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Interview with Ciara Crossan – www.weddingdates.ie
Ciara Crossan from www.weddingdates.ie talks to startups about appearing on dragons den and her experiences in business so far…
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Bábógbaby – Starting a business in Ireland
Company: Bábógbaby
Website: www.babogbaby.com
Founders: Adrian Devane
Age: 35
Based: Co Galway
Staff Number: 2
Date started: April 5th 2010
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Company: Irish Accounts
Website: www.irishaccounts.ie
Founders: David Branigan
Age: 40
Based: Raheny, Dublin 5
Staff Number: 1
Date started: April 2009
Tell us what your business does?
The main services our business provides is accounting, auditing, taxation, bookkeeping, payroll and company secretarial. We offer a friendly, professional and reliable service to small and medium sized companies and start up organisations.
Where did the idea for your business come from?
I simply believe I can provide a better more efficient and friendly service than other accountancy providers.
Have you always wanted to run your own business?
Yes, I always saw myself as setting up on my own.
What planning did you do before you started up?
Firstly I ensured I had a good idea of how much it was going to cost to run the practice for the first year or two. I also engaged in every networking opportunity I could in order to build up potential contacts and get myself better known,
Which entrepreneurs do you admire?
Bobby Kerr
What challenges have you faced how have you overcome them?
The biggest challenge has been to get my name out into the public and to find those potential clients who are seriously considering changing accountants and auditor. I also need to compete with other more established firms who may have more resources then me. Although the current economic climate continues to make the winning of new business difficult, I have engaged in networking to a large extent and also have invested heavily in new technology and social media.
How have you promoted your business?
I have promoted my business by use of networking groups as well as the use of sites such as www.linkedin.com and twitter. I also invested in a good website development and ensured that the quality of my work is second to none. In this way I can ask for referrals and thus my clients will also promote my business.
What has your growth been like?
I have seen steady growth throughout the year and especially at the busy times around the October tax deadline and after Christmas.
What has the impact on your home life been like?
I find I am working in excess of the hours I was previously working in order to make the business succeed. Hopefully this can be curtailed once I am better established.
David is a guest contributor to startups and provides valuable advice on accountancy in plain english……..
Company: MyChildcare.ie
Website: www.MyChildcare.ie
Founders: Adrian and Regina Graham
Age: 33
Based: Dublin
Staff Number: 1
Date started: March 2009
Tell us what your business does?
We help childcare providers in Ireland fill empty childcare spaces whilst saving them a fortune in advertising! We help parents find childcare all over Ireland in their area and give them advice on what childcare options are available, how to choose childcare and other parenting tips and advice.
Where did the idea for your business come from?
When looking for childcare for our 2 children we saw the need for such a website that allowed childcare providers showcase their business in an easy to use, one stop web site.
Have you always wanted to run your own business?
Yes
What planning did you do before you started up?
We investigated the market. As a user of the site we knew there was a need from our own experience and from the experiences of our friends. We called some childcare providers in our area and outlined what we had planned and the feedback was very good. We sized the market and pitched our pricing very low accordingly.
Which entrepreneurs do you admire?
Bill Cullen for his drive and success and now public profile. Micheal O’Leary for being the most entertaining yet one of the most successful business people in Ireland today.
What challenges have you faced how have you overcome them?
Getting the word of MyChildcare.ie out there was the biggest challenge. We realised that having a good idea and a good website was only the beginning, but if people didn’t know about it then how would it succeed? We spent money on Google AdWords and became advertising partners with MyHome.it who wanted childcare information for their users. We reached 100,000 visitors last year as a result, but the advertising spend as meant we put everything back in to keep promoting the website.
How have you promoted your business?
Oops, I probably asnwered this in the last question but mainly by means of press release, google AdWords, MyHome.ie and banner advertising. We also use Twitter, Facebook and Blogger.com where we now have hundreds of followers.
What has your growth been like?
We can measure our growth in 2 ways. Number of visitors and content. We started with 100 visitors per month a year ago and now average about 8,000 per month now. We started with only a handful of pages on the site and a few childcare providers to having over 160 childcare providers now and over 400 pages on our website.
What’s the impact on your home life been like?
having 2 kids is busy enough but having MyChildcare.ie has made things even busier! We spend alot of our free time updating and managing the website as well as promoting it to both parents and childcare providers a like.
Thanks Adrian…Best of luck with it…Startups.ie
Company: www.theclothesline.ie
Website: as above
Founders: Tammy Darcy
Age: 30
Based: Waterford
Staff Number: Just me so far!
Date started: February 10
Tell us what your business does?
