The Flexible Future

March 2010: Turning to the Private Sector for Ideas

2010-03-15T13:04:00.003Z

The government is turning to the private sector for ideas on training, education and job creation. The latest scheme by government invites proposals to help "stimulate innovation in the provision of training and activation measures for job seekers". The government has put €20 million to fund such ideas. We believe this may well be the right approach given the track record of the government so far but here's hoping that evaluation of the Tenders is done efficiently......

Find out more at: http://www.entemp.ie/press/2010/20100312.htm

March 2010:Temps can help firms meet targets

2010-03-10T12:03:00.001Z

According to a recent article (http://www.thepost.ie/story/text/eyqlqlojkf/) in the Sunday Business Post (7th March 2010) more and more firms are using temporary workers to get around employment freezes and it gives the firm more flexibility in terms of commitment.

This trend is happening on all levels in organisations and across all types of industries which recruiters say is interesting and a new trend. Such roles may turn into permanent positions and this 'getting to know each other' period is now hugely important for both company and client.

One problem companies are having is being inundated with applicants as people who are looking for work tend to apply for anything that even might be suitable. The issue now is screening and matching the right candidate for the position.

The trend for temporary work is something we at Flexitimers always felt would happen and we are delighted to part of this new employment model.

Feb 2010: New interview techniques!!

2010-02-15T12:49:00.001Z

The Independent's article on new and different ways of interviewing candidates was certainly an eye opener - http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/jobs-careers/manholes-pirates-and-window-cleaning--welcome-to-the--modern-job-interview-1946437.html

The new "techniques" are focused around asking the candidate odd ball questions such as how many golf balls would you fit into a school bus? The idea is to see how the candidate reacts and what answers are attempted.

Its being used by companies such as Google and Microsoft and the technique's questions have been named 'Open-Ended Logic-Problem Screening Tools', or put more simply: 'The manhole question'.

And we thought the "where do you see yourself in 5 years time?" was hard to answer??!!!

5 Days left to apply for Dragon's Den Ireland

2009-11-26T00:21:00.002Z

Season 2 of Dragons' Den Ireland returns to our screens in February and the good news is you still have a few days to apply to pitch your idea to Ireland's Dragons. Potential investment, mentoring and national exposure are among the sweeteners so if you're looking for any of the above, why not give it a go.
I watched the show last year in the company of many others thanks to Twission - a cool app that aggregates tweets that contain the same hash tag. So throughout last year's season people all over Ireland watching the show added #ddire to the end of their tweets allowing us all to 'converse' about the show. Really good fun so if you're not on the show maybe we'll meet up on Twission to discuss. Best of luck.

Round-up of the Future of Recruitment Part2 Conference, Dublin October 7th 2009

2009-10-08T20:39:00.002+01:00

Went along to an event run by LinkedIn group Irish Recruiters yesterday billed: The Future of Recruitment Part 2: The Road Ahead yesterday in Dublin's Westbury Hotel. This is the second in a series of conferences and other events run by Declan Fitzgerald, full time global sourcing manager at Microsoft, blogger and consummate tech evangelist.

The theme of the conference was very much cloud recruitment and Declan opened proceedings with a presentation on where he sees the industry going along with a whistle stop tour of the killer apps and tools available to professional recruiters today. Personally I couldn't see the recruitment angle on QR Codes but as a marketer they're certainly very interesting. Other tools such as Qik (offering free live video streaming) and Augmented Reality Browsers such as Layar and TAT. He also introduced us to his pet iphone recruitment apps and most of us agreed that the majority are not mission critical offering tips and guides rather than solving any major pain points with the exception of beamME CV which allows job seekers to apply and send cloud CVs via apple mobile devices. Excellent round-up of what's on the market all the same.

Then an exceptional presentation from Bill Fisher who spoke about his latest project TwitterJobSearch and to be honest it's a must for any serious recruiter or job seeker. It was so refreshing to see such high quality high brow technology being deployed in the recruitment industry and I'm definitely signing up for that. His presentation style was quirky and he's very funny - a breath of fresh air for us all.

Last slot before the break was another hugely professional recruitment professional, Martin Cerullo from AMS. If they deliver even half of what he told us yesterday well then this is the benchmark we should all strive towards. He spoke about RPO and just the ends and creativity to which they stretch the scope of their role within organisations (marketing, business processes, streamlining, efficiency, smart smart smart work) so beyond the traditional siloed definition of recruitment or sourcing elsewhere. Really really good.

I didn't network during the 30 min break at 4 as it'd been many hours since my porridge in Wexford so we trotted down to Avoca Cafe on Suffolk Street for an uber nourishing tomato and lentil soup.

After the break we were split into break-out sessions to solve the Jobs Boards Vs Social Networks dilemma. The general consensus was that job boards as they are today are nearing obsolescence and must simply evolve to stay in the game. All of us recruiters know that social networks are big, really big but our particular group felt corporate social networks such as LinkedIn and Xing are contenders but felt the more social ones were too cluttered for meaningful sourcing to take place. Personally as a biased job board owner, I believe they aren't mutually exclusive and are complementary and some sort of hybrid integrating the two is probably the best (aka we all agreed at the end that LinkedIn is in fact a jobs board). Great discussion all the same.

