Tag Archives: Local Enterprise office

TWO enterprising Ennis ladies put the long weeks of the lockdown to good use when they learned news skills and started their own business. Danielle Kenneally and Chantell Keane, who are long-time friends, and hail from Waterpark Heights and Hermitage respectively, both have day jobs that they love, but recently found that a shared passion for candle-making has inspired them to work towards building their own business. “We go back a long way,” said Chantell. “We spend a lot of time together and during lockdown, we decided that we would do some online training. We were interested in scented candles because we both love them and saw a gap in the market in terms of providing a great customer service.” The girls were soon putting their training and creativity to good use with the production of a special line of wax melts. “A wax melt is basically a wickless candle,” Danielle explained. “They’re fragranced and you melt them by putting …

A net total of 173 new jobs were delivered in 2016 by small businesses in Clare that have been supported by Local Enterprise Office Clare. The figure is the fourth highest of the country’s 31-strong Local Enterprise Office network, according to the results of the latest LEO annual jobs survey published by Minister Mary Mitchell O’Connor and Minister for Employment and Small Business Pat Breen The results, compiled by Enterprise Ireland, show the total number of people employed in small businesses supported by Local Enterprise Office Clare stood at 1,110 (full-time and part-time) at the end of last year. Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council,Bill Chambers commented, “The strong jobs performance by Local Enterprise Office Clare clients during 2016 is extremely welcome and testament to the strong entrepreneurial activity ongoing throughout the county. The figures also underline the considerable role now played by Local Enterprise Office Clare in providing financial, information and training supports to entrepreneurs and micro enterprises.”

A free clinic on appropriate colour schemes for Ennis businesses will be held at the Temple Gate Hotel on Wednesday next from 6.30pm. The workshop, which is being facilitated by Dulux Paints Ireland and supported by Local Enterprise Office Clare, forms part of the recently announced Ennis Streetscape Improvement Scheme 2016. Under the Clare County Council scheme, financial assistance is being provided to the owners and occupiers of new and existing commercial premises in the town centre who carry out improvements, external painting in particular, to the front of their properties. Grant amounts of up to €700 or 50% of the cost of any planned works will be provided by the local authority to applicants successful under the scheme, the closing date for which is Friday next. Application forms / guidance notes on www.clarecoco.ie. Ahead of next Wednesday’s workshop, attendees are being reminded to bring along a colour photograph of their premises and a Dulux consultant will provide individual advice on …

UP to 700 students from 15 secondary schools across Clare have attended Local Enterprise Board organised workshops to help inform them of the Student Enterprise Awards scheme. The Clare final of the national entrepreneurship scheme will be held on February 10, 2016. On Monday in the West County Hotel, Ennis, the students were addressed by Pádraic McElwee, head of Local Enterprise Office in Clare. A workshop was also held at The Armada Hotel in Spanish Point. “Our role as the local enterprise office is to promote enterprise in Clare. It’s critically important that we get schoolchildren involved at a very early stage and maybe they will go on to start their own businesses. It creates a bit of fun around business and there is nothing wrong with making a bit of money,” he said. “You might have people who find that maybe business is not for them and this is a way to find that out. It allows them to …

Young people running their own business for least two years, are being encouraged to participate in a competition that could give them much needed finance. Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur’ (IBYE) competition is being promoted by the Local Enterprise Office (LEO) in Clare. As part of the Action Plan for Jobs initiative , it is aimed at those aged between 18 and 30 and the Local Enterprise Office has an investment fund of €20,000, to present to a “best established” business owner, based in the locality. Supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through Enterprise Ireland, the competition is designed to seek out and support entrepreneurial talent across the country. A total investment fund of €50,000 is on offer through the Local Enterprise Office, €20,000 of which, will go to the ‘Best Established Business’ winner. A further €20,000 investment fund is on offer for the ‘Best Start-Up’ winner locally, with €10,000 on offer to the ‘Best New Idea’ winner. …

Figures released this week show  that 202 extra jobs were created by County Clare companies, supported by the Department of Jobs, through the Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Clare during 2014. The results reveal that at the end of 2014 total direct employment among the 161 LEO client companies in Clare stood at 1,346, up from 1,142. “In comparison to other local authority areas, LEO Clare has helped to deliver significant jobs growth during its first year of operation. These figures show that the LEO model of supporting the enterprise sector in Clare in partnership with the various agencies responsible for job creation in the region is helping to directly produce real jobs,” commented Fine Gael Senator Tony Mulcahy. “By bringing the functions of the former County Enterprise Boards into the Clare County Council structure, LEO Clare clearly is offering a more streamlined service for clients and is proactively reaching out to, engaging with, advising and funding small and micro businesses. As …

The key to Ireland’s future success is enhancing equity finance and investment in  small firms to encourage future growth. That’s according to The Small Firms Association chairman, AJ Noonan. Speaking on this Monday, he said, “Irish small firms rely heavily on banks as a source of external finance which makes them vulnerable to changes in the banking sector. As banks  comply with more regulations, lending to SMEs will remain restrictive compared to the pre-crisis period. This is a problem and therefore, a greater diversity of funding options are necessary to ensure a constant flow of finance. The SFA chairman highlighted the fact that equity finance is not widely used by  Irish small firms. The European Central Bank’s latest SAFE survey shows only 8% of the SMEs used equity finance as a source of funding. “Currently in Ireland the demand for equity finance is low, as there is no  culture or tradition of using equity finance. Also small firms fear that they will lose control …

GOVERNMENT top brass will be out in force tomorrow (Tuesday) for the national launch of the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOS). Taoiseach, Enda Kenny; Tánaiste, Eamon Gilmore; Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton and Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government Phil Hogan will attend the launch at Westmeath Local Enterprise Office in Mullingar. Tomorrow’s event will announce that the 31 Local Enterprise Offices, based in every county, are now open for business and that 35 independent State agencies previously providing services in this area are now abolished. The LEOs will provide a “first-stop-shop” for all government supports for small business in easily accessible locations across the country.