Nubie Blog

You’re ready to start your business or you’re thinking about starting one but you’re just not quite confident enough to go it alone! Can’t afford to pay for a private mentor at this stage in the process? What do you do? The Jumpstart Programme was developed with you in mind. It’s a two day interactive bootcamp where you’ll get to work with a small group of like minded people under the careful watch of our highly skilled trainer. By the end of the two days, you’ll have become motivated, confident and ready to start your business.

Who Should Attend?
A practical, intensive and interactive two-day accelerator bootcamp this course is designed for anyone starting or thinking about starting a business. This includes early stage business owners, start-ups and entrepreneurs.

Overall Aim
The course is designed to give early stage business owners, start-ups and entrepreneurs the tools, confidence and “know how” to start their own business. The focus of the bootcamp is to help validate their business idea and assess their readiness for starting a business. They will develop a greater understanding of how to go about business planning, how to fund the project in a tight market as well as selling and marketing their product/service. Participants will use the online resource nubie.com, which fast tracks commercialization of their business. Use of basic computer skills is required.
For a full course outline, see the enclosed attachment. Contact Loughlin on 0404 66433/64022 or email loughlin.nestor@nubie.com to confirm your place. Places limited to 12 per course so book now to avoid disappointment! See dates and venues below. Places filling fast!!

See our profile on learnpipe for nubie.com

With the impending date of the General Election looming, Nubie.com looks at the main parties’ various policies on Innovation and Enterprise. What could these changes mean for your business? Read on to find out the full scope on each of the candidates’ objectives.

Labour

Labour has identified two additional deficiencies in Ireland’s national system of innovation: a failure to properly support applied scientific and technology research beyond the basic stage supported by Science Foundation Ireland and the lack of financing for companies involved in this stage of technology development. As such, while basic (non-commercial) research is adequately supported by SFI and while companies that are already in the market have a range of supports from Enterprise

Ireland, there is a significant gap in the supports available for companies that are taking technology from proof-of-concept stage up to the stage where they can be taken to market by an investor. Furthermore, there are very limited prospects that this gap will be filled by private funding.

Labour will subsume the current activities and functions of Forfas, the Innovation Taskforce, the Advisory Council for Science, Technology and Innovation and the Sustainable Energy Authority into a newly established Innovation Strategy Agency an independent agency within the IDA / Enterprise Ireland structure, whose role will be to stimulate technology-enabled innovation in the areas which offer the greatest scope for boosting growth and productivity. Labour’s Innovation Strategy Agency will promote and support investment in technology research, development and commercialisation beyond the basic research supported by Science Foundation Ireland, as well as advising government on how to remove barriers to innovation and accelerate the exploitation of new technologies. The majority of the members of the board of the ISA will be drawn from industry and finance from both Ireland and abroad with experience of technology change and innovation.

The Innovation Strategy Agency will focus its work by targeting key technology areas and sectors where innovation can be applied including but not limited to high value manufacturing, advanced materials, nanotechnology, bioscience, electronics, photonics and electrical systems and information and communication technology. application of technological innovation in established sectors of the economy like energy generation and supply, transport, creative industries, high-value services and architecture and construction by identifying challenges, establishing priorities and developing strategies which specify the necessary actions to transition to a more innovative approach.

The ISA will promote Ireland’s full engagement with the ‘Innovative Union’ proposals issued by the European Commission in October 2010 as one of the seven flagship initiatives under the EU2020 Strategy, with the specific aim of refocusing R&D and innovation policy on major challenges and at turning inventions into products.

Their main objectives are to:

• Establish an Innovation Strategy Agency to take over the duties of several key agencies to promote and support investment in technology research
• Create a network of Technology Research Centres such as the Tyndall Centre in UCC, which are focused on applied technological research and commercialisation of intellectual property, to be located in appropriate higher-education institutions.

Fine Gael

A Single Business Tax for Micro Enterprises: Fine Gael will direct the Revenue Commissioners to examine the feasibility of introducing – on a revenue neutral basis – a Single Business Tax for micro enterprises (with a turnover of less than €75,000 per annum) to replace all the existing taxes on sole traders and small businesses (i.e. income tax, corporation tax, capital gains tax, VAT and PRSI). This could cut compliance costs and make starting a business much less daunting.

