Munster emigrants urged to return home to start a business

Past participants on the first three years of the programme have recorded increased sales, created new jobs, and won export contracts with the combined turnover of the 2020 group tripling during the programme.

There has been a threefold increase in those seeking applications for a free initiative to help returned emigrants start and develop businesses in Ireland.

The Back for Business developmental programme, which is funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs, is aimed at those who have lived abroad for at least a year and have returned home recently or are planning on returning home to Ireland in the near future.

Paula Fitzsimons, founder and managing director of Fitzsimons Consulting who design and implement the program, said she believes the increase in interest this year is due to the twin issues of Brexit and Covid-19.

“People are realising that they can work remotely from wherever they want in the world and that where they are living right now is not as attractive as it used to be, due to various lockdowns,” she said.

“People want to come home and be close to their families. These major global events have put that desire into stark relief.” 

Ms Fitzsimons said the design of the initiative takes into account the specific challenges that returning emigrants face such as a lack of networks, professional contacts and local knowledge as well as the more general barriers that all early-stage entrepreneurs encounter.

Places on the program are allocated through an assessment process with each application scrutinised by a panel of Lead Entrepreneurs including Áine Denn, co-founder and formerly of Altify, Heather Reynolds, co-founder of Eishtec, Nikki Evans, founder of PerfectCard, Thomas Ennis, founder of the Thomas Ennis Group and Susan Spence, co-founder and President of SoftCo

Past participants on the first three years of the programme have recorded increased sales, created new jobs, and won export contracts with the combined turnover of the 2020 group tripling during the programme – despite the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Past participants from Cork include Marian Murphy who returned from the UK to set up her own social media training and consultancy agency, Flourish with Social Media. Marian took part in the third cycle of Back for Business and encourages any returned emigrant, involved in an early-stage venture, to apply for the programme.

Back for Business participant Marian Murphy, Flourish With Social Media. Pic Orla Murray/ SON Photo

“Back for Business was a fantastic programme to be involved with. It helped me really think about how I want to develop my business and having the opinions of the participants feeding into my thought process was so valuable. I feel I have a clear vision for how I want to develop the business now which is very different to my plan going into the programme.”

Nicholas Ryan, who returned home to Limerick after eight years abroad to pursue his dream of creating Limerick’s first whiskey in 100 years also credited the initiative with providing networking opportunities to get the business going.

“I was able to go through my business strategy with my Lead Entrepreneur and gain support from my peers who I now consider friends.” 

The 2021 programme will run from February to July 2021. January 25 is the final date to apply.