The website offers parents the opportunity to submit their outgrown or unsuitable kids, babies and maternity clothes in exchange for credits which can be applied towards the purchase of more suitable items
Where did the idea for your business come from?
As a mother of three, the idea actually evolved over a number of years, and I decided to go for it when I lost my job.
Have you always wanted to run your own business?
No! There are obvious pros and cons to running your own business but I feel passionate about what I am doing so I don’t have a problem staying motivated
What planning did you do before you started up?
I researched the idea for six months and tested every aspect of the business before I launched.
What challenges have you faced how have you overcome them?
The biggest challenge is balancing work and home life. When you run your own business it’s very hard to switch off at the end of the working day.
How have you promoted your business?
Because the business is very much a public interest subject, I have received a lot of media interest. Apart from that I have done a lot of online promotion through social networking sites. It really works, and its free!
What has your growth been like?
I’m very happy, we’ve been live for less than a month and it’s hard to keep up with the growth. But its testament to the power of word of mouth amongst parents.
What’s the impact on your home life been like?
I’m lucky to be able to plan my time around my family demands. There are times when it’s a challenge but it’s great to be able to collect them from school, something I wasn’t able to do when I was in full time employment.
Company: AscenTrust Limited
Website: www.ascentrust.com
Founders: Conall Lavery & Perry Ram
Age: 55 and 43
Based: Ireland with back office in India
Staff Number: 22
Date started: November 2008
Tell us what your business does?
AscenTrust helps small companies reduce the cost of producing accounts without any degradation of accuracy or timeliness. AscenTrust’s management accounts help organisations make better business decisions. The low cost of AscenTrust’s back office in India is passed onto its clients, however the client only works with AscenTrust’s Irish based accountants. Services include; bookkeeping, payroll, budgeting and management accounts. The client can keep their existing accounting software, or they can change to an online accounting system. Excellent management accounts facilitate timely decision making.
Where did the idea for your business come from?
Perry and Conall attended a business program in Harvard Business School in 2000 and talked a lot about how small businesses were going to have to change to meet the challenges ahead. We both agreed that strategic outsourcing was going to be an important component. We kept in touch over the years, and both of us sold our companies in 2006. When Perry decided to relocate back to Ireland (his previous business was in the USA) he contacted Conall to see if he would like to start an outsourcing business with him in Ireland.
Have you always wanted to run your own business?
Both of the founders had founded and sold previous business – so I suppose the answer is, yes.
What planning did you do before you started up?
The initial contact was in December 2007 and we spent a good deal of time in 2008 researching and planning. We carried out some research into a number of different functions that we would serve with an outsourced business and settled on accounting services. We obtained global reports on outsourcing, we met outsourcing companies in the USA in our sector, we spoke to accountancy firms and potential end users. We then developed a business plan and registered the business on 7th November 2008. The business is funded by the founding partners.
Which Irish Entrepreneurs do you admire?
All of them but Eddie O’Connor of Mainstream Renewable Power and previously Airtricity stands out amongst them. It is hard not to admire Denis O’Brien.
What challenges have you faced how have you overcome them?
Our biggest challenge is the cost of sales to win new clients. The cost of our service is such that sales and marketing costs can eat up the first year to two years of contribution from each client, so we need to be smart about how we win customers. We are exploring partnerships with other organisations and looking to marketing to solve these problems. In the short term we need reference sites for each business segment we enter.
Have you promoted your business?
Yes, we have. We started in January 2009 with a “soft launch” as we needed reference clients. We started promoting the company in July 2009. We have two websites www.ascentrust.com and www.payrolls4u.com. We have done mailshots, placed advertisement in business and sector specific magazines and we have done a great deal of business networking.
What has your growth been like?
Initially we had some quick wins from the business development / research done in 2008, we then focused on developing the service and in the last quarter of 2009 we started to reap the rewards.
What’s the impact on your home life been like?
As I worked for myself in the past the home impact has been low. Indeed, as I mostly use the office in my house, I am probably around more than I was before.
Company: A Sporting Chance Ltd.
Website: www.asportingchance.ie
Founders: Ursula Frawley
Age: 34
Based: Firhouse, Dublin
Staff Number: Just me officially employed! However, I have many freelance people working with me on design and printing.
Date started: 2008 and website launched in 2009
Tell us what your business does?We design and print personalised sports and novelty trading cards for children. We are the first and only company in Ireland to provide this unique product.
Where did the idea for your business come from?
The idea came from me! I came up with the design myself, although there are similar cards available in the US for baseball and other sports.
Have you always wanted to run your own business?
YES! I worked in the corporate sector in HR Management for over 10 years, but having my own business has always been a dream of mine. I’m delighted it is finally happening!
