Family businesses really are #MakingItHappen as Local Enterprise Week puts spotlight on SMEs
Eileen and Thomas Ashe of Annascaul Black Pudding: “The support we have received has allowed us add to our product range and add four full-time employees and a further one or two in peak periods.”
Annascaul Black Pudding and Carlow Toolmaking Services both say that Local Enterprise Office supports have been invaluable to their business.
As we celebrate Local Enterprise Week 2020 - Monday, to Friday, March 2 to 6, featuring 300+ events nationwide organised by the 31 LEOs around Ireland - here are two of the many small companies with the help of their local LEO offices.
“Annascaul Black Pudding has been made on the premises since 1916,” says Eileen Ashe. “Around 2001, we had started to retail the black pudding locally. We wanted to grow to add to this product range and to increase retail distribution, but this wasn’t possible with the production facility we had at the time.”
The tale of Annascaul Black Pudding dates back to 1916, when Michael F Ashe opened Ashe’s foodstore at Annascaul on the Dingle peninsula.
In 1955, Tom Ashe (Michael’s nephew) took over, operating as a grocery shop with a butcher stall.
Today, his son Thomas and wife Eileen are continuing the family tradition, still making Annascaul Black Pudding to the original recipe. Eileen and Thomas produce black and white pudding, traditional pork sausage, pork and black pudding sausage, dry-cured rashers, sausage rolls and sausage meat.
Annascaul Black Pudding first worked with Local Enterprise Office, then the Kerry County Enterprise Board, almost two decades ago.
It received business expansion funding to renovate its production facility, plus a grant for new equipment. More funding in 2013 allowed the Ashes to further improve their production facility and adopt up-to-date software.
“The financial support was invaluable,” says Eileen. “It meant being able to add to our product range and, as a result, increase employment, adding four full-time employees and a further one or two during peak periods.”
Every product is made on the premises, all with quality local ingredients - Maheree’s onions, Lee Strand milk, Barry’s breadcrumbs, beef blood and suet from Mike Miller’s Meats in Caherciveen and Flahavan’s oats.
“The Local Enterprise Office has been with us every step of the road, and I really couldn’t say enough in praise of them,” says Eileen.
The informed advice which the LEOs offer is just as important to a business as its financial support.
“There is nothing the LEOs haven't seen before. The fact is, as a small business, you can’t be good at everything - you don’t have the luxury that larger enterprises have,” says Eileen.
Eileen also underlines the networking benefits of attending LEO events, and from meeting other business people.
“At the events, you always pick up important information. Networking is especially useful when you’re in a situation that someone else has already survived. LEO courses and workshops don’t just enlarge your business knowledge, they also help you to see the larger picture,” says Eileen.
The early days of Pat Amond's fledgling business 25 years ago are still vivid in his memory.
“I had been with Braun for 15 years. The local enterprise manager told me there was a lot more to running a business than just making parts with a machine. He surely wasn’t wrong,” said Pat, smiling.
Founded in 1995, Carlow Toolmaking Services provides services for small and medium-sized enterprises and multinationals in the oral healthcare, automotive and medical device sectors. Its products include injection moulds, jigs and fixtures, press tools, prototypes and precision components.
“It was not just in funding that the LEOs helped; attending a three-month Management Programme with like-minded people was a huge help," Pat said. "While we were all in different kinds of business, we all needed greater knowledge on the right way to do it.
"Many of us were coming from multinational companies, with departments for everything from HR to payroll. Suddenly we had to do all of those things by ourselves.” Being in a network of startups really helped.
“We got to know each other, first at the coffee breaks, and we stayed in contact as our businesses grew. The LEOs were fantastic in always steering us in the right direction, helping us in setting up accounts, marketing and formulating a business strategy.” As Pat's business grew, the LEOs continued to offer experienced counsel.
“The LEOs took us through every situation that cropped up. That was very true when you'd find yourself being ‘a busy fool’ and not seeing the bigger picture.
"As we began to move beyond the start-up phase, they helped us find the right type of employees and showed us how to reach a wider audience.” Carlow Toolmaking Services has since grown through constant investment in up-to-date technology, IT infrastructure and high-quality training for its staff.
Carlow Toolmaking Services Ltd won the National Enterprise Award County Final in 2019, and went on to represent Carlow in the National Finals in Dublin’s Mansion House. It also won Best Training Initiatives 2019 with County Carlow Chamber.
Local Enterprise Week is a major opportunity for SMEs and future start-ups to see the range of supports available, says Oisin Geoghegan, chair of the Local Enterprise Offices Network.
“No matter what their business challenge or sector, the Local Enterprise Offices are putting on events for everyone, be it LEAN workshops, pitch training, trading online, sales and marketing, mastering social media, or simply how to start a business will be covered.”
He adds: “It is also a great chance to network and broaden your connections in business so use it to the advantage of your business, or business idea.”
Run by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices with support from Enterprise Ireland and the local authorities, the week is expected to attract thousands of attendees to over 300 events across the country aimed at supporting small businesses and fostering entrepreneurship.
“The events will cover a whole range of topics related to small businesses and starting up including financial skills, sustainability and the green economy, preparing for Brexit, how to pitch your business for funding and sales, and helping small businesses to market themselves both online and offline.”
The programme for 2020 is especially important, as it aims to help businesses address the key challenges ahead as they face into a new decade.
These include sector-specific mentoring workshops, LEAN sessions on how to make your business more efficient, workshops on creating a green and sustainable business, getting your business online seminars and even how to use ‘mind magic’ to help your business and the power of persuasion.
The week will also host the county finals for the hopefuls in this year’s Student Enterprise Programme and National Enterprise Awards as they hope to secure places in the national finals taking place in May.
"We are very conscious of always reaching out to those people who don’t know about us or how we can be of assistance to them. The Local Enterprise Offices are there not just to help and support those already in business, but to offer assistance and advice for those people who are considering taking that path sometime in the future.”
- Developing an Age-Friendly Marketing and Digital Strategy for Your Business – with LEO Carlow on March 2nd.
- AgriTech: Business Solutions for Smarter Farming – with LEO South Cork on March 4th.
- International Women's Day Networking Event – with LEO Cork North and West on Friday, March 6th.
- Leadership Skills for Your Business – with LEO Fingal on March 2nd.
- HR Strategy & Employment Law Seminar – with LEO Kerry on March 4th.
- LEAN for Micro Breakfast Seminar - with LEO Kilkenny on March 5th.
- Are You Afraid To Make Money In Your Business? – with LEO Laois on March 5th.
- Delivering Value: A design thinking approach for solo-entrepreneurs - with LEO Waterford on March 2nd.
- Bringing Your Best Self to Work – with LEO Wexford on March 6th.
- Lunchtime Seminar for Start-Up/New Businesses – with LEO Westmeath on March 5th.
For more information about the 300+ events nationwide hosted as part of Local Enterprise Week 2020, from Monday, March 2, to Friday, March 6, visit: www.LocalEnterprise.ie/Week
