Thinking of starting your own Business? LEO Mayo can help!
Starting your own business can be a hugely rewarding and empowering experience. It can also be daunting and challenging.
When starting a business, the key question is very often ‘What should I be doing’? Doing the right things, in the right way, is often the foundation on which a successful business is built.
Whilst timing, luck, being in the right place at the right time and being able to spot the ‘market in the gap’ will play an important role, it is also the case that practicing certain types of entrepreneurial behaviour will also have a big part to play in making the business work.
Entrepreneurial behaviours are often identified as including:
- The capacity for resilience (you must persevere and stick at it);
- Creativity & Innovation (what is new or different about your product or service? How does it stand out?)
- The ability to develop and execute a plan and the ability to organise activities and actions;
- Being a self-starter and showing initiative;
- The capacity for relationship building (very few people make it in business without securing the assistance of others);
- Self confidence is essential; you must believe in yourself!
So how can Local Enterprise Office Mayo help?
Local Enterprise Office Mayo has a variety of practical supports to help at the ‘start-up’ stage of your business. These include:
Training Courses
Local Enterprise Office Mayo provides a series of training courses throughout the year. There are three core courses that are offered due to on-going demand:
Our Start Your Own Business course provides a practical introduction to the basic areas that you need to have an understanding of in order to get your business off to the best possible start. The course runs one night per week over 6 weeks.
Managing Your Finances provides participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to enable them retain proper financial records within their business and meet all necessary legislative and revenue requirements.
Marketing your Business helps participants understand what marketing is all about and how it can help to grow and develop their business. The workshops are interactive and help participants to develop practical solutions specific to their own business needs and challenges.
Very often these courses provide practical assistance to the business owner in answering 3 key questions:
- Where am I now?
- Where do I want to get to?
- How will I get there?
Grant Aid
If your business is in the manufacturing or Internationally Traded Services sectors you may be eligible to apply for financial assistance to help grow your business. Further information on financial assistance is available here.
Business Mentoring
Our mentor support programme is an invaluable source of support for early-stage businesses. We have a significant number of highly experienced mentors available to provide expert advice and guidance on key areas of business development. These areas include: sales & marketing; general management; distribution; new product development; HR; financial, etc. Further information on mentoring support is available here.
Business Networks
Joining a dedicated business network is a proven method for meeting other small businesses with similar needs and challenges and for meeting people who have been through the start-up or early enterprise stage and are happy to share their experiences. You can broaden your range of contacts and get advice, help and encouragement from local people who know what you’re going through. Further information on some of the business networks available in Mayo can be found here.
