Self Starter Magazine December 2018

December 2018 Issue 12 Volume 01

Think Tell Teach

The best gift you have ever been given is "right now"

Small Steps Make Big Changes!

Karina Murray

Never Lose Your Creativity, It`s The Lifeline Of Your Business!

The Value of Physical & Mental Strength

I Need A Break! Is Taking Time Out Really OK?

Meet The Team EST. 2018 www.selfstarter.com EMAIL info@selfstarter.ie INSTAGRAM @selfstartermagazine FACEBOOK SelfStarterMagazine TWITTER @MagSelfStarter

Wendy Merrigan

Lynsey Hanratty

Sharon Thompson

Publisher & Editor-In-Chief Kajsa Kinsella

Claire Gallagher

Éadaoin Curtin

Siobhan Fitzpatrick

Arklow County Wicklow Ireland

Marie Shields

Paul Dunphy Esquire

Special Guests

Nichola Flood

Julie Potter

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Karina Murray

Helen Walsh

Deirdre Duke

Think Tell Teach

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THINK TELL TEACH

EDITOR`S WELCOME Hi Everyone & All. YAY, Nearly there!! Christmas is nearly here, and although this is the busiest time for most of us self-employed, it also is a glorious time of glimmering lights, wonderful flavours, and tantalizing scents. Can you tell already that I LOVE this time of the year!?

Our motto THINK TELL TEACH, has been very well received, as these three words represent what we stand for and reflects our passion for helping, teaching and following Irish female entrepreneurs on their path of self-employment and we look forward to developing this much further.

Helping each other out is THE most important key to success and we must lead by example.

This month, we have some fantastic writers for you and strong personal stories by Irish female entrepreneurs such as aid-worker Helen Walsh, artist Julie Potter, Queen of Health Nichola Flood, Karina Murray of Aunua Academy and we are super excited to feature Siobhan Fitzpatrick`s interview with our very own Deirdre Duke of the Irish female hockey team.

Don`t miss our "Cream Of The Crop" Christmas Special, where we have picked the very best of Irish bush gifts for you to consider.

And last but not least, make sure to submit your entry in our exciting new competitions on our website-Discover Irish businesses and learn from Irish female entrepreneurs.

We have SO many exciting prizes for you to win. https://www.selfstarter.ie/win Enjoy!/Kajsa Kinsella Founder & Editor-In-Chief

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For You This Month

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22

29

32

36

40

46

Nichola Flood

Karina Murray

Lynsey Hanratty

Hot Cinnamon Milk!

The Cream Of The Crop

Claire Gallagher

December 2018 Issue 12 Volume 01

Deirdre Duke

Sharon Thompson

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Be Someone`s Strength

Be Someone`s Inspiration

Be Someone`s Reason

Never To Give Up

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Personal Story

The Queen Of Health PÂ 07

Personal Story

My Story, The Person I Used To Be...

Looking back at the person I used to be, to who I am now,has been an incredible transformation.

Sometimes I even have to look twice at old photos of myself.

For years I was caught in a diet trap with negative thoughts. I constantly compared myself to others. Each week as I got to Wednesday on my new diet plan I would feel miserable.

Inevitably I’d end up throwing in the towel and convince myself that I would start again the following week.

I bought endless magazines and books in search of that one ultimate solution that was going to make a happier, healthier version of me. I tried nearly every diet and detox out there. All of which ended on a low and with me being actually heavier then when I started out. I had no one who understood what I was going through or to give me the support, encouragement and tools needed to transform my life. To be a yo-yo dieter is not fun.

Does this sound familiar to you? It is a person who is stuck in a trap and can see no way out.

Panic sets in and the yo-yo dieter joins all type of groups to try and find that elusive miracle diet.

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I grew up pretty much in the doctor’s surgery once a month for chest infections, viral infections, bronchitis. From as far back as I can remember I was generally always on antibiotics. I was born with a shadow on my lung and a poor immune system. As a child, I was a fussy eater and lived on chicken, potatoes and processed foods. When I reached my teens and the dreaded hormones kicked in I developed severe acne.

As a teenager in school it was so debilitating, especially as a girl when all of my friends were wearing make-up and going out socializing. Instead, I locked myself in my room when visitors came to the house and became very unsociable. After several courses of failed results on antibiotics, the doctor sent me to a dermatologist who immediately put me on the strongest tablet available.

Personal Story

Feeling the fear and doing it anyway.

The side effects of this drug are dryness of the skin, lips and nostrils, dryness of the eyes and mood changes including depression. I always look back, although hormones do have a lot to play in the role of acne, and wonder if my diet had been healthier with fresh fruits, veggies and water perhaps my acne would have been less severe.

Anyway, I went through depression and isolation as a result but the acne did eventually clear up after a year. In my 20’s, I battled to keep a size 12 figure. I would restrict my eating during the week then binge at the weekends.

Each Monday I would start the cycle all over again. Eventually this lifestyle caught up with me and my body just could not cope and I started to pile on the pounds. I felt out of control. My diet struggle had properly begun. When I hit my 30th birthday I promised myself that I was going to look for the solution to a healthier and happier me. In reality it took me up until 8 years later to see the effect a positive mind can have on your body, soul and mind. I started to research through health books, YouTube and attended seminars on how food could heal the body.

It was the start of a long journey but an enjoyable and rewarding one, which I am still on to this day. I visited a Homoeopathist, a Reflexologist, a Kinesiologist and an Acupuncturist and some of these have now become mentors and even close friends.

My main focus at this point was my body image, which I wanted to improve. But at the same time I was telling myself in my head, “sure you will never be a size 10, you will never have a toned healthy body”.

At the time I didn’t fully realize the impact of these negative thoughts on my success. The first light bulb moment for me was when I began trying for a baby. I had taken it for granted that my journey allowed me to have as many children as I wanted, when I wanted and I was in control of my body to allow it to happen.

This wasn’t to be the case. I was told I had ‘unexplained infertility’.

After two years of trying and not having any success I decided to look into IVF. Although I had my husband with me every step of the way through this process, it’s still a very lonely ordeal as your body has to deal with a lot of drugs which create havoc with your hormonal system. It was a roller coaster and the fact that we didn’t want to share our experience with anyone made us isolated and cut off from a lot of close family and friends.

As I became more anxious about not becoming pregnant and trying to lose the excess weight I put on through the whole experience, I slowly started to slip into depression.

I didn’t fully realise that I was depressed until I attended a training session in 2012 as part of work, called “Your Mental Health”. The trainer showed a slide on the signs of depression and I started to understand this was how I was feeling. I became removed from social events, friends, family and general things that you do as a young married couple. Everyone around me was having babies and was asking me when are you having yours? I lost some really good friends as I distanced myself from them, while also gaining new friends that supported me through the bad times. At a later stage in the IVF process the doctors decided to check my thyroid and the results showed that it was underactive which explained the depression, tiredness and weight gain. I was prescribed a well-known brand of tablets to support the thyroid but decided I was going to tackle this issue on my own and not take the medication (something I would never recommend to my clients, and I would always advise that they consult their doctor when trying anything new).

