The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Time Management

Being your own boss can be a challenge sometimes. You need to work efficiently, yet have the ability to deal with those unforeseen circumstances that always crop up. A balance has to be struck between time spent, efficiency and quality of output. And information has to be managed in a way that makes it both accessible and useful.

Here are five valuable tips from the experts to help manage your time successfully:

1. Give your work day structure by dividing it into a series of concrete tasks.
2. Make a reasonable estimate of how much time is needed for each task and stick to the routine.
3. Keep clear, easily accessible records of each day’s work.
4. Modify and test your daily goals and tweak them to keep up with your changing business.
5. Add padding to deadlines, building in the flexibility to deal with unexpected situations as they arise.

As a self-directed business owner, you are probably adept at seeing the “big picture.” But it’s necessary to look at your business through a closer lens sometimes. Being organized means having the ability to compartmentalize. What is the first thing you do each day? Start there and outline the sequence of actions you take in the course of the day. In your outline, give important tasks the time and attention that they require while also making room for less pressing jobs.

Since human beings are creatures of habit, having a workflow plan helps streamline your day. Setting aside an appropriate amount of time for each task lets you focus on those facets of the working day that are most crucial to revenue. It also helps prevent the problem of getting stuck in one area of the process while neglecting others. Strikingly, one quarter of all small business owners in one survey believe that each hour they work is worth almost $500 in profits. This makes time management an essential part of any business plan.

Having quick and targeted access to information about your business is invaluable. That’s why record keeping is so important. In this computerized age, businesses no longer have to drown in paperwork, but can organize information into digital files that are easy to access.

Consider your hard drive to be a digital filing cabinet. Separate different functions, tasks and data into their own folders and don’t be afraid to create subcategories. The more organized the information is, the faster you will find what you’re looking for.

This is where a good software program can be invaluable. Not everyone is adept at data management and there are programs that not only keep records, but give instant snapshots of the results of your efforts. Nothing is static in the business world, and daily tasks should be continually evaluated to make sure that they are still in step with the goals of the business. Modification and testing, especially with the aid of a top notch virtual assistant, will aid in time management and realization of goals.

As you have probably figured out by now, the tasks you set yourself are not always linear, and sometimes going back to a previous step is unavoidable. Adding extra time to estimates for completing assignments is an effective coping strategy. This gives you the flexibility to step outside the box (or schedule) and deal with contingencies as they arise. If deadlines end up being met ahead of time, that will only make you look good!

The future is bright for entrepreneurs. U.S. census data shows that small businesses have continued to produce the majority of new jobs in the past two decades. The use of data management tools is one of the ways that entrepreneurs can continue to thrive in our economy. Using these five tips as a starting point, running your own business can be an exciting and successful challenge!

The post The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Time Management appeared first on Small Business Can.

This post was originally published here - http://www.smallbusinesscan.com/entrepreneurs-guide-time-management/ on

Helpful Healthcare: What Are Clinics Doing Differently To Retain Clients?

Starting a new clinic can be quite challenging, and retaining patients is one of the many challenges new clinics face. Patients are often loyal to doctors they’ve been going to for years and just starting out it can be hard to generate reviews right away. Today there are many things new clinics are doing in order to retain clients, and below is a list you can adopt for yourself to get started.

Implementing a Referral Program

Implement a referral program where new patients who refer friends and family get rewards and discounts. These programs are not only great for recruiting new patients, but can also help the staff build relationships with their existing patients. If patients get a reward for referring other patients, then they will likely continue going to the clinic.

Surveying Patients

Clinics today are asking patients to give their feedback whenever possible. Surveys help give your business an idea of what they can do to improve their service. One of the key things is to offer quality care. If you are thinking about surveying new patients, it’s important to remember that a very short survey can give an indication of the patient’s opinion of their visit. Some clinics have patients complete a five-question survey about their visit before they leave which can be great for feedback on the clinic itself and the kind of care given by staff.

