The challenges keep coming for small businesses. Having navigated a global pandemic and the impact of Brexit on trading conditions, companies are now dealing with an energy and cost of living crisis that looks like it will last well into 2023. What small businesses have shown in recent years is that they are extremely agile and can pivot and upskill quickly when required. Thousands of small firms had to adapt quickly when the pandemic struck in 2020, and while the changes required in the coming months may not be as dramatic, businesses will still need to evolve to ensure they stay competitive.
The Local Enterprise Offices have been on the front line with small businesses across the country in recent years, providing them financial supports along with training and mentoring in key areas. The LEOs provided over €24m in grant aid to client companies in 2021 and trained over 60,000 entrepreneurs and business owners.
As businesses look to the future, there are key themes emerging that should inform their thinking, such as sustainability, digitization and innovation. The Local Enterprise Offices have been working closely with small businesses to enable them to take the first steps on these journeys with programmes such as Digital Start, Green for Micro and the Agile Innovation Fund through Enterprise Ireland.
One company that initiated a sustainable approach when starting their company was the Tom Crean Brewing Company in Kerry, which availed of the Green for Micro support at an early stage along with almost 300 other small companies in 2021. For Bill Sheppard, co-founder with his wife Aileen Crean O’Brien (pictured above), Tom Crean’s great-granddaughter, it was a no brainer. “We wanted to create a beer that didn’t cost the earth!” he recalls.
“When we were looking at building our premises in 2018, we went to LEO because sustainability was important to us from the get-go,” says Bill. “With all the biggest decisions we faced, we asked ourselves, what is the environmental impact? For example, our product is all natural with just four ingredients, and vegan. We installed solar panels on our roof which supply our chillers, lights and computer.
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“When we are brewing we use a green energy supply. Every light is LED. We operate ‘free air conditioning’, which is like a reverse bathroom extractor that takes in cool air at night and releases it during the day to keep our beer cooled. We built a poly tunnel at home, importing a biodigestor from America, which we can use for waste hops and yeast, as well as for household waste. For any business looking to improve its sustainability. LEO’s Green for Micro is a good place to start.”
MONKEY CUPS THRIVES WITH ONLINE TRADING
The ability to maximise your online trading presence has become essential for businesses both during and since the pandemic. None more so than for Monkey Cups in Waterford. Just as they were taking off, the pandemic shut them down and they had to adapt to a new world.
Mailo Power, a former hotelier who noticed a gap in the market for barista friendly reusable cups, launched Monkey Cups at the Local Enterprise section at Showcase in the RDS, where the stylish and colourful range was an immediate hit. Orders flooded in from hotels and coffee shops, her target market. “Then Covid came, and in two weeks our market went from a full order book to zero. Tt was cancellation after cancellation,” says Mailo.
It was while out running that Mailo noticed how many vans were delivering goods bought online. It sparked in her an interest in e-commerce. She began researching the sector and found personalisation was a key driver of online sales. The start-up entrepreneur went back to her Local Enterprise Office and, with the help of a Trading Online Voucher, transformed her existing brochure website into a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform, with a special tool that allows people to choose their own Monkey Cup from 1144 different colour combinations.
It was an instant hit. Mailo sold more on the weekend that the website launched than she had in the previous three months. Corporates loved it too and bought cups in bulk for staff working from home, and as corporate merchandise with their own branding and colours. Today, 70% of Money Cups’ inquiries come via the website. “The website saved the business,” says Mailo, who went on to launch a range of Monkey Bottles too. “In so many ways the LEO helps my business not just to survive but to thrive.”
INNOVATION FUNDING FOR PROTOTYPE
While digitalisation and sustainability are key pillars for new businesses, the ability to innovate will always ensure a business stays ahead of the curve. Brendan McGrath of Merris Engineering in Galway spotted that carting tonnes of demolition waste off site was not only a logistical headache but an environmental one too. His innovation, the Krushtech mobile crusher, would allow waste to be crushed on site for reuse in roads, drainage and other construction projects, creating a circular economy.
Bringing a range of KrushTech machines to market required serious investment. LEO Galway helped, advising McGrath to apply for Agile Innovation Funding from Enterprise Ireland, which gives small companies rapid access to research, development and innovation funding. That funding enabled Brendan to develop a prototype.
“With machines that cost up to €150,000, developing a prototype is a huge undertaking,” he explains. Building for stock is not yet an option, so the biggest challenge the business has faced so far is funding. “That’s why LEO funding assistance is so important,” says Brendan. “Once you secure orders you can take deposits, so it’s in that early stage that you need a leg up.”
LEOs AND ENTERPRISE IRELAND
While the LEOs have been in existence since 2104, they have really come to the fore in recent years as small businesses realise the depth of supports and expertise they can tap into on their doorstep. Padraic McElwee, chair of the network of Local Enterprise Offices, believes it’s a relationship that’s growing stronger and stronger.
“The LEOs have always been the first stop shop for small businesses either starting or growing. In recent years, working with our partners in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Enterprise Ireland and the local authorities, we have been able to significantly strengthen our offerings to small businesses.
“We are now working closer than ever with Enterprise Ireland to plug into their expertise around internationalization and exporting for our clients. The pathway for LEO clients to Enterprise Ireland is continuing to produce fantastic businesses that have grown locally and are now ready to go global.”
Padraic adds: “The challenges continue, we are still here for any small business that needs guidance, support or training. By engaging with programmes such as Lean for Micro, Digital Start and Green for Micro, companies are making themselves more efficient, more competitive and also future proofing their businesses. So while there are challenges ahead, we will be there to help them see the opportunities, whether that is starting or growing a business.”
There are 31 Local Enterprise Offices located in local authorities across the country, funded by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment through Enterprise Ireland.
To find the Local Enterprise Office closest to you, go to LocalEnterprise.ie. #MakingItHappen
