Latest News
Derry company goes green
02 July 2008
[Author: North West Marketing]
A company in the city has gone green by transferring to 100 per cent renewable energy. North West Marketing, a Derry-based centre of economic development, has taken the leap to cleaner energy supplied by Ireland’s leading renewable energy company, Airtricity
Based at Skeoge Industrial Estate North West Marketing first opened in 1988
and has become a well known centre of economic development for the North West region.
Charles Kennedy, property manager, said: “Everyone is now fully aware of the importance of renewable energy as we all strive to reduce our carbon footprint. I am happy to announce that North West Marketing Ltd has switched to Airtricity, as have thirteen of the tenant businesses in our Complex plus the anchor tenant in the business centre, White Young Green. We hope that eventually all 43 businesses in our Complex will use renewable energy.”
Gareth Strain, of Airtricity, said: “We are delighted that North West Marketing has made the switch to green electricity supply. They are the latest of many Northern Ireland businesses who have decided to opt for a more environmentally responsible form of energy supply. This switch means that North West Marketing Ltd and the companies based there now have a genuine opportunity to help protect the environment, develop the green energy industry in Northern Ireland and deliver significant cost savings to their bottom line.”
Airtricity currently serves the needs of 35,00 businesses in Ireland, both North and South, and since the beginning of January 2003 has reduced CO2 emissions by 2,074, 084 tonnes. Businesses who want to find out more about how they can save money on their bills while contributing a cleaner, greener environment can call Airtricity on 0845 6034444.
North West Marketing
Comments received from clients in attendance at SABp training course
04 June 2008
[Author: Antrim Enterprise Agency]
“I have gained a mountain of knowledge from the course, very useful for my future, thank you”. A. Chaudhary, Antrim
“The course covered lots of areas I was unsure about. I found the course very interesting and I met lots of new contacts”. Ruth Robson, Antrim
“The course was easy to follow, interesting and great for meeting people in the same situation. Meeting entrepreneurs made having my own business seem more achievable”. Heather Murphy, Antrim.
“Tax doesn’t have to be taxing”. M. Toal, Antrim
“Keeping my finances right was the scary thing for me but after the course I feel quite confident that I can cope with them”. Charlene Devine, Antrim
“Very enjoyable programme capturing all aspects on how to start your own business. Would recommend and encourage other candidates to participate”. Maria Young, Antrim
“I was surprised and delighted by the amount of assistance available. The course has given me much food for thought”. Christine Ardill, Antrim.
“Really daunting but inspiring to the determined”. Alan McNicholl, Antrim
“The programme really inspired us; we can’t wait to get started. Thanks”. Astra Kirchmann, Antrim.
“I feel prepared to run my own business knowing I have all the help I need here at Antrim Enterprise Agency”. Caroline Orr, Antrim.
“I feel more positive about going self employed and feel more knowledgeable”. Michelle Raphael, Antrim.
“To start with the world of business was a scary place, now I feel well prepared to face my fears” Lee Viner, Antrim.
“I found this course very interesting it has taken the edge off the scary ends of starting a business”. Colin McCabe, Antrim.
“There was lots of interesting information which was unknown to me. The staff helped me to understand the issues and gave me strong support”. Farshad Hashemipour, Antrim.
“I felt a bit overwhelmed about the different kinds of work to do to set up a business but the course has helped enormously to clarify my business direction”. Sorrel O’Brien, Antrim.
Antrim Enterprise Agency
Case Study
03 June 2008
[Author: North City Business Centre]
Colm Campbell has been an artist for 15 years now and he has worked in graphic design, illustration and caricature in both the public and private sector. During this time Colm has completed many caricatures and graphic design work commissioned by both individuals and organisations.
Colm recently completed the Start A Business Programme at North City Business Centre which equipped him with the business skills to ‘Go For It’ and start his own business up.
Colm’s interest in caricature and graphic design started when he was at school and he started drawing caricatures in school magazines. Having worked for over 15 years in graphic design and illustration Colm thought that there was a niche market in caricature work in Northern Ireland. As a result he decided to set up Nuff Inc. as a company that would specialise in caricatures for social occasions such as weddings and parties. Colm gets his inspiration from everything around him and he says that travelling the world and experiencing other cultures and the work of other artists has been a great inspiration for his work. Some events that Colm has recently worked at include the Spring Fayre at Barnett Desmense where he drew many caricatures for members of the public over the 2 days.
Colm kindly answered some questions about how he started out as a caricature artist, what his work is like and what it’s like being self-employed....
What made you get into doing caricature? What was your background?
I have been drawing since I could hold a pencil. All through school I drew cartoons and caricatures. Despite several career choices I think I was always destined to work as an artist.
Like most artists I had to get out there and get a ‘real’ job and spent many years in the Public Service. But I cannot remember a time I didn’t have some sort of artwork to do for someone whether that was a poster, birthday card, cartoon strip or whatever.
I eventually came to work in the graphic design field designing logos, magazines and the like. Alongside this I was still being asked to do caricature work, both at events and for private commissions. I just hadn’t realized the potential of it then.
What do you find most enjoyable about working as a caricature artist? What gives you most satisfaction from your job?
I am working at what I enjoy now. Now don’t get me wrong – it can be hard work and the hours tend to be very unsociable at times (I work many late nights!) – but I still enjoy the work. I meet a lot of people and hopefully bring a smile to their faces.
There are not too many jobs out there where you are regularly complimented on what you are doing and that‘s a great boost to one’s ego.
