Kildare Local Enterprise Office Launch the Business Continuity Voucher (€2500), for Professional Services businesses based in County Kildare
Kildare Local Enterprise Office have partnered with Auxilia Consultants to offer a broad business support solution to our Professional Services sector employing less than 50 employees to give these businesses the right advice & tools to Stabilise, Reset, & Recover with a Business Continuity Strategy. Starting Tuesday 28th April
Phase 1
Participating companies will be contacted by a nominated consultant to establish their current high- level business status:
This will involve the following:
- Establish Company contacts for the purpose of this support
- Get a brief business background & description of services provided
- Obtain an understanding of your Target Market
- Establish the current business operating status -Impact of Covid 19
- Establish the main issues the business is now dealing with under the following headings:
- Human Resource & related matters
- Health & Safety, Social Distancing Implications, Gov restrictions
- Finance, Cash Flow, Pending Development Expenditure
- Current Sales Revenues & Marketing plans
- Pending Business Development Plans
- Insurance
- Other
Following this initial assessment, participants with similar issues will be grouped together to participate in small informal but focused Video Conferencing workshops which will provide helpful advice on some topics that will be common such as, Managing Cash flow and funding Options & Available Financial and Local Enterprise Office Supports.
Phase 2
In addition to the group sessions above you will be assigned a nominated consultant who will help you through a high-level review of your business to produce a Business Continuity plan to take you through and beyond this crisis.
This will cover the following and other areas relevant to your business.
Financial
- Overview of the current financial status of the business
- Covid 19 impact on key Financial metrics
- Financial health check including, P&L & Cashflow
- Review Overheads -fixed & variable
- Review any pending expenditure plans
- Are all available funding options & supports being utilised?
- Financial Actions taken to date.
- Additional actions under consideration
Human Resource Management
- Covid 19 impact on staffing numbers & working arrangements
- Review of the current situation in order to ensure all jobs are reinstated following the easing of Government restrictions
- Establish status of staff on Lay-off or Short-time.
- Any redundancies likely?
- Will recruitment be necessary on lifting of the current restrictions?
- Are all available labour related supports in use?
- Identification of any risks & challenges in the HR /IR area as the business plans to return to productivity. (Covid 19 timeframe dimension)
- Identification of additional actions to be implemented to mitigate these risks into the future
- Implementation and compliance with Social Distancing & Health & Safety measures
- Need to make temporary changes to staff facilities to facilitate a return to office operation
- Training of staff for new situations or ways of working- meeting technology etc.
- People will have real concerns as the business resumes or returns to the office environment- has the business reflected on this?
Sales & Marketing
- Review the impact of Covid 19 on Sales volumes & Revenue performance
- Review the impact on service execution teams
- Review the impact on current Marketing plans and methodologies
- Are the current Marketing & Communication Strategies still appropriate?
- Web / Online trading Opportunities (TOV & TOV (2))?
- Digital Marketing Channels and other Communication Methods
- Are all elements of the current marketing strategy appropriate?
- Are all media channels used still appropriate?
Other
- Keeping up to speed with regulations and supports
- Identification of other mentoring needs into the future.
Delivery
Based on the immediate business need, Auxilia Consultants will work to develop an action plan to best support your business. This will involve advice, action, and assisting the client to draw on the other supports available (TOV, Microfinance, etc.)
The workshops will be delivered over a 2-week period and will last for 1 hour. These will be followed by multiple individual sessions which will be planned with your appointed consultant to guide and write up your Business Continuity Plan.
Output
The output of the above excercise will be a Business Continuity Strategy which will contain real and practical steps which the business should consider taking so as to ensure that it is stable now and stronger for whatever the future may hold.
To Avail of this support
Apply by Monday 27th April for the Business Continuity Voucher for the Professional Services Sector. Applications are to be sent by email to Localenterprise@kildarecoco.ie in advance as this Voucher is used to fund this entire expert mentoring & consultancy service.
