Female Entrepreneurship in Ireland: Are we supporting our female start-ups?
According to Dundalk Institute of Technology’s Centre for Entrepreneurship Research, Irish women are less involved in entrepreneurship than other countries, and current mainstream supports are inherently designed for men… continue reading
Starting a business without a business plan is a big mistake
Experienced entrepreneurs, successful start ups, industry experts, and investors will all tell you that a detailed business plan is essential before starting a business. continue reading
Startup Story – Hummingbird Studio – Starting a business in Ireland
Tell us what your business does?
Hummingbird Studio offers graphic design solutions which communicates client messages with high visual impact. We can offer solutions to a huge variety of products such as websites, advertising, books, magazines, posters, computer games, exhibitions, product packaging, corporate identity and corporate communications. We work from a brief agreed with the client, we create ideas and concepts choosing the appropriate media and style. With over 10 years of experience in design and desktop publishing industry our capabilities are all-encompassing and insightful.
Where did the idea for your business come from?
The idea started two years ago when, looking for freelance projects from other local companies I realised that there are no companies in Ireland able to offer a complete package to its customers. A complete work process from concept, design, web, print and delivery to the shop door. I wanted to offer clients something different, all our designs are unique and inspirational we have the technical skills, such as special training in multimedia, information technology graphics, computer graphics design. Before I started this business every time I looked at a design I always thought about how I could improve them to make them better that is why I started this company.
Have you always wanted to run your own business?
Yes, I have always wanted to run my own business from a early age and I always knew that it would happen one day. I am so creative, I get inspiration from just walking down a street, or driving my car ideas come to me all the time and that is why my business is growing all the time, I keep a notebook for all my ideas so I am working all the time:-) I am so passionate about my work and I take pride in everything I do, it really shows through when I send on a final draft to a client as they never ask for changes to be made.
What planning did you do before you started up?
I did a start your own business course first and I studied Market Research for one year, after that i did an excellent business plan. I made sure before I even registered my business name that I had all the boxes ticked. I also sought professional advice.
Which entrepreneurs do you admire?
I admire Duncan Bannatyne, Theo Paphitis, Deborah Meaden, and Peter Jones from the Dragons Den, I also make sure I watch The Apprentice.
Irish – www.creativeinc.ie
Worldwide – EyeBall agency NY – http://www.eyeballnyc.com/
What challenges have you faced how have you overcome them?
I would say, Not many just yet thankfully as I did a lot of planning before I got started, my business is growing from strength to strength because of all the hard work i put into it. I am learning all the time I am constantly teaching myself new skills to keep up with new technology.
How have you promoted your business?
Online on Google AD sense, local forums, local newspapers. Will focus more on social networking this year.
I get a lot of clients through clients as they are very happy with my work, it is great when a client is as happy about my work as I am. I have advertised Online on Google Ad sense, local forums, local newspapers, and also by contacting old & new business clients by telephone and email keeping them up to date with any new services
Are you optimistic about the remainder 2011?
Yes, very optimistic. In 2012 I think more entrepreneurs will start to see some light at the end of the tunnel. I am very positive about the future, I think you have to be, the only way forward is to believe.
What advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
Never loose hope, if you believe in your product and services and with proper planning your company will be a great success. “The early bird catches the worm” I do believe anything is possible if you put your heart and sole into it. If you put lots of hard work in it will pay off in the long run.
Start-up Stress-HR Recruitment-Is it time to hire somebody?
Many start-ups are moments away from success but we all know that for most of us the first years of any successful business are the toughest. They test you mentally and physically and often become too much for some people. continue reading
Full-Time Employee To Full-Time Entrepreneur
Making the transition from full-time employee to full-time entrepreneur is no mean feat. Keeping on top of a full-time job, while starting up a new business, is exhausting work. For those of you who find yourself in this situation, continue reading
The Importance of Insurance – Start-Up Businesses
Insurance is essential when starting a business but the difficulty lies in understanding which policies your start up requires. It goes without saying that insurance policies differ depending on the type of business. There are a number of continue reading
Startups Ireland – Website Feedback – Questionnaire
Calling all Start-ups….
We need your help and feedback
We have generated a sample of successful Irish start up businesses in an attempt to gather some insight into the effectiveness of our website as well as looking into the motivations continue reading
Customise Your Facebook Page – Business Startup Tips
You’ve set up your Facebook Page, your ‘Likes’ are growing and you’re posting regular updates to let your fans know about your products/services, encouraging comments, feedback etc. Now, what do you need to do? One thing you should really consider is to create a customised Landing Page. By default, when you create a Business Page, your Facebook visitors will land on your Wall, where they will see your latest updates, comments etc. Your visitors can be uncertain as to what to do: should they look at the conversations, get a feel as to what your business is about?; should they ‘Like’ your Page and start engaging with your updates? Wall content is not usually interesting or appealing enough to get people to ‘Like’ your Page.
Remove some of the confusion, create a customised Landing Page that encourages your visitors to ‘Like’ your Page. An effective Landing Page will showcase what your business is about, display special content, offers, discounts etc. that are available to fans who click the ‘Like’ button. Stand out from the crowd, tell people you’re delighted they came to your Page and share your passion and enthusiasm for your product/services. Use graphics, videos to create a multimedia Landing Page that promotes engagement with your Page. Offer visitors something for becoming a fan.
Until recently custom tabs were created using an application named Static FBML; this has now been replaced by iFrame which allows a web page hosted on one server to be embedded (‘framed’) into a web page of another. Page administrators now have to use iframes to create a Facebook app in order to create a custom Landing Page. When you create your iFrame customised tab (called ‘Welcome’ for example), you now need to make it the default Landing Tab for viewers of your Page. To do this, go to “Edit Page” and select “Manage Permissions”. Under “Default Landing Tab”, scroll down, select ‘Welcome’ and “Save Changes”.
Click on the link below to see some great customised Landing Pages.
http://speckyboy.com/2010/08/15/40-highly-effective-facebook-business-pages/
Blog Kindly provided by SME Connect:
Getting the most from your Accountant
We all know the general consensus that people dread visiting their accountant like they dread visiting the dentist..
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Product Patenting Tips for Start-Ups
So you have an idea for a product and you are thinking about patenting?
Before you go rushing off to the Irish Patent Office here are a few questions to ask yourself.
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