Sonru's newly appointed CEO Fergal O'Byrne gave an excellent presentation on his personal journey throughout his 15 years in the web industry and how video was where he wanted to be hence his recent departure as CEO of the IIA. Engaging, informative and personable, his talk made you believe in online video and then he wowed us with their remote video interviewing tool which is and will save many companies much time and money in screening candidates. Sonru is not yet one year old and they're selling in about 8 countries, have an enviable client list and what's more they're adding value - a must for our industry today.

Last up was a duo from Cork based EMC and regrettably their names now escape me, apologies. They gave an evangelical presentation on their experience of a recent Salesforce.com CRM implementation and were very pleased to discover the HR/recruitment bundle that was included. It was getting late, I'm not a multinational, I know CRM tools can literally change peoples' lives (working lives) but I'm from start-ups all the way so the topic didn't engage me but is relevant to multinationals or any company looking to streamline their business processes so check them out. I'll stick with my beloved and uber affordable 37signals.

Then to the bar for a glass of Guinness (driving), quick chat, network, nice to hook up with a few people - good conversation, excellent content all day. Overall worth the 120k round trip. Thanks to Declan. Keep it up.

Need a start to Start-Up? Try the M50 Enterprise Start Programme

2009-10-02T10:54:00.003+01:00

If you've been thinking about starting a new business but are not sure where to go next, perhaps you'd consider looking at the M50 Enterprise Start Programme run by the LINC (Learning and Innovation Centre) at Institute of Technology Blanchardstown.
The 6 week program promises to help you work through the steps required to start a business while also giving you the support and advice which will help you decide how to develop your business idea.

For more information please contact Claire Quigley on 01 8851502

Creative D - Network for Creative Industries in Dublin

2009-08-21T10:11:00.003+01:00

Eibhlin Curley of Dublin City Enterprise Board is at it again, starting and encouraging networks for businesses to develop and prosper.
CreativeD was developed by Dublin City Council, Dublin City and County Enterprise Boards and The Digital Hub.
This network-based programme specifically designed for the creative industries is said to be the first of its kind in Dublin. Its aim is to define, develop and promote creative businesses and to ensure that individually and collectively the creative industries become a significant force in our new economy.
Meetings, Workshops, Networking events, Online forums, Seminars and Skills development sessions are promised with the first event kicking off on 20th October 2009, coinciding with Dublin Innovation Week. You can book a place for this event and/or think about joining the network. The annual subscription to the programme is 100 euros.
Closing date for receipt of applications for the complete programme is: Friday 2nd October 2009. For further information phone (01) 4293600 or visit the website.

Employment Subsidy scheme (Temporary) to the tune of 9,100 euros

2009-08-13T21:56:00.004+01:00

An Employment Subsidy Scheme (Temporary) has been launched aimed at helping vulnerable yet viable companies to retain employment levels and their skill base over the next fifteen months.
E250 million has been allocated to the scheme to provide for a tapering subsidy of up to 9,100 per supported employee over 15 months. The scheme is tailored to help those companies in internationally traded goods and services sectors, which employ ten or more full time employees and export at least 30% of their turnover, to retain their employment levels.
The scheme provides a maximum subsidy of €9,100 payable over five periods of 13 weeks as follows:

e200 per week in period 1: 24 August to 22 November 2009

e200 per week in period 2: 23 November to 21 February 2010

e150 per week in period 3: 22 February to 23 May 2010

e100 per week in period 4: 24 May to 22 August 2010

e50 per week in period 5: 3 August to 21 November 2010

The closing date for application is 4 September 2009 and the first payments under the scheme will be effective from 24 August. There are a few terms and conditions, for more information, visit the site and apply direct.

Need an extra pair of hands? Why not try IBEC's Graduate Internship Programme

2009-08-05T23:22:00.003+01:00

Apparently one quarter of this year's graduates will be unemployed so why not do a good turn and give a graduate a leg up. IBEC are launching a Graduate Internship Programme which will target 2009 Degree and Masters level graduates for placements lasting between six and eleven months.
IBEC expect that most employers will want to offer a wage that recognises the balance between the benefits that the graduate brings to the business and the additional experience that the graduate acquires. In cases where employers are not in a position to offer a wage, graduates may agree to take up unpaid placements, where the position is attractive and will benefit their skills development and employability. Their longer term ambition for the programme is to receive government support for participating graduates.
For this to be a success, they need a strong consortium of companies to commit to the programme and to provide an indication of the number of graduate interns which your company is in a position to take on.
If this is something you think your company may be interested in, then be so kind as to complete the online form which seeks expressions of interest from companies by close of business on Friday 14 August.

Should you have any queries please contact the Graduate Internship Programme please contact Alan O'Kelly or telephone 01 6051622.