Reminding Patients of Their Appointments

People today are extremely busy and can easily forget about the appointment they have scheduled. It’s common practice now to call patients the day before in order to remind them of their appointment. Emailing and texting is also growing in popularity or you might consider hiring patient engagement solutions like Solutionreach to do the work for you. You can go even further by asking which reminder method they prefer, and what time of day wouldn’t be an interruption for them. Extra courtesies like these can be just the thing to win over new patients.

Convenient Waiting Rooms

Visiting any clinic is a stressful experience for many people. Try your best to make the waiting experience more convenient where you can. For example, you could have a TV and remote set up for patients to use or you could offer bottled water when they first arrive.

Follow-Up with New Patients

It’s always a smart idea for new clinics to follow up with a new patient. For example, a receptionist may call and ask about how their visit went. Patients may also receive an email asking about their visit. Calling and emailing help clinics build relationships and strengthen bonds with loyal customers.

It is not easy starting a new clinic since some struggle to retain patients at first. However, many practices are growing because they have implemented a referral program, follow-up with their patients, and ask them to take a survey. Small touches can be the key to giving new patients what they need and an experience they won’t forget.

The post Helpful Healthcare: What Are Clinics Doing Differently To Retain Clients? appeared first on Small Business Can.

How These 4 Companies Made a Successful Comeback

Many big companies that have filed for Chapter 11 or been the brink of bankruptcy have been able to take incredible steps to organize hugely successful comebacks. The decisions made by company leadership during times of crisis and during restructuring have been crucial to the companies’ comebacks and provide critical lessons for businesses looking to transform challenges into opportunities for growth and improvement.

Apple Inc.

Steve Jobs orchestrated one of the best-known company comebacks for Apple, Inc. He negotiated a deal with Microsoft in 1997 that saved the company from bankruptcy with a $150 million investment and updated the Mac version of Microsoft Office. Jobs studied the organization and implemented a change management strategy that propelled Apple into developing cutting-edge technology for more than a decade.

Instead of banking on the success of the late 1990s, Jobs looked ahead. He connected the iPod, iPhone, and iTunes Store to open new markets that would change the way we interact with our personal technology and media. One of the keys to his success was good project and change management strategy. Change was part of his strategy from the beginning until the end. He adopted change as part of the company’s success. With excellent organizational consulting firms like Ruota Consulting, specializing in helping companies face challenges, companies can develop and pursue successful change management strategies like what Steve Jobs put in place for Apple.

Continental and United Airlines

Continental Airlines suffered two bankruptcies, one in 1983 and the other 1990. Though it continued to operate flights, thanks to the Bankruptcy Protection Law, the airline struggled into the 2000s. In 2002, United Airlines faced bankruptcy as well. The two airlines commenced negotiations of a merger that would pool together their resources and hopefully minimize the damages of bankruptcy. This merger finally took place officially in 2010, and the two became United Continental Holdings. By 2015, United Continental Holdings had become the 345^th largest company in the world, according to Forbes Global 2000 ratings.

Marvel Worldwide, Inc.

Marvel entered bankruptcy in 1996, as it became clear that comic books were a dying medium. Though instead of allowing the company to join the ranks of forgotten heroes, the company’s leadership did a serious self-evaluation during this crisis and made critical decisions based on this assessment. Years later these good decisions paid off, with the company carrying a $4 billion price tag when Disney Company acquired it in 2009.

The key to Marvel’s comeback success was looking inward and carefully and accurately evaluating the strengths of the company. Marvel’s core business strengths included a highly loyal customer base, powerful brand, thousands of widely known characters, and even thousands more already-proven successful stories. Its executives keenly identified that profitability in a digital entertainment industry would come from proprietary content and banking on high-paying repeatable formulas for the digital medium. Today, Marvel is a movie giant, and its stories and characters are essential elements of popular culture.

Trump Entertainment Resorts

Donald Trump companies have bankrupted four times. Each bankruptcy though has provided an opportunity for Trump’s companies to restructure and improve their financial position. Trump has also lost the great majority of ownership and been forced to resign. However, this too is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes, it’s hard to fix mistakes with the same leadership. Change is not always bad, and with an estimated net worth of $4.1 billion dollars in June 2015, according to Forbes, it’s clear that Trump is not bad off after multiple bankruptcies and losing influence in his company.