Social Protection for Entrepreneurs: With a view to extending greater social protection for entrepreneurs and self-employed people who fall on hard times, Fine Gael will appoint a Commission to report on changes that should be made to the tax and social welfare system.

Regulatory Exemptions for Start-Ups: Fine Gael will also consider a set of temporary exemptions from employment and company regulations designed for bigger firms.

The Digital Gaming Industry: The rise of casual gaming, apps and smart phones have revolutionised digital gaming design. Ireland has traditionally performed strongly in the creative industries such as film and animation and with the right supports in place digital gaming can be the next big creative industry in Ireland. Fine Gael will set aside €10m from Innovation Fund Ireland for a seed capital scheme for Irish digital gaming start-ups to expand the industry from the ground up and also Fine Gael will introduce a digital media component to Transition Year programmes and promote Ireland as a digital gaming hub.

Digital Media: Fine Gael wants Ireland to become a global base for digital media, creating thousands of jobs over 10 years, by focusing on such areas as data warehousing, rights, licensing etc.

Fianna Fáil

Making Ireland a Global Innovation Hub

To achieve these goals, Fianna Fáil will ensure that:

• Innovation Fund Ireland will attract international venture capital fund managers to Ireland, making their expertise, experience and network available to our enterprises.
• IDA will introduce the European Accelerator Programme to attract fast growing firms to locate their European HQ in Ireland.
• Enterprise Ireland will introduce a new approach to providing seed capital and other supports to innovative start-ups.
• Enterprise Ireland will assist Irish firms to maximise export potential through programmes for CEOs, mentoring and trade missions and will launch a campaign to attract overseas entrepreneurs to locate in Ireland.
• The ‘Silvertech’ initiative will be introduced with the HSE working closely with multinational companies in Ireland on the introduction of new technology for healthcare.

Next Generation Networks

Next Generation Networks (NGN) will facilitate the development of a new range of information-intensive service industries. There are business opportunities that can be realised only with far greater bandwidth than that currently available. Services that will require NGN include:

• Sharing of large files across different locations;
• Advanced e-commerce applications;
• Remote access to powerful computing resources (cloud computing);

The development of this technology has the potential to deliver employment-intensive investment, led by high growth in demand for services.

The Digital Economy

The digital economy is a key part of the Smart Economy. It involves the rollout of an extensive Next Generation Network and also the fostering of cloud computing services and its attendant new applications. Ireland is host to many of the world leaders in software, some of whom have located R&D centres here. These firms have developed strengths in the e-learning, financial services and telecommunications applications. The sector is an important source of high value jobs in the economy and Fianna Fáil is determined to build on these foundations. Fianna Fáil will :

• Provide direct supports for R&D and other business activities through the enterprise development agencies.
• Roll out 100 megabit connectivity to second level schools.
• Continue the roll-out of the National Broadband Scheme.
• Develop the use of ICT as an enabler of energy efficiency, which is a key area of growth.
• Working with relevant industry partners will help SME’s to better exploit the opportunities of global online markets by helping them create their first Fianna Fáilbsite and upskilling their capacity in online sales. Continue the modernisation of financial regulation according to best international practice.
• Develop Ireland as a centre for Green Data Centres and establish an International Content Services Centre.
• Complete a strategy review by the IFSC Clearing House Group in 2011.

Sinn Féin

1) In order to create a culture of innovation in the workforce, the secondary education system needs to put far more focus on encouraging creativity, investigation and ‘thinking outside of the box’. Consideration should also be given to the introduction of entrepreneurship to the second level school curriculum.

2) Set a target of getting 6,000 more under 25’s to start a new business or become self employed over the next 12 months needs to be set.

3) Focus on promoting entrepreneurship at third level. Encourage students across all faculties and disciplines being encouraged to take entrepreneurship modules.

4) Third level institutions from all over the island of Ireland should open their facilities to entrepreneuers with regards students carrying out market research projects for start up businesses.

5) Introduce improved social insurance safety nets for those who choose self-employment in the event of their business venture not working out. This would mean that self employed people would be given the option of paying PRSI at the same level as PAYE workers in order to receive the same entitlements in the event that they become unemployed.

6) Establish dedicated business and science parks in each county, linked to universities and ITs, which would offer onsite enterprise agency and banking support and access to university partnerships. There are some parks that fit these criteria, but they must become the benchmark. Too often enterprise agencies see enterprise parks as merely a property relationship of landlord and tenant rather than as an economic entity with a much wider potential.

