HELPING MICROS GROW ACROSS IRELAND

Catriona Regan InterTradeIreland Operations Director

Businesses North and South of Ireland are now trading, growing and prospering through networking with IntertradeIreland’s MicroTrade Programme. Maree Morrissey reports.

The recent report of the Small Business Forum highlighted the importance of small businesses to the Irish economy and the great dynamism that lies within that sector. For any southern business looking to expand its horizons, the North of Ireland is a natural first-step in the development of export markets.

InterTradeIreland Operations Director Catriona Regan says, “with micro-enterprises (less than ten employees) accounting for 92% of the businesses on the island of Ireland, InterTradeIreland is keen to ensure that they have access to supports and incentives to develop their crossborder trading activities. That is why we joined forces with the County & City Enterprise Boards in Ireland and the Local Enterprise Agencies in Northern Ireland to develop and deliver the MicroTrade Programme.”

Over the past two years, MicroTrade has delivered a series of all-island networking events, training programmes on cross-border tendering and funding for interbusiness collaboration. The initiative has also helped build an informal network of information exchange between business advisers working with 67 small business support organisations across the island.

Networking Your Way into a New Market

The programme’s flagship event, MAIN - MicroTrade All-Island Networking, took place in April at the Citywest Hotel, Dublin. Small business owner/ managers were able to pre-arrange meetings with other firms and a panel of larger public and private sector purchasers through an innovative web-based profiling system. Padraig O’Ceidigh of Aer Arann and Jay Bourke of RTE’s ‘The Mentor’ inspired over 300 small business representatives into making the most of their hectic schedule of pre-arranged meetings and networking encounters.

Other events have included a conference for small food businesses from Carlow, Limerick, Antrim, Tyrone, Tipperary and Cavan interested in collaborative distribution and a joint event involving Women-in-Business networks from counties Antrim, Wicklow and Tipperary.

Linking Dynamic Micros – North & South

Dominic Mullan, MicroTrade, with recipients of Link-Up Funding, Pat McGrath of CIC Belfast and Computech, joint developers of InControl CRM.

MicroTrade’s Link-Up Funding supports joint business development projects involving partners from North and South. Packages of up to €7,500 per partnership (on a 50% funding basis) are available to support the development of joint marketing materials, shared exhibition space at trade events, third party fees for market research or the preparation of feasibility studies and business plans. With financial support from MicroTrade, Dublin company EVG which provides tailored services to pubs and hotel developers worked with Miller Hospitality, a Belfast based provider of training to the hospitality sector. The two companies produced joint promotional materials reflecting their complementary expertise. Both have benefited from increases in cross-border business.

Niall Duff of EVG explains, “thanks to a referral from Miller Hospitality, we have secured our first major contract in Northern Ireland working on a new pub development in Omagh. Working in partnership with Miller Hospitality has allowed us to offer our client base an additional service which helps our business model of a turnkey service or one-stop shop.” Tralee-based House of Delphine secured MicroTrade funding to work with Helen Fitzpatrick Design of Lurgan to jointly promote their complementary ranges of bridal gowns and bridal jewellery. Joint presence at various bridal fairs throughout Ireland, extensive advertising in bridal journals and mutual referrals have led to significant increases in turnover for both companies.

Dublin based software company Computech secured MicroTrade funding to promote InControl, a CRM system for the construction sector, which they had developed jointly with the Commercial Information Company in Belfast. Promotion at construction sector trade fairs and direct mail campaigns, along with participation in MicroTrade events, have led to a good first year of sales for InControl, North and South.

Cross-Border Tendering

Tendering is a great source of valuable contracts for those who do it well and a source of infinite frustration for those with less success. This is particularly true in the case of small businesses who feel they are disadvantaged simply because of their size. To address this need MicroTrade, in conjunction with InterTradeIreland, delivers a two-day training programme for small businesses wishing to develop their capacity to take full advantage of the lucrative €16 billion all-island public sector market. Participating businesses receive information on how to source tender opportunities across the island, public procurement procedures North and South, preparing tenders, subcontracting as a route to public sector contracts and submitting joint bids. A half-day advice session from a consultant who will provide constructive feedback on tenders is also available.

All-Island Trade Takes Flight

Michael Hanley, CEO of West Cork Enterprise Board, points out that infrastructural developments are making all-island trade a much more accessible option than in years gone by. “We are working with MicroTrade to bring fifteen Cork based micro-enterprises to Belfast this month to explore the Northern market, something we probably could not have done before the direct air link with Aer Arann,” explains Hanley. Advanced Vacuum & Lift, Belfastbased suppliers of vacuum lifting equipment, components, pumps and materials handling solutions participated in MicroTrade’s market exploration visit to Cork for Northern businesses in January this year. Mark Lilburn explains the benefits for AVL, ”MicroTrade essentially lined me up meetings with a number of warm prospects. From a sales perspective, that is a very welcome starting point. I have secured one €10,000 contract and am hopeful of converting a number of other prospects.”

Thanks to similar developments such as a Flybe route from Belfast to Galway and the massively enhanced Belfast-Dublin road, all-island trade is becoming a much more real, attractive and accessible opportunity for microenterprises North and South.

Small businesses interested in developing cross-border trade should contact their local County or City Enterprise Board or Local Enterprise Agency, or visit www.microtrade.org

SPREADING HER FRUIT

Rosemary Cowan, founder of Barefruit Products Ltd of Dundonald, County Down, has attended a number of MicroTrade networking events with a view to spreading her ‘fruit, the whole fruit and nothing but the fruit’ range of Puro Juices into the South. Fruitful meetings have led to a trial run in O’Brien’s Irish Sandwich Bars throughout the North with a view to extending into the South later in 2006.

GIFT AND PRESENTATION BOXES

Brian Casserly of www.irishpackaging.com, a Cork-based online directory of packaging solutions and equipment, is a regular visitor to MicroTrade networking events. ”I have been at three MicroTrade events and have found them fantastic for building contacts in all corners of Ireland. You never quite know when they will generate business. I have built good working relationships with at least five packaging companies at MicroTrade events and am heading