Companies should always act responsibly in managing their resources. However, sometimes crises are unavoidable, and can bring on needed change. These moments provide critical opportunities for good leadership to take hold and effect changes that will put the company in a better situation down the road. A company that takes the time to recognize these opportunities, equip itself with support, and develop plans for change can actually come out of a financial challenge like bankruptcy even stronger than before.

The post How These 4 Companies Made a Successful Comeback appeared first on Small Business Can.

How Will The New Companies Act Affect Businesses In Ireland

The long awaited Consolidated Companies Bill that came into force on the 1^st June 2015 has affected huge numbers of businesses throughout Ireland. The new law essentially consolidates the existing Companies Acts of 1963-2013 into a single piece of legislation that requires business owners to make a number of changes over the next 18 months.

It’s the largest reform of company law in over 50 years and is intended to make the process of registering and operating a business in Ireland easier. Some of the key changes include:

The creation of two types of Private Limited Company

Any business currently registered as a Private Limited Company (PrC) will have to decide between one of two new options.

Private Company Limited by Shares (LTD)

Expected to be used by corporations, under the new law an LTD company requires:

Only one director as long as they’re a member of the EU and over eighteen years of age.

If a LTD company has one director it must appoint a separate company secretary that can either be an individual, or a corporate body. If you chose an individual, this cannot be the same person who fulfills the role of director.

A new LTD company will have “Limited” after its name.

Previously, businesses had to state their business objectives in the Memorandum and Articles of Association document. This will be replaced by a single document (commonly referred to as the “constitution”) and businesses will no longer be required to state their objectives to the government.

The omission of the objects clause allows the company to trade in any lawful business or activity.

Companies are no longer required to hold an Annual General Meeting.

May pass written resolutions by the relevant majority.

Designated Activity Company (DAC)

Certain companies are expected to become a DAC including charities, management companies, regulated financial institutions and companies limited by guarantee.

You must have at least 2 directors both over the age of eighteen.

All DAC companies (except charities) will require a change of title that includes Designated Activity Company at the end of the company name.

A DAC must still hold Annual General Meetings.

Companies will have a two-page constitution that states the objects for which the company is incorporated.

A DAC can claim eligibility for an audit exemption.

Codification of Directors

To clearly outline responsibilities, under the new law there are now eight principle duties that all directors must adhere to:

Act in good faith.
Act honestly and responsibly.
Act in accordance with the company’s constitution.
Not to use company property unless approved by the constitution.
Not to fetter discretion unless permitted by the constitution.
To avoid conflicts of interest.
To exercise care skill and diligence.
To have regard for the interests of members as well as employees.

For anyone found to be breaking the new laws, fines will range from €5,000 – €500,000 depending on the severity of the offence.

Loans to and from Directors

The rules surrounding loans to and from a director has also been amended. If there is no appropriate documentation surrounding the terms of the loans, the following will be presumed:

Loans to a director will be subject to interest and repayable on demand.

Loans from a director will not be considered a loan and won’t bear any interest.

Foreign Companies

For foreign companies with a presence in Ireland, the new Companies Act has abandoned the concept of “place of business” cancelling the registration numbers of any existing business.

For foreign companies that meet certain requirements you may want to consider registering the business as a branch.

There will be an 18-month transition period from the 1^st June 2015 and any company failing to act within this timeframe will automatically be deemed to be a DAC during the transition period, and a LTD after the transition deadline. Failure to convert to the appropriate company type may cause legal issues for the company, shareholders and directors.

This post was written by Open A European Company.com. Helping entrepreneurs, startups and businesses with company incorporation and formation in Ireland and the rest of Europe.

The post How Will The New Companies Act Affect Businesses In Ireland appeared first on Small Business Can.

