Came across this via Isabel Barros, one of my followers on twitter.
To mark their 20th anniversary, Wexford Enterprise Centre have launched 20/20 Visionary search 2009 - an innovative and very appealing competition for start-up companies who have not commenced trading prior to today June 29th 2009. The prize comprises of cash, office space, mentoring, web design, accounting services, insurance, technology services and radio advertising. The deadline for receipt of application forms is July 31st with finalists having to submit a business plan on September 18th. Really worth a shot, applying for this if you've just launched or about to start a new business in Wexford.

Labels: Entrepreneurship

Heard about the 5 minute marketing event organised by Irish Women in Business via Tara's post on IGOpeople. Reach target audiences, recieve feedback on your performance, make new contacts and reach more customers is what's billed on the schedule so if it delivers even half of that you'll be on to a winner given that it's one of many free seminars available to members, a snip at only 50 euro for annual membership.

Where: Bank of Ireland, Tallaght
When: Wednesday 24th June 2009
Time: 4.30pm to 6.30pm

They're also holding a draw on the evening for IWIB members. Select Digital Print have offered a Starter Pack Stationery Set comprising of business cards, comp slips, letterheads worth €300 to one lucky member who participates and is creative with their 5 Minute Marketing pitch OR vouchers/flyers/postcards for your business.

Labels: Entrepreneurship, Flexitimers, Out and About, Social Media

Came across this post on, one of our members, Deirdre's Spellcheck editorial services ezine. It outlines the 6 most common mistakes of social media marketing which are Large Following, Content, Endless Promotional Messages, Joining on a whim and the double whammies of thinking that social media should replace all marketing activity and indeed that is is free. Deirdre has fleshed it out in more detail and given credit to the original author. Worth a visit if social media is on your agenda.

Labels: Flexitimers, Social Media

I was asked to fill out an exceptionally badly designed customer satisfaction survey yesterday. From what I could gather (from the loaded questions, leading response options and multiple bias), the purpose of the survey was to provide the company with an empirical justification to get rid of their print brochures and rely more heavily on their website so they could indirectly save the world/environment (and reduce their print budget). Their findings will recommend just that because the wording and inherent bias of the questions will only elicit these findings. Which begs the question why didn't they spend the resources on a print run of the brochure or make a donation to an enviro-org?
There is a moral to this story:
The danger of outsourcing or even in-sourcing activities to people that do not have the appropriate skill set to carry it off.
What I would recommend is getting a professional researcher to work out with them what they want to find out, what is the most appropriate research method and then the same professional can design, collate and present the findings for approximately the same time and money.
In previous roles and throughout my professional life, I've been a contract researcher doing both academic and commercial projects. It's not a black art, it's not particularly difficult but it is an acquired taste or skill. However, unfortunately most people across all disciplines think they can just knock up a survey in 20 minutes and they probably could but I will guarantee you that it won't deliver any information, what you'll be left with is a huge amount of data and nothing to base meaningful decisions.

I don't know whether the person behind this survey was a member of staff or a hired-in researcher, but what I can assume is that the company in question did not get the best person for the project because they limited themselves to their own network.

Every company, large and small, has been a victim to this mindset - better the devil you know and it's prevalent across all disciplines - horrid graphic design, sub-optimal web design, IT etc. etc.
Today we can't afford mediocrity and it's time to start exacting the best possible value for our time and money. So instead I would recommend casting the net a little wider, tendering out to a group of skilled professionals and allow yourself be impressed by their knowledge and experience rather than their address book. There are lots of online and offline networks out there, Flexitimers is one of them, use us but if not use our competitors because I just can't bare to see companies paying (time and money) for poor product in these recessionary times (pardon the cliche).

Labels: Flexible Recruitment, Flexitimers, FlexiTips, freelancing, Opportunties for contracting, Recession, Smart Work