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Co. Antrim
BT28 2BP
t. 028 92 661160
NEWS ARCHIVE
TESTIMONIALS
| 2012-02-20 |
Tweets promoting small business |
Theo Paphitis promotes small businesses through his Small Business Sunday Campaign on Twitter. Each and every Sunday Theo Paphitis promotes small businesses through a Twitter Campaign. He asks businesses to use the hashtag sbs (#sbs) on all tweets made between 5.30pm and 7.00pm, and then he will choose 6 businesses to be re-tweeted by him. This means the information on those businesses will go out to his 148,000 followers, providing an excellent platform for those lucky chosen. Find out how this benefited a local craft business by following the link below: http://craftni.org/news/business-dragon-retweet-promotes-ni-maker/ |
| 2012-02-13 |
Creative Industries Innovation Fund |
Arts Council of Northern Ireland - Creative Industries Fund Stimulating innovation, R&D and creativity in the economy, and encouraging export focused growth, by developing the creative industries. FUNDING ALLOCATION • A minimum of 80% of all available funding for awards in CIIF 2 will be allocated to creative businesses, and a maximum of 20% to sectoral development bodies • Awards to businesses will not exceed £10,000 • Awards to sectoral development bodies are capped at £20,000
For project advice or assistance with any aspect of the application form contact: David McConnell, Programme Officer Beverly Coomber, Assistant Programme Officer Also see the wesbite: http://www.artscouncil-ni.org/award/innovation.html |
| 2012-01-24 |
Graduate Entrepreneurship |
A rising number of college graduates are entering into careers in entrepreneurship. Web entrepreneurs dream of having so much website traffic that their sites crash. The temporary glitch of insufficient bandwidth represents not only successful marketing, but also significant interest in a project that has been months in the making. But for 22-year-old Allison Dwyer, this experience last March was also panic-inducing. The recent Emory graduate said she was able to breathe again once the site was back under control and everyone could actually see the creation she so deeply treasures: her dress website, SocialAttire. Since creating a 72-page business plan last fall in her Entrepreneurship, class, Dwyer said she has turned SocialAttire into a fully functioning online business, bridging “aspiring designers and fashion-forward consumers.”
“There is an important change happening now in the market, especially for the millennial-age folk, who are seeing their historic career paths not being desirable,” Konsynski said. “There’s more perceived security in entrepreneurship than in large corporate jobs, and that’s a radical change.” Younger generations are behind this increase in confidence, according to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2010 Global Report. The study found that a marginal number of entrepreneurs sees opportunity where others see danger.
As for Dwyer, she was inspired by her uncle who is the president of Anne Klein, a widespread women’s fashion label. She continues to cultivate her growing business, which has reached far beyond its 1,500 unique visitors since launch day. Starting with four employees and just a few thousand dollars, she has now hired 10 employees. Dwyer said she is not sure how much the company is currently worth because it is still in its early days, but she noted that she is not interested in selling it any time soon.
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| 2012-01-18 |
Innovation Vouchers from Invest Northern Ireland |
THE NEXT CALL FOR APPLICATIONS IS OPEN FROM 1-29 FEBRUARY 2012 (CLOSES AT MIDNIGHT ON 29th FEBRUARY) Innovation Vouchers are designed to enable small Northern Ireland enterprises to access knowledge and expertise to develop innovative solutions to business issues. The programme provides a voucher of up to £4000 to enable small enterprises to engage with one of the 41 universities, colleges and other publicly funded research organisations throughout Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. A company may apply for up to three vouchers for different projects. A 2nd or 3rd voucher can be applied for once the previous project is completed and the voucher has been redeemed. It is only possible to have one ‘live voucher’ at a time. View the Innovation Vouchers Dedicated website for full info: http://www.innovationvouchers.com/
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| 2012-01-16 |
Business and Management Masterclass |
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Business and Management Masterclass Thursday 9th February 2012 The Management & Leadership Network (MLN), Lisburn City Council, Bailey Waste Recycling and Solmatix are delighted to invite you to a free business and management masterclass, which will feature an outstanding speaker line up. Three leading business figures will advise and inspire by providing you with invaluable insights and practical tips into running successful businesses from a collective bank of over 100 years of experience. 8.00am: Registration & networking 8.30am: Welcome by Alderman Jim Dillon 9.25am: Panel discussion & Q&A 9.45am: Information networking 10.00am: Close To reserve your place at this free breakfast briefing, please contact MLN on 028 90761030 or email info@mln.org.uk |
| 2012-01-13 |
Marketing Trends 2012 |
Top tips to avoid bad marketing practice in 2012. The following article is taken from the CIM website, http://www.themarketer.co.uk/trends/watch-out-for-the-watchdog/ By Kate Hilpern 1. Don’t exaggerate Internet advertising came under scrutiny last year, after the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) started monitoring online adverts for misleading messages. Complaints are up 30 per cent as a result. Attracting most was Groupon which, in December 2011, became the first advertiser since Ryanair in 2008 to be referred to the Office of Fair trading (OFT). The online discounting website broke UK advertising regulations 48 times in 2011 by exaggerating potential savings from its deals, making offers which were not actually available and failing to make clear significant terms and conditions. “Given Groupon’s track record, we have serious concerns about its ability to adhere to the advertising code,” said the ASA. The OFT’s investigation is likely to take at least six months.
