and ambition abounds. And this is true. At Deloitte, we witness this first hand through our Deloitte Best Managed Companies Awards programme.

Yet perhaps somewhat discouragingly, just 6 per cent of respondents indicate that an IPO is part of their future plans.

Over 40 per cent plan to pass onto a successor (of which 80 per cent include at least one family member) and 35 per cent plan to sell. Why is this? Why don’t more of our successful Irish businesses look to scale in this way? Does this require a mindset shift amongst Irish companies? Can more be done to support them to really scale their businesses and go on to replicate the international success of companies such as Glanbia and Kerry?

In our view, there are a few considerations that should be borne in mind:

Lending to Fund Growth Growth, be it organic or acquisitive, can be funded through both the traditional high street banks as well as the

alternative funding sector.

The high street banks will lend to viable businesses at appropriate debt levels, which will differ depending on a company’s risk profile and the specific industry they operate in.

However, a company’s growth plan can be predicated on ‘event-driven’ transactions, such as transformational or bolt-on transactions where senior debt alone is often insufficient – thereby resulting in a funding gap.

The emergence of alternative funders has provided a welcome solution in servicing this gap, whereby they will provide stretched senior, unitranche and mezzanine finance. These facilities will be more expensive in terms of margins and fees but often offer more flexibility in terms of covenants and capital amortisation. Participants in the domestic alternative lender space over the last number of years that have been particularly active include inter alia; Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), Broadhaven Capital Partners, Bluebay Ireland, Carlyle Cardinal Ireland Fund, Renatus Capital Partners, MML Growth Fund and Broadlake Capital.

Whilst the alternative funders have opened up a new funding profile, it remains paramount that the level of debt taken on by businesses is sustainable and reflects the risk profile of the company and its growth ambitions.

Furthermore, if additional debt is not appropriate then new equity should be considered. In many cases the solution to a company’s growth ambitions is a mix of new equity and debt. Interestingly, in Europe the typical equity contribution

required for an acquisition is 40 per cent alongside debt funding (whether from a high street bank or alternative funder) of 60 per cent.

We have worked with numerous Irish private companies in assessing the appropriate funding solution. The solution has been found in senior debt from a high street bank, an alternative funding solution, or lastly a combination of both depending on the requirements of the business. So, it’s important to remember that there are options out there for funding growth.

Supporting Entrepreneurs At present, the taxation system rewards an early exit by entrepreneurs, as evidenced by the recent Finance Bill which introduced a reduced rate of CGT on disposal of a business up to an upper limit of €1 million of chargeable gains. Such relief will do little to encourage entrepreneurs to build and retain businesses on a larger scale.

By comparison, the implementation of a tapered CGT relief would serve to reward commercial longevity and stimulate direct domestic investment.

Furthermore, the punitive income tax rate faced by entrepreneurs when extracting cash from their businesses further incentivises an early exit, whereby entrepreneurs may avail of CGT rates on disposal of the business.

Moreover, tax incentives should be put in place to encourage the investment of liquid private wealth in private businesses and, for entrepreneurs that have exited their

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Commercial Profile

former businesses, to incentivise the re-investment of the proceeds of sale.

We are also of the view that revised forms of the corporate tax exemption for start-ups, EIIS scheme and SURE scheme are required. For many businesses seeking to avail of these initiatives, the scope of the benefits available is too narrow, and the conditions required to avail of the schemes are too restrictive.

In addition to the removal of restrictions applying to the EIIS scheme, we would recommend the introduction of a capital gains tax exemption on subsequent sale of the qualifying shares to make the scheme more lucrative for potential investors, which would in turn offer businesses another source of finance.

The expansion of the SURE scheme to include companies engaged in the provision of professional services would provide qualified professionals with the financial support required to start up their own business, as well as encouraging entrepreneurship in the professional arena and creating additional domestic employment opportunities. The corresponding UK relief maintains its competitiveness by affording a CGT exemption on sale of the relevant shares in certain circumstances, and we would welcome the incorporation of a similar provision in Ireland.

Finally, a renewed outlook on the application of the R&D credit is required. At present, the relief is not appropriately tailored for start-ups that wish to invest significant capital.

