Choosing Your First Office

Choosing your first office is exciting. Your office is your base of operations. Whether you have been working out of your home or are simply a budding entrepreneur who is ready for a first office, how you choose can make all the difference in the world. The wrong office space can hinder your productive just as the right space can make your productivity soar.

It is not unusual for people to move offices as they grow, but it is not always necessary. When you take time to browse available spaces and understand your options, you may just find that your first office is your last. Follow these tips to choose the perfect office for your business.

Rule of 175

If you have never had a physical office, you may not have heard of the “rule of 175.” What this means is that you should give between 175 and 250 square feet of usable space to each employee. Usable space does not necessarily equate to free space. Usable space can include a desk, chair and other work equipment.

Consider the Commute

This is especially important if you have employees. If the majority of your employees utilize public transportation, make sure your office is close to a bus stop or rail station. If your employees drive, make sure that the office space you choose has appropriate parking in close proximity. Some employees choose to bike to work. If this is the case, look for somewhere you can install a bike rack or make sure there is space for your employees to bring their transportation into the building.

Interior

You do not have to have the fanciest office on the block, but you do need to pay attention to its interior. You may only have money to hire professional carpet cleaners to spruce the place up. You may have the budget to tear down walls and reinvent the space. If funds are limited, you do not want a fixer-upper. If you lease instead of buy, you will be limited as to the changes you can make to the interior.

Lease or Rent

Speaking of leasing, it is often better to lease or rent your space than it is to buy. When you buy an office space, you are in charge of building and grounds maintenance. If you are too busy to keep after routine issues, you will be forced to hire someone to do the work for you. Having that kind of money in your startup budget is unlikely. If you can find a landlord that will permit you to rent month-to-month, strongly consider taking them up on the offer. This gives you the option to move should you need to without being tied to a long lease.

Lunch Options

Paying attention to lunch options may seem strange when looking for an office space but, if you have employees, it is important. Happy employees are productive employees, and hungry employees are not happy. Your office does not have to be surrounded by eateries, but there should be at least a few places within walking distance that offer a cheap but hearty meal.

Look to the Future

Before you decide on any space, think about your company’s future. If you can envision it growing, you may need a larger space in the future. If you can afford it, get that space for your company now. Having an office that you can grow into prevents you from having to pack up and move next month or next year.

Buying or leasing an office space is about more than your budget. You want to be happy, and you want to make sure your employees are happy. Follow these tips to ensure that your workforce has a great place to do what you hired them to do.

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Excellent Young Farmer event at Corrin Centre Fermoy

The event was facilitated by Katherine O’Leary of the Irish Farmers Journal. Panelists were Anne-Marie Butler (Ulster Bank), Alan Jagoe (dairy farmer, President of CEJA 2015-2017), Ed Donovan (dairy new entrant), Brendan Horan (Teagasc Moorepark) and Patrick Ryan (pig farmer).

Next generation

Katherine O’Leary spoke about the enthusiasm of youth and how she personally had experienced the process of commencing hand over of the reins to the next generation. Understanding on both sides will be required in this circumstance and sometimes compromise is not the answer. What really came across was the need for certainty around delegation – 2 people can’t decide where the cows go today – every day!

Farms country wide

Anne Marie Butler of Ulster Bank has responsibility for the 26 counties and spends her day on farms country wide. She offered the benefit of her experience with family farms and the need for structured meetings – example given of the family meeting that was held every Friday – and ended in a row – every Friday!! Formal meetings are critical to the success of family farms. She also spoke of the need to have experience milking cows and to represent yourself well to the Bank eg “I don’t like milking cows on a Sunday – robot can do it!!”

Expansion

Alan Jagoe of Macra gave us some of their expansion at home on the dairy farm. He emphasised the need for time management and also referred to the importance of quality of life. A simple example was how he tries to finish at 11am on a Sunday to spend time with his young family. Also, the importance of cash management in a changing situation was obvious – they have recently changed to concentrate on cows and through gentle persuasion, they no longer have cattle – all bull calves are sold by Patrick’s day to simplify the system at home.

Returning home to the farm

Ed Donovan is the father of 2 small girls and told us how he completed an agricultural science degree, worked in the construction industry for some time with 6 employees, worked as a branch manager in Goldcrop for 5 years, and decided to return home to farm in 2013. They had a tillage farm at home but dairying was the only sustainable option. His main word of advise was to get a contractor in if completing a development as Edward and his dad did a lot of the work themselves- tiring when trying to establish a dairy herd.

Learning from your peers

Brendan Horan of Teagasc spoke of keeping things simple and learning from your peers. The importance of going away to learn from another farm was emphasised – be it locally or abroad doesn’t really matter but it is important to broaden experience.