The three National ClimateLaunchpad Finalists

One of the members of the Smallbusinesscan team had the pleasure to coach the participants in the climatelaunchpad. This are the winners that are going to Amsterdam. If you can help them in any way, contact ron@smallbusinesscan.com. All help, suggestions, ideas, introductions appreciated.

wasteNOT

is a technology to enable the consumer to efficiently manage their food by reducing waste and saving money. A combination of innovative labelling, ICT and a smart phone app will automatically maintain an inventory of current food by expiry date and send push notifications of food that needs eating with suggested recipes. The founders Eoin White, Tom Oldfield and Nick Holden, have a dream to enable sustainable food systems globally.

The wasteNOT team

The three team members have a passion for system thinking and sustainability. Tom Oldfield is carrying out a PhD in sustainability, focused on the environmental impact of recovering nutrients from agri-food resources. Tom’s career has transitioned from the British Army to being a Humanitarian professional with Concern Worldwide to completing his PhD. Eoin White is a sustainability consultant specialising in energy analysis and life cycle assessment. He also works as a part time researcher at UCD investigating environmental decision analysis. Prior experience includes working for Shell Global Solutions. Nick Holden is a professor in UCD, and is a global expert in agricultural and environmental research, specialising in the environmental impact of agri-food sector and soil.

Boltz Secret Seeds

are seedbombs enhanced with biochar. They are a platform to encourage people to garden at home, locally produce fruit & flowers and make a great occasion gift. The biochar enhancement promotes the growth of the seeds thus making them more efficient and environmentally friendly. The founder Elaine Doyle, has a dream to develop products that are environmentally responsible and the first product – secret seeds – will change the world one flower at a time.

The Boltz team

Elaine is academically, professionally and personally passionate about sustainability, having worked in various organisations such as Engineers without Border, Food Cloud, and Wind Prospect. She has a background in engineering, specialising in materials and environmental education, development and social entrepreneurship. She is the founder of Bolts, an environmental product development company and the first product she has developed is called Secret Seeds.

Agri Grow Lights

is a state-of-the-art solution that, by controlling the light spectrum from LED lights, food producers can increase the nutritious content of crops. The founders – Brian Reilly – has a dream to provide solutions to address global challenges on food production; growing more nutritious crops will assist in productivity, encourage people to grow their own and reduce excessive food miles and carbon emissions. The added bonus is that the LEDs are super energy efficient.

The Grow Lights team

Brian Reilly is a Horticultural Scientist with qualifications from UCD, and the idea being presented is based on his final year dissertation. Brian has keen interest in R&D to develop the agricultural industry worldwide to ensure security of food supply and nutritional value of food, and has established the company Agri Grow Lights to achieve this goal. Brian has completed a graduate programme with IPM Potato Group, a subsidiary of Donegal Investment Group.

The post The three National ClimateLaunchpad Finalists appeared first on Small Business Can.

WasteNOT, Boltz Secret Seeds and Agri Grow Lights are business achievers

Minister Bruton announces finalists to represent Ireland at the European ClimateLaunchpad Final

The “A Green Space to Innovate” event kick started the “Sustainability Gathering 2015” and took place on Monday afternoon, the 22^nd of June, 2015 at the CHQ Building, Custom House Quay, Dublin.

The event showcased innovative cleantech entrepreneurs, and hosted the national final of the ClimateLaunchpad competition.

The ClimateLaunchpad programme is managed by Climate-KIC, the EU’s main climate innovation initiative.

The three finalists wasteNOT, Boltz Secret Seeds and Agri Grow Lights were announced by Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD, and will represent Ireland at the European ClimateLaunchpad Final

The European Final will take place in Amsterdam on the 4^th of September 2015 and Start-ups from 28 countries will compete in it.

Announcing the finalists, Minister Richard Bruton, T.D. remarked: “The green economy is an important economic pillar for Ireland’s continued growth and prosperity and is a key sector which we have targeted as part of our Action Plan for Jobs. We are determined to nurture and support more entrepreneurs and start-up businesses in this area. Ireland’s participation in ClimateLaunchpad is a wonderful opportunity to position our cleantech entrepreneurs to take advantage of global opportunities.”

