The Interactive Open day will kick-off at 9.30am with a talk from the award winning business woman Mary Rodgers, the CEO of Stateside Solutions (www.statesidesolutions.com) during which she will speak on the subject of “Strategies for Irish companies entering the U.S. market”.  This seminar is for all size companies interested in making the transition into the U.S. market place in a cost effective and efficient manner.  Mary will be explaining the different options including direct sales, setting up an entity, distributor and partnering.  She will also explain the advantages and disadvantages of each of the routes to market and discuss the various considerations including budgets, margins and timelines. 

Mary has worked with clients from Enterprise Ireland, Invest NI, and IE Singapore and runs the U.S. market entry programmes.  A graduate of NUI and the GMIT, the Irish Voice nominated Mary as one of America’s most influential women. According to Mary: “You can never be too prepared, companies need to take the time to understand both the opportunities and the cost of doing business in the U.S. Planning will lead to increased efficiency and a faster ROI”. 

This will be followed by the IiBC client Alan Dowling, MD of Visual Brand Communication (www.vbc.ie) speaking on ‘How to Attract Investment’ at 12pm. Where do I start? How do I find an investor? Do I need a solicitor?  These are just a few of the questions this Interactive session will address.

Next, at 2pm, another IiBC client Barry Healy, the founder of Irish Electronics (www.irishelectronics.com) will speak on “How to set up an online Business”.  Barry is running a successful e-commerce website and will offer a range of practical advice from his experience on the do’s and don’ts surrounding the development of a consumer orientated online shop.

IiBC client Fergal Guilfoyle, the founder of Shellfish Trader (www.shellfishtrader.com) and Director at Treanberg Marine Consulting, will talk about the requirements for setting up an aquaculture business, including the licensing, equipment and skills needed at 3pm.

In the last Interactive session of the day at 4pm, Tony Hegarty, the founder of Ordú (www.ordu.ie), a company utilising Lean Sigma methodologies and providing bespoke Industry application developments will demonstrate how to reduce cost in business with lean solutions resulting in a competitive edge to the business.

There will also be an opportunity to speak with the local enterprise support agencies including WESTBIC (www.westbic.ie), Enterprise Ireland (www.enterprise-ireland.ie), South West Mayo Development Company (www.southmayo.com) , Mayo County Enterprise Board (www.mayoceb.com) , Údarás na Gaeltachta (www.udaras.ie ) and Mayo Ideas Lab (www.westbic.ie/mayoideaslab.html).  There will also be opportunities to engage with the IiBC clients in an informal way and to view their products and services. 

If you would like to avail of any of the FREE Interactive sessions offered as part of the Open Day, please register your interest at: www.iibcopenday.eventbrite.ie.

Franchise Your Business provides a complete franchise development service for both start up and established franchisors. The firm has offices in Dublin and London.

Tony knows both the theory and the practice of franchising. Besides creating and developing franchises for many clients he has managed his own master franchise and uses his vast experience to show others how to succeed in this booming industry. He can take a client through the entire process. He advises on everything from franchise agreements to setting fees and royalties, operations manuals, lead generation, and sales and marketing.

A recognized authority on franchising, he is a member of the Board of the Irish Franchise Association and is the author of a book “How to Franchise a Business.”

Tony has a passion for SME entrepreneurs and is a firm believer in the franchise model for business growth. In the last year he has shared his expertise in emerging franchise markets in Asia and Europe and was appointed to the Advisory Board of the Romanian Franchise Association.

MOCC is a business network run by businesspeople for businesspeople. The event is free of charge. All meetings start at 9.30am and last between one hour and 90 minutes.

All you have to do is turn up on the day. More details on the Mayo Open Coffee Club are available on http://mayo-open-coffee-club.org/, or you can email any of the organisers: Judith Feehan (iibccastlebar {at} gmit(.)ie) and Helena Deane (Helena.deane {at} gmit(.)ie) .

Start-up businesses, people with the germ of an idea, and established businesses all find the Open Coffee Club a useful vehicle to get in touch with what’s happening in the business world around Mayo.

Kieran Hanrahan owner of TKNLGY Services offers customers advice utilise online on how to leverage and integrate an explanding array of online and other technologies in all aspects of learning and development. Kieran has twenty years’ experience as a mentor and entrepreneur, is educated to Masters Degree level.  A practised speaker trainer and consultant, Kieran offers cutting edge knowledge and theory brought to life with case studies and relevant ‘war stories’, with the focus on skills and knowledge transfer and above all, on what works and what can be used by the client with immediate benefit.