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Personal Story At a wellness seminar, I was handed a book of positive affirmations.

This was a turning point for me. After reading this book I learned that affirmations are positive statements that help you to overcome self-sabotaging, negative thoughts. They thought me how to visualize, and believe in myself for the first time. They helped me make positive changes in my life. I researched more and more and came across Louise Hay. I bought some of her CDs and books and over the coming months read and listened to them. This was a whole new beginning for me.

Every morning on my way to work I started to practice the great work of Louise Hay and recited my own positive affirmations which reconditioned my thinking and changed my whole life. I would tell myself that I am beautiful (a hard one to do but it does get easier, I promise), I thanked myself for my beautiful toned size 10 body that is full of health and vitality. I was also coached by a nutritional therapist who believed in positive affirmations.

She showed me how to eat properly again and the best part was how much I could actually eat.

I learned how to be comfortable around food for the first time in a very long time. I began to eat at regular times and learned that by eating every 2.5–3 hours I could keep my blood sugar levels stable and I wasn’t inclined to reach for the chocolate and biscuits after every meal. My sweet cravings disappeared and I felt fuller for longer and I started to get my energy back. After spending a couple of sessions with my coach I decided I wanted to turn my passion into a career. I went back to college and followed my dream of becoming a nutritional coach. After I started to see results with my coach and positive affirmations I joined a gym, not to spend hours on a treadmill but to lift weights. This is something that scared the hell out of me a first as I felt intimidated walking into a big open space to learn a new skill. But life is better when you step out of your comfort zone – “feel the fear and just do it”.

I was lucky that my sister in law is a personal trainer and she could show me the techniques to use as well as design a programme for me.

She designed a weight training plan based on my fitness level that fitted in with my busy schedule. You can check Jessi out here www.bikini.ie. I started with 3 sessions a week in the gym and slowly but surely I began to see results. Gillian Michaels says “it takes just 4 weeks for you to see a change in your body, 8 weeks for your friends to notice and 12 weeks for the rest of the world”. It’s the commitment that gives you the results, I didn’t gain the weight overnight and I couldn’t expect to lose it overnight. I had to invest in changing my eating habits and believe it or not 80% of your diet and 20% of exercise will give you results, not the other way around as I thought before Jessi Kavanagh explained this to me. I had to stick with it and remain positive!

Read Nichola`s full story on https://www.selfstarter.ie/ P 10

Find Nichola on http://thequeenofhealth.ie/

There Is Virtue In Work

There Is Virtue In Rest

Use Both &Â Overlook Neither

Business Coaching

2018 in Review and 2019 Planning for your Business

By Lynsey Hanratty

Taking the time to look back, and plan for the future.

December can be a crazy month for most business owners, but can also be a quiet time for some, time to reflect on what 2018 brought to the table, and a time to plan for 2019 and all that is to come. It’s a good time to see how you can improve things in your business, perhaps automate certain areas of your business that take up your time, or delegate tasks to others in your team or to a virtual assistant.

You may be looking at a different direction in your business and need to flesh out some ideas or outline new projects or products. You may be moving to the next level in your business, taking on more staff, more work and more clients.

Whatever your plans, they need to be written down and worked out step by step to help you track your business growth. As the saying goes ‘What get’s measured, gets managed.’

Let’s look at how 2018 helped you progress in your business, and how 2019 could be your best year yet!

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Business Coaching

The Ghost of Business Past!

Think back on your last 12 months and how you have learned and moved forward in your business. When reviewing your year, be totally honest with yourself, and answer these questions.

• What were your main business achievements in 2018?

• What could you have done better or differently in your business?

• What could you have worked harder at?

• What did you learn about yourself in 2018 (good and bad!)?

• What did you struggle within your business this year?

• What were you most proud of in your business this year?

The answers to these questions should allow you a comprehensive and candid summary of 2018, what you learned and achieved in a short time frame, and what could be possible for 2019 with the right steps and the right strategy to follow.

Goal setting and planning for 2019 When planning for the year ahead, its best to pick 3-4 goals (1 per quarter) that you can really take time to work on and perfect. Business owners can sometimes bite off more than they can chew, ending up overwhelmed and frustrated at their lack of progress over time. Goal setting and planning will help you prioritise what you want to achieve in 2019, but you need to stick to the process and take action! Plan ahead with these questions: • What are the 3-4 main goals you want to achieve for your business in 2019?

• What do you want from your business in 2019?

• What do you want to be in your business in 2019?

• Who could help you with your goals for 2019 – family, friends, colleagues, people you admire?

• What kind of people would you like to meet next year, to collaborate with, to build relationships with?

• How much money do you want to make in your business in 2019, and what do you need to do each month to make it (how many clients, contracts, consultancies, products etc. do you need to sell?)

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Business Coaching

For each of your 3-4 main goals mentioned earlier – answer the following questions: • What do you need to do to achieve it?

• When will you do it, and how long will it take to complete?

• Why are you doing it?

• What will you achieve on completing this goal?

• What could stand in your way of achieving this goal, and how can you avoid these obstacles?

2019 Goal accountability for your business It’s important to keep yourself accountable during this goal setting process, so revisit your goals every month to keep focused on the tasks in hand.

Break each goal down into manageable mini-projects that will help you towards the larger goal.

Find an ‘accountability buddy’ that you can share your goals and plans with and keep each other on track on the bad days and celebrate the good days. It easier to keep your business goals in motion when you have told somebody about them, and they can hold you accountable in achieving them.

To grab my free ‘Goodbye 2018, Hello 2019’ workbook helping you get the most from your life and business in 2019, email me at hello@lynseyhanratty.com and I’ll send you a copy!

Lynsey Hanratty worked in the wellness arena as a neuromuscular and physical therapist for over 4 years before moving into coaching to fulfill her ambition of helping wellness practitioners realize their potential, create more profit, and have the business and life that they want. She does this by way of one to one business coaching as well as speaking at various events.

If you would like to avail of Lynsey’s 30 minute complimentary Profit Road Map Session to explore what you want to achieve and create in your wellness business, you can contact her at hello@lynseyhanratty.com or call her on 086 3569689.

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Advertise with us!

We Want To FIND Your Product, LEARN About Your Business & HELP You Spread The Word.

Get Seen By Thousands Of Irish Entrepreneurs!

Email info@selfstarter.ie for rates

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Investigate/Inform

Jeepers, I need to take a BREAK! Is it OK to do that?

Carving Out The Time To Care For Yourself Will Kindle Your Fire

By Kajsa Kinsella

This time, as I sit and think of what I want to write in my monthly column, I, as always, try my very best to come up with all kinds of positive, inspiring and energetic topics to write about, but it is simply no use today.

