I knew entering Cork Innovates that if I won, it would help
propel my business to the next level. I had been operating my business IDME, on
a shoestring, having sold my car and more to create capital and initially
finance its set up and Cork Innovates was the life line I needed to keep it
going. I went into the first round of interviews with my shopping list,
confidently telling the interview panel I knew exactly how I was going to spend
the bursary of €30,000, what I hadn’t counted on was the true value of the
Bursary and how much that would impact on the success of IDME.
The individual contacts from each of the Cork Innovates
business partners have gone above and beyond the monetary value of the prize
and have always been available to offer advice and direction which I have grown
to value more than anything.
The team at the Rubicon Centre have been my saving grace,
George, Peter and Paul, or the holy trinity as I like to call them, albeit
behind their backs, allowing me to work with them and their open door policy
allowing me to call on them at any point
I needed support or guidance, opening up their giant book of contacts
for me to take full advantage of, and likewise as I was in close proximity they
could just as easily collar me for an update and either pat me on the back or
give me a much needed kick up the you know what but all for my own good of
course to get me back on track ;-)
Emmet at Woodland Print taught me the importance of creating
that first impression and making it count, creating my business cards,
stationery and packaging graphics.
Ger, Ted and Zahid at Studio49 took me under their wing and
have helped develop my new website, listening to my ideas and guiding me
through the online world.
Mary at Westboro Partners has been my port of call on many
occasions helping me navigate financial spreadsheets, projections, VAT and
Taxation queries dealing with each issue I had with grace and patience.
Gemma and Alice at the Irish Examiner have helped me create
an advertising campaign which spans 12 months covering both print and even
online which has been a dream of mine and finally now being realised.
Linda, Dan and the team at Voxpro have been a constant
support and will be key to IDME entering the UK market.
Sharon from Brook Catering with her excellent staff and the
amazing Vertigo room in the county hall will be where I will host my first IDME
event where you can bet there will be a finer cuisine than my mother’s corned
beef sandwiches.
Renata at Cameo Communications who also is helping me with
the Newstalk aspect of the Bursary win has been incredibly generous with her
time and works with me to ensure I am getting the IDME message across in the
media and helping raise our brand awareness.
AIB, in particular Oonagh and Marguerite have been so approachable
and again generous with their support and set me on my path towards Cork
Innovates and the Rubicon centre from the very beginning.
And finally Patrick from the Cork Chamber of Commerce shared
his hints and tips on getting the most out of my membership of the Chamber and
highlighted for me the fantastic courses that are available to all members’
You see the true value of the bursary are the people and
connections I have made in the last year, all of which has been vital to the
continued success of IDME and I know these relationships will continue into the
future.
It would be amiss not to note the
incredible support, mentorship and generosity of two key people involved in the
great success that is Cork Innovates, Ms Siobhan Finn and Mr Anthony O’Mara. I
cannot stress enough how their guidance has been pivotal to my story and to
IDME.
They have been my sounding block on many an
occasion, Siobhan with her gentle manner and wise words where we have shared
many a story and I feel a real kinship and with Anthony’s direct challenging approach, making me think bigger, better and outside the
box. I will never forget the afternoon I won Cork Innovates while having some
pictures taken, I whispered thanks to Anthony and as an aside I mentioned I couldn't believe I had won to which he retorted ‘then why did you enter so, if
you thought you wouldn't win? You must have thought you could or else why
bother?’ Well that was certainly lesson no. 1 of many to which I have been
grateful to learn through our conversations, the lesson being not to put
yourself down, believe you will succeed and just do it!
To you both I owe the deepest
gratitude for the opportunity Cork innovates has granted me.
Cork Innovates has enabled me to focus on building my
business with the assurance of having an experienced team of resources
available to me but more importantly a team of people who want to see me
succeed and are willing to share their time and knowledge with me in order to
make that happen, which would be crucial to any start up and certainly has been
for mine, allowing me to strategically develop my business.
The prestige of the win has opened many doors too not just
here in Cork but nationwide and even internationally, I am heading to New York
to meet with the Leading Women Entrepreneurs & Business Owners in December
all thanks to Cork Innovates in association with the Cork Foundation and I
think it is very safe to say Cork is now being looked on as an example of
entrepreneurship with the amazing work that Cork Innovates and Siobhan Finn
has been doing in highlighting our SME’s.
Cork is a great place to grow a business with wonderful
initiatives like Cork Innovates, the generosity of spirit from fellow
businesses who want you to succeed and the support of the City and County
Enterprise Boards; there is no better time to start.
If you are a new business I would highly recommend putting
yourself out there and entering Cork Innovates 2014, the Bursary purse is only
the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the amount of exposure and network
opportunities that will be available for you, all you have to do is take full
advantage of it and use it!
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| www.idme.ie www.corkinnovates.com |