Cleantech entrepreneurs are establishing businesses that respond to global challenges such as climate change and resource (energy, water) scarcity. By their nature entrepreneurs and start-up companies are demonstrating leadership by taking brave decisions to develop their business and have a global impact.

Frans Nauta, Deputy Director Entrepreneurship Climate-KIC and founder of ClimateLaunchpad: “Across Europe hundreds of good ideas were submitted for ClimateLaunchpad 2015. It’s great to see so many start-ups with outstanding cleantech innovations that combat climate change. This competition trains teams to develop and sell their ideas. We see lots of opportunities for them to achieve global impact with their businesses.”

The post WasteNOT, Boltz Secret Seeds and Agri Grow Lights are business achievers appeared first on Small Business Can.

This post was originally published here - http://www.smallbusinesscan.com/wastenot-boltz-secret-seeds-and-agri-grow-lights-are-business-achievers/ on

Entrepreneurship in Local-serving Industries and How to Carry Out SEO

Below are a few tips to guide you in establishing an SEO strategy that will be effective with both your target audience and the search engines.

Importance of SEO to local based practitioners

Studies in the field of law for instance have shown that Google, Bing and other search engines are the second most prevalent way people use to find lawyers. Roughly, 22% of potential clients start their search on their Internet homepages, while a further 11% start somewhere else on the Internet. Added up, it means roughly one third of all potential clients attempt to find attorneys through the Internet.

While the study was specific to lawyers, the figures are not much different for other locally serving professionals. As a dentist, chiropractor or other practitioner, it’s safe to assume that a significant percentage of new clients will come from search engines and other online sources.

Why SEO is difficult for local-based practitioners

The math seems quite simple – invest towards SEO and you will start seeing your business expand and grow. However, it really is not that simple. Like everything else related to business, SEO takes hard work and a lot of smarts in order to succeed.

The main challenge of SEO is the fact that Google as well as other search engines make continuous changes to their rules and algorithms. Therefore, what is applicable today may become inapplicable tomorrow. There’s no knowing when or what the next update will be, since any changes are wholly at the search engines’ discretion.

Given the frequency of algorithm updates, it’s very difficult for a fulltime practitioner to also invest time in learning SEO best practices and carrying them out. Just when you have learnt some technique, chances are that the rules might be changed, taking you back to square one. That’s why professional entrepreneurs need to have professional SEO services on board to handle that aspect of business.

Hiring an SEO Professional

There are several options available in this regard: you choose an SEO freelancer, an agency or hire an in-house SEO professional as part of your staff. In any scenario, there are millions of SEO and growth marketing service providers who can offer the service you need. However, practicing entrepreneurs have little knowledge about SEO and online marketing, which can make hiring the right service provider more challenging for them.

As a credible practitioner, you stand to lose much if you form an association with SEO service providers who are not conversant with or don’t follow the rules. You will either lose a lot of money or destroy your online reputation. Most likely, both will happen. Therefore, you have a big responsibility to find out what kind of SEO services your business will be best served by, and carry out careful assessment of potential service providers until you have the best one.

There’s a lot to learn about SEO, and the limited experience of local-serving practitioners makes them prime candidates for scamming by unscrupulous “experts” with little understanding of the inside workings of SEO. As you conduct your search, bear in mind that anyone can say anything about the skills and knowledge held, but concrete results are what you should look out for.

Google Hummingbird and why you should care

Prior to searching for SEO assistance, you need to have a rough idea of SEO basics. You may not have the time to delve into the intricacies of the trade, but at the least you must know what’s allowable and not, any new major algorithm updates and how they would affect your practice. This will make the foundation of your conversations with potential service providers.

First, it was Google Panda, followed by Google Penguin and in October 2013, Google Hummingbird joined the game, being the most complex algorithm released to date. There are many features of the Hummingbird algorithm, but the most important for local practitioners is the importance placed on local results and semantic search capability.

