Management Essentials for Growing Businesses

For Early-Stage Micro-Enterprises with ambition to grow

Brought to you by:

Local Enterprise Office / The Entrepreneurs Academy

This programme aims to address the needs of early-stage micro-enterprises with ambition to grow. These may be enterprises with one to two on the team who are exploring the possibility of creating employment to drive growth.

Will equip new enterprises with the tools and techniques required to operate more effectively and build on management capabilities.  Increase viability and ambition, and accelerate growth.

The programme will consist of one full day in-person session and four half-day virtual sessions.

Session 1:

Tuesday 29th September 2026

9.30am - 4.30pm

In-person, Bridge House Hotel, Tullamore

Sessions 2 - 5:

Tuesdays 6th, 13th, 20th & 27th October 2026

9.30am to 12.30pm

Online

Cost: €100

Workshop 1: Goal-Setting Strategy

• Where is the business now?
• SWOT Analysis
• Create a vision for the business
• Identify the key future success factors for the business
• Setting goals and action planning
• Knowing what to measure: focusing on KPIs and building a dashboard

Workshop 2: Leadership Strategy

• The difference between leadership and management
• Who should be doing what? Understanding the required roles within the business (existing and future team)
• Being clear and confident in your own strengths and passions
• Acknowledging personal weaknesses and skills gaps
• How to find and resource additional internal team, external advisors, and collaborative partners

Workshop 3: Driving Sales Strategy

• Who is currently doing the selling and who really should be?
• Your sales process: is it working?
• How to measure the value of a customer: what are they really worth to your business?
• How to increase customer spend
• How to build a sales pipeline
• Measuring success, not activity
• Networking for sales

Workshop 4: Legal & Financial Strategy

• Review of the impact and how you are managing your business finances through the recent rise in business costs
• Costing and pricing: getting it right and knowing whether it needs to change
• How to manage: cashflow, debtors / getting paid on time, payment terms, pricing, reducing costs
• Financial KPIs: what to watch to stay on top until things become more certain
• Risk management / Finance Dashboard
• Trading as: Sole Trader / Partnership/Limited – Pros/Cons
• Revenue & VAT: mandatory legal requirements
• Contracts, GDPR and other legal issues
• Access to funding for growth including LEO supports

Workshop 5: Online Strategy

• Digital Presence Audit: how to assess your web, social, and 3rd party websites for greater opportunities
• Website Audit: can your customers find you?
• Social Media presence: what your social pages say about you and how to get traffic from social to sales
• How easy is it for your customer to BUY from you online? How to impact conversion rates
• Tech tips and tools to help your business work smarter: Accounting Software / CRM Systems / Use of Video in Sales / Online Meeting Platforms, etc.
• Sources of funding for greater online trading (Grow Digital overview)

This programme will be delivered by The Entrepreneurs Academy