All my brain wants to do is to take a break. It is pleading with me to allow it to switch off from each and everything I "have" to do and "should" get done. And again, as always, I try my best to ignore it, but, as I said, today, it is no use.

My brain won`t cooperate and that`s that, so, we will have allow for a short interval and figure out what to do about it!

I don`t think I need to tell you how nearly physically painful it is to allow yourself to pause; to take some time out and to actually permit yourself to stop working for a bit. When you are used to going full steam ahead, the thought of taking time out feels awkward and nearly silly. It is something I haven`t attempted to do, even for a day, working back-to-back for the last year and I have to admit, the mere thought of it fills me with angst in a strange way. What the heck shall I do, if not work?! Who am I, if I don`t sit glued to my laptop?!

But, I do know that it is something which is incredibly important, and the longer I "go on empty", the harder it will be to reenergize and I do also admit that I have, due to work, lost a lot of precious time, connecting with the loving and living people around me.

My bad conscience is clawing at me, when I think back on all the times I have been dismissive to my family, because my work had to go first, and this email simply HAD to be written or that text message HAD to be read or this layout HAD to be altered or that phone call HAD to be made or this, that and the other, ALWAYS came first...

So, as surprising as it may sound, not least to myself, I have decided to stop for a little while and enjoy this Christmas. Plus, I will create a weekly + monthly plan where I will designate hours of work, as well as firmly set times for breaks and time-off from the screen and do you know what, convinced as I used to be, that my work was THE most important part of my life, I simply can`t wait to begin creating a healthier work-life balance. Join me, I think you`ll LOVE it too!!

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Investigate/Inform

4 Major Benefits From Taking A Break *Improved Mental Health* You are not meant to work 8-12 hrs non-stop, doing so will severely impact on your mind and your effectivity.

Make sure to take regular breaks and do something completely different and non-work related for a while. *Improve Your Focus* Yes, you know it, if you just keep going and going, before long, you will switch over to autopilot and this is when you lose focus and you will begin to make mistakes, as your brain clearly tells you that it has had enough and can`t cope with the intensity you are putting it through.

Give it some air, allow it to breathe. *Improve Your Digestion * Sitting down all day, hunched and barely breathing whilst staring at the computer screen is detrimental to the health and balance of your gut, plus, shoveling your lunch into you is just about the worst thing you can do. Stomachache and diarrhea, welcome, I left the door open for you! *Improve Your Outlook* Whether you work in an office or at home, shutting out everything but business-ing is truly not good for you.

Working with such focus, the result might be that it soon can feel awkward to connect with "real" people and we simply can`t have that, so, when you do take your breaks, interact with someone alive and you`ll see, your mood and confidence will definitely improve.

"Almost everything with work again if you plug it out and back in a again after a few minutes, including you!"

It`s Really Quite Exciting!

I myself as of late, have HAD to acknowledge the fact that I`m merely a human and that I simply cannot get everything done in a day or two, or three... It`s not possible, and although it feels strangely unusual to admit it, I am just a person and I have to look after my spirit, my joy for life and my love for living much better from now on.

Each day is a new opportunity to do better for yourself, they say, and I`m looking forward to creating a stronger business through being a more balanced businesswoman.

There is a saying which goes: "After the battle, both the king and the pawn end up in the same box" and this, to me, is very profound.

Let`s look forward to living, laughing and loving a little more, life is short and very, very precious!

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Branding

What is your brand worth?

By Éadaoin Curtin

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Branding It’s the most magical time of the year - that lovely time of big picture reflection & planning that comes with the end of one year & the beginning of the next. Time to take stock of what worked & what didn’t, what you want to do even more of & what it’s time to let go of. I’ve got another question to add to your list - what has your brand been worth to you this year? Has it gained you new clients? Helped you raise your profile, your perceived value, & therefore your profits? Has it been something to be proud of & to shout about?

If the answer to these questions are yes, then bravo! I applaud you & ask you: OK, where can you grow it to? If the answer is no, I applaud you for asking the questions in the first place & then I ask you - Why not?

There are a few reasons why people don’t invest in their brand. The first can be fear - fear of being seen, fear of what ‘other people’ will say & also, that often unspoken fear of failure, or even of success. Another reason for not investing in a brand can be time constraints; business is going well & you’re just too busy, it feels like a massive project & you’re unsure where to start, so you just don’t. Or maybe, it’s a lack of financial resources, operating month to month means that business is a constant struggle & you have to wait for that client list to grow.

But investing in our brand has a very powerful effect on the business, & on the business owner. Investing in your brand shows your clients that you know you’re worth investing in (you’ve got the goods) - & what’s more, it shows you, on a very intrinsic level, that you know you’re worth investing in. The business feels more legitimate, potential clients start to find you faster & that clear congruence between who you are & who you say you are helps you to build trust so that your potential clients are more confident investing their time & money with you.

Can`t Figure Out How To Start? Go Back To The Beginning!

So how do you actually find the courage/ time/ money to invest? Start at the end! Start with those big dreams & goals for the year ahead. As you’re getting really clear on what you want to achieve, ask yourself what you need to do to make it happen.

3 ways you can invest in your brand today: Self-guided learning & reflection - you’ll find plenty of resources on this, & I often share helpful exercises in my blog posts at www.firechildphotography.com.

Seek the guidance of a trusted mentor or coach. Check out your LEO & your own network to help strengthen any areas you’d like to improve.

Is it time to invest in the outward facing elements of your brand - your image, your visual brand, your online presence? This doesn’t always mean a ‘rebrand’, it can be as simple as starting with getting rid of anything that doesn’t serve you anymore.

The thing to remember as you’re reflecting & planning is that what you here won’t get you there. What can you do to step it up, take it to the next level? Because your clients are waiting for you there!

If you’re struggling to stand out in your marketplace & want 2019 to be the year that you’re seen, heard & profitable, contact Éadaoin! www.firechildphotography.com P 19

#Bakery #Baking #Delicious #Yummy #Homebaked #Homemade

#Designer

#author #Dentist #Dentistry #Dentalhealth #Healthyteeth #Smile #Dental

#Design #Fashiondesign #Graphicdesign #Artistic #Creativity

#Writer #Books #Writing #Bookwriting #Storyteller

#Hairdresser #Hairdressing #Hair #Hairstyling #Haircut #Hairsalon

Use Your Hashtags!

At any stage of entrepreneurship, people being able to "see" you is SO important!

Don`t forget to use #Hashtags on all your posts and images. #Hashtags categorize all your posts on the internet and let people find them so much more effectively.

#Journalist

#Solicitor

#Journalism #Journo #Media #Reporter #Reporting

#Lawyer #Law #Familylaw #Lawyerlife #Legal

#Chef #Optician #Eyedoctor #Eyecare #Eyeware #Glasses #Optometry

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#Cheflife #Food #Foofporn #Foodie #Gastronomy

#Actress #Movies #Cinema #Theater #Acting #Film

FREE ON THE NET

VOCABULARY BUILDER - Increase your vocabulary through daily words and multiplayer quiz, fun app to learn from.

