This week, Kehlan Kirwan from the Small Business Show looks at developing new strands in order to survive and learning new ways to grow your enterprise

For this week’s Q&A, Kehlan talks with Peter O’Mahoney from Linked Finance, which is looking to be the leading force in Ireland when it comes to peer-to-peer lending.

The Cabinet reshuffle has seen a lot of new faces around the government. Ged Nash is now the Junior Minister in charge of small business, which includes collective bargaining. KEHLAN KIRWAN asks will a new face bring anything new for SMEs?

On this week’s Q&A, Jim Clarkin from Oxfam Ireland talks about its recently released report showing the gender pay gap will take nearly 75 years to reach parity if current trends continue.

In this Small Business Show special, Limerick Chamber of Commerce economist Orlaith Borthwick looks at our main shopping streets and says elasticity is the key to getting consumers shopping again.

This week’s Small Business Show news looks at how SMEs across Ireland are counting the cost of the Garth Brooks saga and why it could means businesses going to the wall over the situation.

On this week’s show we look at food start-ups and ask why Silicon Valley SMEs are opening up offices in Ireland. Also on the show:

With the creation of offices and virtual offices, we are seeing start-ups and small businesses arrive in Ireland and are quickly becoming the small business hub of Europe.

Kehlan talks with Wayne Byrne from OxyMem, which recently won the first Water Innovation SME Award in Europe for membrane technologies. Wayne explains what they do and why it’s so important for the world in which we live

Orlaith Borthwick, economist at Limerick Chamber of Commerce, talks with Kehlan about the commercial rates revaluation going on across the country.

Kehlan Kirwan looks at plans for a new system of fees for tobacco retailers and asks why many small businesses feel there is still a gap between the Government’s talk on SMEs and its policies.

On this weeks Small Business Show - brought to you in association with Volkswagen: Commercial Vehicles - we take a look at how some retailers may be paying out twice on a new charge for those selling tobacco, the Self-Assessment tax return in October, the revaluation of rates around the country and the study that shows what shoppers want.

On this weeks Small Business Show, brought to you in association with Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, we ask are many commentators jumping the gun by suggesting things are on the up for SMEs.

Kehlan talks with Richard Barrett and Ross O’Dwyer from punditarena.com. They are part of the Ignite programme at UCC and are looking to be the go-to place in Ireland for insightful and quality sports writing.

Kehlan Kirwan turns his attention to the business of festivals and art as the summer season takes hold and an expectation of one of the brightest summers in a long time for SMEs.

Kehlan Kirwan looks at the close relationship between sports and business as a long summer of sport kicks off and advises retailers to get savvy and cash in on the action.

James King has just won the Engineers Ireland Level 8 Student Engineer of the Year award for 2014. James talks to Kehlan about his invention, MediPod, and what it could mean for access to medical supplies in remote areas.

Are retail moods on the rise? Who was celebrating after the foodies towns awards last week? Just some of the questions answered in this week’s show. We also meet the Cork student who won Engineer Ireland’s Student Award and sits down with Brigitta Curtain from Burren Smokehouse. Finally we reveal how the digital market is giving a platform to Irish retailers and helping them win a slice of the €8.5m daily online spend in Ireland.

The Small Business Show video edition travelled to the University of Limerick to meet the winners of the National Student Enterprise awards as they honed their business skills with a business bootcamp in the Nexus Center.

With state exams in full swing, Kehlan Kirwan from the Small Business Show examines why there are still skill gaps between what education provides and what businesses need to fill positions

Kehlan talks with Derek Perill from FRS Recruitment about the changing needs of the SME employer and what they look for in prospective employees. He also looks at the increase in SMEs looking to retain their best staff and how the owner manager holds on to them.

This week Kehlan, Olwen and Brian discuss a 23% rise in SME employment and reveal why you should be changing all of your online passwords in the next two weeks to protect your business. The show also focusses on the digital currency IrishCoin, which aims to target the tourism sector. With more and more businesses looking to hire, FRS Recruitment talks to Kehlan about finding the right candidates and retaining the best staff. In the final part of the show CloudyStar talk about their creation, Tipper Z, and reveal why they are raising funds on crowd funding website, kickstarter.

Kehlan Kirwan from the ‘Small Business Show’ looks at Ireland’s small artisan food producers and why they are turning Ireland into the food haven of Europe.

With last year’s horse-meat scandal still affecting the way we shop, meat companies are turning to fast and effective ways of finding tainted meat before it leaves their factories.

The need for clear protocols around social media usage by employees is among the topics discussed on this week’s Small Business Show. Kehlan also travels to a start-up looking to disrupt the meat testing market with their silicon chip based test kits, visits an organisation looking to help solve issues in your business by encouraging round table discussion and in depth forums and talks to one of the founders of Chia Bia.

