‘Early birds’ catch the business bug from local experts

Students at a Limerick secondary school have put the old business maxim “the early bird catches the worm” to practical effect by turning up for class at Ardscoil Rís at 6.30am to network with local commerce.

The Sarsfield BNI group, made up of a number of local businesspeople including tradesmen, financial personnel, and other business and service providers, held the early-morning meeting so transition-year students could see at first hand how they operate.

The students were given an insight about what it takes to succeed and how to network effectively to build a better future for themselves and their locality.

Sarsfield BNI members are among the leading business networkers in the Mid-West, having generated over €5.3m worth of business in just four years. Members also support more than 200 jobs locally.

BNI chapter director Eleanor Murnane said: “We were delighted to hold our weekly meeting in the school among the future business leaders of Limerick and Ireland. We really wanted to show these youngsters that being an entrepreneur is a real option after school.

“We also wanted to demonstrate that running a business means being out there and looking for work — life is not about things just happening, you have to make them happen and this is what our members do on a weekly basis.”

Ardscoil Rís principal Bríd de Brun said the meeting gave students the chance to see the behind-the-scenes work business owners do.

“We encourage our transition-year pupils to set up their own enterprises to get a taste for the real world and today has certainly added to that experience,” she said.

* The Sarsfield BNI group invites local businesspeople to weekly meetings. For more, contact Paul Dorrell on 086 827 5951 or see www.bni-limerick.com