START YOUR OWN BUSINESS– Online Evening Programme

Anyone with a business idea, or in the early stages of setting up, who wants a practical grounding in the essentials before committing time and money. No previous business experience is needed.

How it runs

Six interactive two-hour sessions delivered live online, on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. Each session mixes short inputs with practical exercises, real examples and time for your questions, so you can apply each topic to your own idea as you go.

Session 1 – Introductions & Legal Issues  –  Tuesday 24 November

• Getting to know the group and your business ideas
• Choosing a structure: sole trader, partnership or limited company
• Registering your business and business name with Revenue and the CRO
• Tax basics – income tax, VAT thresholds and your obligations
• Insurance, licences, permits and regulations to check before you start
• Data protection (GDPR) and protecting your ideas

Session 2 – Finance & Basic Bookkeeping  –  Thursday 26 November

• Working out your start-up costs
• Costing and pricing your product or service
• Break-even – how much do you need to sell?
• Cash flow forecasting and why cash matters more than profit
• Simple bookkeeping and record keeping
• Working with an accountant and staying on top of returns

Session 3 – Market Research  –  Tuesday 1 December

• Who is your customer – and who pays?
• Desk and field research on a small budget
• Testing demand before you spend
• Understanding your competitors and finding your edge
• Free research sources and how to use them

Session 4 – Promotion for Small Business  –  Thursday 3 December

• The marketing mix for a small business
• Building a simple brand
• Using social media effectively for business
• Websites and online presence – what you really need at the start
• Low-cost promotion and winning your first customers

Session 5 – Business Planning  –  Tuesday 8 December

• Why a business plan matters – and who reads it
• The structure of a good business plan
• Turning your research and numbers into a one-page plan
• Financial projections in plain language
• Using your plan to make decisions and apply for support

Session 6 – Funding & Entrepreneurial Traits  –  Thursday 10 December

• Funding options: LEO supports, Microfinance Ireland, banks and credit unions
• Grants and supports available to new businesses and how to apply
• Enterprise and social welfare supports for people starting out
• The entrepreneurial mindset – resilience, decision making and managing risk
• Your next steps and the further supports available from LEO Westmeath

What you will take away

• A clear understanding of the legal, tax and financial basics of starting a business
• Practical tools to test your idea, cost your product or service and forecast your cash flow
• A framework for your own business plan
• Knowledge of the supports and funding available to you, and how to access them

Trainer profile

Alan Carey – Bridgewater

Alan Carey is an entrepreneur, mentor and trainer, and leads Bridgewater, a Limerick-based business mentoring and training firm. He has worked with support agencies for over 18 years and has been an Enterprise Ireland and Local Enterprise Office mentor since 2008. Alan sits on the mentoring and training panels of eight Local Enterprise Offices, delivers Start Your Own Business programmes, and facilitates New Frontiers entrepreneur programmes with universities across Ireland. He has supported more than 2,000 founders and business owners.

Alan has made the journey himself – taking a business from the kitchen table to international markets and exit, growing teams of over 70 people and selling into the US, Europe, the Middle East and Asia – and brings that practical experience into every session. He holds an MBA from the University of Limerick, is a Certified Management Consultant (CMC, FIMCA) and holds a Diploma in Training and Education from NUI Galway.

THIS COURSE IS STRICTLY FOR WESTMEATH CLIENTS ONLY

Please note: In the event you book a place and subsequently do not cancel your booking at least ten working days prior to the commencement of the course and do not take up the place no refund or fee transfer will be offered.