Companies can only benefit from the

Daniel Murray, Head of Deloitte Private

relief in stages over a three-year period; for start-ups, this is effectively tying up much-needed resources during the highest-risk stage of the life cycle. We would welcome both a reduction in the term over which the relief is given in tandem with a move towards quarterly refundable credits.

It will come as little surprise that when asked what the Government could do to help private businesses, reducing the burden of taxes was most popular by far. The suggestions above, we believe, should help in this regard.

Ireland has been extremely successful in recent years at promoting itself as a

destination for foreign direct investment.

Yet, the environment for Irish-based entrepreneurs is not as robust as it could be. We would welcome a focus on creating a world-class indigenous business sector with the same focus and energy that has been given to promoting FDI in Ireland so successfully.

There is a role for many organisations in supporting these companies, which provide employment right across the country. Now that a new Government is in place, it is critical that they set out a clear plan on how they will support these companies to fulfil their growth potential.

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Commercial Profile

MAINTAINING STANDARDS QUALITY AND QUALIFICATIONS IRELAND (QQI) PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN INFORMING STUDENTS ABOUT THEIR EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS.

Dr Padraig Walsh, CEO, QQI One of a number of State bodies which operate within the education arena, Quality and Qualifications Ireland’s (QQI) brief is quite broad. Included under its umbrella of responsibility is reviewing the effectiveness of quality assurance in further and higher education providers, authorising the usage of an International Education Mark (IEM) for providers, and the maintenance of the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). The demand for QQI’s services is high, and is likely to increase, with around 170,000 awards made in further education alone throughout 2015.

The latter in particular is quite important – the NFQ provides a way in which learning achievements in Ireland can be measured and related to one

another in a coherent manner. Ireland’s NFQ also sits within a wider European framework, and learners can be assured that their academic endeavours will be recognised both at home and abroad. Transparency and ease of understanding, therefore, is key.

“The idea is to maintain the National Framework of Qualification so that it is something that’s understood by learners, by employers and by the public,” explains Dr Padraig Walsh, Chief Executive, QQI. “We have a role in relation to access, transfer and progression. We work with bodies to ensure that people with further level education qualifications can gain access to higher level education, that their qualifications are understood and recognised.”

QQI also works in tandem with newly established bodies such as the Education and Training Boards (ETBs) to develop their awards and qualifications, alongside higher education institutions such as Ireland’s institutes of technology and universities.

“The bodies we deal with are likely to have undergone significant recent change. Our goal is to ensure that qualifications are well understood, and that the public and prospective learners have a good understanding of the quality of the various programmes that are offered by those colleges,” Walsh adds.

To ensure clarity regarding the various qualifications on offer to Irish students, QQI conducts periodic evaluations of further and higher education institutions, which are published online. It also provides in-depth information on programmes and awards through its website www.

QQI.ie and through its maintenance of the Qualifax national learners’ database www.qualifax.ie, which gives prospective students information on what they can learn, where they can study their chosen topic, and where that course is placed in the NFQ. Despite an exhaustive list of responsibilities, the organisation continues to develop its services.

As Walsh explains, QQI also recently launched infographics.qqi.ie, a useful visualisation of awards data which allows visitors to view programme and awards information on a county-bycounty basis, thus allowing students to choose a qualification based on the demand for skills in a certain area.

“That can be viewed from a graphical interface on the QQI website – you can select by year, by award level and type or by geographical location within that,” says Walsh. “QQI is proud of the role it plays in further and higher education and training in Ireland and the provision of services to its stakeholders.”

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Commercial Profile

TAXSAVER SAVINGS THE TAXSAVER SCHEME HAS BEEN AROUND FOR 16 YEARS HELPING EMPLOYEES TO REDUCE THE COST OF THEIR COMMUTE, WITH BIG SAVINGS FOR BOTH EMPLOYER AND EMPLOYEE…SO HOW DOES IT WORK? IARNRÓD ÉIREANN IRISH RAIL’S GARY DUNPHY EXPLAINS.

Q

Q

Could you tell me about how the Taxsaver scheme with Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail, Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann works and how long it has been in operation?