Find it in your app store.

G PAY - The fast, simple and safe way to pay online or in physical stores through your google account. https://pay.google.com/about/

SMART OFFICE- Bring your office anywhere with this great app. View, create, edit, print & share on your phone-hey presto!

Find it in your app store.

LUMOSITY - Enjoy the world`s most popular braintraining programme, great for blowing the cobwebs away! https://www.lumosity.com/

"DREAMS DON`T WORK, UNLESS YOU DO"

There are SO many excellent free programs, platforms, and apps on the net for business owners, which are just as efficient as the paid ones. You`d be mad not to at least try those out before the ones that charge, but always be careful when downloading anything from the internet.

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The Very Best Of Irish

The Cream Of The Crop

Dublin Puzzle Co

Paul Dunphy Esquire Enjoy an intense 1.5 hour session with extinguished social media curator and mentor Paul Dunphy Esquire.

Learn everything there is to become the master of social media. €: 250.00-quote Self Starter Magazine and get €50.00 discount! http://pauldunphyesquire.com/

How cool is this! As a native Scandinavian, wooden toys and products lie very close to my heart. Great design and clever ideas by this Dublin company.

Wooden Brain Teaser €: 20.00 https://www.dublinpuzzles.com

Love Mo Chuisle Celtic Candles

It`s not easy to pick a favourite, Celtic Candles are masters at creating a fragrant ambiance and we love this one with Lime, Basil & Mandarin.

Aroma Pot Tumbler €: 15.95 https://celticcandles.ie/

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Avoca native Anna Dobson is the designer behind this up and coming Irish fashion brand.Her designs ooze class, quality and elegance.

Herringbone Tweed Coat: €: 359.00 https://lovemochuisle.com

The Very Best Of Irish

Ría Organics Created by A&E nurse, Nicola Flood, Ría Organics range uses high-grade certified organic ingredients and is a delightful treat!

Luxury Gift Set € 99.00-with free Jade roller https://www.riaorganics.ie/

The Ethical Silk Co

Stunningly and ethically created, Eva Power is the founder of this honest and socially conscious company.

Mulberry Silk Eyemask €: 30.00 https://www.theethicalsilkco.com

Avoca Handweavers This is just the ticket for a stress-free (and delicious) Christmas morning breakfast. With Irish breakfast tea bags, marmalade and jam, as well as some decadent breakfast treats like chocolate and prosecco. Mmmm!!

Christmas Morning Hamper €: 120.00 https://www.avoca.com

Eilis Galbraith

The fabulous drawings by Derry-native Eilish Galbraith are truly remarkable and will be a much loved gift this Christmas.

"Deep In Trees" Table Runner €: 60.00 https://www.eilisgalbraith.ie

Danu Elegant, delicate and delightful, Dublin-based Danu Ceramics truly hit the spot. We LOVE this one. Hint, hint! € 35.00 https://www.danuceramics.ie P 23

Business Feature

X

DO YOU NEED TO REGISTER FOR VAT?

By Wendy Merrigan Many businesses have a 31 December year end. When starting in business you may not have registered for VAT. However, knowing when you MUST register is something to be very aware of.

Below is a short summary of VAT registration for business owners to familiarise themselves with. It is only a summary of points to assist with understanding your obligation as a business owner. Always discuss your business needs with a professional in relation to taxes and ensure you understand how taxes will impact your business.

Per Revenue; you MUST register if you are likely to exceed the relevant VAT thresholds in the year. If it is clear you will breach the thresholds, then as soon as you are aware this will happen, you should register. If you aren’t reviewing your monthly numbers to know where your business is at this time of year, you may miss the cut-off for registering for VAT.

WHEN TO REGISTER? To simplify the rules, if you are providing services, the VAT threshold is €37,500 and for providing goods the threshold is €75,000.

Rather than complicating the issue too much – please review the attached link if you have any queries, contact your professional advisor also to discuss this. https://www.revenue.ie/en/vat/vat-registration/whoshould-register-for-vat/what-are-the-vat-thresholds.aspx

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Business Feature

HOW TO REGISTER? If you are trading, you have most likely registered for taxes using a TR1 or TR2 form (depending on the format of your business). If you are using Revenue Online Service (ROS), you can add a new tax registration to your business taxes.

See Revenue link for more information - https://www.revenue.ie/en/vat/vat-registration/how-do-you-registerfor-vat/index.aspx.

If you have not registered for taxes, you should do so as soon as you commence trading.

RECEIPTS BASIS ADVANTAGE VAT Registration can take up to ten weeks for Revenue to process. They may or may not have questions during the process. If you know you are going to hit the thresholds during your financial year, register early.

Get your VAT number processed.

If you have business expenses that have VAT included, once registered, these can be reclaimed in your VAT returns. When paying VAT on sales, you may have an option of the ‘cash receipts basis’ or ‘invoice basis’.

As you raise invoices when you are registered for VAT, you will charge your customers VAT. If you register for a cash receipts basis of VAT returns, you will PAY VAT to revenue once your business has received payment from customers. Once a threshold of €2m sales is breached, a business can not use the cash receipts basis and must register for invoice basis, which will mean the company pay VAT to Revenue as they raise invoices (unless they use the pro-forma method of raising invoices).

Rather than get into technical issues at this stage, the main point to understand and focus on is to review your numbers throughout the year and ensure you know if you will breach the VAT thresholds. Project forward and look at your sales pipeline and the value of sales that will arise in the coming months to do this exercise.

Every business will have a different focus, there may be commercial reasons for you to register for VAT early.

If you’re unsure about the impact of VAT on your business, please discuss this with a qualified individual.

Don`t worry, help is at hand!

If you are unsure of how to deal with any of the above, please talk to your financial advisor, accountant or bookkeeper.

Wendy Merrigan, Chartered Accountant. Wendy has an accountancy practice that looks after small and medium size business. Everything from setting up your business to bookkeeping, to payroll and year-end accounts work.

Subscribe today for Wendy’s blog to receive weekly updates for your business growth, time management and Revenue updates at www.wendymerrigan.ie

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Welcome to my monthly column on all things book related including reviews and my favourite Irish authors.

Paul Dunphy Esquire is a social media consultant and curator and book lover.

Contact Paul via www.pauldunphyesquire.com and see what he can do for you!

You’ll also find him on Twitter at @pauldunphy

On The Couch with paul dunphy esquire Two crackers(!) for you this month dear reader, both excellent reads, very different and both very knicker gripping.

