As part of the New Frontiers Phase 1 programme in ATU iHubs Galway and Mayo (formerly GMIT), Donncha Hughes, an independent business advisor will meet participants in person for a One 2 One session to review their draft applications prior to the final Phase 2 application submission deadline. New Frontiers Phase 2 Application – One…
Looking to create a ‘customer persona’ to inform your marketing and promotion and wondering how? This post may be helpful as it provides an example. It then lists some questions to consider as you formulate a description of your Bullseye customer. What is the purpose of creating a customer persona? According to Seth Godin the…
At the end of March 2023, the OGP (Office of Government Procurement) published Circular 05/2023 : Initiatives to assist SMEs in Public Procurement. The Circular, designed to foster SMEs participation in public procurement contracts, increases the thresholds for advertising on eTenders to €50,000 for Goods & Services and to €200,000 for Works – both thresholds…
The UK left the EU on 31st January 2020 with a 12 month withdrawal agreement which concluded on 1st January 2021. From October to December 2020, on behalf of LEO Mayo I engaged with 40 owner-managers about the potential impact of Brexit on their business and how they are preparing for the UK’s exit from…
If you have ever wondered what supports that you and your startup business could and should apply for, read on:
This blogpost and the accompanying presentation will categorise the supports depending on the stage of development of your startup company: pre-enterprise; early stage; and established startup
One year ago in June 2021, our family bought PV solar panels that generate electricity to power the house, including heating hot water via our immersion. I am sharing this post with anyone who is interested in our experience to date. I will include some numbers which might be of interest to anyone thinking about…
Peer to peer (P2P) lending, also known as crowdlending, involves applying to a platform for a loan which then offers it out to its members who collectively fund the loan. It would not be unusual for €200,000 to be funded by up to 800 bidders. Online Peer to peer finance providers like Flender and Linked…
Enterprise Ireland launched the Pre-Seed Start Fund in October 2022 effectively replacing the highly successful Competitive Start Fund (CSF). The Pre Seed Fund provides funding of €100,000 – former recipients of CSF can apply for €50,000. Over the years, CSF has been tweaked and this latest change resulted in a new name along with increased…
I switched from Eir to Tesco recently and will now save €150 this year in mobile bills. I should have done it years ago. An Eir customer for nearly 10 years I started out as a sole trader offering business advice in 2010. I don’t mind admitting that money was tight at the time. I…
Announcement of the latest and FREE online training programme by Donncha Hughes, Business Advisor – Completing a Busines Model Canvas
Book recommendation for Diana Kander’s book ‘All In Startup: Launching a New Idea when everything is on the line’ – highly recommended for anyone launching a product or a business to experience real life Lean Startup principles
Donncha Hughes is hoping to raise some money for Movember in 2021 for men’s health – prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention.
I recently signed up for a free library account with the County Library run by Galway County Council and was delighted to sign up for a free service from BorrowBox so that I could read Business eBooks for free on a 21 day loan system. I like reading business books but it is unfortunate that…
Tendering and public procurement represents both a fantastic opportunity for SMEs and potentially a monumental waste of energy, time and resources. For established startups and microenterprises, the unfortunate reality is that tenders simply cannot be ignored. The onus is very firmly on the business owner and senior management to get up to speed with what…
I am delighted to published my 7th online training programme. This will be my second one focusing on Financial Projections. It is called ‘Creating Financial Projections for your SaaS business‘. It is aimed at owners and senior team members who are bringing a SaaS product to market. The Excel template will facilitate you to create…
As a business trainer, I personally love business books that I can refer to and recommend to clients, mentees and workshops participants. I imagine that some will like to read and it is great to get recommended books to dig into greater detail on business topics that we are discussing. Business is complicated. It is…
The idea behind the Lean Canvas is to quickly sketch the business idea instead of using several weeks to develop a business plan. I am delighted to announce that my latest online training programme, ‘Complete a Lean Canvas for your Startup Business Idea’ is now live. This blog post will explain what is contained in…
I write business plans for some startup and SME clients. I review business plans for Enterprise Agencies. I also provide training on business plans. A question I am often asked is, ‘what content goes into a business plan’, with the follow up being, ‘how much information should be included in an Executive Summary‘. Most people…
A great book for aspiring coffee shop owners and anyone thinking of starting a service business. Blog article focuses on learning gleaned in areas of Customer Service, Customer Insight and building a motivated team.