How can employers assist employees in receiving a Taxsaver ticket?

Registering for the Taxsaver scheme is easy, employers can simply log on to taxsaver.ie, complete a quick online registration form and set up for the scheme. We offer guidance, assistance and advice for employers through our dedicated Taxsaver email and phone helpline and we can also arrange to visit companies and talk directly with staff, highlighting the benefits of the scheme, making them aware of the most economical way of travelling to work.

The Taxsaver scheme was introduced in 1999 by the Government as an incentive to encourage the use of public transport. The scheme has seen huge growth with over 6,000 companies now purchasing monthly and annual tickets for their employees. Employers can purchase Taxsaver tickets on behalf of the employees; the cost of the ticket is then deducted from the employee’s gross salary saving them from paying tax, PRSI, Universal Social Charge or benefit in kind on this amount. It is an easy to use, innovative, practical and green initiative encouraging people to utilise clean modern and reliable public transport whilst leaving the car at home.

Q

How do employees benefit from the scheme?

Employees can avail of a monthly or annual ticket through the scheme, the cost of the ticket is deducted from the employee’s gross salary giving them a fantastic saving of up to 52 per cent off the cost of their commute to work!

Employees can see exactly how much they can save by using the savings calculator on our website. Another great benefit of the scheme is the convenience of having a monthly or annual ticket delivered to your office, no more queuing at the station or looking for change on a Monday morning.

Q

What types of companies are availing of the service?

Q

How do employers benefit from the scheme?

The Taxsaver scheme is a win-win for the employer and commuter.

The employee makes fantastic savings of up to 52 per cent off the cost of their ticket whilst the employer can also save up to 10.75 per cent through PRSI savings, as the employee’s gross income is reduced. It’s an employee perk that doesn’t cost you money. No more parking problems and the staff will love you!

The Taxsaver scheme is open and available to all companies from small firms to large multinationals.

Our online registration and ordering process is quick and easy and our friendly and knowledgeable staff can guide new companies through the process with ease. We provide a complete information and support service to help you introduce the Taxsaver scheme in your company, including detailed information on all aspects of the programme, from ticket types to photo requirements. Employers and employees are welcome to contact our Taxsaver team on 1850 211 777 or visit our website www. taxsaver.ie.

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CULTURE  Arts

THE

HISTORY ART

&

rebellion REMEMBERED

DEAN VAN NGUYEN EXAMINES THE ROLE ARTISTS, MUSICIANS AND WRITERS HAVE PLAYED IN THE EASTER RISING CENTENARY COMMEMORATIONS.

T

he Easter Rising centenary commemorations have left plenty of lasting memories.

The rebellion’s importance in Irish history has been reflected and captured in tributes, ceremonies and spectacles throughout the country – a calendar of events that has been both sombre and celebratory. The marquee Easter Sunday parades saw over 3,700 personnel from the Defence Forces and Emergency Services take part in a large-scale Dublin parade complete with marching bands and airplane pyrotechnics. For many, though, the most impactful take away from 2016 won’t be military exhibition, but artistic accomplishment.

To mark the 100-year anniversary of the Rising, the Arts Council has put on an ongoing programme that attempts to

knit together the nation’s past, present and future. Encompassing everything from dance to visual arts, poetry to music, the initiatives have provided a platform for Irish artists to sketch out their own unique interpretations of the last century.

It makes sense that the arts have been such a pillar in the commemorations.

Joseph Plunkett was a poet and playwright.

Patrick Pearce, also a writer. Sean Mac Diarmada was a newspaperman and Thomas Mac Donagh’s works had been published from a young age. They may be best remembered for wielding a rifle, but their weapon of choice had long been the pen. The arts were embedded in the Rising leaders’ DNA. “This is why we wanted to produce a programme that was visionary and ambitious – because we also wanted to

remember those artists who led the rising,” says Orlaith McBride, director of the Arts Council. “They themselves were visionary, they were pushing boundaries and they were trying to imagine a different future, and that’s really what artists do all the time.”