2. Deal with complaints
Ofgem fined Npower £2m in October 2011 after the energy supplier failed to record all details of the complaints it received, did not give customers enough details of the redress service offered by the energy ombudsman, and didn’t put in adequate processes to deal with complaints. "Consumers have a right to expect that energy companies will comply with the standards,” says Ofgem senior partner for sustainable development Sarah Harrison. “Npower failed to do so and, although it took remedial action, it has incurred a penalty for failing consumers.” Just four months previously, British Gas was fined £2.5m over complaints handling, and Ofgem is currently investigating the way EDF Energy, another of the big six energy suppliers, handles its complaints. Marketers in other sectors are not immune – watchdogs will be hot on the heels of any that fail to deal with customer complaints quickly and fairly and are increasingly expecting marketers to view complaints as a means to improving their service.
3. Don’t confuse or mislead
A report in October 2011 by Ofgem suggested that the profit margin for energy companies had risen excessively and, by December, the energy regulator had ordered firms to dramatically simplify the way they charge customers as part of a drive to push down prices. It also ordered all firms to offer one standard tariff, with a standing charge set by Ofgem, so that customers can more easily compare prices. Meanwhile in the finance sector, September saw the OFT investigating allegations of complex charging and poor information for travellers. Banks and credit card companies have since agreed to scrap some charges they levy on holidaymakers buying foreign currency and to give “clearer, more accessible” information about charges for using cards abroad. Many foreign exchanges have agreed to review marketing practices, particularly their use of “0 per cent commission” deals, and firms are also promising to display other costs more clearly in their monthly statements. “No one should be allowed to drag their feet in implementing the changes,” said Consumer Focus chief executive Mike O’Connor. “Companies are very quick to find new ways to add costs for consumers, but can be painfully slow to unravel the tricks and the complexity of these charges. Making markets simpler and fairer must be a priority for 2012.”
4. Tell customers what they are signing up to
The premium rate regulator Phonepayplus is clamping down on smartphone apps that charge users without their knowledge or consent. By the time it began its consultation with the telecoms and digital industries on app based mobile phones in September 2011, it had already come across two cases in which smartphone users incurred charges via premium text messages without being warned. One of them, the Better Battery app, was identified as containing coding that provided access to the handsets’ text-messaging functionality, leading people to inadvertently sign up to a fee based video service. "Apps enrich the lives of millions of consumers and children and are an important part of the UK's digital economy," said PhonepayPlus. "We are taking positive action to ensure that rogue providers do not damage consumers' enjoyment of apps or harm the UK's growing digital creative economy.”
5. Avoid cold calling
“Five of the big six energy firms no longer sell on the doorstep, so the pressure is on for E.ON, the only remaining firm not to make this commitment,” says Consumer Focus spokesperson Emma Adler. The pressure to stop unsolicited sales won’t stop with door-to-door calling, she adds. “For marketers in 2012, watchdogs will be keeping a keen eye out to make sure bad practice that existed on the doorstep is not transferred to telephone sales.”
6. Declare paid-for celebrity endorsement
Early last year, the OFT began a crackdown on Twitter users and bloggers using their online presence to endorse products and companies without clearly stating their relationship with the brand. It all kicked off when the OFT brought a case against a PR firm that paid bloggers to promote its clients. |
| 2012-01-05 |
Upcoming Invest NI Event |
Invest NI SME Support events: 10th January 2012. 9.30 - 12.30: Invest NI Design Advice Clinic. Eastern Regional Office, Belfast. Contact: 02890698444 or email julie.connolly@investni.com
12th January 2012 9.00 - 13.00: Invest NI Business Advice Session. Twin Spires Centre, Belfast. Contact: 02890311002 or email ryan@ortus.org
15th February 2012 9.30 - 12.30: Invest NI design advice clinic. Eastern Regional Office, Belfast. Contact: julie.connolly@investni.com |
| 2012-01-05 |
Free corporate identity for your business |
SERC - South Eastern Regional College offering free corporate Identity Are you a Start-Up Company in need of FREE corporate identity design or a logo for your new venture? SERC is offering local SMEs a bespoke design service. A team of students will work with an academic mentor to develop a corporate identity design or logo according to the project brief agreed by the Company. Projects are funded through the DEL Employer Support Programme and no fee is charged to the Company. Projects must be complete by 31st March 2012 and places are limited. Contact Sharon at sbrowne@serc.ac.uk for more information |
