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 of July 23rd, 2025 (12 Noon). New…
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
I was delighted to attend the recent unveiling of the Colm Feeney MBA Scholarship at the University of Galway. The scholarship supports one recipient per intake each September over the next 4 years to join the MBA programme at the University’s J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics.
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
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…
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 (listen here on Spotify) also discusses Sales, Mentoring, building your Team and supports for business….
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…
In late 2016, Startupblink contacted me to write a ‘Startup Ecosystem article‘ on Galway to feature on their global website. I agreed and enlisted the assistance of John Breslin, NUIG, PorterShed and Startup Galway; and Barry Egan, Enterprise Ireland West Region. [button link=”http://www.startupblink.com/blog/galway-startup-ecosystem/” target=”_blank” color=”green” shape=”rounded” size=”large” align=”center”]Read Galway’s Ecosystem report[/button] The brief was…
I was asked recently as part of a Q&A to discuss how I deal with ‘difficult clients’ or customers. Having provided a short and off the top of the head response, this post is my reflections on this very interesting question: Starting Point : Choose your Customers Wisely As a freelancer, you…
The Business Model Canvas is a well-recognised tool for business planning for both Startups and established businesses. This article discusses the tool with specific reference to Social Enterprise citing examples of Irish businesses for each of the nine building blocks. BMC for Social Enterprise As I explained in this LinkedIn Pulse article entitled “Inspiring: Social…
I recently wrote two blog post articles for InspiredStartups.com with advice for startup promoters in terms of completing their application for Enterprise Ireland’s CSF. This short article outlines the key themes addressed by each post. What is the Competitive Start Fund? The Competitive Start Fund (CSF) is undoubtedly a significant component of Enterprise Ireland’s suite…
Donncha provides two hour, half day and full day Negotiations Workshops. Please contact to discuss your requirements. I was recently asked by Maria Johnston, Operations & Enterprise Development Manager, DCU Invent Centre to deliver a two hour session on Negotiations at 10AM on Tuesday 10th November, 2015 for clients and startups. This post details what…
Last Friday (9th October 2015) was spent meeting new business acquaintances and talking to almost every startup promoter and supporter that I know in Galway. I attended 6 events throughout the entire day from 8AM till 9PM. Here are ten things (as recorded on Twitter) that I probably knew already but was reminded of: …
I have just finished reading Disciplined Entrepreneurship by Bill Aulet, Managing Director, Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship. Published in 2013, it is a superb book (Book available in Ireland via Easons). This review does not seek to summarise the book – for that I suggest you read this excellent post ‘A book in 5…
In March 2015, I volunteered to become a joint Co-ordinator along with Conor O’Donovan of the Galway Startup Businesses Meetup which is now a subgroup of Startup Galway and rebranded as Startup Galway Pitches Meetup. The idea of the group is to provide a forum for early stage startups to network with their peers, with…
Managing a startup business is NOT easy. Startup entrepreneurs have lots of balls in the air. Lean Startup books, theory and practice are brilliant but the question is which model or framework do you follow and when – and are they all relevant to an Irish startup situation? To address this dilemma Donncha devised the…
Being the Best in the World is seriously Underrated … Seth Godin The Dip You might be wondering how I came to read Seth Godin’s book, ‘The Dip – The Extraordinary Benefits of Knowing When to Quit (And When to Stick)’ published in 2007 early in 2015. He mentioned the idea of The Dip…
I am delighted to publish a Case Study of and testimonial for my work. It outlines in detail how I worked with a specific client to prepare a business plan for their business. It details the time involved and the process and methodology. What is the Case Study about? The document addresses in detail (19…
At the beginning of 2014, I wrote an article reviewing 2013 and setting out my business ambitions for the year. I wrote it firstly as a planning and review mechanism for myself; secondly, on basis that it might be useful for anyone in the same boat; and finally, to highlight issues that have to be…
I was delighted to be asked by Liam Bluett and Michael Smyth of Ballybane Enterprise Centre to speak at their upcoming Autumn Business Seminar. It takes place in the Clayton Hotel, Galway on Wednesday 10th September at 6.00 PM with registration at 5.30 PM.The event will primarily provide a SCCUL Mentors Update by Colman Collins,…
Today, I made a modest financial contribution as part of a Crowdfunding campaign to MediStori and I would ask everyone who reads this to seriously consider supporting this campaign – by making a contribution directly or telling someone else who would benefit from the product. The promoter is looking to raise €50,000 in the next…
A self employed person running a professional services business has a different outlook to most other businesses. I think that somewhat different Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) apply when you want to track how the business is doing so that you can plan for the future. Here is my review of my business in…