A NATION TOGETHER This dedication to making the arts central to the remembrance was reflected in the high-profile debut of A Nation’s Voice, a huge orchestral and choral work featuring input from composer Shaun Davey and writer Paul Muldoon, among others. The show took place at Collins Barracks shortly after Easter Sunday’s more formal tributes, with over 1,100 voices from 19 different counties joining the National Symphony Orchestra and conductor David Brophy in

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Arts  Culture

A Nation’s Voice event which took place on Easter Sunday in conjunction with RTÉ

(LEFT TO RIGHT) Caroline Criado-Perez, Susan McKay, Catríona Crowe, Diarmaid Ferriter and Micheline Sheehy Skeffington at the Ennis Book Festival

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across a range of art forms.

Featured in the schedule is 1916 – Visionaries and Their Words, a series of songs written and performed by Lorcán Mac Mathúna that were inspired by the ideals of the leaders of the Easter Rising.

There’s In the Shadow of the State, which sees visual artists Sarah Browne and Jesse Jones exploring statehood from the perspective of the female body. And there is The Casement Project, an ambitious work inspired by Roger Casement that includes a stage show, a festival of dance, a short film, two academic conferences and a series of participatory events to address the legacy of 1916. “Through this project and through dance, I want to look at the relationship between nationalism and the body, and to propose new possibilities for bodies to move individually and together,” choreographer Fearghus Ó Conchúir has said. “That’s a Casement legacy that I would like to see.”

Orlaith McBride, Director, Arts Council

performance. The grandiose sweep of the RTÉ broadcast event hoped to unite the nation in celebration and reflection. “We didn’t want something that was sombre, we didn’t want something that was backwards looking,” says McBride. “Because once the state commemorative pieces had happened, we wanted something that was much more uplifting.”

A Nation’s Voice might have been the main event, but it was just one performance in the Arts Council’s ART: 2016, a diverse public showcase of work being presented across Ireland and abroad throughout the year. Programme stands include The Open Call National Project Awards, which saw nine artists and arts organisations given the opportunity to engage with the centenary through the creation of ambitious projects

Sunday Symposium, which usually has a more political element to it, also focused on 1916.

Beginning with a talk from Professor Diarmaid Ferriter on his book A Nation and Not a Rabble: the Irish Revolution 1913 to 1923, the main event was ‘Do It Like A Woman’, which pondered the role that women play in the continuing push for revolution, particularly in the ongoing struggle for equality. Chaired

by Catríona Crowe, the session’s panel included Caroline Criado-Perez, author of Do It Like A Woman, along with journalist Susan McKay and lecturer Micheline Sheehy Skeffington. The festival’s turnout is normally made up of 70 per cent women and O’Connell describes their Risingfocused events as potentially further “alienating the male audience”. Still, record number of people attended the festival this year.

LITERARY RECOGNITION

A LASTING LEGACY

Away from the Arts Council programme, this year’s Ennis Book Festival was particularly keen to highlight something that has long been out of secondary school textbooks – women’s role in the rebellion. “It was also reflective that the 1916 celebrations have put a lot more emphasis on the role of women,” says Emer O’Connell, the chairperson of the Ennis Book Club Festival committee. “It has been recognised that their role was not as recognised previously.” In fact, artist Gearóid O’Dea’s mural of Countess Markievicz, Margaret Pearse and Grace Gifford-Plunkett that appeared on Dublin’s George’s Street will likely be remembered as one of the most iconic images from the 2016 celebrations.

The three-day event, in its tenth year, opened on Friday, March 4th with Marita Conlon-McKenna reading from and discussing new novel Rebel Sisters. Set in 1916, the book tells the story of three sisters and their individual roles in the struggle for Irish freedom. Elsewhere, the festival’s

As the year’s events continue, thoughts turn to the next 100 years. As much as the arts have captured Irish history, a key function of the various programmes will be to create a lasting legacy that can be built upon. To do so, McBride is urging the State to continue to invest and support in our artists.

For its part, the Arts Council’s Next Generation initiative has identified 16 exciting young artists and handed them enough money to spend the year solely focusing on their own work. What they create will help contextualise Ireland in 2016, and act as a springboard for the talented group’s future.

