I would like to wish all visitors to this blog a very prosperous and enterprising New Year!
As we look ahead to 2008, I think it would be useful to first look back at 2007. I have provided below a mainly quantitative review of activity last year under some of the main CEB performance indicators under our 2 main [...]

I was asked to present at the FBD / KCLRFM Conference on ‘Change Your Thinking - Be Creative’ in the Newpark Hotel Kilkenny during the week.
I was pleasantly surprised in the first instance that an insurance company and a local radio station would be hosting such a conference, and even more so by the 200 [...]

I posted earlier on our “Getting Your Craft Product to Market” Programme, which we are co-sponsoring with the Crafts Council of Ireland (CCOI). We had a very good attendance (some 18 craft workers in all) at our information seminar to outline the programme on Wednesday 5th September last in the Newpark Hotel, Kilkenny.
We have selected Helen Kenneavy [...]

One of the many things we do in assessing an application for financial assistance, particularly in respect of a proposal from an existing business thinking of expanding, is to review the finances and the potential profitability of the proposal. 
We have found in many instances when doing this that promoters simply do not know the real cost involved in producing their product or service, with [...]

Business is all about getting, satisfying and keeping customers. Without sales there are no customers and without customers there is no business. Thus the critical importance of the selling and marketing functions.
Marketing involves anything you do that gets you in front of someone who is interested in what your business can do for them. Selling on the other hand [...]

I have just returned from a welcome spell on annual leave refreshed and re-energised. And as the credit card statement from the holiday has been received, it has prompted me to post a piece on the precarious business of cash-flow management!
The ability to balance cash recieved in a business with the payment of bills as and when they fall [...]

Kilkenny has a comparatively large number of craft businesses, with approximately 120 producers scattered throughout the county, representing the full spectrum of craft from pottery to jewellery and from textiles to furniture. Many of these are registered with the Crafts Council of Ireland (CCoI - www.ccoi.ie)

The vast majority of these craft businesses are sole traders. [...]

All employers should be aware that from 1st July 2007, the National Minimum Wage rate has been increased to €8.65 per hour (previously €8.30 per hour), for an experienced adult worker.  An experienced adult worker is classified as an employee who has any work experience in any two years since turning age 18.

Employees who are [...]

We convened the first meeting of the steering group that is to organise Enterprise Week (which will take place later this year from 1st - 5th October 2007).
The meeting was very constructive, with all agreeing that the concept of Enterprise Week was worthwhile and that we should collectively aim to generate a real buzz about enterprise and small business throughout County [...]

We are about half way through the current year, and it is a good time to take stock of the ‘year-to-date’ demand for our support services, and a good place to start is by comparing the outputs for the first half of this year with that for the same period last year.
I posted previously on Kilkenny CEB activity and output for 2006. 
We can essentially [...]