Local Entrepreneurs Show Enterprise Spirit Alive & Well in West Cork
7th October 2011
Eight local business people have recently successfully completed the Business Start Programme, a pilot business development and incubation programme, the first of its kind in West Cork, run by the West Cork Enterprise Board in conjunction with Cork County Council and Skibbereen Credit Union. The successful eight have been involved in the programme since March and the hands on assistance provided by The Discovery Partnership, trainers on the programme, has assisted them to take their business concept and develop it into reality.
The group had a mix of different business ideas, ranging from craft, to online & web consultancy type businesses, to tourism and manufacturing businesses involving a range of different innovative products and services. Speaking of the programme Michael Hanley, CEO of West Cork Enterprise Board said ‘This was an intensive approach to business development, involving a lot of hands on tuition and mentoring. Participants went through a competitive process to get a place on the programme and are very much committed to developing their enterprise. We were happy to partner with Cork County Council and Skibbereen Credit Union in this initiative which may become a model for programmes in other locations‘.
Speaking of the group, Donal O’Driscoll, Manager of Skibbereen Credit Union, said ‘We were delighted to be a partner in such a project and help in a small way in facilitating the development of enterprise in our community. I was greatly impressed by the progress the participations had made since our initial contact in both developing their business plans but more so in development of themselves and their business skills that will enable them to take their businesses to the next level’
Aimed at providing hands on support to enable them to more easily create and develop their own business, the Business Start Programme offered a mix of group workshops at the state of the art training room in the new Credit Union Building, one to one mentoring, business advice, technical marketing assistance, contacts and general email and telephone support over a six month period, which started in March. The Programme assisted them in a number of areas including business planning, marketing, sales and finance. Participants were also able to avail of free usage of either a Hot desk facility in Bantry or an office space at the old Skibbereen Credit Union building.
Overall facilitator on the programme, Billy O’Connor of The Discovery Partnership said ‘It has been a pleasure for us in The Discovery Partnership to work with and facilitate the programme for this group of new West Cork entrepreneurs. We witnessed tangible personal and business growth on their individual journeys over the past 6 months and it was particularly rewarding to see them perform outside their “comfort zones” when publically presenting their well-researched business plans. I have no doubt that we now have a cohort of new business people who have greater clarity about what they want to achieve and the confidence to realise their dreams and ambitions’
Three of the Participants Profiled
Website Concierge is a new start-up business providing an online marketing and social media consultancy. It offers high quality services for businesses to develop and execute marketing campaigns that create a massive web presence, generates traffic or visitors, leads and ultiamtely more customers to their websites.
Services includes, web video marketing, social media marketing & management,video blog marketing, mobile marketing , local search marketing & email marketing .
The aims of the business would be to to help businesses increase sales and reduce advertising costs, to be an active participant in creating employment and in the growth and development of west cork, cork and the rest of Ireland.
Website: www.websiteconcierge.ie
Funmanway, founded by James Duggan is going to be an adventure land, the first of its kind for Cork County and Munster area and will open in Spring 2012. It will have two world class, landscaped Zorbing tracks or globe-riding tracks as it is also known as and 10 acres of paintballing terrain. Family and adventure entertainment are high profitable industries that has been growing rapidly over the last couple of years, this is due largely to a trend in the country to return to family values and the growing number of people holidaying at home in Ireland because of value for money. Zorbing is suitable for over 8’s for school trips or family fun days out. It is also an ideal day out for stags, hens wedding parties or corporate events.
Funmanway’s first Zorbing track will be approximately 275 meters long with six corners and will be used for harnessed for two riders and hydro for one rider. The other will be 250 meters and will be a straight track and will be used for harnessed and hydro with up to three riders. The facility is a 21 acre site which is covered by woods on about 5 acres situated close to Yewtree hill exactly 2km from Dunmanway located in an area which is fast becoming the most desirable tourist area of Dunmanway.
Website: www.funmanway.ie
Quercus – Hand Turned Oak Bird Feeders.
Originally a corporate event manager, Dublin born Ginny Pavry has always had a connection with west Cork. Her father grew up here and Ginny herself has been coming to the seaside village of Baltimore on family holidays for as long as she can remember. Having spent much of his childhood on farms and messing about in boats, her husband Jason, a woodworker, soon fell under its spell. In 2005, they took the decision to relocate from their home in England to raise their young family in Baltimore and have never looked back. Finding that Irish oak, though beautiful, was not ideally suited to the large Green Oak barns and trusses he was used to creating and keen to use native timber whenever possible, Jason looked to find other and interesting uses for it. He applied his skills to smaller projects including hand turning bowls and other ornaments whilst still producing the occasional heavy frame. Being in her final year of DIT’s BA in Visual Art on Sherkin Island, Ginny took on the mantle of chief designer. One day, looking out into the garden, inspiration struck and Ginny sketched the design of what would become their signature piece – the Seedpod bird feeder and Quercus was born. Since then Quercus have gone on to produce a range of unique hand turned bird feeders and other items which are enjoying increasing success. Most recently, Quercus birdfeeders have featured in garden designer Fiann Ó Nualláin’s Silver Medal winning, "Treat not Trigger”-Asthma and Allergy Friendly Garden at Bord Bia's Bloom for the Asthma Society of Ireland. Quercus will be taking part in the Glucksman Craft Fair on 4th -6th November and the Ballymaloe Craft Fair on the 19th and 20th November and also the Glebe Gardens Craft Fair throughout the month of December.
Website; www.quercusdirect.com