Below are a few rules to play by to continue winning in the Hummingbird era:

Remember that high quality and relevant content is still the best SEO weapon in your arsenal, regardless of any reports to the contrary. Ensure that your articles’ content base on your key practice areas, and make it semantically pleasing to hook readers.
Ensure your contact information is clear and consistent. Hummingbird tries to serve results based on searchers’ locales; hence appropriately displaying accurate contact information will enable you to nab searchers in your locality. You should also set up and maintain an active social media profile on major social networks, including Google Plus.

Keywords may have diminished in value, but they are still important to your SEO strategy. Be keen to note how potential service providers treat your keywords in the strategy they intend to implement for your practice. Have a healthy balance between long-tail and short-tail keywords, and don’t overdo any.

The post Entrepreneurship in Local-serving Industries and How to Carry Out SEO appeared first on Small Business Can.

Is the Recruitment Sector Underutilising Digital as a Marketing Channel?

Consumer trends within the recruitment sector shows that 43% of job seekers are now searching via mobile devices heavily suggesting a strong user journey is increasingly important for agencies. This not only relates to creating a responsive website but also the execution of online navigation, both of which are driving factors in building a clear, stable platform for brand engagement.

In fact, recruiters who invest in mobile platforms will witness great improvements to their business, there is evidence of this with some quoting a 14% improvement in time to hire, 19% increase in the quality of hire, and a 10% uplift in the quality of referrals according to industry research.

Encendo undertook a study to drill down further into the attitudes towards digital expenditure and investment among recruitment agencies in Ireland to determine whether the marketing services being offered align with consumer demand.

Marketing budgets

Generally speaking, 10-20% of marketing budgets are allocated to the digital marketing channel, although the study uncovered that 11% of respondents did not know what their financial investment in digital marketing was.

When considering that the expended amount is a 20% or less spend on marketing overall against revenue, and digital spend takes up a 10-20% portion of that, then overall digital can be said to equate to 1-2% against revenue, which can be argues to be a low investment for such a highly effective measurable and actionable marketing channel.

When taking a look at monthly digital marketing spend across the spectrum the survey found that 27% of respondents claim they spend less than €500 against to 35% saying they spend more than €1,000.

Data also highlighted that a significant 41% could knowingly confirm how much of their revenue could be attributed to digital marketing.

It may seem obvious to hear that that 96% of respondents are expecting to increase or stabilise their digital marketing budgets over the course of the next twelve months, an indicator of buoyancy in the industry and a desire to evolve with more efficient marketing behaviour.

Lead generation

Further prompting explored lead generation as one of the biggest areas of marketing focus for recruitment organisations within Ireland, with a large proportion of participants in the survey considering both clients and candidates as key target audiences (81%).

Not surprisingly, all organisations have a website, however there is an inconsistency between the perception of what it means to own a truly responsive website. Our results came back with 77% of webmasters believing that their website is responsive although Encendo’s manual research found as few as 64% of websites to not have a truly responsive website.

Further investigation into the functionality of said websites raised another red flag – regardless of their responsive nature, Encendo found that over half (59%) of them had poor design features, with less than satisfactory user journeys and limited use of social to increase reach and amplify the message. To this end, only 33% of sites dame the decision to display clear Social Media Share buttons.

From the research undertaken we can deduce that the findings are in tandem with the initial recruitment agency marketing survey. It appears the recruitment industry is still reliant on traditional methods, such as word of mouth and referrals as the top way of landing new clients and candidates.

Poor return on investment

In stark contrast, digital marketing is perceived as a bigger obstacle for recruiters for a number of reasons, and many having witnessed their digital marketing campaigns as producing poor return on investment. However, as industry experts on the recruitment sector Encendo can state with confidence that digital can unearth positive results both short and long-term as it has ability to measure bang-for-buck and have a transparent vision of how you are activity is influencing your business.