“Artists are so much a part of the fabric of Irish life, that it’s incumbent of the State to support that,” says McBride. “We need to continue to invest in the artistic energy of the country because we’re not known internationally for our great banking system or our great health system, we’re actually known for our artists. You can’t just rattle them out on fair days, you need to invest in them all the time.”

According to McBride, there would be no more fitting a tribute to the leaders of 1916: “100 years ago, those artists were the chief signifiers of the State. What we hope to do in 2016 with the projects [is ensure] there is a generation of artists now that are continuing that legacy as the chief signifiers of the State and they’re sharing their ambition and their vision with the Republic and their proclaiming that things can be different in an Ireland of today.”

“WHAT WE HOPE TO DO IN 2016 WITH THE PROJECTS [IS ENSURE] THERE IS A GENERATION OF ARTISTS NOW THAT ARE CONTINUING THAT LEGACY AS THE CHIEF SIGNIFIERS OF THE STATE.” 58 SFA | BETTER BUSINESS

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Commercial Profile

HEALTH MATTERS A NEW STUDY SHOWS THAT IRISH BUSINESSES ARE BECOMING MORE CONSCIOUS OF THEIR EMPLOYEES’ HEALTH AND WELLBEING. The One4all Rewards ‘Health in the Workplace’ report presents an annual review of the state of health and wellbeing in the Irish workplace. With responses from over 1,000 employees across the country, the 2016 report found that health has become a greater focus for Irish businesses in 2016.

Just over half (53 per cent) of employers are now offering some form of health and wellbeing scheme – whether that be as simple as fruit in the office canteen, subsidised gym memberships or a more structured programme – compared to 43 per cent in 2015.

In spite of this greater focus on workplace wellbeing, there is still room for improvement. Twenty-three per cent of respondents stated that they believe their

employer has no concern for their health, with a further 21 per cent stating that their health was a low concern. In addition, worryingly, nearly half of the respondents to the survey admitted experiencing bullying in the workplace in some capacity, with only 12 per cent stating that the bullying was handled appropriately.

This statistic highlights a concerning and little-acknowledged culture of workplace harassment and silence.

Further findings from the report include the fact that, in the past 12 months, 56 per cent of employees have called in sick despite being fit to work at least once.

Thirteen per cent said they had faked illness three to four times in the past year, with 6 per cent saying they had done it five or more times.

Providing valuable workplace benefits can dramatically improve employee morale and productivity at little to no cost. The One4all Bikes4work programme allows businesses to offer tax-free bikes and equipment to all staff, saving employees up to 52 per cent on the cost of a new bike.

In addition, One4all Gift Cards can be used to incentivise staff to improve health and productivity. Under the Government’s Benefit In Kind scheme, One4all Gift Cards up to the value of €500 per employee can be purchased free of tax, PRSI and USC. For more information on the current state of health in the Irish workplace, read the full report at www.one4allrewards.ie.

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05/07/2016 12:14

Travel  Singapore

Twin pagodas at the Chinese Garden

Raffles Hotel, Singapore

AWAY ON

BUSINESS SINGAPORE CONDUCTING BUSINESS IN AN UNKNOWN TERRITORY CAN BE TRICKY IF YOU DON’T DO YOUR HOMEWORK. BETTER BUSINESS SHARES SOME HANDY TIPS FOR A BUSINESS TRIP TO SINGAPORE, THE PREFERRED GATEWAY TO ASIA. Each year Singapore attracts upwards of 15 million tourists due to its tropical climates, varied culture and close proximity to Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia. In 2016 the small island topped the World Bank’s list of countries where it’s easy to do business for the ninth consecutive year. Singapore is often dubbed the perfect location for the humble start-up as well as the major multinational due to its low corporate tax rate and stable economic and political environment. Among those who have set up shop here are Citi, DHL, Deloitte and IBM, not to mention exciting start-ups like GrabTaxi, PropertyGuru and M-Daq. So you’ve landed and breezed through the 20-minute car ride from CHANGI AIRPORT to the Central Business District (CBD), now it’s time to unload your baggage and get to work! The RAFFLES HOTEL SINGAPORE is the flagship

property of the Raffles Hotel and Resorts.