The First is ‘On Bone Bridge’ by Maria Hoey, a suspenseful read, a story about a family and a family friend and the secrets they hide and carry with them throughout their lives and what happens because of that. It starts out when the characters Kay Kelly and the Duff sisters are young and moves on to their adults lives seamlessly. It’s a wonderful knicker-gripper and it’s on the edge of your seat reading. A very satisfying book.

The second is ‘Too Close to Breathe’ by Olivia Kiernan, a debut novel, and a thoroughly entertaining read from beginning to end, it reminded me of the excellent ‘Prime Suspect show’. The story centers around DCS Frankie Sheehan and the murder of a respected microbiologist Dr. Eleanor Costello. Lots of seamless twists and turns that get me hooked till the end. A new crime writer and one to watch!

As it’s the Christmas season a few shout outs for some great book gift ideas. One for ‘The Book Of Love’ by Fionnuala Kearney a lovely(!) holiday read (that my mother would not give back!). ‘A Miracle on Hope Street’ by Emma Heatherington is next on my Christmas TBR pile and ‘Without you – living with loss’ by Orlaith Carmody a superb book about bereavement and coping with loss, this can be a very hard time of year for some people and this book may help those who need it. Plus all profits go to Our Lady’s Hospice – Win/win.

Thanks everyone for all the support this year with this new column and also in my social media business. Ho, ho. ho.

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International Interview

What does being a professional athlete has to do with running a business? This month I had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with World Cup Silver Medal winner Deirdre Duke of our Irish Women’s Hockey team.

What an inspiring and impressive young woman who is on her way to achieving her dreams. There are some great lessons and tips Deirdre shares with us which we can integrate into our businesses. Enjoy.

Run Your Own Race As 2018 Women’s Hockey World Cup Finalist, how has life changed for you since winning the Silver Medal?

It’s been a bit crazy and pretty special with lots of media attention, interviews, speaking engagements and attending award ceremonies but on the whole, it hasn’t changed too much. As I currently live in Germany, playing semi-professional hockey I came back to ‘normal life’ 7-8 days after the world cup. It’s easy to transition back into normal life when you’re away from the hype that was happening in Ireland. It was pretty special being on the Late Late Show as it’s such an iconic show. Plus we met Michael D Higgins at Aras an Uachtarain with our families which was another special occasion.

How have you managed to balance the success of your win and getting on with the ‘game’?

While we’ve never experienced this level of success and all that comes with it, our objective has been and always will be to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. The World Cup was a fantastic stepping stone but it’s never been our objective as a team or as individuals to be small time celebs. Appreciating the recognition and being grateful that people are getting on board via their support, our job, and sole focus is to get ready for the qualifiers next June. It can be difficult as we’re all busy independently and can get a little sidetracked but as a group we have agreed that while it’s important we get exposure and have the opportunity to network and build connections, our sole focus is Tokyo so that has to take priority.

Tip One - ‘Keep your focus on the end goal.’

As we prepare to close off 2018, what’s next for Deirdre Duke and Team Ireland?

Training for the 2020 Olympics and qualifiers which take place next June. We’re in Valencia, Spain training for a week at the end of November which will wrap up 2018 and then we’re off to Chile in January for three weeks before we head back to our respective countries.

These will be our two biggest preparation camps before we reconvene in May just before the qualifier in June in Dublin.

P 27

International Interview Seems so far to go to train? Why these places specifically?

We like to go abroad as a group I suppose first of all because we don’t really have the facilities here to train unfortunately but also because it removes you from any distractions and it enables us to bond and build as a team along with develop our strategy.

Tip Two – Take time away from the distractions and reconnect/refocus on the main goal and objective.

As a Career Transition Coach, I work with individuals looking to pivot their careers.

Within my program, I work to identify their key motivators and skill sets.

What would you identify as being yours?

I’ve come to learn that you’ve only so many years in your legs ;-) so it’s important to be prepared for life after hockey and keep that part of your life ticking over as well. Key skills for me would be time management, this is huge. Throughout my studies it was important I got my training done and in business, you don’t want to waste time on things that aren’t adding value so prioritizing your tasks and getting the jobs done that need to be done and sidelining those things that are not going to add to your objectives.

Teamwork and communications skills would be another big one in team sport. Because not everyone is going to get along and you're not going to be best friends with everyone necessarily but as you’re all working towards a common goal, it’s really important to be able to respectfully disagree or be able to voice your opinion and listen to the other side equally.

Discipline is prevalent in so many aspects of our lives, in our nutrition, our training. Some days you really don’t want to get out to run but you have to keep that end goal in sight. For us it’s Tokyo, so you have to remind yourself that this action/activity is going to get me there.

That was a big thing for me when I was studying law last year while also training for the Olympics. I didn’t want to study as I wanted to qualify but these are the processes I have to go through to keep my focus.

All very relevant skills to any business success Deirdre.

Tell me a little more about your law studies.

I’ve always wanted to qualify as a Solicitor. It’s a good base to have but I don’t see myself in law all my whole life, I’m already looking at what’s beyond that and whether I move into business, I’m not sure yet.

But I do know I want to excel in my professional career as I am doing in my sporting career.

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International Interview

International Interview

You played against the world’s No.1 hockey team, The Netherlands in the World Cup final. At the time, Ireland ranked No.16 in the world! What advice would you give to preparing ones mindset when going up against competitors with more experience of success than us?

For us there wasn’t really the anticipation that we would get in front of The Netherlands in the World Cup but I suppose we prepared the way we did for every other game, nothing really changed! We did all our studies on ‘player player’, on all their set plays, on our set play and how we were going about it. I suppose the mindset really was, we were in the World Cup Final and we were there for a reason - we deserved to be there just as much as they did. If you start to fear the opposition it’s not helping you in any way. What they do is not going to influence what you do so it’s about keeping a positive mindset. We would have watched many clips of us playing well and I’d have done my own personal work on myself and focusing on the times I played well and how that happened, so I can bring more of that to the game. There is nothing you can do about how the opposition prepare, you’re only in control of what you can do so you do your best.

Tip Three – Prepare: do your homework, review your competition, see how they do it and prepare for that.

Get out and do your best.

Do you have a role model that inspires you Deirdre?

I don’t have one role model, I have 17 and they’re the girls on the team. Watching them train and see how they keep pushing themselves, helps me be my best self. In order to give back to them I have to do the same and more. You’re only as strong as your weakest link, so if you have someone pulling against you or the team, they’re going to have to go.

My team mates push me every single day to be better.

Do you have a mantra you live by?

Run your own race.

Final Tip from the incredible Deirdre Duke

We’re all on different paths, some people are going to be better, fitter and stronger. Concentrate on your attributes and strengthen your strengths. Don’t worry too much about your weaknesses, make sure you’re the best at your strengths.

Back yourself and back your skills!

Find Deirdre Duke on https://www.linkedin.com/in/deirdre-duke-3b3482169/

P 28

PP 2 299

AÂ Calm Mind Is The

Ultimate Weapon

Against Any Challenge

Get In Touch!