7) Make running a business easier through the establishment either by the state or by cooperation between enterprises (for example on a regional basis) of a firm or co-op to provide tax preparation, payroll and legal services, accounting, preparation of business proposals for requests for capital and regulatory compliance services for a fee – thus reducing costs for small and start-up businesses and making it easier for them to focus on their product.

8 )Ensure that start-up enterprises can access credit. Establish a state bank that would have business credit as one of its remits, similar to the functions of the ICC, which actually returned profits to the Exchequer before it was privatised.

9) Examine the possibility of introducing some form of limited loan guarantee scheme for start-up businesses to be administered through the City and County Enterprise Boards.

10) Quadruple the target for supporting High Potential Startups (HPSUs) from 85 to 400 by the end of 2011.

11) Launch a national entrepreneurship programme with incubation centres around the country.

12) Initiate a specific Redundancy to Entrepreneurship Scheme to assist workers who have become redundant to establish their own businesses.

13) Start up enterprises including co-operatives should be able to use the vacant or empty premises under the ownership of enterprise development agencies including the IDA or Údaras na Gaeltachta rent free for one year for their activities. Similarly, given the scope of properties and developments that have come under the ownership of NAMA, cooperative enterprises should be able to have access to these properties, with the option of purchasing the assets, at a reduced price, over a period of time.

14) Reduce the costs of doing business through a cap on utility prices, including electricity and gas, for a minimum of three years.

15) Introduce employment and industrial relations law consolidation legislation. This would be easier for small business to understand and comply with.

16) Upgrade the communication infrastructure to provide a minimum bandwidth of 7Mb/s for all towns with populations of over 5,000. A target of 20 Mb/s for all businesses in towns above 10,000 people by 2012. A target of 100Mb/s in all major urban centres by 2012. Sinn Féin supports full broadband connectivity for all businesses and households. The current strategy may not deliver adequate capacity. The government as an immediate investment objective must move towards broadband not based on the current copper network, or an overdependence on wireless solutions, but a full fibre-optic digital network running as a backbone across the island.

17) Examine the social and economic benefit of introducing a new tax incentive to allow businesses and other private investors to write off investment losses in start-ups and early stage enterprises against income tax.

18) Direct Enterprise Ireland to become aggressive in seeking out High Potential Start Ups. They need to market, hold workshops in local areas and develop video business start up manuals which can be communicated by social media.

19) Create a Start Your Own Business (SYOB) mentoring programme where people who are currently in business and those who have just become unemployed but have a wealth of experience are nominated on to a SYOB mentoring panel which will hand-hold new business.

20) Create an Operation Ireland Programme where small Irish businesses with under 10 employees would be able to avail of market research of international markets and travel on export sales trips.

21) Task local authorities with the role the development of the local retail trade. Local Authorities should act as enablers where none exist, for Chamber of Commerce and Traders Associations in the development of marketing initiatives such as town websites, social media and local festivals

Green Party

The Green Party proposes to:

Legislate against existing upward-only rent reviews

Many are struggling under expensive leases, dating back to boom times. The Green Party will legislate to ensure business owners can negotiate lower rents under existing leases, which so far, are not covered by the Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Act. They will also establish a public database which profiles letting agreements and rent reviews in the market.

Reduce commercial rates

Commercial rates are crippling small businesses. We must take the emphasis away from businesses that create employment and spread the cost of running local services among local people. By introducing fair and equitable domestic water and property charges, we can reduce commercial rates and free up valuable liquidity.

Extend Employer Job Incentive

The Green Party would also seek to extend the Employer Job (PRSI) Incentive Scheme beyond the 128,000 business it currently covers. We will carry out a review of the effectiveness of Employment Subsidy Scheme with a view to examining its reintroduction.

Introduce certainty of payment

The Seanad is currently looking at the Construction Contracts Bill to give sub-contractors certainty of payment and certainty of timing. The Green Party want to ensure this is passed in Government along with a system of payment dispute resolution.

Amend bankruptcy laws

The optimum period of twelve years is too long a time to be declared bankrupt in Ireland. It does not allow entrepreneurs to get back on their feet and start again. The Green Party wish to amend our law and reduce business bankruptcy to the UK equivalent, which is one year.