The old world architecture and lofty furnishings epitomise the romanticism of the Far East. The colonial structure, which has played host to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, stands as a stark contrast to its contemporary surroundings within the heart of the CBD. The hotel facilities comprise 103 suites, 14 restaurants and bars, event spaces, a luxury spa and a shopping arcade.

If you fancy a drinks meeting with flavour, look no further than the GIBSON. With a selection of drinks inspired by influential people, times and places (even fictional character Walter White gets a mention), and a presentation akin to artwork, there’s not an average daiquiri in sight. Given the decor on offer, you won’t be short on talking points and conversation will be flowing as smoothly as the cocktails

Seafood platter at The Gibson Bar

when you close that business deal.

If you’re hosting a conference or event during your stay in Singapore, then nowhere can be mentioned in the same breath as the SANDS EXPO AND CONVENTION CENTRE. There are 250 meeting and conference rooms within the resort, it holds Southeast Asia’s largest ballroom, and has a capacity for 2,000 exhibition booths. The Sands can cater for large groups in its convention centre or smaller parties of under 30 people in

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Singapore  Travel

g for Travellin Business

GETTING THE BEST DEAL

1 Singapore Marina Bay

The Sands Expo and Convention Centre

FLIGHTS To get your best deal on flights to Singapore’s Changi Airport try to schedule your journey for either midday or mid week, if your diary will allow. These times tend to be the most inexpensive for travel.

2

HOTELS Singapore has a flourishing tourist trade and this sees an abundance of new hotels popping up at every turn. Try booking with a newer establishment instead of an old favourite to avail of any opening promotions. You’ll receive premium service at a reduced rate from a hotel trying to build a solid customer base.

3 Gardens by the Bay

CARS Consider the size of the area you’re hoping to cover and compare that against the cost of car hire and insurance. Singapore’s business district is fairly confined, with excellent transport systems (like the MRT). Travel on public transport is just 10SGD a day with a tourist pass which will get you unlimited use. Financially speaking, it may make more sense to opt out of the car rental option this time.

The Gibson Bar

its hospitality suites. The business centre boasts services that include private office spaces, secretarial services, five-star catering and full technical support for all of your AV and lighting needs. It even has a handy mobile app that focuses on creating individual attendee schedules, contact lists, and which can conduct surveys and polls through 15 different languages.

Located in luxury boutique hotel, The Club, the DISGRUNTLED CHEF restaurant is targeted at anyone with an appreciation

for good food. The 66-seater venue with bespoke furnishings and silk wall panelling encapsulates the elegance associated with fine dining. Focusing keenly on the business patronage in Singapore, the menu caters to the European palate but definitely isn’t void of Asian influences. If you want privacy during a business dinner, the Disgruntled Chef provides secluded private dining rooms for tables of 12, fully stocked with a walk-in wine cellar and first-class table service.

4

MEALS True Singaporean cuisine has a variety of multicultural influences that meet at the famed hawker stands in Chinatown.

If you’re a foodie then local delicacy, nasi lemak, is a delicious coconut rice dish that you can’t afford to miss. We’d recommend visiting the Maxwell Food Centre in Chinatown to get your fill.

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Travel  Singapore

STAY

HOURS IN

SINGAPORE

ONE DAY OFF? HERE’S HOW TO SPEND IT

If you find the typical hotel room look stifling then give Wanderlust a whirl. Each room has a unique theme that centres around signature neon colours, the pop art movement, nature or space, all completed in lavish style.

9AM | SINGAPORE FLYER See it all

If you really want to see everything Singapore has to offer, the Singapore Flyer is the only attraction that will give you a 360 degree view. Standing at a height of 165 metres, an exceptional 40 metres taller than London Eye, this $240 million structure will give an expansive view of all the cultural and business sites from Singapore to Malaysia.

12PM | GARDENS BY THE BAY Garden stroll

W: www.wanderlusthotel.com T: +65 6579 2026 E: WHL-Res@unlistedcollection.com 5PM | WWII WAR TRAIL Visit the past

The WWII War Trail in Changi is a powerful exhibition of Singapore’s history in the war. While the elaborate tour, which recreates the living conditions of WWII POWs, will leave any history buff in awe, the experience will resonate with even the most novice of wartime enthusiasts. The instructors are not only knowledgable about the facts of this tumultuous time in Singapore’s history but they translate how the aftershocks of those events still affect their families in the present day.