Setting up the farm well

Patrick Ryan is both a pig farmer and dairy farmer. He spoke of how the farm was well set up at home when he started farming and how that was a great help. He is maxed out at the number of cows he has at moment and the pigs offered him a chance to expand. He spoke of how the best laid plans can fall by the wayside eg when someone gets sick and you have to spend time re-training a new staff member – the importance of maximising the output of every staff member is critical. Pat also reassured us that while you won’t get everything right, there are the days you walk down the yard and see the things that are right!

Break out session

The seminar concluded with a break out into 4 groups to allow for feed back – the most common theme was the need to experience different situations and farming methods if at all possible before returning full time to farm. It is appreciated that this is not always possible – however it does offer benefits if it can be availed of.

Ulster Bank

The seminar was closed by Pat Horgan Area Director who thanked all present and emphasised how Ulster Bank punch above their weight in the young farmer sector with 25% of the market. Well worth attending and a very enjoyable event!

Find out more

If you want to find out what Ulster Bank has to offer, click here.

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The 3 Risks of Not Making Your E-Commerce Site Secure

According to the FBI, preventing computer fraud, network intrusions and identify theft are the key priorities of their Cyber Crime branch. Cyber-crime is on the rise as more consumers rely on the Internet and mobile technology to do things like shopping, banking and investing. As illustrated below, insecure e-commerce sites will result in serious risks and financial losses.

Vulnerability to Hackers

Everyone is aware that websites, networks and email accounts are vulnerable to hacking attacks. However, more and more consumers are primarily accessing the Internet through their smart phones. As a result, hackers are taking advantage of the lack of mobile security technology standards to target smart phones. According to Computer Weekly, Blue Coat Systems’ research shows that mobile attacks are becoming more common and malicious. For example, one of the most infamously popular methods is cyber-blackmail, when mobile ransomware penetrates and takes over a user’s phone. In order to unlock their phone, the user is required to pay money or divulge personal information. In addition to this, spyware is the second most popular malware program. After it surreptitiously installs itself on the user’s phone, spyware programs will monitor online habits, behaviors and preferences. Therefore, online consumers are naturally apprehensive about e-commerce sites that appear suspicious. When they arrive at the check-out page, they may not end up purchasing because they aren’t sure if credit card information will be safe. The best way to overcome this problem is through having well-recognized security certifications that will dispel any consumer concerns over financial and identity theft. For example, a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) will encrypt consumer information the moment it’s entered on the website. In order to raise consumer awareness, be sure to provide visual clues and colored icons that alert online consumers when they are in a secure or insure part of the website.

Data Breaches

According to technology magazine Wired, mobile giant T-Mobile recently suffered one of the biggest data breaches in business history. T-Mobile had contracted with credit rating agency Experian to perform credit checks on potential customers. However, savvy hackers stole the personal information of approximately 15 million people. This included basic information, such as names and birthdays, and encrypted sensitive information, such as social security and drivers’ license numbers. While there was no financial or banking information, there is still plenty of information for cyber-criminal to commit identity fraud. Online identity theft is the biggest risk of unsecure e-commerce sites. Consider the fact that online consumers must submit both personal and financial information in order to make a purchase. Therefore, an unsecure site is a gold mine for unscrupulous hackers to target. After stealing the personal data, they can sell every victim’s personal information for anywhere from 50 to 100 dollars through underground, online black markets. Once dishonest individuals obtain this information, they can do anything from open a mortgage to apply for credit cards.

Business Interruptions 

As mentioned above, hackers that breach websites can steal information for personal gain. However, as a result of this, customers and the public will lose confidence in the company. For example, in just one night, T-Mobile lost the confidence of 15 million current and potential customers. Assuredly, there will be millions of potential customers who will avoid doing business with T-Mobile in the future. Consequently, insecure e-commerce sites may result in a serious PR debacle that will need the expert assistance of a costly reputation management to restore consumer and investor confidence. 

Keep in mind that a massive data breach or loss of consumer confidence over insecure websites will disrupt business, drive customers away and reduce revenue. There may be other unforeseen financial costs, such as legal fees or IPR lawsuits. There may also be other problems, such as strained partner relationships or government regulatory body investigations.

In summary, an insecure e-commerce site is a recipe for PR, operational and financial disaster. Companies can minimize these risks through following standard online security protocols, investing in cutting edge security programs and incorporating online risk management into executive strategic planning.

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Celebrating the Business Success of our Business Achievers

Introducing The People’s Choice Award

We’re proud of our business achievers. We want to share that pride. Which is why we’ve created a new award which will be given out at the gala awards on the 3rd December 2015.

