Dublin City Enterprise News Talks To...

In this edition, we talk to Dublin-based French entrepreneur, Carine O’Flaherty, an active member of the Dublin City Enterprise Network for Women.

Carine set up Creative Learning Solutions last year to offer blended learning programmes to adult education providers, assisting them in reaching their e-learning potential.

Why did you decide to set up your own business & how did you go about it?
I thought I couldn’t wait for the perfect job to appear and be offered to me. I felt I had to be proactive and make it happen. First, I tried to be involved on different projects using my network. Then I felt I needed support and a strategy to know what I could do and how to do it. So I contacted Enterprise Ireland and I took part in a networking programme.

What assistance or advice have you received from family, friends and state support agencies?
I attended a two-half day seminars organised by Enterprise Ireland which were free of charge. It was an excellent marketing-focused event which really helped me clarify my customer base and my unique selling point.

My family is always a great support because they never question my ability to succeed. This is great because it is so easy to lose confidence and to want to give up when things don’t go as planned, which is often the case! Some friends gave me their time to help me out and I really appreciated that. But there is just so much you can ask. That’s why I think networking groups, such as the Dublin City Enterprise Network for Women, are great. It’s very important to be in contact with people who share the same experience. It’s a great support and a good way to meet people who can help you develop your business. It was thanks to networking groups I got my logo and my website online in two weeks.

What valuable lessons about running a business have you learned in the early days?
Tenacity ... Work hard to create business opportunities and follow up on them. Go out and sell as soon as possible. No point trying to develop too much your products if you want to offer customised services. Your customers will know what they want and they will ask you to show them you can deliver it before signing a contract. So you might as well contact them as soon as possible and develop samples which will match their needs.


What is the best thing/worst thing about being your own boss, so far?
The worst is uncertainty. It’s very difficult to manage time and money when you’re not sure if a project will start and when it will start. It gets a bit better when you sign a good contract which gives you better visibility for the coming months. The best is that it’s pretty much up to you to decide what you want to do with your time, your money, your customers, and your market.


Where do you see your business (or where do you see yourself!) in 5 years?
In the same business and industry for sure, but I am now offering services to a great global company, and I have to see how that goes. Maybe my business can take a direction I hadn’t foreseen in the early stage. A plan is good but events can make them evolve and it can be for the best.

Would you do anything differently during the start-up phase?
I should have done the Enterprise Ireland seminar earlier. I should have got some advice from marketing professionals as early as possible to gain time and make the best of the opportunities I had then.

What businessperson or small business in Ireland do you admire, and why?
I admire passionate self-employed people who work hard and rely on themselves to do what they really want. It’s not necessarily about building an empire. That’s why I would say Niamh Griffin. In her blog, she speaks about sports women. She’s a freelance journalist and she is an inspiring sports woman indeed. http://niamhgriffin.blogspot.com/

Our thanks to Carine for taking part in this interview, and  we wish her all the best with her new business.

Carine O’Flaherty of Creative Learning Solutions can be contacted on 087 2052 872 or by e-mail on oflahertycarine@gmail.com.  Altnatively, please visit her website for more information: www.creativelearningsolutions.net.

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