Due to customer demand, Nubie is pleased to announce the addition of the following tailor – made roadmaps specific to your industry:

- Travel Agency

- Landscaping

- Driving Instructor

- Furniture Removals

- Health and Safety

- Plus many, many more

We are constantly updating the site in our mission to help Irish businesses become successful.

If there is a roadmap you would like to see on Nubie, feel free to let us know and we will gladly upload the information suited to your requirements.

We’re here to help you every step of the way!

Motivation is crucial for success in the creative economy. Not just because you need to be persistent to suceed in any business venture, and not just because the economic storms we’re flying through are fearsome enough to test anyone’s nerves. It’s because motivation has a huge influence on creative performance. If you’re not motivated, you will begin to question what you are doing in the job – and once you get to that point, you may struggle to get through the day and begin dreading to go to work in the morning. As your job takes up so much part of your life, it is really important that you don’t let yourself reach this point. Here are some tips to avoid such a scenario:

Avoid Repetitive Tasks

Repetitive tasks like general paperwork, filing, accounting, etc. is boring and they are the last things you would want to focus on to stay motivated. Also, no investors will be happy if you are spending time and money on them. Outsource these tasks or hire someone to do it for you. You are in the business not because of these tasks so why let them bog you down?

What doesn’t get measured, doesn’t get done.

It’s all very well having goals and a vision, but you can’t measure them, or your progress in achieving them – they’ll always remain elusive. So if you want to get 10 new clients by the end of the year, set yourself monthly targets and action plans and establish how you’re going to achieve that goal. Simple, but crucial for success.

Develop a support network

A support network includes friends, colleagues and family who celebrate our successes and help us through our challenging times. While it is easy to call a support person to celebrate a success, it can be difficult to call and ask for help or express a difficulty. It’s at the moment when we reach out and share our challenges, or ask for help that we begin to experience relief from the problem or challenge, see solutions and recognise the value of the people who support us. The support we receive is as strong as our ability to share the good times and bad.

Make Sure Break Times Are Really Break Times

This is an area where most entrepreneurs fail. You become so intense and deeply involved with a project or situation that you refuse ease up. You allow yourself to be deeply engrossed with the project thinking that it will be solved in the next few seconds. I want to tell you that staying motivated implies regularly adhering to a specified break schedule, even if you are the boss. Taking breaks eases stress and releases the tension. If you work more on a computer, this is even a greater problem. Before you realise it, you have been working in that same position for hours. The best answer to this is to set yourself a reminder on your appointment calendar for every 2 hours, and let the computer reminder chime send you the alert to move around or take a break

Failure isn’t the end of the world.

Remember that you are learning what works and, by the same token, what doesn’t work: whether it’s a new software package or way of dealing with a particularly difficult client. Often we expect to be perfect at something we haven’t ever attempted before and are too hard on ourselves. Remember that each time we make a mistake, we learn something valuable. Take a risk, apply what you learned and up your chances of success next time round.

Maintain a Positive Attitude

To stay motivated, you must realise that life is only 10% of what happens to us and 90% how we react to it. You must accept the fact that you are responsible for our own actions and attitudes, and you can change them when appropriate. When you are around people, say things that are uplifting and positive. Even in the face of failure or challenges, express enthusiasm and optimism. You must strive to be a source of inspiration to your employees. If you can maintain a positive attitude, you will create a workplace filled with happy workers and this will in turn lead to higher production. You might even be surprised to find out that your employees are always looking forward to seeing you at work.

Stay Present

When we stay present to our business and to ourselves, we stay out of fear and worry. Staying present means that we “stay in the day” in our minds. We do this by not projecting our fears into the future or worrying about something that may or may not happen. Just like worry is a habit, we can develop the habit of staying present and being free from worry. Sometimes it helps to remind ourselves that all is okay for today.

In order for your business to be successful, your company needs to get noticed by it’s target audience. The objectives of small business owners differ vastly; some entrepreneurs see globalisation- turning the company into a worldwide brand- as the key goal, whereas others might want the company to act as an insurance policy so they can continue to live a prosperous life with their loved ones. Whether the aim of your business is to gain universal applause, or to run a business that works around your lifestyle, putting your business on the map is crucial. Whether your target market is local, national or international, the only way you are going to get customers and make profit is by making sure that people know about your business.