What planning did you do before you started up?
In the early stages, I planned in tandem with selling the product in small quantities. Because the business doesn’t require any real capital outlay, I could get started pretty much straight away. I would say that I am always planning, especially at the moment as I prepare for a huge launch of my product into the sports clubs in early 2010.
How did you raise the money?
Because of no capital outlay, there hasn’t been a lot of cash flow requirements.
What challenges have you faced how have you overcome them?
The biggest challenge I have is launching into a new market with a new product. People have no idea what this product is or what it can be used for. However, once they do figure it out, then they absolutely love it!! I think my passion for the product comes across when they talk to me as well!!
How have you promoted your business?
I have promoted through word of mouth, facebook, and contacts through market research connections.
What has your growth been like?
I launched the website in early 2009 and since then the response has been very positive. The real growth will be when we launch into the sports club market, where the benefits of the cards will really be apparent!
What’s the impact on your home life been like?
I work from home, and since starting the business, I have also had a third child. So far, I am able to balance the business and home life well, and I have great childcare to help! But I find I do a lot of work after hours to catch up. I enjoy it immensely, so that doesn’t bother me at all!!
Thanks Ursula, Best of luck with the venture….www.startups.ie
Company: Storage Plus Ltd
Website: www.storageplus.ie
Founders: Barry Rabbitt
Age: 29
Based: Ashbourne, Co Meath
Staff Number: 3
Date started: March 2009
Tell us what your business does?
We offer a range of logistical services. Our most popular is the fulfillment service for online sellers. We store our clients products in our fully racked and shelved 7000sq foot warehouse. When orders are placed on their sites we pick and pack each individual order and dispatch it the same day for delivery anywhere in the world. In most cases we can do all this for less than the customer was previously paying for carraige only, so its a no brainer really! By us handling all the fulfillment it leaves our customers to concentrate on other aspects of their business. We also improve delivery time in most cases, which helps to attract repeat business for our clients.
Our other services include general packaging requirements, for example a recent client asked us to pack 5000 units of a laptop accessory along with installation CDs and plugs into new packaging ready for sale.
We also offer a cross docking service for businesses who may not hold a quantity of stock but simply order from their suppliers ‘just in time’. The goods are delivered to us in bulk, we then break this bulk order down and send out the individual orders.
Where did the idea for your business come from?
Due to my background in the logistics industry and access to warehousing space and good courier rates I started thinking that I should open an online store as I had the delivery aspect of the business sorted. Then one day I thought to myself that I should let someone else worry about the selling, and I would simply create a service that took all the logistical headaches away from these sellers, who in a lot of cases run their ecommerce sites as a sideline. After talking to a friend who described the packaging and shipping end of his ecommerce business as the most hassle, I knew I was onto a good idea.
Have you always wanted to run your own business?
Yes, other than packing shelves of the local supermarket while in school I have pretty much always worked for myself in a sense. Being involved in the family transport business www.deliverance.ie meant that I was to a greater or lesser extent my own boss.
What planning did you do before you started up?
I did some tests to evaluate how long it would take to pick, pick and prepare for shipping an average order. I divided that time into a fair hourly rate and that determined the labour charge I should apply along with courier and packaging charges per box. This figure came up as €8.50 which I felt was a great value price for the complete service I was providing. I ran the idea past some non biased people who mostly thought it was both a good idea and a fair price. So, apart from that basic research I didn’t go into too much detail, I feel that too many people think about things far too long – go with your gut feeling, there is nothing wrong with failing once you try and try again!
Which Irish Entrepreneurs do you admire?
I have a lot of time for Michael O Leary, though I wouldn’t like to come up against him in negotiations – which is probably a compliment in itself!
What challenges have you faced how have you overcome them?
Probably generating sufficient finance! I approached a number of banks for very modest business loans and they just aren’t available so I have used my own limited savings….and made sure they went as far as possible. My next biggest challenge was juggling setting up Storage Plus alongside running the family business.
How have you promoted your business?
I have done limited promotion so far, in fact most of my customers have come to me despite not having a very well indexed website. In the last few weeks I have set up a google adwords campaign which is generating some leads. Promotion is at the top of my list for the new year! We have everything running smoothly now so we’re in a good position to sell our service.
What has your growth been like?
Steady but controlled. We are currently shipping approx 40-50 orders per day, but already we have had to move to a new warehouse as we have filled our old unit to bursting point. Come the new year I would hope to grow the business at a consistent steady rate.
What’s the impact on your home life been like?
I suppose thats a question that would be better pointed towards my partner, Andrea! From my point of view it has had limited impact other than being there less. I think its important to try keep both aspects of your life seperate.
