NEW Business Start-up Programme for Fulltime Sportspersons
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A NEW Start Your Own Business Programme has been developed by the four Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) in the Dublin region, specifically for competitive sportspersons, to enable them to progress their business idea.
For those involved in a full-time sports career, there is very little time for anything else. Many athletes will reach the end of their career either by design or prematurely through injury, with no definite plan on their life after sport. However, Sportspersons possess highly sought-after traits such as drive, competitiveness, a focus on goal setting, determination, ability to perform in high pressure situations, all of which are transferable to the world of business.
The Local Enterprise Offices, which are funded by Enterprise Ireland and located in the 31 local authorities across the country, are introducing a Start Your Own Business course aimed specifically at full-time athletes to enable them to utilise these skills in business.
Since their inception in 2014 the Local Enterprise Offices have been central to the creation of 18,000 jobs across the country and are the essential resource for anyone looking to start are business or a small business owner who wants to grow. They provide training, one-to-one mentoring and financial supports to entrepreneurs and business owners.
The Sport to Start-Up programme is aimed at those who want to start their own business. It is designed to provide a solid grounding in how a business is set up and will help participants to plan and prepare for a successful career in enterprise. Participants learn how to research and evaluate their idea and bring it right through to a viable business plan stage.
The programme requires the commitment of 3 hours on one day per week for 8 weeks, following which a full day intensive Bootcamp featuring a focus on pitching and networking will conclude the group sessions. At the end of the course the participant will have a viable business plan that they can implement and will receive mentoring on the next steps to take with their business if they want to pursue it
The programme is €1,000 per participant with 85% funded by Local Enterprise Office, so the net cost to successful applicants is only €150. Those interested in applying can find more information; including eligibility criteria and download the application form.To be considered for the programme, the form must be returned to Martin Daly, Senior Enterprise Development Officer at martindaly@leo.fingal.ie no later than 5pm Friday 24th May 2019