Talk the talk

Willie Maxwell, director of InterTrade Ireland's Acumen programme aimed at small businesses, talks to David Clerkin.

Tell me about the Acumen cross-border business development programme and what it plans to achieve.

Acumen hopes to increase sales by €100 million and create 500 jobs in the SME sector. We want to help businesses doing well in the Republic but which haven't looked at targeting the Northern market, and vice versa. There's no reason why any company in the Republic can't target the Northern market. We aim to provide consultancy and marketing support to businesses to help them extend their reach. There are two jurisdictions on the island, but it's staggering that there's been a disparity in doing business on either side.