The meeting was facilitated by Tommy Morahan of Sli Nua Communications, and his discussion generated a great deal of discussion about how businesses can incorporate social media into their operations.

Apart from sharing knowledge from others involved in business in Mayo, the Open Coffee Club is proving an outstanding place to make valuable contacts.

There is no charge for attendance.

The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, August 4^th, in the Traveller’s Friend Hotel, Castlebar. This will be an informal get-together. All meetings start at 11am and last between one hour and 90 minutes.

The September meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 1^st, when Lesley Emerson of PR West and Liam Horan of Sli Nua Communications will facilitate a discussion on the best ways to prepare and present press releases about your business.

All you have to do is turn up on the day. More details on the Mayo Open Coffee Club are available on http://mayo-open-coffee-club.org/, or you can email any of the organisers: Judith Feehan (IIBCCastlebar@gmit.ie), Robert Grealis (Robert@thediscoverypartnership.com); Maria Staunton (Maria.Staunton@gmit.ie), or Liam Horan (liam@slinuacommunications.com)

Start-up businesses, people with the germ of an idea, and established businesses all find the Open Coffee Club a useful vehicle to get in touch with what’s happening in the business world around Mayo.

MOCC is a business network run by businesspeople for businesspeople. The event is free of charge.

All meetings start at 11am and last between one hour and 90 minutes. Member Tommy Morahan, Sli Nua Communications, will facilitate a discussion on how social media can be used effectively for business.

All you have to do is turn up on the day. More details on the Mayo Open Coffee Club are available on http://mayo-open-coffee-club.org/, or you can email any of the organisers: Robert Grealis (Robert@thediscoverypartnership.com); Maria Staunton (Maria.Staunton@gmit.ie), or Liam Horan (liam@slinuacommunications.com)

Start-up businesses, people with the germ of an idea, and established businesses all find the Open Coffee Club a useful vehicle to get in touch with what’s happening in the business world around Mayo.

We aim this at early stage start-ups and will deal with a wide variety of topics that start-ups will encounter. It’s also build around real world experience rather than theoretical data. Places are limited so it’s important that people register early.

For more information: Greenhouse Start Up Bootcamps.

MOCC is a business network run by businesspeople for businesspeople. The event is free of charge, and the aim is to let businesspeople make contacts, pitch their business, and get assistance on business issues and challenges.

All meetings start at 11am and last between one hour and 90 minutes. There will also be networking opportunities.

The meeting will also discuss plans to advance the Coffee Club over the next 12 months. The current organisers will invite input from existing or new members as to how the club should progress. The club has been a meeting-point for a large number of Mayo-based businesspeople over the past year.

All you have to do is turn up on the day. More details on the Mayo Open Coffee Club are available on http://mayo-open-coffee-club.org/, or you can email any of the organisers: Robert Grealis (Robert@thediscoverypartnership.com); Maria Staunton (Maria.Staunton@gmit.ie), or Liam Horan (liam@slinuacommunications.com)

Start-up businesses, people with the germ of an idea, and established businesses all find the Open Coffee Club a useful vehicle to get in touch with what’s happening in the business world around Mayo.

We will be in touch soon with details of next month’s meeting.

The Enterprise & Innovation Week will run from the 22^nd to the 25^th of February 2010, and will feature over 20 events, including a number of international high-profile presenters. Some of the key note speaker includes:

• Danny McCoy, newly appointed Director General of the Irish Business & Employers Confederation (IBEC) will formally launch the week’s programme
• Larry Farrell, leading US author and expert on entrepreneurship
• Harry Grill, Corporate Partner, with global law firm K&L Gates, counsels clients on cross-border, strategic transactions and advises international businesses looking to establish a commercial presence in the United States.
• Seán Gallagher, Founder and CEO at Smart Homes and a Dragon on RTE’s Dragon’s Den
• Ian Brannigan, Development Executive with the Western Development Commission.  Ian will be presenting the findings of the WDC’s recent report on the huge potential of the creative industry in the West of Ireland
• The final of Sligo VEC’s Dragon’s Den Competition.

IT Sligo’s President, Prof. Terri Scott, today announced the details of this exciting week of events and gave a call to companies, organisations and individuals in the Northwest to get involved and take advantage of this week of innovation.

