Small Business Can

It used to be that you could get an audience with your local bank manager to explain what you had in mind. You would usually be given the nod within the manager’s discretion and yes, they always had a discretion in those days !  Because he was on the ground in your locality, he would be fully aware of your circumstances and would intuitively know whether you were a man of straw or not!

Most SMEs in Ireland currently prepare accounts using Irish GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Standards). IFRS for SMEs (International Financial Reporting Standards for Small and Medium-sized Entities) is a reporting standard for non-publicly accountable companies which is likely to replace Irish GAAP by 2012.

It has been over a year since we launched Smallbusinesscan.com. I could bore you with the statistics, which are very impressive, but instead, I will give you an idea of what our members have done for each other without the help of experts, gurus or government.

New businesses have been launched and introduced on the site. Some companies have found investors. Start-ups have found more seasoned business people to review their business plans. Other members have established trade contacts from as far afield as Japan.

Wexford-based entrepreneur Cathy Owens turned her experience as a busy mum-of-three into a business idea two year ago, when she launched BumpstoBooties.com, an online store selling quality products to mothers and new babies.

Two years on, and Owens is celebrating her nomination in three categories at the Mumtrepreneur Awards taking place in Britain next month.

Finding good staff and training them well is essential for companies operating in the services sector. That is according to Maud McGuckin, co-owner of home cleaning provider Maud’s Merry Maids.

McGuckin, who founded the Dublin-based business in 2008 with her husband Dermot, said that training, and the opportunity it provided for career development, was an important staff motivator.

A new product from Donite Plastics aims to protect flood-hit homes with a simple solution for lowlying air vents.

Donite’s Snorkelvent can be affixed to existing airbricks, used in many homes to ensure underfloor ventilation for wooden floors, to protect home-owners from flood damage.

A good Accountant is worth their weight in gold to a small business.  Whether you are starting out in business and hiring an Accountant for the first time or you need to change Accountants, there are a number of factors that you need to consider:

While the summer is in full swing why not take some time out to attend your own business summer camp? Here are ten pointers to consider doing before September to develop your business.