Here at Self Starter Hq, we`d love to hear from you! info@selfstarter.ie www.selfstarter.ie Page-SelfStarterMagazine Group-TeamSelfStarter

kajsakinsella @MagSelfStarter @selfstartermagazine

PÂ 31

Personal Story

SMALL STEPS MAKE BIG CHANGES!

By Karina Murray

Hi, I’m Karina Murray the founder of Aunua Academy which is an Irish Non-profit global mental health educational platform, I’m also a mother to two beautiful children after nine years spent at home raising them, my world changed completely when my son started school and I faced the daunting task of returning to the working world. I wanted to find my space, find my place and stay being me!

This is when my imagination ran riot and my gut instinct kicked in and this is when I gave birth to my new baby AUNUA which is an Irish play on words for A NEW U. It was certainly an opportunity for A NEW ME! I took a leap of faith and created this personal development program for adults and in February 2017 we launched successfully.

Small Steps Make Big Changes!

My direction changed when a close friends son age eleven threatened to take his own life as he could see no future this had a profound effect on me as I realized as a mother myself and I just had to do something to help change things and so I dedicated the past year of my life and worked relentlessly to create Aunua Academy, Your Home for Free Mental Health Education.

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NOMADIC

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Personal Story

I knew that if I wanted to be a voice for children, I had to be willing to use my own and so I reached out everywhere, I became a radio presenter on my own AUNUA show. I built the best team of professional experts I could find, I qualified as an NLP practitioner and I campaigned out on social media and met amazing people that volunteered and supported me. Last Oct 2017 I won a scholarship to Entrepreneur’s Institute in Bali and became one of Roger James Hamilton’s Genius School founders.

I’m now on the board of educators for Belouga connecting schools globally and Aunua Academy are the mental health providers on this platform.

I’ve been asked so often what my background is, as so many think I have some fancy title but the truth is I’m a mommy and I can understand with compassion what this means and the responsibility it involves. I’m a communicator & networker that brings great people together so I’m just me, someone that leads from the heart pushes through to make the necessary changes, to be that voice, and yet still I’m that daydreamer that believes anything is possible when you believe.

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Personal Story

Personal Story

"CRAVING CREATIVITY"

By Julie Potter

Hi, I`m Julie, an artist from Sligo. I studied art at third level and attained a first-class honours at GMIT, Galway. I also got student of the year but still, I came out of my degree year feeling unsure about where to go or what to do.

I chose the safe option, to teach and studied at NCAD. I ‘felt the fear and did it anyway’ and went on to get a job at an all-boys secondary school in Dublin. I am naturally quite introverted and quiet spoken so it was intimidating, to say the least. But I believed the more I did it the more natural it would become.

However, it strangely never did. I became very good at managing my classes, but even after 11 years it still never came easily to me.

This is what led me to do a bit of soul-searching. After waking up early one Sunday with the Sunday blues I realized I had completely lost my own connection with creativity. I had gone from being an art student to an art teacher, taking on the responsibility of the curriculum, while pushing my creative self to one side.

Even though it was a creative subject I was teaching, it was just not the same somehow.

I think it was in my 7th year of teaching that one day after work I began experimenting with bleaching an image on a t-shirt. I was thinking about giving it as a present to my sister. After deciding she probably wouldn’t wear it, I figured I could put it into a frame so it would become a piece of art.

My relationship with bleach began that day.

I was smitten. I used every free class I had to lock my art room door and experiment with painting with bleach, dyes, different fabrics. I was creating and framing work with no plan for what I was going to do with them. I applied for an exhibition space and this led to my first solo show ‘Calm in the Chaos’ which was a huge success.

I continued having exhibitions while teaching full time. I found that it had invigorated me on a personal level which was obviously good for me as a teacher but also made me a little enviable of people who got to do something they loved and that came naturally to them on a full-time basis.

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Personal Story

While all this had been going on I had always been transforming my art room. I had inherited a room that was once an old dingy metal workroom, a huge space but not very inspiring. I began hanging students work, painting old desks, putting up displays all around the school.

A visitor from Dulux walked into the classroom on ‘Open night’ and asked would I be interested in some free cans of paint. I got so excited. I used any free class I had to either paint my bleach art or paint a wall in the school. I became hooked on the satisfaction I got from creating something tangible from an idea.

I started to think that if we could make the corridors more attractive and organized by using colour coding to indicate queuing areas etc we may be able to make an impact on the student's wellbeing and behavior.

I was off. I now had a chance to do what I loved with even more reason and intent behind it.

Students started to notice, they began to do work with me. It was such an exciting time, transforming our everyday environment. The more comments the students and staff made about it the more I thought: ‘Imagine this was my job, imagine if I could transform other schools full time’ Of course, I didn’t think it was possible. How could I tell my mother that I was leaving the safe, pensionable teaching job?

I eventually made the decision to take a career break to pursue all these avenues my heart craved, wth no responsibility for anyone but myself.

This has led me to create ‘Julie the Genie – Inspiring Environments’ to replace my day job. I’m now over a year transforming school environments all over the country while also working in my gorgeous art studio on my bleach paintings and I can honestly say I’ve never been happier or busier.

Find Julie on ‘Julie The Genie’ – https://www.juliethegenie.com ‘Julie Potter Art’ https://www.juliepotterart.com P 35

Recipe

Hot Cinnamon Milk P 36

Recipe

"There is nothing better than a hot cup of something!"

Hot Cinnamon Milk You Will Need: A cup of hot milk One cinnamon stick

Why not try adding a few pods of cardamom to create a more intense winter flavour?

I remember it so very vividly, coming in from the icy cold winter days in my native Sweden, having spent countless hours outside playing in the snow and ice with my three sisters. We stayed outside until we resembled icicles and you barely could feel your hands or feet...

Once we had pulled off all the heavy, wet and cold clothing in the hallway, up we went to get our PJ`s and woolly socks. Then downstairs again to the kitchen fire.

On the stove, to heat us up from the inside, as we sat in front of the roaring fire, was this hot, sweet cinnamon milk which we drank until we nearly fell asleep...

For the grown-ups in the room, add a few drops of rum!

P 37

Personal Story

"HELPING & TEACHING ARE MY TWO BIGGEST PASSIONS" By Helen Walsh

Hi, I'm Helen Walsh, my family came from Grand Canal Street in the heart of Dublin city, growing up as a child there was full of exciting possibilities and I spent my young years with a lot of little jobs like paper rounds etc.

Developing life skills that were to prove invaluable to me in the years ahead.

As a teenager, I grew up in the 80s era. Eclectic fashion, colours, music and a huge arena to express yourself.

Flashdance and Fame were on the television and I wanted to be part of it, so when Litton Lane studios started training Aerobics and Gym teachers I got ankle warmers and a leotard and I was in! I worked 3 jobs to pay for my course and have never looked back. This year I celebrate 30 years in the Industry and still love my work. I still run a little retro 80s class once a week just so I can keep the anklewarmers.

