Start Your Own Business Programme

Interested in starting your own business? Take the first step by attending our online Start Your Own Business  programme.

This programme will help you by developing and researching your ideas, learning basic business start-up skills and expanding your growth potential with marketing and financial planning advice.

Our Start Your Own Business programme introduces you to thinking about running your business and allows you test out your business plans along with like-minded people.

This course is strictly for Kildare based businesses only.

Course Delivery

Six online sessions delivered over two weeks

August:

• Mon 17th, Wed 19th,
• Mon 24th, Wed 26th,
• Mon 31, Sept Wed 2nd

Accessing Course

Accessing our online courses is easier than you think! All it takes is one click.

This course will be delivered via Zoom. Details about how to log in will be emailed to you following registration.

In advance - here is a short video on how to join a meeting: https://youtu.be/hIkCmbvAHQQ

Course Outline

Session 1

Session aim is to introduce participants to the concept of entrepreneurship and what it means to be a business owner. The downs and ups and how to deal with both.

• Entrepreneurship – What is it?
• Personal Skills Analysis
• Personal Goals (particularly financial)
• Golden Figure (creating personal wealth)
• Reasons for starting a business
• Reasons for small business success and failure
• Understanding how to develop an idea to make Money
• Steps to starting a business

Session 2

Session aim is to show participants the formal vehicles to use to conduct business, particularly the new companies acts and legislation; the session also introduces the self-assessment taxation system and the responsibilities to the revenue of the self-employed. The session also deals with protecting the business idea online.

• Guide to legal structures
• Registering a business name
• Registering a domain name
• Introduction to Tax

Session 3

Session aim is to introduce the reasons for and benefits of planning, as well as the methods of creating a realistic plan and how to use it as a tool for creating and managing success.

• Why develop a business plan?
• Main elements of a business plan
• Setting Goals and objectives/ Strategic Planning
• Reviewing the business plan
• Year one Cash Flow Forecast
• Matching your business plan to your book keeping (budgets vs actual)

Session 4

Session aim is to give a solid professional grounding in the principles of marketing leading up to developing a practical sales pitch and marketing plan.

Introduction to marketing

• Introduction to marketing
• Sales versus Marketing
• Marketing - what is it?
• What is market research and why
• Building the blocks of market research
• What is my core message?
• What is advertising?
• Methods of advertising
• Digital advertising
• Sales Pitch
• Creating a marketing plan

Session 5

Session aim to inform of the routes to finance available in current times and to establish the methods of costing and other basic tools to ensure profitability

• Introduction to small business finance
• Sources of funding
• Business Costs
• Pricing
• Break Even Analysis
• Accounting options & MIS systems

Session 6

Session Aim to create an understanding in the participants of the importance of good financial management which ranges from basic bookkeeping to creation of internal controls and revenue commissioner ready accounts, as well as how why and when to register for appropriate taxes.

• Books of prime entry
• Top tips to make bookkeeping stressless
• Profit and loss account creation
• Balance Sheet creation
• Taxes: the principle of self assessment, ROS, returns and thresholds - Self assessment Income Tax, VAT, Employers taxes
• How Books relate to tax
• How to set up and use the revenue online system to your benefit
• Matching your books to your business plan

Please note:

Failure to provide a minimum of 48 hours  notice of cancellation will result in an immediate fee of €50

Courses are limited to one person per company

Bookings will close 24 hours before the course to allow management of attendance