Entering Gardens by the Bay can be described as stepping into the land of the Lost World. Nonetheless, words aren’t quite enough to describe the tropical jungle of overflowing plants. Immersed in exotic colours and immense overhanging super trees that stand at 25-50 metres tall, this bewitching combination of nature and majesty needs to be seen to be believed.

3PM | CHINATOWN Taste the culture

In Singapore eating isn’t just necessary to satisfy a hunger but it’s a whole experience in itself. To get a taste of authentic Singaporean cuisine head to the hawker stands of Chinatown Food Street, a world that exists in stark contrast to the metropolis of the Central Business District. Here you’ll find a selection of dishes inspired by neighbouring China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and India. Indulge in traditional chilli crab, Hainanese chicken rice or Hokkien prawn mee for a truly tasty Singaporean experience.

WANDERLUST

STUDIO M HOTEL The Studio M Hotel has a name that’s misleading as it actually offers loft style apartments over the traditional hotel room.

Modern, sleek and efficient, if you want the urban loft experience for a couple of days, check it out.

W: www.studiomhotel.com T: +65 6808 8888 E: reservations.SMH@millenniumhotels.com

8PM | NIGHT SAFARI Go wild

If Singapore’s bars and clubs aren’t your scene then perhaps a night time excursion into the wild will be more of a thrill. At dusk the Night Safari opens its doors to welcome visitors into the world of their nocturnal inhabitants. We recommend taking a walk on the leopard trail to witness some ferocious jungle cats hunt for their dinner while Malayan flying foxes and giant flying squirrels sail overhead in nearby skies. An experience worth missing bedtime for.

SWISSOTEL THE STAMFORD Offering five-star luxury and panoramic views of nearby Indonesian and Malaysian islands, Swissotel The Stamford is one of the tallest hotels in Southeast Asia.

Check out its Willow Tree Spa, one of Asia’s largest sanctuaries of fitness and wellness.

W: www.swissotel.com/hotels/ singapore-stamford T: +65 6338 8585 E: singapore-stamford@swissotel.com

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Commercial Profile

PREPARING FOR SUCCESS SUFFICIENT PREPARATION IS KEY TO A SUCCESSFUL CREDIT FACILITY APPLICATION, ACCORDING TO THE CREDIT REVIEW OFFICE. There has been a lot of coverage in the media about the high level of ‘discouraged’ business borrowers in Ireland. These are businesses that are viable, but do not apply for finance because they believe they will not be able to get it – and are missing opportunities to grow and develop their businesses as a result. This is regrettable as funds are available from our traditional high street banks, and also new lenders at www.ifpireland.ie.

As a business, making sure your application for credit facilities will be successful requires good preparation, such as up to date trading and financial information. The starting point is the business plan, which

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should provide a brief overview of the business, including its management, market and customers. Assumptions underpinning future growth need to be clearly stated, with as much supporting documentation/third party validation as possible – for example debtor and creditor listings, and your order book. Cashflow projections must be realistic as banks and other funders will usually want to know if targets in original plans are being achieved.

Some form of security will typically be required. In the absence of security being available, the Government Credit Guarantee Scheme can help. In addition to security,

banks do not want to take all of the up-front risks associated with a project, and are typically prepared to lend 65-70 per cent, with the remaining 30-35 per cent coming from the business itself, or other investors (family and friends or external), and in some cases Microfinance Ireland.

The good news is that banks are lending to viable businesses which present their cases well. However if you are a borrower who believes that your business is viable, but has been refused credit, appeal that decision to the Credit Review Office – we are able to recommend that credit should be provided to over 50 per cent of SMEs who apply to us.

