Small Businesses and Enterepreneurs Urged To Take Advantage Of Local Enterprise Week 2020
The first week in March will see small businesses and budding entrepreneurs gather across the country for Local Enterprise Week 2020. An initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices, thousands of attendees are expected at over 300 events across the country during the week aimed at supporting small businesses and fostering entrepreneurship.
The programme of events was launched today in Dublin with some Local Enterprise Office clients from around the country including Dublin athleisure company Gym+Coffee, young Limerick designer Aoife McNamara, Annascaul’s famous Black pudding company from Kerry, Carlow Toolmaking Services and digital health company Zendra Health.
The week is run in each area by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices and the events will take place from the 2nd to 6th March. The events will cover a whole range of topics related to small businesses and starting up including financial skills, sustainability and the green economy, preparing for Brexit, how to pitch your business for funding and sales, and helping small businesses to market themselves both online and offline.
Oisin Geoghegan, chair of the network of Local Enterprise Offices, feels this is an opportunity for small businesses and entrepreneurs to find out what is on offer on their doorstep; “Local Enterprise Week is a chance for small businesses and for those possible future start-ups to see the full range of supports out there for them. No matter what their business challenge or sector the Local Enterprise Offices will be putting on events for everyone, be it LEAN workshops, pitch training, trading online, sales and marketing, mastering social media, or simply, how to start a business, then it will be covered. It is also a great chance to network and broaden your connections in business so use it to the advantage of your business, or business idea.”
Diarmuid McSweeney, Co-founder of athleisure brand Gym + Coffee, said; “Local Enterprise Week is a huge opportunity for any small business, or even if you are only beginning to think about starting a business. You can get out there, see the wealth of supports on offer, the networks of mentors, experts and other businesses who can help you and take advantage. The Local Enterprise Office is the best resource out there for a new business, so get out on Local Enterprise Week and see what it can do for you.”
The Local Enterprise Offices located in the local authorities and funded through Enterprise Ireland support over 7,000 small Irish businesses and entrepreneurs nationwide. Since their establishment in 2014 they have helped create over 18,000 jobs and provide a range of supports to small businesses including mentoring, training and sector specific expert to help guide businesses at any stage of their development.
With over 300 events taking place across the country, Local Enterprise Week’s programme for 2020 will help businesses address the key challenges ahead of them as they face into a new decade. These include sector specific mentoring workshops, LEAN sessions on how to make your business more efficient, workshops on creating a green and sustainable business, getting your business online seminars and even how to use “mind magic” to help your business and the power of persuasion.
The week will also host the county finals for the hopefuls in this year’s Student Enterprise Programme and National Enterprise Awards as they hope to secure places in the national finals taking place in May. For more information on Local Enterprise Week and how to find events in each of the 31 areas, go to www.localenterprise.ie/week and join the conversation on social media using #MakingItHappen