Are you participating on one of the Enterprise Ireland New Frontiers Phase 1 programmes being delivered by the Incubation Centres in the Technological Universities in Ireland? If yes, you may have started completing your Phase 2 application form (download pdf) As a trainer over the years on the programmes in SETU Waterford and Carlow, ATU…
I am delighted to announce that my latest online training programme, ‘Writing Your Business Plan’ is now live. To publish this online training was an early goal for 2020 as it was on my ‘to do list’ for a while as I regularly deliver one day workshops on preparing business plans for New Frontiers, IBYE…
I have said for years that the best investor ready business plan preparation guide is the Business Cube Methodology published by InterTrade Ireland the organisors of the SeedCorn Investor Readiness Competition. So I was delighted to see that a modernised edition, now referred to as Business Cube, has been published in 2019. It is a…
Congratulations to all the national winners of IBYE 2019 …link to official IBYE release I was delighted to hear the results via Twitter on Sunday 15th September that Sharon Cunningham of Shorla Pharma was selected as Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur having earlier scooped the National Winner in Best Start Up Business – TIPPERARY Sean McGarry,…
ShowerGem now Available to Buy Several years ago (2016?) I met a young Mayo student in GMIT called Sean McGarry. He had a really cool idea which solved the problem of untidy showers in your bathroom. I went home to tell my wife, Stella about his proposed invention for a new design of Shower Organiser….
I recently met with Clare Carroll of Inc60 to record a podcast about the pre-startup and early stage business journey. The Lean Canvas as outlined in the book Running Lean is an ideal tool at this stage. The 30-minute podcast also discusses Sales, Mentoring, building your Team and supports for business. Thanks to Maria Staunton…
I am delighted to announce that I have published an online training programme called ‘Creating Financial Projections for a Local Business‘. One year access is €50 including VAT. This ONE HOUR online programme is for you if: You a startup promoter or small business owner who needs to create financial projections for your business to…
![20 Business Building Ideas from ‘The 1-Page Marketing Plan’ by Allan Dib [Book Review & Infographic]](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_600,h_212/https://www.startuphughes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/1-PAGE-Marketing-Plan-by-Allan-Dib-Review-Banner.png)
The 1-Page Marketing Plan Get New Customers, Make More Money, And Stand Out from the Crowd- by Allan Dib I recently received this Marketing book in the post for free. I had been asked nicely in advance if I would review it. I like reading business books so I agreed (no fee involved). The book…
![4 Point Formula to Win funding – The Startup Pitch [Book review]](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_600,h_200/https://www.startuphughes.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/The-Startup-Pitch-Book-Review-Featured-Image.jpg)
I assist startups via training and mentoring to pitch for early stage investment to include enterprise agency supports such as New Frontiers and Competitive Start Fund in Ireland. I was delighted to find a superb book by Chris Lipp called ‘The Startup Pitch : A proven formula to win funding’. At 160 pages, it is…
My christmas message 2017 was inspired by the kids summer camp when they learned scratch – this is an admittedly limited attempt but I hope you take a few seconds and that it makes you smile! The flash scratch animation does not play on Mobile so I have recorded the screen using Screen Cast O…
I recently attended the Galway Chamber Business Awards. Pat McDonagh, Founder of Supermacs delivered a fantastic speech in accepting the Special Presidents Award for his contribution to business in Galway. The performance of Supermacs, Ireland’s largest indigenous quick service restaurant chain, is amazing: Over 100 outlets across country and employs over 2,700 people. Annual commitment…
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