MOCC is a business network run by businesspeople for businesspeople. The event is free of charge. All meetings start at 9.30am and last between one hour and 90 minutes.

All you have to do is turn up on the day. More details on the Mayo Open Coffee Club are available on http://mayo-open-coffee-club.org/, or you can email any of the organisers: Judith Feehan (iibccastlebar {at} gmit(.)ie) and Helena Deane (Helena.deane {at} gmit(.)ie) .

Start-up businesses, people with the germ of an idea, and established businesses all find the Open Coffee Club a useful vehicle to get in touch with what’s happening in the business world around Mayo.

Prior to founding Pamex Limited, he held senior positions in Marketing, Sales and Management in Ethical, OTC and general Healthcare sectors, encompassing both national and international markets. He is a founding member of the Pharmaceutical Managers’ Institute of Ireland, a former National President and a Board Member for over 15 years.  His sphere of influence is extensive and he is highly regarded throughout all sectors of the Irish pharmaceutical industry.

While acknowledging that the current business environment is challenging for so many in the present climate, Tom Murphy believes that we simply have to stick with it and remain positive. “The world doesn’t stop because times are tough, so we have to work hard at being positive and face the future with optimism” he maintains.

Export markets are always an attractive option for many small businesses, but you must get it right, according to Tom. “There are certain advantages in having a “fail fast” approach, rather than throwing good money after bad, by trying to enter an export market without sufficient preparation and end up losing everything”!

MOCC is a business network run by businesspeople for businesspeople. The event is free of charge. All meetings start at 9.30am and last between one hour and 90 minutes.

All you have to do is turn up on the day. More details on the Mayo Open Coffee Club are available on http://mayo-open-coffee-club.org/, or you can email any of the organisers: Judith Feehan (iibccastlebar {at} gmit(.)ie) and  Helena Deane (helena.deane {at} gmit(.)ie ) .

Start-up businesses, people with the germ of an idea, and established businesses all find the Open Coffee Club a useful vehicle to get in touch with what’s happening in the business world around Mayo.

Sinead is a European Patent Attorney, European Community Trade Mark and Design Attorney, Irish Trade Mark Agent, Irish Patent Agent and a UK chartered Patent Attorney.  Sinead’s background is in electronics and has obtained an honours degree and a masters from University College, Dublin.  Prior to joining Tomkins, Sinéad worked as a design engineer for an electronic design automation tools provider, and also as a Field Applications Engineer and a Technical Account Manager for an electronics component distribution company. In this role she worked with companies across a broad range of technologies such as Medical, Security and Automotive, supporting their products from design through to manufacture.

As part of the Intellectual Property team within Tomkins & Co, Sinéad is involved in patent prosecution before the Irish, UK and European Patent Offices in applications in all areas of ICT, including telecommunications, electronics, renewable energy, power electronics and medical devices.
MOCC is a business network run by businesspeople for businesspeople. The event is free of charge. All meetings start at 9.30am and last between one hour and 90 minutes.

All you have to do is turn up on the day. More details on the Mayo Open Coffee Club are available on http://mayo-open-coffee-club.org/, or you can email any of the organisers: Judith Feehan (iibccastlebar {at} gmit(.)ie) and  Maria Staunton (Maria.Staunton {at} gmit(.)ie ).

Start-up businesses, people with the germ of an idea, and established businesses all find the Open Coffee Club a useful vehicle to get in touch with what’s happening in the business world around Mayo.

Donncha will address two related issues; how to set meaningful goals for your business and how to go about achieving them. The first part requires discussion of the importance of goals for teams and what SMART goals look like – a worksheet will be provided.  How to deliver your goals will introduce the topic of how to create a focused work space by outlining David Allen’s easy to use time and priority management system as detailed in his book ‘Getting Things Done: How to Achieve Stress-free Productivity (2001)’

Donncha Hughes, from Tipperary and based in Galway specialises in working with technology and professional services SMEs and startups.  Donncha provides mentoring, hands on consultancy, and training to help promoters to grow their businesses. His area of expertise include: Business Plans, Grant applications, Social Media, Networking, Business Strategy, Goal Setting, Market Research, and Marketing and Sales. He is currently delivering the Lean Startup @ GMIT programme in IiBC Galway and Castlebar.

Donncha is a member of the Enterprise Ireland Mentor Panel and several panels managed by LEADER, and the Enterprise Boards.