“Our Enterprise and Innovation Week is a regional initiative supported by our enterprise, development and community partners.  Through our Innovation Centre, IT Sligo provides the gateway for enterprise and entrepreneurs to access a wealth of expertise including expert staff, graduates, students and special facilities” commented Niall McEvoy, Head of Innovation at IT Sligo.

Visit Enterprise & Innovation Week’s website www.itsligo.ie/innovationweek for up-to-date information on the week’s schedule, news and events, and how to get involved.

Enterprise & Innovation Week Schedule

Applicants should ideally have a number of years industry experience and have the enthusiasm and drive necessary to develop and grow a successful business. Participants may apply to Enterprise Ireland for CORD funding, which could provide up to 50 per cent of previous year’s gross salary.

The MWEP provides participants with business acumen, office desk space, mentoring, networking, facilities, and supports necessary to help them in establishing and running their own businesses. Participants should have a business idea with growth and export potential.

“These new start-up companies will form the foundation for the next generation of Irish enterprises,” said George McCourt, Manager of the Innovation in Business Centre in GMIT, Galway and he added “We are looking forward to supporting the next generation of innovative start-ups in the region through the new programme.”

Fifteen high potential entrepreneurs are participating on the current MWEP – products/services being developed include Innovative Medical Devices, Mobile Phone Services, Energy Monitoring, Bibliometrics, Smart Travel Tools, Specialist Financial Portals and Environment Research & Development services.

“Starting up a business venture can be a daunting prospect. The MWEP was fantastic in providing a structured approach to the start up process as well as providing advice and mentoring on how to navigate through the early stages. I would recommend anybody embarking on a startup venture to participate in a programme like this to improve chances of success.” — Colm Rochford, CEO, Powersavvy Limited.

The MWEP may also be of interest to expatriates who are hoping to return home to set up their own business in the West of Ireland.

The Innovation in Business Centres at Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology provides incubation space and a range of business development supports to new start-up companies. Further information is available at our website www.gmit.ie/iibc.

Applicants interested in the Mayo centre should contact Maria Staunton at (094) 9043198 or email maria.staunton@gmit.ie

The Show is a ‘bootcamp’ for businesses, making them more efficient and fit for purpose. It will include advice on exploiting business opportunities and becoming sustainable, as well as those all-important cost-cutting tips.

The Better Business Show is presented by the Small Firms Association in partnership with a collection of some of Ireland’s market-leading companies, including Aviva, Eircom, ESB Customer Supply Greenstar and Ulster Bank.

The Better Business Show will provide, free of charge, world-class information, advice and assistance to Ireland’s 250,000 small businesses across a range of business issues.

A panel of experts will advise on themes such as assessing the economic ouflook, accessing and managing finance, using technology to drive productivity and enhance marketing/customer relationships, and saving money through energy efficiency and streamlined waste management.

Reservations can be made free of charge on www.betterbusiness.ie. At each venue personnel from the partners and the SFA will be available for interview.

The Sligo show takes place in the Clarion Hotel on Tuesday 16th February and the Mayo show in Breaffy House Hotel, Castlebar on Wednesday 17th February

FAS are supporting businesses in the North West that are currently on short time working by providing funding for the development of their employees. LEAP will be hosting a information session on this opportunity on Thursday 11th February 2010 at the Westport woods Hotel from 9-10.30am. For further information contact Paula Crowley of LEAP on 091-755736 or paula@leapadvisors.ie.

Chris B Kerndter told of how he had dramatically reduced his daily email load by up to 80 per cent by unsubscribing himself from all manner of irrelevant newsletters, along with setting up filters to keep emails from various contacts all in one place. Thus, he can deal with emails in shorter, sharper bursts, rather than allowing them to dominate throughout the day.

He also recommended the advice of Timothy Ferris (The Four-hour Work Week) to set aside two times a day to check emails. Robert Grealis felt this might not work with a consumer-driven business, but agreed with the sentiment.

“The culture of being engrossed in emails is killing business,” said Robert Grealis. Emails are crucial for many businesses, he said, but they must be kept in check.

Chris also talked about monitoring yourself throughout the day so you can see if you are using your time effectively. He recommended www.rescuetime.com as a valuable resource that gives minute-by-minute breakdown of how you spend your time at your desk.

People who don’t spend all their time at a desk should still select a day where they log their time in 15-minute blocks, said Robert. It could prove quite revealing. Perhaps a lot of valuable time is being wasted on non-essential activities!