Connecting Industry, Creating Opportunity

The Business Connections Event is an opportunity for all Business Boot Camp participants to come together for the first time. To explore opportunities for cross border trade, make contacts, do business, increase turnover, increase skills base, network, improve cross border business relationships, celebrate entrepreneurship and be part of the new and emerging business boot camp community. This event is being organised by Donna Maskery, The Donegal Business Boot Camp Project Officer together with individual Donegal Business Boot Camp participants.

The Business Boot Camp Programme is an innovative programme actively targeting young entrepreneurs and business owners aged 16 to 35 years old to start and grow their businesses. It is funded by the European Union’s INTERREG IVA Structural Funds Programme. Donegal County Council has been working with cross-border partners COMET (Councils of the Metropolitan Area) a partnership of six local authorities located within the Greater Belfast metropolitan area to deliver this programme.

Guest speakers Gerry Duffy, Grainne Kelly, John Conaghan and Annette Houston will be there to share their experiences and provide some tips for success. Break-out sessions have been designed around key business themes: access to finance, social media, marketing and business banking. Business support agencies will be available to answer your questions and provide up to date information, these include Micro Finance Ireland, Inter Trade Ireland, Failte Ireland, Enterprise Northern Ireland and Trade Links.

If you have any questions regarding the event please contact Donna Maskery on:

00353 8795 39041

Spaces for this event are limited

To book your place and select two breakout sessions outlined below.

The Pros & Cons of Social Media (12noon - 12:40pm)

Facilitators: Joe O’Donnell and Niall Mulrine

Joe O’Donnell will provide information on how to get the most from social media platform, facebook. He will provide information on content creation, the importance of visualisation and scheduling for efficiency and better time management, page design and layout as well as how to get likes legitimately without the use of the dreaded like and share competition.

Niall Mulrine will help you to explore your business positioning through social media and will provide information on online security features and online reputation. How are you and your staff portraying yourself publically, online? Is it helping or damaging your brand, find out why? How to secure social media and what not do to…

Access to Finance (12noon - 12:40pm)

This session will provide information on how to apply for funding from the NI Small Business Loan Fund. The NISBLF provides funding to businesses who cannot ordinarily access traditional bank funding or have already exhausted current banking facilities. The fund provides up to £15k of loan finance to start-up businesses and up to £50k to existing businesses.

A wide range of clients have already successfully achieved funding ranging from start-up owner managed businesses to retailers and manufacturers employing upwards of 20 staff.

Michael will be giving an overview of what makes a good application to the fund as well as highlighting common mistakes and key risk areas that impact negatively on applications.

Microfinance Ireland wants to make it easier for businesses to start up, expand, succeed and create jobs. They do this by lending through the Microenterprise Loan Fund. This is targeted at start-up or growing microenterprises across all industry sectors.

Microfinance Ireland work with businesses based in the Republic of Ireland, with less than 10 employees and a turnover of less than €2m.

Lorna will give an outline of the Micro enterprise Loan Fund Scheme and how it operates. She will take attendees through the application procedure and give an in-depth view on how projects are assessed.

Business Banking (12:45 - 13:30pm)

Facilitators: Joe McCormack and Fiona Ni Ghallachoir

This session will provide an insight into how banks work. How lending decisions are made and the general principles that apply in relation to interest, exchange rates, charges, commissions etc.

How to choose a bank and ensure that your needs as a business customer are met, location (parking), accessibility, opening hours, fees, on-line banking, ATM card, business debit card and how banks rate you as a customer….

This session will include information on the lending principles used by the Banks - the 5 Cs

Taking the decision to open a business bank account is a major step and like every other hurdle to be overcome, there needs to be a plan put in place to achieve banking facilities that meet business needs.

This will be an interactive session that will involve participation and discussion. The output will be a comprehensive checklist for reference when considering business banking.

Maximising your marketing budget (12:45 - 13:30pm)

Facilitators: Daniel Brown and Sarah Meehan

This session will examine different types of marketing campaigns and assess their effectiveness, successes and failures.

Participants will be provided with the skills necessary to develop effective marketing campaigns for their own businesses based on the principles explored during the workshop.

This will be a practical hands-on session that will enable participants to identify their businesses strengths and learn how to differentiate themselves, select the most appropriate communication platforms to use given the requirements of individual projects and the importance of measuring effectiveness.

Daniel Brown will provide information on how to achieve an effective marketing campaign with minimal spend.

Transport will be provided for boot camp participants travelling from Belfast (Belfast to Donegal Town, return). Please ensure you select this option when booking.