We discuss the week’s business news: Telefónica’s new startup accelerator; new mobile payments system Payjack; investors team up with farmers; and the online funeral home.

The Small Business Show is broadcast each weekend in syndication on Irish radio.  Items from the show are published as podcasts throughout the week on FocuSMEIreland.com.  You can subscribe for free to download the MP3s automatically using RSS or iTunes.

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The Tír Gan Éan House Hotel, which closed last year under another operator, is to trade under businessman John Burke, who is the managing director of the Armada Hotel in Spanish Point and Hotel Doolin.

Mr. Burke confirmed that the new positions bring to 125 the number of people employed full-time by the hotels. A further 65 seasonal jobs will be generated at the three hotels between May and October.

Mr. Burke attributed the jobs growth to a rise in domestic tourism numbers and the VAT reduction introduced for tourism operators.

He explained: “The fact that the lower VAT rate of 9% for the tourism industry will continue into 2013 is good news not only for the Irish tourism and hospitality sector, but also for consumers as the cost of accommodation can be maintained at extremely competitive rates.

]]> http://www.focusmeireland.com/clare-hotel-attributes-new-hirings-to-vat-rate/feed 0 http://www.focusmeireland.com/donegal-brothers-win-best-sauages-in-europe-award http://www.focusmeireland.com/donegal-brothers-win-best-sauages-in-europe-award#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 11:47:34 +0000 Kehlan Kirwan http://www.focusmeireland.com/?p=4431 Continue reading →]]> Two brothers from McGettigans Butcher Shop in Donegal have had their sausages awarded as the ‘Best Sausages in Europe’ by the distinguished French food orgainisation Commanderie des Fins Gousters du Duché d’Alencon (the Brotherhood of the Knights of the Black Pudding).

 After travelling across Europe sampling all that the continent had to offer the organisation settled upon the sausages made from a small butcher shop in Main Street in Donegal town.

 The hickory and maple pork sausage made by the McGettigan brothers took the title of Best in Europe, while the brothers were also praised for their innovative sausage combinations which included banana and mango flavor.

 The brothers will join other Irish producers in receiving “knighthoods” from the Normandy-based gastronomes, including members of the Association of Craft Butchers in Ireland, who are dedicated to promoting Ireland’s artisan small-scale meat producers.

 “This means that we are home of the best sausage in Europe and that is a tremendous honor for us. We’ve won national awards before in Ireland, but this is the big one and it’s the first time it’s been won by anyone from Ireland,” Eman McGettigan said.

They weren’t the only Irish award winners:

- Nolan’s of Kilcullen was named Best Butcher Shop in Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales at the Countryside Alliance Annual Awards in London.

- McCarthy’s of Kanturk has won awards for its pudding, including a gold medal from La Confrérie des Chevaliers du Goûte Boudin (the Brotherhood of the Knights of the Black Pudding).

- Rosscarbery Recipes and Kelly’s of Newport have also been honoured by that brotherhood for their black pudding.

Susan Hayes is Managing Director at Hayes Culleton – a financial training and educational consultancy company, specialising in eLearning. She has earned the nickname ‘The Positive Economist’ after an advisory slot on 4FM

Every day, each one of us has a choice: to connect with the background noise, or not. Further, we have the choice to strive for the outcome we know is feasible, to research and understand the possibilities of change in the way we do business, to ask for help.

A large percentage of the issues presented to executive and business coaches are simply accounted for by lack of research or vision. It’s true, not everyone is cut out for self-employment – if you’re not, you’ll find out very quickly. If you have developed a product or service which could make you the next Trump or Branson, your market may not be ready for it – what do you do? Go back to the drawing board.

The misconception for most entrepreneurs is that a business plan [and many shiver at the distinct notion of it] is a necessity for someone else. Wrong. It guides your business’s trajectory. In every sense. It contains the heart and soul of the business, acts as a roadmap, and maintains focus for the individuals at the helm of the business. It IS the drawing board.

It is yours to highlight, step-by-step, how you will achieve your business’s vision – key clients, positioning, markets, figures – and the one place you must start at when things don’t appear to be developing as you wish. It’s the point at which you can park your business concerns and understand why the ‘as is’ isn’t reaching the ‘to be’ in the time you had planned it to.

So, in going “back to the drawing board’, that’s an assumption that you have an honest, clear and strategic one to start with. Your drawing board is an organic item – it grows and develops – it’s got a sell-by date too, so make sure you keep an eye on it. It’s important to review it quarterly or more if you can… that way you can manage and investigate possibilities, review what isn’t working and why. For those of us who advise business-owners, our role is to examine, guide and provide insight – to avoid jargon and contribute effectively to the drawing board. Keep your drawing board fresh and alive by exploring new markets, examining your product ‘line’ or business model and always striving for excellence.