This will be judged via an online poll. You can cast your vote here http://www.smallbusinesscan.com/the-peoples-choice

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Meath enterprise week, food, digital and entrepreneurship

Over 20 events

Building on the success of last year’s Meath Enterprise Week, 2015 promises to be even bigger. With an objective to showcase Meath to the world in the areas of Food, Digital and Entrepreneurship over 20 events will be held from November 16th to 19th, culminating in a Conference and Showcase Exhibition that will take place on November 19th in the Knightsbrook Hotel, Trim. The four-day programme will be held in different locations across County Meath and includes Food, Digital and Enterprise events, seminars, workshops and schools programmes.

 

 

Showcasing Meath

Gary O’Meara explains “Our objective is to provide the vehicle to showcase Meath as a place to do business. With the recent announcements around the Boyne Valley Food Hub project and Facebook, it can be very clear to all that the themes Food, Digital and Entrepreneurship will play a significant role in the future development of the region. There can be no doubt that there are very challenging but exciting times ahead for Meat, and Meath Enterprise Week is the perfect opportunity for people to get connected and involved”

The Meath Business Showcase and Conference

The Meath Business Showcase and Conference on Thursday November 19th will be held from 8.30am to 4.30pm.   A panel of high profile business people (including Ron) will participate in a number of panel discussions during the day and there will be Keynote addresses also. The event will have an international dimension with business people inputting to the conference from all over the world via video links and Skype Feeds.

You are invited

Meath Enterprise are now inviting businesses to apply for places at the EXPO, it is expected that more than 70 businesses will be showcasing at the event. To book your FREE place at the #MEW2015 Business Conference and Expo or for further details on other events taking place during the week please visit – http://www.meathenterprise.ie/enterprise-week-2015/

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InterTradeIreland: 84% of Companies Across the Island are Stable or Growing

Cross-border economies are growing
The latest InterTradeIreland Business Monitor Report for Quarter three (July – September 2015) shows that the economy is continuing to grow. All sectors are performing well but the professional services sector is taking the lead with 50% of businesses expanding and 95% stable or expanding.

Divergence
The report also revealed that there is now a clear divergence emerging in sales performance and employment numbers between both jurisdictions, with Ireland faring better in both areas. This is not unexpected and reflects structural differences in the two economies that differentiate their ability to take advantage of economic tailwinds.

Although relatively close in the final months of 2012, there is now an 8% difference in businesses increasing sales in the last quarter (Ireland at 41% vs Northern Ireland at 33%) which is also reflected in the number of businesses expanding employment levels with 12% in Ireland and 8% in Northern Ireland.

Capacity in firms high
In total, growth is still being driven by less than half of all firms (42%) with many companies reporting considerable spare capacity and less than one in three (31%) reporting to be working at full capacity.

Evidence of economic improvements
The economic upturn is reflected in the key challenges which businesses now say they are facing. Normal business pressures are now at the fore of issues facing firms with cash flow at 11%, new competition, late payments and internal costs all at 9%. Concerns over energy costs have dropped from 15% this time last year to 6% and business costs in general have decreased though remain significant for the manufacturing sector.

Staff salaries increase
33% of companies report that they plan to increase staff salaries with Northern Ireland (35%) leading the way from Ireland (32%). Large industry is ahead of the pack with 51% of firms of more than 50 employees planning to increase wages and 38% of manufacturing companies following suit.

This bodes well for the introduction of the National Living Wage in April 2016. The majority of firms (80%), with the exception of the hospitality industry, are not expecting this to have any negative impact. The hospitality sector continues to feel the strain of energy prices and is concerned about the impact of the Living National Wage next year. However, cash flow issues will need to be addressed before salaries can be raised across the board.

InterTradeIreland’s Business Monitor
InterTradeIreland’s quarterly Business Monitor survey is the largest and most comprehensive business survey on the island and is based on the views of more than 750 business managers across Northern Ireland and Ireland.

It differs from other surveys in that it is seen to be the ‘voice of local businesses’ feeding directly from telephone interviews conducted with a robust sample of firms of all sizes across a range of sectors to track all-island economic indicators such as sales, employment, business outlook and other specific topical research areas on a quarter by quarter basis.

Further information
For more information on InterTradeIreland and their business support programmes, please visit www.intertradeireland.com . A copy of the 2015 Q3 InterTradeIreland Business Monitor Executive Summary can be viewed at: www.intertradeireland.com/researchandpublications/business_monitor/

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Milseog Na Mara Are Business Achievers

Young Entrepreneurs of the Year 2015

A group of Donegal teenagers have been named European Young Entrepreneurs of the Year 2015 at a ceremony in Budapest. True business achievers.

Desserts of the Sea

Mary Kate Carr (15), Aimée Byrne (16), Rebecca McShane (16) and Ronan O’Hare (15) from Glencolmcille in Donegal won the award for their business ‘Milseog na Mara’, meaning Desserts of the Sea, which offers healthy alternatives to jellies and chocolate mousse using a type of locally sourced seaweed – Carrageen Moss – as the main ingredient.