MOCC is a business network run by businesspeople for businesspeople. The event is free of charge. All meetings start at 9.30am and last between one hour and 90 minutes.

All you have to do is turn up on the day. More details on the Mayo Open Coffee Club are available on http://mayo-open-coffee-club.org/, or you can email any of the organisers: Judith Feehan (iibccastlebar {at} gmit(.)ie) and  Maria Staunton (Maria.Staunton {at} gmit(.)ie ).

Start-up businesses, people with the germ of an idea, and established businesses all find the Open Coffee Club a useful vehicle to get in touch with what’s happening in the business world around Mayo.

Hosts the IiBC will lay on some mince pies to add a seasonal flavour, and Belmullet-based event photographer Proinsias Mac an Tuile from Tullylens (www.tullylens.com ) will come along to take festive shots of the attendance.

MOCC is a business network run by businesspeople for businesspeople. The event is FREE of charge. All meetings last between one hour and 90 minutes.

All you have to do is turn up on the day. More details on the Mayo Open Coffee Club are available on http://mayo-open-coffee-club.org/, or you can email any of the organisers: Judith Feehan (iibccastlebar {at} gmit(.)ie) and Maria Staunton (Maria.Staunton {at} gmit(.)ie)

Budding entrepreneurs, Start-up business owners and established businesses all find the Open Coffee Club a great way to network and keep in touch with what’s happening in the business world around Mayo.

According to McDonnell, “Most people are aware that the digital age is well and truly upon us. The golden pages have been replaced by “Google”, social networking is now the norm and there has been an explosion in the growth of smart phones and tablets in the last 12 months.”  RedC puts smartphone ownership at 49% of Irish households last year – and predicts it will rise to 71% by the end of 2012.  Meanwhile Google-commissioned research has found that a third of Irish smartphone owners have made purchases via their phones, while four in five have used their phones to research purchasing decisions.

MOCC is a business network run by businesspeople for businesspeople. The event is FREE of charge. All meetings last between one hour and 90 minutes.

All you have to do is turn up on the day. More details on the Mayo Open Coffee Club are available on http://mayo-open-coffee-club.org/, or you can email any of the organisers: Judith Feehan (iibccastlebar {at} gmit(.)ie) and Maria Staunton (Maria.Staunton {at} gmit(.)ie)

Budding entrepreneurs, Start-up business owners and established businesses all find the Open Coffee Club a great way to network and keep in touch with what’s happening in the business world around Mayo.

PR West offers public relations and marketing services to the West and occasionally nationally. We deal with businesses in a practical, professional and effective manner. We get to know you and your business, develop a publicity plan that works and implement it efficiently.

MOCC is a business network run by businesspeople for businesspeople. The event is FREE of charge. All meetings last between one hour and 90 minutes, and the new 9.30am meeting time is in response to demand from members.

All you have to do is turn up on the day. More details on the Mayo Open Coffee Club are available on http://mayo-open-coffee-club.org/, or you can email any of the organisers: Judith Feehan (iibccastlebar {at} gmit(.)ie) and Maria Staunton (Maria.Staunton {at} gmit(.)ie)

Budding entrepreneurs, Start-up business owners and established businesses all find the Open Coffee Club a great way to network and keep in touch with what’s happening in the business world around Mayo.

Innovation: The Secret to Success – Thursday 20^th September (2.00pm – 4.30pm)

Including:

• what is innovation
• how to innovate
• local Mayo case studies
• practical tools to apply to your business

No business can afford to stand still. That may be a cliché, but every business owner really does need to think about innovation and constantly work to keep their business relevant and profitable. However, many people in business are unsure about how to innovate or how innovation applies to their particular business. To answer this need, Mayo County Enterprise Board are presenting a free workshop entitled “Innovation: The Secret to Success” to help point business owners in the right direction.

The workshop is part of Mayo Ideas Week and takes place in the McWilliam Park Hotel, Claremorris on Thursday 20^th September at 2pm. There is no charge but places are limited and booking is essential.

“Innovation: The Secret to Success” will be facilitated by Kieran Hanrahan of TKNLGY Services and will include national examples as well as presentations from local Mayo companies on what innovation means to them. A panel discussion will allow participants to discuss the elements relevant to their own businesses. Attendees will also get practical advice on the supports available to drive innovation in small businesses and a simple four-step process to help them innovate.

Places are limited, so attendees should register in advance with Mayo County Enterprise Board (Tel: 094 9047545).