When you put people on the weighing scales they tell you about their life and I was not equipped to deal with or help them so I became a counselor and a life coach. I spent the best part of 20 years going to college at night time and I am still always looking to upskill.

Education and self-development have always been part of my value system. So, it is probably no coincidence that I am still teaching In Belvedere College TY Programme for the last 18yrs.

PP3 3 68

Personal Story

"Work Hard, Stay True To Yorself" Little did I know then the adventure I would be about to embark on and the fabulous people I was going to meet and work with. I had the honour of training people like U2 for years and An Garda Siochana. I managed Pat Henry's gym and worked with people struggling to lose weight or recover from illness. I have had amazing things happen to me punctuated by a lot of sadness in my life.

All of these things make me the person I am now.

Give-back has always been important to me, I loved running events to support charities financially, however one day 20 years ago when I was at home sick I watched an Oprah Show that would change that. The show featured children collecting items and giving them where they were needed. I loved it..and that is where PASS IT ON came from.

It started with making Christmas Hampers, collecting clothes to send to Kosovo, nappies for Chernobyl ..glasses to Africa ..and before long it had a life of its own. People would knock on my door and tell me if someone was in trouble and then we would try figure ways to help.

LOVE BLAST runs every Valentine’s day where 101 cards with a warm message and a fiver in each are put in the letterbox of someone who is in trouble. OPERATION SNOWBALL is my Christmas appeal and over 500 people were helped through this event alone last year. The kindness of people blows me away every year.

Find Helen on: www.helenwalsh.ie

In 2014 and again this year I have been presented with Community Awards from the Lord Mayor of Dublin and last year Inner City Enterprise awarded me Best Female Entrepreneur and that was an amazing night, it is wonderful to get recognition but at the end of the day it is a tribe of people that make all this happen.

Thank you for listening to my story, if you would like to help, please get in touch and let`s get to work! /HelenÂ

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Although It`s Been Said

Many Times, Many Ways

Merry Christmas To You!!

Website Coaching

The One-Hour Website, Fact or Fiction?

By Claire Gallagher

Is it even possible to make a website in an hour?

Actually, yes!

You’ll see this all over the internet “Make your website in a weekend”, or “...in an afternoon” or even “...in an hour.”

If you’ve ever started a website project, that timeframe just sounds impossible, but there is a way. If you’ve been working on your site for a while and you’re finding it hard to get it ready for the public, then you definitely need to read on.

It can take a long time to get to launch your website. You might find yourself revisiting the wording of different pages. You might spend a lot of time choosing colours and fonts. Then there are the images, where can you get images that look good?

Not to mention the technical side of things. What’s a widget anyway? Or a plugin? How many items should you have in the main menu and why does everything look so weird on a mobile?

With so many decisions to be made it can be brainfrazzlingly frustrating!

If you need help with email marketing or getting more leads from your site, check out www.clairecreative.com for more resources and free training.

P 41

Website Coaching

It can be done!

You can absolutely, positively create a website in an hour, I’ve even done it myself in the past, the only catch is…. You need to have all your materials prepared first.

It all comes down to the way you structure your website project. Each element of the project needs attention. The most time-consuming part of making a website is developing the content. Content takes a lot longer than an hour to get right.

What message do you want to get out there? What do you want to say and how do you say it? How are you making your site visitors feel with your brand? And what action do you want them to take so that they don’t just leave and never think about you or your website ever again?

In the website project--creating the website comes last.

Here’s a quick checklist of things you need to prepare before you start creating the pages on your site.

1. Website preparation checklist *** 1. Text for your first 5 pages *** Home About Services/ work with me Contact Privacy statement

*** 2. A brand style guide *** Fonts Colours Sample layouts Visual references 3. Collect a set of 5 to 10 images that work together 4. Register your domain name 5. Set up your hosting account or all-included website platform 6. Create an email address that you’re OK to share publicly and set up a system to capture email addresses for follow up.

P 42

Website Coaching

Keep Breathing, You Can Do This!

You don’t have to become a web designer.

If you sit down to make a website with all of this stuff ready to slot into place you may still need to get support or training to set everything up. If you find yourself in that situation, reach out early. Don’t drive yourself crazy. You don’t have to learn how to be a web designer to have a website for your business. If you’re really stuck or you’ve hit a wall with the technology get help with it.

Put yourself in your customer's shoes.

Revisiting, questioning, rewording, redesigning parts of your site? This can add months to your project! To get past this, the trick is to put yourself in your site visitors shoes. Then you’ll be able to make better decisions, faster and more importantly you’re not just creating pages online, you’re creating a website that will bring you leads and clients again and again.

Your site visitor is looking for something. How can you use your website to make them feel like they’ve found what they’re looking for? They probably don’t care if you have a homepage slider does an impressive swooshy thing.

They just need your website to work and give them the information they need to become clients. Don’t hold lose time tweaking little details. Get your site out there and you can add the bells and whistles as you get more familiar with how the site works.

It’s what happens next that counts.

Setting up and launching your website is just the beginning.

A website is an important part of your business, so make sure you’re working on getting eyeballs on it! Get it in front of people and keep improving it over time.

If you want to get more leads and clients with your website get in touch with me through www.clairecreative.com I can’t wait to hear from you! /Claire

P 43

Marketing Magic

We Have Teamed Up!

The highly influential, experienced and superbly talented Marketing Strategist and Brand Builder Finola Howard of How Great Marketing Works and I have joined forces.

This is THE place to go to become the master of your own marketing, a skill which will impact everything that has to do with your business. You will be trained and coached in getting to know yourself and your business inside out, back to front and front to back again; to think like a marketing strategist every step of your entrepreneurial path.

The programme, which will challenge you to get to the top of your game by teaching you how to best utilize the power and passion you have as a self-starter and entrepreneur, is made up of 12 modules of bite-sized steps and easy to understand videos, practical worksheets and lots of help to keep you organized and on the right track.

Don`t wait until you get too busy and forget about this again - sign up to Finola`s 14-day free trial TODAY and see how you can take charge of the future of both you and your business.

https://howgreatmarketingworks.com/ P 44

Marketing Magic

Module 6 Each section is constructed in a very clear and simple to follow way with a video which includes easy to understand imagery.

Finola is there to talk you through each step and the full text is inserted beneath, so you can refer back at any time.

Sign up, make sure to print out your worksheets and we`re good to go!

* The sixth module focuses on defining your brand; your story and how you want your customers to perceive your business. You, the person behind the story, is the only one who can make us believe in you and trust you.

Dive deep inside and find out what makes you unique. Today`s market is So crowded, although you have an A-class product, is we as customers don`t connect with you, we are very likely to simply walk by. Don`t let this opportunity pass you by, as your business will depend on it. Understanding how to make the customer have faith in you is the most important thing. * Through investigating these different topics which all have a huge impact on whether your business will succeed or not, you equip yourself with the very best of tools and the strongest of armor when you embark on your entrepreneurial journey.