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Profile  A Day in the Life

STYLE SOLUTIONS

Caption: Rebecca Harrison, MD, Fishers of Newtownmountkennedy

REBECCA HARRISON, MD OF FISHERS OF NEWTOWNMOUNTKENNEDY, SHARES DETAILS OF A BUSY DAY IN STORE AS SHE HOSTS ONE OF HER RENOWNED FASHION SHOWS ON SITE. 8AM Chelsey, the head chef in the café, arrives to prepare the food and treats for the day ahead. Kirsty of Salon H at Fishers arrives shortly after to provide me with a blow-dry before the shop opens. I need to look the part as well as showcase Kirsty’s fine talents! In the café, the waitresses arrive and put the final touches in place for our fashion show. Not long after, the Fishers team opens the shop. They’ve worked tirelessly all week putting outfits together and are now making some final tweaks to ensure everyone looks fabulous! We have two changing areas – one for the ladies and another for the brave men. There are five outfits each, ranging from sporty casual wear from Jack Murphy, Joules and Seasalt to smart outfits from Olsen, Steilmann, Frank Lyman, Magee, Bruhl and Brook Taverner. We also showcase some of the items on offer from the other stores on site; bedding and linen from Beds of A Feather; gifts and crafts from The Creation Room and Anne Gregory’s bridal creations. Meanwhile, I’m making finishing touches to my fashion notes and style tips that I’ll be sharing with attendees.

10AM The doors open and customers begin to trickle in. The models arrive in their true shapes, sizes and ages! Our customers love to see the outfits looking so well on people they can relate to – not seven-foot tall, size zero models. Customers are welcomed and ushered into the café where they are served with complimentary coffee or tea and chocolate brownie bites. 10.45AM The models are in their first outfits and ready to go. Terry is on hand to coordinate them, while others look after customer requests. Sharon is taking pictures for our social media sites. 11AM The lights are turned on. I take to the microphone and welcome everyone to Fishers. Our shows are quite informal and as I talk through each outfit, I add details of why the outfit works, offer style solutions to highlight people’s best assets and how to disguise others, and talk about the trends for the season. The men who have volunteered (or have been cajoled) to model receive the loudest round of applause from the mostly female audience. They’re brave men alright but we can see they love the attention! 12PM After the final round of applause for the models and the stylists, customers head for the shop to find their favourite pieces. There’s a great buzz with groups of people shopping together, encouraging and critiquing each other in their choices. 1PM Hunger sets in and over the next hour the shop quiets down, while the café is buzzing with the lunchtime rush. The special hot sandwich and treats counter is particularly popular today.

2.30PM The team on the shop floor work on getting things back to normal. I head back to the office to catch up on paperwork and receive a call from Deirdre Waldron, President of Network Ireland, the progressive organisation for professional women. I’ll be taking her role in 2017 so there’s lots of planning to do. Customers continue to shop into the afternoon and at 5.30pm the shop and café close. Overall, it’s been a good day, with lots of style and plenty of sales!

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Tell the world you’re Irish.

Tom O’Rahilly, Museum Director.

LeprechaunMuseum .ie

Register your business as .ie Ireland’s official web address.

Tell the world your business is Irish, and tell Irish people your business is local.

• Guaranteed Irish - Proves true connection to Ireland • Safety - One of the world’s safest web addresses

visit www.iedr.ie

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05/07/2016 12:15 16/01/2015 13:07

A NEW KIND OF LUXURY The Volvo S90 D4 Geartronic from €48,400* Our new executive sedan was designed with a single aim in mind; to create a car that would redefine the idea of luxury.

The result is the new Volvo S90, a blend of the best of Scandinavian design and advanced technology. We’re moving forward with safety and power innovation, including semi-autonomous drive, giving you a new, unforgettable driving experience.

This is how a modern luxury sedan should be.

This is the new Volvo S90.

Innovation Made by Sweden *Delivery and related charges not included. Terms and conditions apply. Model is shown for illustrative purposes only. Fuel consumption for the Volvo Range in mpg (l/100km): Urban 35.3 (8.0) – 68.9 (4.1), Extra Urban 58.9 (4.8) – 85.6 (3.3), Combined 34.4 (8.2) – 156.9 (1.8). CO2 Emissions 215 – 48 g/km. All new Volvo cars come with a 3 year warranty and 2 years’ roadside assistance.

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05/07/2016 12:16 09/05/2016 15:09