Thinking of starting a business?

Turning that great idea into a great business

The Local Enterprise Offices’ Start Your Own Business Courses

Whether it’s a new idea or business plan that’s been in your head for years, your Local Enterprise Office (LEO) can help make that entrepreneurial dream a reality.

The best place to begin your business journey is by signing up for the Local Enterprise Office ‘Start Your Own Business’ programme, which is run several times throughout the year in LEOs nationwide.

In 2017 for example, 284 Start Your Own Business courses were run by Local Enterprise Offices involving 3,700 entrepreneurs who learned the skills to hone their business idea and enterprise skills. Start Your Own Business courses are aimed at those entrepreneurs who have a great idea and are thinking of starting a business and those who are in the early stages of starting up.

The programmes, which are run at a variety of times (such as daytime, evening or at weekends), cover all the important aspects of starting a new business, giving you the opportunity to flesh out your business idea and apply strategic business principles to help evaluate strengths and weaknesses.

A typical programme would include:
• Market Research
• Business Structure
• Business Planning
• Sources of Assistance
• Taxation Issues
• Promoting your product/service
• Managing your business.

Recent participants that have started a business after completing a Start Your Own Business programme include:

Patricia Pierce of Quirky Irish Icons (with LEO Dublin City)
Gillian Doyle and Kenneth Doherty of Cerebreon (with LEO Donegal)
Jennifer Hurley of Wild Atlantic Gourmet (with LEO Kerry)
Kloe Wood Lyndorff and Adam Carveth of Two Green Shoots (with LEO Cork North and West)
John Heneghan of Core Timing (with LEO Sligo)
Iain Miller of Unique Ascent (with LEO Donegal)
Mairead O’ Driscoll and Eileen Quill of Ocean Wild (with LEO Cork North and West)
Julie and Owen Mc Loughlin of Jando Design (with LEO Dublin City)
Clare and Marcus Tindle of Lough Mardal Lodge (with LEO Donegal)
Carole-Ann Rushe of Sweet Beat Café (with LEO Sligo)
Nicola Keegan Laughlin of Act One Drama School (with LEO Donegal)

SYOB Image 2

Patricia Pierce of Quirky Irish Icons, meeting An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar T.D., the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty T.D. and Greg Swift, Head of Enterprise with LEO Dublin City.

You’ll find more information about the Start Your Own Business programme here

To find out when the next Start Your Own Business programme is taking place in your local area, have a look at the list below. Local Enterprise Offices are planning to run more than 60 courses over the coming months.

Start Your Own Business Programmes, delivered by the Local Enterprise Offices Autumn 2018

Carlow: starting in September/November 2018

Starting in September: Evening

Starting in November: Daytime

Cavan: starting in September/October 2018

Starting in September: Daytime

Starting in October: Evening

Clare: starting in September/October 2018

Starting in September: Evening

Starting in October: Evening

Cork City: starting in September 2018

Starting in September: Evening (Booked Out)

Starting in October: Saturday

South Cork: starting in September 2018

Starting in September: Daytime

Cork North & West: starting in September 2018

Cork North

Cork West

Donegal: starting in September/ October 2018

Starting in September: Kick-Starter

Starting in October: Develop October

Dublin City: starting in August/ September/November 2018

Starting in August: Evening

Starting in September: Saturday

Starting in November: Saturday

South Dublin: starting in August 2018

Starting in August: Evening

Starting in September: Evening

Starting in October: Evening

Starting in November: Evening

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown: starting in Q4 2018

See further information about the SYOB programme in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown here

Fingal: starting in August/September 2018

Starting in August: Evening

Starting in September: Evening

Galway: starting in September 2018

Starting in September: Evening

Kerry: starting in September/October/November 2018

Tralee

Killarney

Listowel

Killorglin

Kildare: starting in September/October 2018

Start Your Own Business programmes will be starting on September 9th in Naas (Saturdays), on October 4th in Athy (evenings) and on October 25th in Celbridge (evenings).

Kilkenny: starting in September 2018

Starting in September: Evening

Leitrim: starting in September 2018

Starting in September: Evening

For those aged over 55
Starting in September: Evening

Laois: starting in September/November 2018

Starting in September: Evening

Starting in September: Daytime

Starting in November: Saturday

Limerick: starting in September 2018

Starting in September: One full day

Starting in September: Evening