Finola is a treasure trove of information and you are in very safe hands.Â

Find Out More On https://howgreatmarketingworks.com/

P 45

Literary/Books Sharon Thompson’s debut crime novel, ‘The Abandoned’ was published by Bloodhound Books UK on 25th June 2018.

It launched at #1 Best-seller in Kindle Irish Crime Fiction.

She is represented by the Trace Literary Agency.

Sharon lives in Donegal, Ireland and co-founded trending, tweet-chat #WritersWise and also started an exclusive, online writing group called indulgeinwriting.com. Her regular column Woman’s Words, is on the successful Donegal Woman website each Sunday. Sharon’s #indulgeinbooks short-lists new book releases on the stylish woman’s online magazine indulgeme.ie. She is also a regular guest writer on Ireland’s leading writing website writing.ie Find Sharon on sharontwriter.com or @sharontwriter

THE WRITTEN WORD

"My Virtual Life"

by Sharon Dempsey

"Are You The Fxxking Doctor?"

by Liam Farrell

Glamorous lone parent, Stella wants nothing more than to impress her teenage daughter. She has spent her life shielding Tara from her religious upbringing and has never told Tara about her father. But when they move back to Belfast, hiding the past becomes tricky. When Stella lands her dream job as fashion editor at a teen magazine, Tara thinks she will die of shame. Soon after, she starts a blog to pour out her teenage angst and begins working at a home for rescued animals run by the enigmatic Nora.

The book contains a selection of Liam’s best work, from his columns, blogs and short stories.

Published by Bombshell Books P 46

"Snowday"

by B.R. Maycock

Sometimes hot cocoa just isn’t enough to keep you warm in the snow…

Eloise is too busy juggling the Brilliantly funny, glittering with chaos of three kids, an ever literary allusion and darkly wicked present ex-husband humour, this book is much more than and a demanding boss to even a collection of stand-alone anecdotes remember the last time dating and whimsical reflections, rather a crossed her mind. compelling chronicle of the daily After being single for so long, struggles – and personal costs – of a Eloise suddenly has a lot of doctor at the coalface. choices.

Will anyone be worthy of Published by Daizeil Press melting the guard around her heart to let love in?

Self-Published

Social Media Coaching

Video Killed the Radio Star CONQUERING SOCIAL MEDIA VIDEOING “I don’t have the money, time or skills to create a video campaign.” Let me stop you there, you have everything you need to get started, in your pocket!

P 47

Social Media Coaching

By now we have very likely set up our business profiles on social media – we’ve taken the necessary steps to complete our information (About/Biography/opening hours/web address) and published our profile pictures complete with our branding, and have been creating posts to communicate with and attract a following.

Check, check, check! We’re all navigating this new digital world of promotion, and across the board, one of the most commonly asked questions both by new and established social media for business users, is –

What kind of content can, or should we post?!?

The answer?! Video. Ok, truthfully there is an endless stream of answers to this question, some of which depend on factors like time - resource, budget, creativity and surprisingly, confidence. You should create content that reflects your brand values and benefits, and content that your audience cares about. The type of content you should post does differ per social media platform, but the fact remains that one solid answer is still video.

“Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but about the stories that you tell.”

-Seth Godin Social media users are over-saturated with content now more than ever (exposed to around 3000 pieces of branded content per day) and are starting to become passive as they scroll, how can we make them stop and take notice? Engage them with a story. Videos are more dynamic than static images. Stories about your business, your day, your product, your backstory, your customers, your suppliers – lots to consider! Videos forge an emotional connection between your brand and your audience and create a more memorable experience.

“4 x times as many customers would rather watch a video about a product, than read about it.”

-Emarketer “I don’t have the money, time or skills to create a video campaign.” Let me stop you there, you have everything you need to get started, in your pocket! Your video at its core is communicating an idea, and the aim should be to make people ‘feel’ something and connect with them in a short space of time. You can do this in so many ways, for example talking to the camera, or panning your phone over your new products and writing a description to accompany it, or narrating the design process. A time lapse of you packing your products away, a short video of you preparing for your next event.. all of this can be done with your phone, your video option (next to your camera, usually) good lighting, a room with space (not cluttered or distracting) and decent sound (or add subtitles as 80% of social media users don’t turn the volume on when watching videos) P 48

Social Media Coaching

80% of social media users can recall a brand video that they watched in the last 30 days – (Single Grain) Did you watch the John Lewis ad this year? On TV or online (my guess, is both) and was the John Lewis brand plastered all over the ad, products and logos sprinkled throughout? No. But, yet again the brand is the name on everyone’s lips increasing visibility, emotional connection, heritage and brand awareness. While we don’t have the millions required to create a glossy ad campaign featuring Elton John, are there ways you can bring our audience into our world using video?

The stats – A quick jargon-free guide to how you can measure a video's effectiveness on social media: - Organic reach: the number of unique users (people) who saw your video organically (for free, unsponsored post) on Facebook/Instagram etc - Paid reach: the number of users (people) who saw a video that has been paid for (an ad/promotion i.e. a sponsored post) this is directly influenced by budgets and audience targeting.

- Viral reach: the number of people (usually a large number) who have saw your content as a result of it being shared by one or multiple social media connections.

- Impressions: How many times your content was seen on social media, (e.g. one person might have seen your video in their newsfeed 10 times = 10 impressions) - Engagement: Comments, shares and reactions to your video on social media, a great metric as your video has created a direct impact and action (hopefully in a positive way!)

- View: Bingo. People/users sticking with your content to watch some, if not ideally, all – of your video. This plus engagement is a metric you want.

But, what counts as a view? o Facebook & Instagram: 3 seconds. o Youtube – 30 seconds. o ‘Live’ features – as soon as someone has ‘joined’. o Snapchat – once opened.

Recommended video lengths: o Facebook: 15-30 second videos perform best. o Youtube: Relatively unlimited, but up to 15 minutes. o Instagram: 6-10 second videos perform best. o Twitter: less than 30 seconds is the best performing length.

Marie is a digital and PR nerd who solves awareness and social media marketing challenges for brands she believes in, in a collaborative, goal orientated and positive way. www.mossmarketing.ie @mossmarketing P 49

Thank You! I hope you have enjoyed the magazine, that it has inspired you and given you a bit of a boost to start on your own path of entrepreneurship.

My most sincere gratitude to this month`s contributors; Lynsey Hanratty, Wendy Merrigan, Sharon Thompson, Claire Gallagher, Éadaoin Curtin, Siobhan Fitzpatrick, Marie Shields, Paul Dunphy Esquire, Karina Murray, Helen Walsh, Julie Potter and to the wonderful Deirdre Duke and Nichola Flood, who so generously allowed us to tell their stories.