Webmasters should bear in mind that the application of digital monitoring is very much dependent on clear attribution and tracking. It also stands or falls on the quality of landing pages, user navigation throughout the website and such likes to optimise conversion opportunities during the onsite experience. The key take-home message here is no matter how strong the strategies and investments might be in digital marketing activity, your returns will always come up short if your conversion funnels do not cater for today’s users.

Francis Mac Aonghus

Head of Digital for Encendo, a leading online marketing agency based in Ireland. Francis’ area of expertise lies in formulating marketing strategy and activities including search engine optimisation, campaign performance, pay per performance advertising, email marketing and other digital activities and online marketing campaigns.

The post Is the Recruitment Sector Underutilising Digital as a Marketing Channel? appeared first on Small Business Can.

Ulster Bank Fraud Seminar Reaches Omagh

Continuing with the Ahead for Business Programme and trying to help businesses get ahead in Tyrone, Ulster Bank held their latest Fraud Awareness Seminar in Silver Birch Hotel, Omagh. The objective of the seminar is to help businesses keep themselves safe, by understanding the threats from fraud and what measures they can take to counteract these risks.

Ulster Bank Fraud Seminar

Shauna Burns, Head of Mid Ulster & Fermanagh Business centre welcomed 50 local business people to the business suite of the hotel and introduced the first speaker Margaret Hunter, RBS Security & Resilience. Margaret gave an overview of trends that the bank are experiencing and discussed hints and tips on cheque and invoice fraud. Michelle Garrigan, Head of On line Operations was the second speaker and gave the audience a great feel for the sophistication of fraudsters and what the banks golden security rules are regarding bankline. With some surprising statistics for the audience:

1m people are affected daily by cybercrime
170,000 identities stolen each year
Online fraud costs the UK economy £27bn each year

Fight Against Fraud

After a series of questions and answers, Shauna Burns closed the seminar and recommended that everyone shared the information of the day to business colleagues, family and friend to help “the fight against fraud”.

The local business team who were also in attendance received very positive feedback from the audience who appreciated the event being held in Omagh;

“great speakers, good content and good length”
“Definitely something I need to consider more in my own business”
“Can we arrange another for all local solicitors?”
“excellent event, very informative & worthwhile”

The post Ulster Bank Fraud Seminar Reaches Omagh appeared first on Small Business Can.

This post was originally published here - http://www.smallbusinesscan.com/ulster-bank-fraud-seminar-reaches-omagh/ on

Ulster Bank helps STEM sector

The Northern Ireland Executive’s has recognised that the future success of the Northern Ireland economy will require increased numbers of skilled workers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) qualifications. A STEM business group was set up in 2013 to examine how businesses can inspire young people, male and female to consider careers in these sectors and help address the gender balance. The group comprises of companies and education centres such as QUB, UUJ, Norbrook, Schrader Electronics, All State, Citibank.

The STEM Sector

Karen Lawther and Shauna Burns from Ulster Bank were invited to speak at the Belfast STEM Employers Equality Networking in Malone House on 10th June, to discuss the topic of networking and how Ulster Bank uses its internal network, Women In Touch and its external network, BusinessWomenCan to help address the gender balance in the business community.

Shauna Burns, Ulster Bank’s Head of Mid Ulster and Fermanagh Business Centre told the members about Business Women Can which is a network to encourage and support female entrepreneurs. Karen Lawther, Ulster Bank’s Head of Markets NI spoke about Women in Touch which Ellvena Graham started in 2010. This network was featured as a good practice case study in the STEM Business subgroup’s report Addressing Gender Balance-Reaping the Gender Dividend in STEM. The aim of this internal network is to support women in managerial roles to network, share experiences, learn from each other and realise their potential.

The WIT network offers Ulster Bank employees the opportunity to develop and advance their careers, becoming involved in activities that challenge and inspire them.

Participants then discussed the benefits of networks and the speakers kindly shared their expertise in answering members’ questions.

The post Ulster Bank helps STEM sector appeared first on Small Business Can.

This post was originally published here - http://www.smallbusinesscan.com/ulster-bank-helps-stem-sector/ on

Category Archives: General