Foroige

The competition is hosted by YouthStart, European Entrepreneurship Award – an affiliate of the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship in Budapest, which is run in Ireland by Foróige – Ireland’s leading youth organisation. Earlier this year, the young people were named the Youth Entrepreneurs of the Year 2015 in Ireland and their reward was to represent their country on the European stage.

Ireland has now been honoured at the awards for three consecutive years.

NFTE programme

The NFTE programme was founded by US businessman Steve Mariotti in New York in 1987 to prevent at risk young people from low-income communities from ‘dropping out’ of the education system. The programme teaches young people to think like entrepreneurs, to take calculated risks, to be open to learning and be empowered to own their own futures. The programme now operates in countries across the globe, including in the United States where the programme is supported by global star and Bad Boy Entertainment founder Sean “Diddy” Combs.

1500 participants, 600 businesses

In Ireland, a total of 1,500 participants from low income communities who set up 600 businesses as part of this year’s Foróige NFTE entrepreneurship programme, generating a collective turnover of €250,000. The programme runs from September to May every year.

Why?

Research carried out by NFTE among 3,600 young people who participated in the programme found that 70% of all participants have found a job, either as an employee or an entrepreneur. The survey also shows that each NFTE entrepreneur in turn employs an average of 3.5 people.

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EXIM Summit, Ireland’s only export import conference

EXIM Summit, Ireland’s only Export Import Conference in 2015, will take place in Croke Park Conference Centre on November 18 next.

Thought leadership

The one-day conference will provide export-import practitioners with a forum for education, innovation and thought leadership, and a platform for continued growth. Which is why we are surprised Ron is moderating one of the sessions ;). Maybe because Ulster Bank is one of the gold sponsors. Maybe it is because the international trade section of Smallbusinesscan.

Network opportunity

It presents an opportunity for strategic networking among participants who are trading beyond Ireland, giving them the opportunity to meet and interact with fellow business leaders and support bodies engaged in international trade. Attendees can also to seek out services which will help them in their export-import journey.

Who should go

The EXIM Summit is targeted at:

  • Irish Exporters and Importers
  • Globally recognised Export-Import companies and brands
  • Support Organisations
  • Government/ Support Bodies
  • Entrepreneurs and Investors
  • Industry Associations Representatives
  • Marketing professionals

Expert speakers

Expert speakers at EXIM Summit include: Stephen Brewer, Consultant and former CEO of Digcell, Joanna Murphy, CEO Connect Ireland, Jim Power, economist; Jim Fitzsimons, President of IMCA, Dr. Stephen Brennan, Chief Digital Advisor to the Irish Government and Kingsley Aikins of Diaspora Matters. EXIM Summit will be officially opened by An Tanaiste Joan Burton. To see the full list of speakers and event agenda, please see http://eximsummit.com/agenda/

Tickets

Tickets for this unmissable event can be purchased for €99 (€100 discount) at www.eximsummit.com

 

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New food spaces to open soon in Ardee

If you are a food producer and if you are based in Louth or in the North East Region, you should take note.

New facilities for food producers in Ardee

Ardee Community Development Company are proud to announce a new facility which will establish Ardee as the centre for small food producers in the North East region. This facility to be known as the North East Regional Food Centre (NERFC) will comprise of a timeshare fully fitted kitchen, food finished production units and a training suite which will provide training in all aspects of food related issues and product development.  

Timeshare kitchen

The timeshare kitchen will be available for rental on a daily, or half day basis. This facility will be of particular interest to small producers who wish to trial new products or existing producers who wish to look at new possibilities in a confidential research situation. Since the premises are approved by the EHO, and has an extensive range of food production equipment, it will be suitable for batch production for farmers markets and specialist products. 

Launch on 11 December

The official launch of the North East Regional Food Centre will take place on 11th December in Ardee Business Park. In conjunction with this it is intended to hold a trade fair for food producers and associated businesses. 

Show your wares

It is hoped to attract artisan and small food producers to show their products at this launch and have it open to the public. There will be a covered Marquee for producers and it is hoped to have the various support agencies at the event.

If you wish to participate please let us know within the next week to secure a place at the event.  

Book

Bookings can be made by contacting 041 6857680 or 0872432258 or by email at the address shown below. The event is free to all participants. 

Details as follows – 

Date/Time – Friday 11th December @12.00 noon

Venue – Ardee Business Park, Hale St. Ardee

Facilities – Marquee and tables

Cost – Free of Charge

Ph- 041-6857680 or 087-2432258

E mail –  info@ardeebusinesspark.ie

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