Leitrim Business Network

Leitrim Business Network Meetings take place on the first Tuesday of every month at 6pm SHARP in the The Ramada Lough Allen Hotel, Drumshanbo.

Next meeting: Tuesday August 5th.

Agenda: 6pm Welcome

6.05: Speaker: Johnny Beirne - Leitrim Business Network Facilitator

Topic: Getting the most out of Leitrim Business Network & Using LinkedIn to generate Business.

6.20: Q & A

6.30: Networking

6.50: Discussion

7.00: Close

ICT Network Meeting

7pm to 8pm

Today on the Tuesday Push, it is the turn of Pix.ie.

Pixie is a popular photo sharing site based in Ireland. Launched in August 2007, Pixie has registered users from over 120 countries and is currently storing millions of images on their behalf. Pixie’s free service which includes an upload quota of 500MB/month, is used by both professional and amateur photographers, families, friends, students, charities and photo bloggers, i.e. everyone!

Thanks Damien.

I recorded our first Leitrim Business Network Podcast with assistance from Sleeping Warrior Productions.

In this interview I speak with Eamon McGrenaghan of WSI Web Excel about the importance of having a website and also making it esy to find in Google.

 

 Podcast with WSI WebExcel [6:27m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (143)

Heres a recent talk from Newstalk FM on the state of broadband in Leitrim.

 

 Leitrim Broadband on Newstalk [6:39m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (40)

Via Damien, 1time is featured on his Tuesday Push.

1time is a web-based time and expense tracking application that allows you to easily keep track of real time project costs. It reduces non-billable time in your company and keeps everyone up to date. Each employee gets their own login and reminders so you don’t have to micro-manage recording timesheets. It is ideally suited to anyone who has a need to record time for billing or project cost analysis.

Damien invites you to fill in this form if you would like your company mentioned in the Tuesday Push

Leon from Reverb Studios has set up a discussion forum at reverbstudios.ie/discuss

Here you can ask questions and discuss a range of topics including search engine optimization, blogging, eBay to name but a few. I suggest you check it out.

It’s a Mans World

Gerard Anthony is a name everyone in the county is familiar with, a name many of us have grown up with. With 21 years of trading under their belt, having recently completed a massive expansion plan and moved into a brand new premises that is seven times larger than the original store Gerard Anthony and their new wing aimed at younger clientele GA2 are a model of business dynamism and success in an uncertain time.

Gerard Fitzgerald is not one to shy away from change or progress. Every month he hires a mystery shopper to basically ‘spy’ on the business and report back on everything from service to stock and display. In addition he is entering the business in retail competitions such as the FBD Retail Excellence Ireland Awards as it keeps the business on its toes and motivates ever increasing standards. When it comes to stock Gerard knows what the customer wants and works to balance this with what the brands want which is to be stocked with brands of a similar standard. ‘Right now we have everyone we want brand wise and our electronic point of sale allows us to monitor the popularity of the various brands/items. You have to continually ask questions of yourself and your choices for example is a brand selling because of the brand or because of placement in the store. All these things keep us on top of our game as Ireland’s largest menswear only store.’

Considering all of this it perhaps comes as no surprise that Gerard Anthony’s decided to apply for the innovative Tech-Check programme from Leitrim County Enterprise Board. The aim of the programme is to help owner managers of small businesses to take a fresh look at how they can use technology to improve their productivity and gain a competitive edge. Gerard says the programme appealed to him as they were right on the verge of their expansion at the time and hoping to triple the business so he was keen to learn about ways they could do tasks more efficiently and embrace technology that would streamline the day to day functions.
The independent expert advisor assigned to Gerard Anthony came out on site for just one day. She assessed the current technology use identifying key issues, strengths and weaknesses relating to their existing use of technology and using this analysis she outlined a clear, action orientated and realistic plan for developing and implementing ICT skills, systems, hardware and software with the aim of delivering real and sustainable competitive advantage.

Gerard found the programme excellent and is quick to recommend it to other companies. ‘It’s simple and obvious in many ways but often these things need pointing out. We had an idea we were on the right track but Tech Check helped us with a load of issues and the expert made sure we were on the right track for now and into the future.’

In 21 years Gerard has seen a lot of changes in the way that men shop! ‘Tastes have changed, the men are getting more discerning and it’s not always the women shopping for them!’ says Gerard. ‘Years ago men bought clothes based on need but now they will simply treat themselves so that’s a big change.’ Gerard says that men want a different experience from shopping than women, ‘the men want to be dressed well and they want access to brands but they want an easy and quick experience so the clothes need to be clearly and well displayed. Gerard Anthony’s and the new GA2 that caters for the younger set are trying to create a shopping experience where people are confident of getting access to the widest selection, value and help – if they want it, plus parking! The car park at their new store is a major asset that makes a trip to the store completely hassle free.

So what does the future hold for Gerard Anthony’s and GA2? ‘The plan or vision is to continually increase standards and the portfolio of brands. We will give the current expansion 2 years to consolidate and then look to expand again. In the meantime we will continue to work to get things right. We are still charged with the enthusiasm and adrenaline from opening the new store. We know we have a ‘wow’ factor shop and a unique business. There is nothing around that can compete with us.’

Gerard Anthony and GA2 are based at Mulveys Centre, Boyle Rd, Carrick on Shannon. They cater for men and boys from the age of six and also for Communion, Confirmation and Wedding Hire. In addition they offer a full tailor service.

For more information on the Tech-Check programme and how to apply contact Leitrim County Enterprise Board on 071 9620450.

Tech-Check is an exciting new programme, designed to assist small businesses identify ways to boost productivity and profitability through better use of technology.
Available through Leitrim County Enterprise Board, Tech-Check consists of one full day’s mentoring with an independent expert, who together with yourself will look at your existing technology and identify opportunities for improving the technology in your business.

Tech-Check is available to all business in County Leitrim with less than 50 employees so it enables us to expand the scope of our support.

If you would like further information or an application form please contact Nicola Mc Manus on 071 9620450 or email info[@]leitrimenterprise.ie

18 businesses attended our July network meeting. Campbell Scott from IGOpeople.com gave an informative presentation on future trends in marketing on the Internet. He discussed how adverting alone does not realise the full potential of the “two-way” nature of the Internet. In essence, the future is “to to create a conversation with your customers”.

If you wish to receive the slides from this presentation or would like more information on IGOpeople.com, please email info@leitrimbusinessnetwork.com.

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