Developing Your Business

Experience shows that many businesses enter a critical phase in or after their third year of operation.  Managing the opportunities of expansion in this period will determine the future success of the business.

 Dublin City Enterprise Board has an important role to play in assisting existing businesses to expand.  If you are already in business, you may apply for any of our forms of financial assistance, including grants, loans and Preference Share Investment.  In fact, Preference Share investment is not available to start up businesses.  You may also apply for mentoring support or sign up for our seminars, courses and training modules. 

Check out what is available to you & your business:

Training  

Dublin City Enterprise Board offer a wide range of practical, low cost professional training for Owner/ Managers & small businesses click here

Online Training - Learn & Develop an Action Plan for Your Business

Try Dublin City Enterprise Board's new online interactive training tool. Each session is full of ideas, prompts and ready-made templates to enable you to customize an Action Plan for your business. These free online sessions are a convenient and confidential way to develop your business skills and improve your business performance.

Under each topic you will be asked pertinent questions and promoted to think about your business issues. Your input will be compiled into an Action Plan specific to your business.

The training sessions are designed to be simple, brief and to the point. Each topic takes between 10 and 20 minutes to complete.

Select a section to continue:

• How To Target Your Marketing
• Five Ways To Increase Your Profit
• Working Out Your Prices
• Why You Need eCommerce

Mentoring

Need help with planning for business growth? Book a One-to-One meeting with one of our experienced business mentors click here

Business Networking

PLATO Dublin

PLATO is Ireland's most successful SME development organisation dealing exclusively with Owner Managed businesses. Over the past 10 years, more than 2000 Owner Managers have participated in the PLATO programme in Ireland and have experienced the benefits to their business. 

The PLATO programme also operates across Europe with tens of thousands of owner managers having taken part in the programme to date. In Ireland, PLATO is funded by a range of enterprise agencies such as the County and City Enterprise Boards, FAS, Skillnets, InterTrade Ireland. It is also assisted by a wide range of well know national and international companies.

Click here to find out more about PLATO Dublin

Enterprise Network for Women

The Dublin City Enterprise Network for Women is run by the Dublin City Enterprise Board to promote and support female entrepreneurs. The Network meets monthly on the 2^nd Monday of every month (except August) in a Dublin city hotel. The network is a perfect forum to exchange ideas, build up your contact base and create new alliances as well as promote your own business and ideas. Visitors are always welcome. The first meeting is free of charge, thereafter membership is €100 for the year.  

Members also have the opportunity to promote their business at each meeting by hosting a resource table, this is an exhibition stand to display products and information about services. Each resource table host will also have the opportunity to give a brief presentation about their business. 

Click here for further information about Dublin City Enterprise Network for Women

CreativeD is a network-based business support programme designed for the creative industries.

Creative D logo a network involving...

• Sales and finance opportunities
• Introductions to industry experts
• Meet people from across the creative industries
• Potential for collaborative projects
• Links to creative industries in the U.K, France, Germany and Holland
• Workshops and events every two months

What are the Creative Industries?

Advertising, Architecture, Crafts , Cultural Tourism -    Festivals and Events, Culinary Arts, Tours , Design , Designer Fashion , Digital Media, Film, Video and Photography, Publishing , Software Applications, Computer Games and Electronic Publishing, Television and Radio, The Arts - Music, Visual, Literary and Performing Arts

Annual membership only €100
Join CreativeD Today click here
For further information call Clodagh, Creative D, Tel: 01 4293600
www.creatived.ie

Information on 'Growing Your Own Business' - source BASIS

Deciding Where You Want To Be

Identifying Where You Are Now

Planning How To Get There

Writing a Business Plan

Funding/ Financial Assistance:

Links to the application forms for assistance are provided with each of the categories.  However, we strongly advise that you check whether you qualify for support.  For example:

• Does your business operate in the Dublin City Enterprise Board area:  click here for map
• Do you employ ten or fewer people?
• Are you already being supported by another state agency, such as Enterprise Ireland?
• For our support criteria  click here
• To find out if your project is ineligible for support:  click here 
  
• Feasibility Study Grants  click here
• Employment Grants  click here
• Capital Grants/ Loans  click here
• Exporting Grants  click here
• Commercial Web Site Developments Grants  click here
• Equity Finance (Redeemable Preference Shares)  click here