The Business Achievers Awards Gala night was on at 30 May 2013 The regional business achievers finalists, all the important people from Ulster Bank and Fionan of SmallBusinessCan were gathered to see who would win. This video will tell you. It does not show the party afterwards…………. or Fionan the next morning. Over the next few days we will start featuring all the finalist.
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How to make your Email Marketing Efforts more profitable
Social media marketing and mobile marketing seems to have taken over the digital marketing world; this concept, time and again, has proven to ...
Social Entrepreneurs Summer Alumni Day
On Wednesday June 12th, the Social Entrepreneurs Summer Alumni Day took place in the beautiful Pillar Room in the grounds of Dublin’s Rotunda Hospital. Doug Munro, Head of Product at Ulster Bank and Seán Coughlan, Chief Executive of Social Entrepreneurs Ireland announced an exciting new partnership between Ulster Bank and Social Entrepreneurs Ireland. Here are some thoughts on the day from Social Entrepreneurs Ireland 2012 Impact Awardee, Aviva Cohen. Just beside the Gate theatre is a hidden treasure: The Pillar Room. Clad in marble, steeped in history and decorated with [...]
Preventing Job Promotion Panic
“I’m good at my job, in fact, I’m so good at it, I’ve got promoted. Brilliant – I really wanted this. Oh God, now what do I do?” They say you should be careful what you wish for, you may get it. A new management role is a great achievement, but often quite daunting. It’s a bit like making the transition from senior school to college. You were in the top stream, and acknowledged as such. Moving to third level though, you’re expected to know what to do – Teacher’s [...]
How to make your Email Marketing Efforts more profitable
Social media marketing and mobile marketing seems to have taken over the digital marketing world; this concept, time and again, has proven to be a myth. Email marketing, up to today’s date, still manages to be one of the most important ways to get your product or service into the consumer black box. One of the major reasons that doesn’t let email marketing go extinct, is that email marketing adds a personal touch to the marketing effort, you land in the inbox of an existing or/and potential customer. The dilemma [...]
Rewarding Your Employees
Employees rely on recognition and motivation to work. Most often, an un-impressionable paycheck is not worth the drive or the need to work harder. Jobs that do not promise extra work bonuses cannot attract or motivate employees to put in that extra effort to reach a goal that they are probably close to already, but do not make the effort to reach. Reward management and incentive programs have come a long way in changing the way a team works. Reward is ‘key’ to motivating members to work as a team, [...]
Will it be a G8 week for the USD?
The leaders of the G8 nations commenced their meeting yesterday, with Syria likely to dominate discussions but global economic issues also remain on the agenda at the 39th summit held in Lough Erne, County Fermanagh. However the currency markets are more likely to be interested in the FOMC meeting communications than the G8 this week. The USD and where we are at? To be frank we have received very little new information with regards to Fed policy or the medium term trend for the dollar. Of late Bernanke has spoken, [...]
6 Marketing Strategies for Small Business
In business you have to know your business inside and out, and know your competitors. Research your market thoroughly and make sure you’re checking out the opposition, in order to keep one step ahead. It is your customers that keep you in business, so do not give your competitors any chances to poach them. If you research well, and know any offers they are making, you may be able to poach some of their ideas and even offer something more desirable! Success or failure can often depend on how you [...]
Food trends 2013 – Snackify or drinkify
Here are some of the Bord Bia food trends 2013. The percentage of snacks consumed in a typical American diet has increased from 12% in the late 70’s to 24% in 2010 as well as the number of eating occasions per day increasing from 3.9 to 5.6 in the same period. Pepsi-Co has spoken of their mission to “snackify” drinks and “drinkify” snacks when they launched their fruit puree snack Tropolis, showing the potential they believe to be in the market. Specialty Food magazine states that “while the healthful-snacking market is flourishing, there’s still room [...]
One week in June fundraising
Back to the ’80s in Harryville On Monday 10 June, Harryville Branch went ‘Back to the 1980s’ as part of their One Week in June fundraising, in aid of the NI Cancer Fund for Children. The team all dressed in ’80s gear – neon leg warmers, wristbands, sun visors and sunglasses. Michael McAuley is the only male member of staff so he came in cut off shorts, to show off his lovely legs, which he is going to get waxed on Friday if the team manage to raise £500. Michael [...]
Crowdfunding Your Startup
Crowd funding is a popular new way to raise money for your start-up, but it isn’t perfect. Avoid the pitfalls associated with grassroots financing and learn how it can lead traditional lenders to approve a loan for your new business. Use the following tips to make the most of your crowd funding proposals. Crowdfunding Your Startup The Basics of Crowdfunding In the past, new businesses didn’t have many financial options besides bank loans or possibly the help of one or two individual investors. They relied heavily on savings and personal [...]
Winners Bootcamp
Teenage entrepreneurs from six counties around Ireland returned home this week, keen to apply to their own company, the key business concepts they learned at the Winners Bootcamp, held last week (June 4th – 7th) in the University of Limerick. Supported by their local County and City Enterprise Boards, the students attended the four day business bootcamp, which was sponsored by Ulster Bank, at the Nexus Innovation Centre. During the Winners Bootcamp, the students from the six enterprises were taught how to develop their business ideas using tools such as [...]
SunZu Irishbizparty Entrepreneurs Conference June 26th
We all know what it’s like starting out in Business. We could do with all the assistance we can get. That’s why sites like this are so invaluable to us Entrepreneurs! I thought I would let you all know about the conference I am organzing to bring all Entrerpreneurs together under one roof to network, inspire each other and share knowledge the SunZu way! SunZu Irishbizparty Entrepreneurs Conference June 26th I wanted to make this a free event as we all know what it is like when you are starting [...]
Meet the Propellers- Nigel Woodside “Farmatic”
Aiming to fast-track new and innovative businesses that can export successfully to markets around the world, Invest Northern Ireland’s latest Propel Programme embarked on a new phase this month as 26 successful candidates entered its crucial second stage. Today we are profiling Nigel Woodside and his business “Farmatic” The future of cattle feeding… Nigel Woodside developed his unique in-parlour feeding system after a local yeast importer approached him about finding a cost effective solution to ensuring cattle are fed consistent amounts of vitamins and minerals. “I had been working on [...]
Small Business Loan Alternatives
In this day and age small businesses often have a difficult time getting loans through conventional avenues. However there are several alternatives that small businesses and their CEO’s should take into consideration when attempting to get a loan. These Small Business Loan Alternatives are as follows: Small Business Loan Alternatives Alternative Lending Institutions For small businesses, banks are not the only institutions that offer loans. CEOs of small businesses should consider both theEnterprise Boards and Credit Unions when searching for a loan. Both of these institutions may lend to small [...]
Women and Workplace Flexibility
A recent study has highlighted that female workers value inspiration, great leadership and flexible working above traditional benefits. This should come as little surprise as it is a widely held belief that women, in particular, perform better in stimulating working environments with inspiring leaders. They also tend to achieve more when they have a boss with an understanding and approachable nature who can appreciate the many different demands that are placed on them. Obviously, men have numerous demands too. However, even in our enlightened 21st century world the responsibilities for [...]
