Startups.ie

[Stephen]

I find myself swaying between optimism and fear quite a lot at the moment. Sometimes I feel really optimistic and am sure that now is a great time to start a new business, the next day I find myself wondering what if we are in for another 4/5 years of this recession, will a new shop (in my case) survive if people do not have jobs and money. What do people think, other countries seem to be coming out of recession are we still ****** ?

[Miss-No-Stars]

Personally I think money is out there, people are just being more careful with their spending. I think this is not all a bad thing as it was reckless spending on overpriced items that helped get us into trouble in the first place. People are finally starting to look at the actual value of things before they buy, objecting to being fleeced by multi nationals (£6 = €9? I don't think so!) and asking themselves if they need it.

I have seen a few things recently that have made me believe things are picking up a bit. I went out to a nightclub a few weeks ago and it was jammed packed, I havent seen it that busy in a long time. There was queues for the bar, for the toilets and the cloak room, it was a pain but it was agood sign!. I also went over to Liffey Valley on the Bank Holiday Monday and couldn't find space to park the car! Again the place was very busy and there seemed to be a lot of people buying as well as browsing.

I think one big risk to businesses at the moment is the appeal of buying online and travelling up North. The recession has made people shop around and realise that the North is not that far away. It does depend on what you are selling of course. I will happily admit to buying most things online (skin care, CDs, DVDs, Books) as they are much cheaper than they are over here. I travel up North for clothes and drink. I am all for being patriotic and buying irish but I refuse to be stung by multi national companies for the fact that I am Irish. I saw one pair of shoes in a shop that were 49 pound in the Uk and 67 down here. I bought up North as I refuse to Pay 16 euro Paddy tax and I think a lot of people feel the same.

However there are still some Irish businesses I buy from simply because they provide excellent products, customer service and after sales service and I want to help them to do well. They do not have a UK counter part setting the prices and making extra money off us they are genuine Irish often family businesses. I think at the moment what will set any business apart will not be the price as much as the service and it seems to be something that companies forget. If you look hard enough you will always get something cheaper, but fantastic customer service is not so easily replicated or bettered.

[Chris_D]

I certainly believe thing are getting better and as the previous contributor mentioned ther is money out there. I have a strong relationship with electrical appliance manufacturers, speaking to two in the last week alone they told me that they were closing accounts on a weekly basis as they weren't being paid by alot of retailers.

Things have changed, I believe that in the long term this will be for the better, the 'fat' needs to be removed by all in Ireland. Efforts by all should be made to embrace digital routes to market, the internet and e-commerce will within the next ten years make the industrial revolution appear as a footnote in history.

[Startups.ie]

Well I for one think that things have finally started looking up, there has been more good news in the first few weeks of 2011 than the whole of 2010 from start to finish. Last year was like the perfect bloody storm, everything that could go wrong pretty much did! IMF bailout, nightmare budget, Idiotic squatters in government oh and loads of snow at Christmas time just to kill us SME's off entirely!!!

The much talked about 'green shoots' seem to be showing themselves at last, I know a few people who have sold their houses and friends in business seem to be getting on ok..anyone else positive or am I delusional?