Today’s business, regardless of size, isn’t restrained by geography. The days of opening up markets with large scale expansions and trade agreements have gone by the wayside thanks to the borderless quality of the internet. Now, anyone with an internet connection can do business on a global scale. But, if you want to locate markets to grow your business outside of Ireland there are some things you should recognise before you get started. In this fast-paced internet culture, the World Wide Web is the best and most valuable way to promote your start-up. Owning a website is easy but getting it noticed is the most challenging task. For marketing or advertising of the website you need to fix a budget, according to your goals and business funding available.

Search engines are the best way to publicise websites. People use these search engines when they are searching for any information or have a doubt or a query. The search engines which are used by most web users are Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask Jeeves and a few more. Search engines provide all the possible answers to any question people have. They help web users get complete information regarding the products or about the sites listed with it. Once you have your website live, it is very important to submit them on all major search engines. By doing so your site will get indexed which means that it will be added in the search engines’ database. When you first publish your website on Google, make it clear to the Google local that the website really subsists in the first place. For this, fill out a simple form for Google for the intention of indexing. Google gives the choice of searching several websites or information on several products in your local area.

Social media marketing is also a way of getting your website noticed. There are many popular social media outlets to use like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and many more. These social media outlets not only market your website but also permit people to give their feedback on it. Through these beneficial interactions the popularity of your website grows. These media outlets also have a special feature of introducing a button system. Clicking on the button directly takes you to the specified website.

If you want to get your business noticed at a more local level you can employ techniques used outside of the World Wide Web. When talking about putting your business on the map, customer service may seem like a strange thing to mention. However, customer service is crucial to guarantee that your small business is put on the map for the right reason. People talk to others about their experiences with companies; so make sure your customer service is up to par so that when they’re talking about your business they’re doing so for the right reasons! Talk to your customers, potential customers, inactive customers, competitors, employees… There is no one that you should not be talking to as a small business owner. Chatting to customers not only makes people conscious of your brand, and give customers the knowledge that you care, but it also helps you to absorb exactly what people want and require from your business.

Generally, every business person owns a business card. To utilise it more, it is prudent to print your website link on it. When these business cards circulate within your friend circle or among your customers, they find it easy to learn about your business through your website. Include these website links not only in the business cards but also in all other business stationery like letterheads, envelopes, stamps, embossers, company related gifts, etc.

In conclusion, starting a business can be a daunting time; even for the most seasoned business professional, but, by taking the advice above, you have taken vital steps in ensuring that your business isn’t just another company that falls limply by the wayside. Above all, remember to approach each task with a sense of enthusiasm. Pessimism never won any battle!

Worried about the economy – the threat of redundancy? Sick of waiting for suitable employment to come along? Or perhaps your just fed up of your current job? Feeling the entrepreneurial spirit but no idea what to do with it? Starting a business can be a daunting experience regardless of your current situation. This article aims to aid budding industry innovators in their ambition to create a successful business start-up by compiling a concise startup business guide.

1.Challenge your Idea

The most important step to take when considering whether to introduce a product/service to market is to test the concept on its apparent qualities and shortcomings. It is vital that you assess the good from every perspective – many new ventures fail due to delusions of the actual value of the product itself. It therefore might be worth asking an impartial outsider of their opinions on the idea.

2. Business Plan

Without an effective business plan your idea may be doomed to fail from the beginning. Effective business planning combines common sense and a few basic strategies. Set clear goals and objectives with measurable outcomes and feet-to-the-fire timelines. Gather all the information you need. An effective plan depends on a complete and accurate understanding of your market, your customers, your financial situation, and your business environment. It is imperative that you set aside enough time for business planning. The time you spend will save you far more time once it’s up and running.

3. Business Funding

Of course, all of this is just conjecture unless you have the financial backing to turn the idea into a reality. It is worth recognising that you personally don’t need to be financially well off as there are other options available to promising entrepreneurs looking to grow a business.  Government grants, venture capitalists, private investment and ‘business angels’ are all viable options. It could be a fruitful exercise to contact Enterprise Ireland/County Enterprise Board to learn more about your financial opportunities.

As a final point, it really isn’t as formidable as you may think to get your idea from the kitchen table to commercialisation. If you focus on the above points and use business startup tools to good effect, you have every chance of making your idea a winning realisation.