€280k total cash prize up for grabs for innovative early stage companies
 
Richard Fernandes, Luxcel with Grainne Lennon InterTradeIreland
Richard Fernandes, Luxcel with Grainne Lennon InterTradeIreland

Start-ups are you looking for a huge cash boost for your business?  Then read on.

 

Thanks to a total cash prize fund of €280,000 offered by InterTradeIreland’s Seedcorn Investor Readiness Competition you now have the opportunity to get your new business ideas off the ground. 

 

In the coming weeks we are holding a series of FREE Seedcorn workshops across the island aimed at helping those who are considering applying to this year’s competition.  

 

Watch the video below to find out more about how the competition works.

 
Looking for Investment for your business? – five things to consider…
Written by Grainne Lennon, Funding Advisory Team Manager
 

Every business needs a road map of some sort – usually written down in a business plan. Does your plan attract an investor’s attention? Is it balanced between all the areas that an investor will expect to see covered? What sort of investor are you looking for?  Do you know what the investor wants from the arrangement?  Is your business plan investor balanced? 

 

In this month's blog, Grainne Lennon, Manager of our Funding Advisory Service team, talks through the 5 key things you need to consider if you are looking for investment for your business.  

 
Review your end to end supply chain to help your business prepare for Brexit
Written by our Brexit Manager, Mark Sterritt
 

It is now officially less than a year to go until March 29th 2019 when the UK officially leaves the EU and perhaps unsurprisingly therefore the EU / UK Brexit negotiations continue to dominate the news agenda.

 

Our Brexit Advisory Service team have been busy holding events  across the island to inform SMEs  about what practical action they can take now to be better prepared for Brexit.  Feedback from these events has been that business owners really welcome the opportunity to engage with each other and share their thoughts and experiences on how Brexit is beginning to impact and what they are doing now to address it.

A key emerging theme is that many businesses are now proactively reviewing their end to end supply chain which identifies any cross border exposure and helps them create a Plan B for every link in the supply chain that could be impacted by Brexit. This is a ‘no risk’ action as the information gathered is of immediate benefit to the business and useful no matter what the final Brexit landscape will look like.

 

Start to Plan

 

Our Start to Plan support provides 100% funding up to £2,000 or € equivalent (incl VAT) to any business that wants to work with a firm on our approved panel to find out what practical action they can take now on a range of issues such as supply chain review, customs procedure awareness, cross border staff, finance / currency or legal / contract .  FInd out more and apply at www.intertradeireland.com/brexit/vouchers/ .

 

Upcoming Brexit Events

 

We are holding FREE breakfast events in Wexford on 17th April, Mullingar on 24th April and half day events in Sligo on 1st May and Cork 17th May where businesses will receive help and advice on how to identify where Brexit will impact them.  Register now at  http://www.intertradeireland.com/brexit or brexit@intertradeireland.com if you would like to attend.

 

For an overview of all our Brexit supports please visit our Brexii pages.

 
Brexit at the Border: Listening to local communities- Have you got 10 minutes?
 

Are you living or working in areas of Armagh City, Banbridge, Craigavon; Cavan; Donegal; Fermanagh and Omagh; Leitrim; Mid Ulster; Monaghan or Sligo?  If so, you are invited to complete this 10 minute survey on the impact of Brexit on the Central Border Region.

The Irish Central Border Area Network (ICBAN) Ltd. are conducting a second research project on the impacts of Brexit for people living and working in this Region. This initiative follows on from the ‘Bordering on Brexit’ report which was completed in late 2017 and can be found at https://go.qub.ac.uk/bordering

 

The survey closes on Monday 16 April at 5pm - Please take ten minutes to support.

The Bordering on Brexit report revealed the views of local communities one year on from the referendum result. This follow-on study, ‘Brexit at the Border’, aims to take account of recent developments and discussions on the issue of the Irish border a year away from the date the UK is due to leave the EU.

 

The results of this project will be compiled in a final project report and disseminated to the media and to the governments of both the UK and Ireland, the European Commission and Parliament and other key stakeholders involved in the process of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

 

This ICBAN initiative is part of the Border Compass Project, working with Queen’s University Belfast and enabled through funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Reconciliation Fund.
Knowledge is Power - Free food safety events for SMEs
 

safefood in partnership with Teagasc are hosting free workshops specifically for SME food business and those working within the wider food sector providing practical advice on how to produce and handle food safely. Their experts will be there to address all your burning food safety questions. The workshop will cover:

  • What you need to know about bacteria and how to control them to keep your customer’s safe
  • Choosing and using hygiene cleaning products
  • Managing food allergens / labelling​
Go-2-Tender Workshops - Wexford 8th and 23rd May and Monaghan 9th and 24th May
Brexit Briefing Events 17 April Wexford and 24 April Mullingar
Co-Innovate Workshops - 19th April Carrickfergus and 23rd April Magherafelt
Co-Innovate Renewable Energy Workshops - 25th April Downpatrick and 16th May Strabane
7 Steps in Creating a Winning Social Media Strategy
Taken from article by Sprout Social
 

Have you documented your 2018 social media marketing strategy? Do you have clear goals in place, and do you understand the metrics you'll use to measure your success? 

 

These are key questions to answer, and key elements to establish. To help with this, the team, at Sprout Social have put together this new guide to help you better strategize, and formalize your social media marketing process. 
Disclaimer

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