One of the most challenging aspects of starting your own business is knowing where to begin, and who to ask for good advice. There are 31 Local Enterprise Offices in Ireland offering a range of support for those just starting out in their business, or those who want to develop. All 31 are coming together for “Local Enterprise Week” which will run from March 4th to March 8th. It features more than 300 events in LEOs around the country.
“It’s shining a light on enterprise and the contribution small businesses make to our economy and to our society. It’s showing, in a very positive light, a lot of what’s going on in the country in terms of entrepreneurial activity, innovation and there is an awful lot of really good initiatives going on in Ireland. It’s also connecting people who are in business or setting up a business with the State agencies that are there to help and support them.
One of the key things for anyone thinking about starting a business, said Geoghegan, is to be honest with yourself. “The first thing I would advise someone is to focus on yourself and identify your own strengths and weaknesses in driving this business.” “My business partner, Andrew, finance is not his forte, he is massively creative, he’s built a fantastic website, the look and feel of what we do is all based around him but I have a good financial head. He didn’t say: ‘Oh, I don’t have a good financial head, so I can’t run a business.’ He said: ‘That’s my weakness, I’ll find somebody who is strong in that area.’ And that’s what we did. So my weaknesses are his strengths and vice-versa, so you don’t have to have it all yourself.