What do you enjoy most about being self-employed?
I get a great deal of satisfaction knowing I am master of my own destiny. My advancement doesn’t depend on some arbitrary annual performance appraisal. I decide which direction to take my work in and can vary it at any time. The personal validation gained seeing your business evolve can’t be underestimated. And the sense of achievement really does spur me on.
It is important to note the down sides though. When work is slow to come in it can be a worry. Looking after the cash flow can cause strains and holidays are far from being the entitlement I once thought of them as.
What sort of clients have you worked for so far?
I have a wide and varied client list. It includes Thales, MCI Group, The Lady Taverners, Special Olympics, Ryanair, Mercedes-Benz, MOD, Grand Opera House, Cool FM and many private clients..
..and a few celebrities too!
What are your future plans for your business and what markets are you targeting?
I am continuing to make as many people, businesses and organizations aware of the work I do. I do have plans for some specific target markets, which I can’t reveal yet but this will become apparent in the near future. I also plan to increase the volume of commissioned work coming in.
Any advice for anyone starting up in business?
I say go for it. Life is about making decisions and taking chances. It can be a risk and it can cause strains but when it works the rewards are well worth it!
So if you think you have what it takes to open your own business and ‘Go For It’, the ‘Start a Business Programme’ at North City Business Centre is definitely right for you!
North City Business Centre
Case Study
28 May 2008
[Author: Fermanagh Enterprise Agency]
Having spent years climbing and working in the great outdoors, setting up a company which specialises in rope access was a natural progression for Cathaoir Dolan. Erne Rope Access, which has been operational for just two years, specialises in providing access to hard to reach locations using methods derived from climbing and caving. The company will undertake everything from inspection and surveys of high-rise buildings to cleaning, painting, repair and maintenance work. Erne Rope Access provides a practical safe solution to access problems on or within buildings with minimal disruption on the buildings occupants, pedestrians and traffic flow. There are numerous benefits to the client, including costs and time saved due to the elimination of the need for scaffolding, cranes or mobile elevated work platforms.
Erne Rope Access has grown from strength to strength in the last two years. The success of the company has been aided by the ongoing support, advice and practical assistance provided by staff at Fermanagh Enterprise.
Fermanagh Enterprise Agency
Case Study
21 May 2008
[Author: Antrim Enterprise Agency]
Fairy Tales is the dream business of Barbara McKeown who personally set up the business in 2004 due to her wishes of wanting a ‘Fairy Tale’ wedding with the luxury, style and within a budget.
Fairy Tales specializes in chair covers for every occasion. Whether you are organising a wedding, a private party, a ball, garden party, a marquee, a corporate conference, awards or funky personalised bash you can be assured of Fairy Tales expertise, style, creativity and personal service to ensure they exceed your expectations.
Fairy Tales has become the Ireland’s No1 specialist for chair covers and event stylists supporting large events / venues - no event is too small or big for Fairy Tales. Their professional team is able to fully dress an 800 + chair event in under 2 hours while meeting the customer expectation and many big business, government and charity names.
Customer service is of paramount importance to Barbara and it is because of this as well as her warm and friendly personality that the business has gained an excellent reputation and name within the whole of Ireland servicing clients, brides and grooms and event planners across Europe, Canada and America.
Fairy Tales prides itself on offering a personal one to one service alongside the ability to give extra to making the client’s day one of the happiest days of their life…. From the initial booking, to the appointment each clients order is customised to meet their special requirements.
Throughout the years Fairy Tales has steadily grown with the taking on of a full time member of staff to help with the ever increasing customer base. As well as this it has expanded the range of services and products to include table linens and overlays, lights, bride and groom thrones, trees, mirrors and much more.
Barbara attended the Start a Business Programme in Antrim Enterprise Agency and benefited greatly from the whole experience. Barbara states “the Start a Business Programme really helped me in realising my dream of working for myself. All the staff at the Agency helped me greatly throughout the programme and still does to this day as I recently located by business to Antrim Enterprise Agency. The support was realistic and told it how it was which I found to be of the most benefit. I found the financial support to be the most worthwhile as it was an area that I just was not sure off but now as a result of the programme I am fully confident running my business and developing it even further”.
Antrim Enterprise Agency
START A BUSINESS PROGRAMME CELEBRATES SUCCESS
17 April 2008
[Author: Larne Enterprise Development Company]
The Start a Business Programme has had a year of unprecedented success in Larne . In total 91 local people decided to take the step into self employment. 51 of these were male and 40 female , with 65 deciding to operate on a full time basis and 26 on a part time basis. The start ups were well spread across the various wards of the Larne Borough with the highest numbers being 16 (Kilwaughter) , 12 (Central) and 11 each (Ballycarry and Cairncastle ) . Of the types of business starting up , the most popular sectors were Health and Beauty , Professional Services , Creative Arts and Construction , all with 11 each
The start a Business programme is delivered by the Local Enterprise Agency ,LEDCOM, and funded by Invest Northern Ireland. It offers initial advice and assistance with researching your business idea, a free training programme covering the financial and marketing aspects of start up , and information about sources of funding which may be available to help you to start up .
Local woman , Margaret Walsh established her business called Iron Maidens to help meet the needs of busy householders and others who haven’t the time to do their own ironing .
“The Programme helped me to think about the various aspects of my business including pricing ,advertising, costing and cash flow, and helped turn my idea into a reality . Running my own business means I can be my own boss and can suit my hours to the needs of my family and customers”
Larne Enterprise Development Company (LEDCOM)
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