Staying competitive in today’s market means innovating. Another misconception amongst entrepreneurs is that ‘innovation’ always means technical, scientific advancements. Not true! It can, but these days, innovation often refers to executing an established concept in a new, more effective way – or taking a product or service and re-engineering how it is delivered. Identifying a ‘market in the gap’ is another successful way of innovating.

Beware the entrepreneurial enemy: complacency. Time and again, businesses bemoan fall-off in client intake, competitors ‘taking all their work’ or new ‘kids on the block’ causing them heartache. Reality check: competition doesn’t take business from you. You do. Lose track of your client, their needs, and expectations and how you’re delivering to them, and you are simply leaving the door open to your competition. Customer loyalty is built on delivery and relationship-building, don’t be complacent.
Finally… don’t give up. Business is about stickability, persistence and belief – in yourself, in your business [one caveat: you must know you have a market]. All these traits are rewarded, in the long-term – you’ve got to be patient and realistic. That’s where the all-important vision keeps you on-track, no matter what.

It’s vital to think in a clear and focused way – how could you achieve the betterment in your KPI that you desire? What actions could you take today to bring you one step forward? If you’re looking for more business, what could you do to increase your revenue by 10%? You could attempt to find ways to add just 1% to your topline each month for the remainder of the year. Divorce the micro from the macro. Focus on what you can do and ignore what you can’t. The very result of your actions could affect the macro picture… for everybody.
Undoubtedly, we are experiencing challenging times – however, don’t be fooled, they’re not impossible. Only you can decide the temperature of your business’s thermostat, whether it’s up or down, you’re at the controls.

Read Part 1 of this article HERE

Designed for children of all abilities, Whizzkids covers web design, movie-making, video game programming, animation and a host of hi-tech challenges. With half day, full day & residential camps on offer there is something for everyone aged from 8-17. Delivered by qualified teachers, this camp blends education and entertainment in a unique way and judging by the numbers in attendance each year, Whizzkids have hit on a very successful formula.

Garry Lowe, Camp Director says “The popularity of our camps continues to grow each year and we are delighted to have these fantastic new venues and locations on offer. When we started on this road we had no idea whether there would be sufficient interest in technology to take on the likes of Soccer Samba which was huge back then. However, we quickly carved out a niche which saw many students return to us year after year”.

“More recently there has been a surge in interest with the release of Scratch, a programming interface designed by MIT Media Labs specifically with the intention of introducing programming to young people. A number of Coder Dojo’s have also sprung up, which take programming to the next stage. When we started, web design was the big draw. Now we also include scratch programming, video production, animation and a series of fun missions in our “Spy Academy” which we developed over the years”.

With Ireland positioning itself as a centre of IT excellence and the government putting an emphasis on the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths (STEM) subjects, Whizzkids is a fun way to introduce children to a broad range of IT disciplines and well worth checking out. For further information and dates at all these venues see their website whizzkids.ie.

The CSO pointed out that the increase in imports was largely due to significant imports of  transport equipment during the month. Chemicals and related products accounted for €5.131bn (or 60%) of the total exports of €8.499bn in the month.

Comparing March 2012 with March 2011, exports of Medical and pharmaceutical products fell by €681m (24%) while the value of exports of Organic chemicals rose by €233m (13%).

On an overall basis the EU accounted for €5.259bn (or 62%) of total exports in March 2012, with Belgium and Great Britain accounting for over half of the EU share.

The US was the main destination for exports outside the EU accounting for 17% of total exports in the month.

Brian Fallon, President, Restaurants Association of Ireland said: “Since their inception, the Irish Restaurant Awards have cast a spotlight on Irelands hottest restaurants and chefs. They have become a byword for quality, class and achievement. As a testament to their success, the entries have doubled since last year, with 6,000 nominations made for Ireland’s favourite Restaurants, Chefs, Gastro Pubs, Hotel Restaurants and Local Food Heroes throughout the Country. We celebrate the award-winning cuisines and the great restaurateurs and chefs who have brought international recognition and accolades to the Irish restaurant scene. We are the economic engine rooms in every town in Ireland, creating and maintaining much-needed local employment. Our industry has annual sales in excess of €2 billion and we employ 64,000 people. In fact, we are the largest employer within the Irish Tourism Sector.”

These were not the only prestigious awards bestowed upon The Lodge at Doonbeg, recently Chef Wade Murphy and The Lodge at Doonbeg were named best chef and hotel restaurant in Clare.

Read the full article on The Clare Herald

This weeks company focus comes from Shannon in Co. Clare, where we talk to Michael Kearney from Shannon Hot Desks.

Michael is a serial entrepreneur and is involved in several businesses. In this interview he talks to Kehlan about what Shannon Hot Desks are and what they do.

Michael also explains what he believes makes a top entrepreneur, starting off with being positive!

This was broadcast as part of The Small Business Show on Clare FM on Saturday, 12th May.