Small Business Show presenter Kehlan Kirwan meets up with some great businesses to find out where the inspiration comes from. Darina Allen also stops by to have a chat as west Clare shows off some great food, products and ideas.

Kehlan, Olwen and Avine discus this weeks news including why Irish SMEs are in a better financial state than previously thought. Croom Enterprise Park talks to the show about rural start-ups and businesses. We also talk to the Irish company disrupting the €23bn global cards market and in the final part of the show Libera Terra from Sicily talk about how they are fighting the influence of the mafia by producing organic food and jobs.

This week on the Small Business Show Kehlan is off to the Wild Atlantic Start-Up conference which was held at the Kemmy Business School in Limerick.

Kehlan Kirwan from ‘The Small Business Show’ looks at what data can mean to small business and why firms need to incorporate it into their strategy.

On this week’s Small Business Show, Kehlan talks to Martina Skelly from Yellow Schedule.

In this week’s Small Business Show Kehlan and Olwen discuss state grants for research and innovation and discuss if money is being wasted on them. Ticket sellers and facilitators Eventbrite talk about how to organise the right event for your business or product launch. A new pilot programme aimed at getting more consumers into the high street has started in Dalkey, Co. Dublin and Kehlan talks to the creators. Plus this week’s business focus is with YellowSchedule, based out of the Nexus Innovation Centre on the University of Limerick campus.

This week’s Small Business Show looks at Camara, the charity which takes old technology from businesses and puts it back to work helping disadvantaged children around the world. Oscar nominated animation company, Cartoon Saloon, talk about what it takes to create great animation and how publishers are now getting in on the animation industries. Temptster talks about filling to those empty tables and chairs as well as cinema seats. In the final part of the show we meet video analytics company Vidiro Analytics.

This week the show looks at ISO and what this standards certificate can mean for your business. Kehlan also meets Laura Murphy from Zappy who discusses what building an app can bring to your business. We also feature WhizzKids, the after school and summer camps programme, which lets young people explore possible careers in the computer industries. Finally the show meets the SME in Galway which services over three million people and is targeting one billion as a very real target.

This week’s Small Business Show looks at developments for rural communities and whether consumers can work with more austerity budgets and still be expected to spend in order to buoy the economy.

This week’s show features our usual small business round-up and includes a special feature on debt forgiveness for SMEs. Kahlen also explores the glass ceiling with Marion Palmer from Women in Technology and Science (WITS. The Incoming Tour Operators Association also predict another positive year for tourism and John Trethowan from the Credit Review Office talks about banks, small business credit and getting the right information to SMEs.

Kehlan Kirwan from The Small Business Show argues that in our search for an entrepreneurial Ireland we are leaving out of the equation our best asset — young entrepreneurs.

ON this week’s show Kehlan is joined by Avine McNally from the Small Firms Association and Orlaith Carmody from mediatraining.ie to discuss this week’s news. We also drop in on the National Student Enterprise Awards in Croke Park, Dublin and talk to the business which is looking to keep your rubbish and recycling in your bin.

This week’s show looks at what Silicon Valley and other startup communities have that Ireland can emulate. Kehlan talks to the former Mayor of San Diego, an Irishman making it big in Palo Alto and also takes a look at why Israel is one of the biggest startup scenes outside of the United States. All this and the usual SME news round up.

Kehlan Kirwan from The Small Business Show tackles the issue of local authority charges, and questions the lack of foresight in local government on the issue.

This week's show includes the usual news round up for SMEs and features a special report on a protest in Dun Laoghaire which has gone viral. Kehlan also heads to Loop Head in Co. Clare to talk with Laura Foley of The Long Way Round Walking Tours and to Tralee to talk to Doireann Barrett about her company The Gluten Free Kitchen Company.

Kehlan Kirwan from the Small Business Show talks to Gerard Maguire from 64 Wine in Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin about his innovative attempts to highlight a new local charge from Dun Laoghaire County Council which he says will be the final straw for businesses in the area.

This week The Small Business Show looks at the latest news for SMEs including Professor Morgan Kelly’s comments on SME loans in Irish banks. Kehlan also travels to Limerick to talk to winners of the counties Student Enterprise Awards and looks at the plight of the Irish fishing industry as John Nolan from the Castletownbere Fisherman’s Co-Op explains why change is needed in attitudes towards the industry. The final part of the show spotlights Natasha Sherling, a gemmologist, diamond dealer and private jeweller.

The first Irish Examiner Small Business Show explores how and why the bullying of gay and lesbian employees is still a problem and - along with all the latest news affecting SME's - includes interviews with three entrepreneurs who share their inspirational stories about building their businesses and developing positive sustainable futures.