Ikea's opening in Dublin today did not escape good old Irish entreprenuership

2009-07-27T16:11:00.003+01:00

So Ikea finally opened its doors today after almost ten years. Fanfare, clowns, competitions and face painting in the car park since 7 a.m. We probably haven't seen such retail hype since the Dundrum Town Centre opened a few years back which tells us what's hot in Ireland during boom or bust. So what has a Swedish home decor site got to do with Flexitimers? Well nothing but maybe something. As we like to promote entrepreneurship and innovation in Ireland, we've come across an Irish company that hopes to capitalise on this global brand's presence in Ireland.
The rather crude (if not honest) name of the company 'Simple Assembly Me ****' is offering:
Assembly of Ikea furniture - at a very reasonable €30 per item. Other flatpack services insofar as they exist charge by the hour.
Installation of Ikea kitchens - again at very reasonable rates.
Delivery - next day delivery for all orders before noon and again good rates.

Worth a shot if you value your family relationships, I've had quite a few hostile home assembly moments in my day until I finally bought a power drill.

The service is the brainchild of Maryrose Lyons of Brightspark Consulting, best of luck to all the team.

Enterprise and Innovation - Cruise Style

2009-07-13T15:13:00.002+01:00

Johnny Beirne - networker extraordinaire, mentor and entrepreneurial founder of Download.ie has come up with an alternative barcamp event - not in the classroom, not in a stifling hotel conference suite but a venue that is sure to get those creative juices flowing literally on the Shannon river.
A native of Carrick, Johnny, in association with Leitrim county enterprise board is organising Ireland's first ever cruise camp on Thursday July 30th.
Billed as a FREE OpenCoffee / Barcamp networking event on the river Shannon on board The Moonriver pleasure cruiser. Definitely worth a shot, you can book directly here and see a list of all the attendees, or if you need any more details, you can check out the Shannon CruiseCamp info page on IGOpeople or contact Johnny directly.

Free Summer HR Health Check

2009-07-08T17:09:00.004+01:00

Came across this offer on the SME Links Ireland group on LinkedIn, it was posted by Jackie Prendergast of Consulting Excellence.

Consulting Excellence are offering you and your clients a new Quick HR Health Check which has been designed by a CIPD qualified HR consultant to help you pinpoint any potential issues and/or risks in the critical business areas of HR legal compliance, performance and opportunity.They have compiled a questionnaire which will help you to identify any compliancy issues and give you a framework for implementing or improving good practice. This is a special Summer offer, free to members of SME Links Ireland (and their clients), with the exception of other HR Consultancies or their clients.
So just click on the link above and complete the short questionnaire (apparently takes only 5 minutes).  Once they've had an opportunity to compile your results they'll come back to you with feedback detailing the process you need to follow to move towards compliance and indicating areas where you can improve your policies and practices.

Competition for brand new start-ups worth 20k

2009-06-29T22:42:00.002+01:00

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.

5 minute marketing networking event Dublin June 24th

2009-06-23T22:18:00.002+01:00

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.

6 Common Mistakes of Social Media Marketing

2009-06-18T21:57:00.002+01:00

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.

The problem with hiring within your network

2009-06-12T10:55:00.006+01:00

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).

Flexible Working Boosts Morale

2009-05-28T12:04:00.008+01:00

Short and to the point article caught my eye today. It makes the simple point that introducing flexible working to an organization has very positive benefits and I would add that in these economic times - it makes a very positive contribution to the bottom line. Employers should outline and focus on the task they need completed and not when and how its done.

Flexible Employment rising - it just makes sense

2009-05-23T12:04:00.004+01:00

Article in yesterday's Irish Times highlights the obvious advantages for both parties regarding interim employment for executives. That is hiring experienced professionals flexibly. This might be on a part time or contract basis. Why has this not taken off in Ireland? U.S companies have been hiring in experts for years - in times of boom and bust. Its used as a way of checking their thoughts and plans with an expert or using the expert to carry out something specific that needs real depth of experience. Do Irish management teams see this as a threat or as an admission they don't know it all? Besides the expert view - flexible consultants come at a reduced cost and are often more motivated. Recruitment companies are saying its on the rise ........but using agencies means paying for it.....remember Flexitimers is FREE and full of flexible professionals - sound like a match?? YES!

Employers finding the right staff - flexible

2009-05-21T09:31:00.003+01:00

Interleado's Managing Director Peter Cullen experience on Flexitimers is exactly what we are aiming for so we were delighted with his feedback. Peter said "I found the the process very user friendly and quality of candidates very high. The main reason I tried Flexitimers was to see - Does this work? Do professional job seekers use this service. And the answer is Yes they do!"

Peter was looking for "a couple of experienced professionals that had experience in online marketing, specifically in the niche of SEO. I was looking for candidates who were flexible and ideally wanted to work for themselves". After 3 days he has agreed to start working with two of the candidates and we've agreed to start working with each other.

So from one employer to another Peter asks - "why pay for leading jobs boards that want to sell you a package for thousands when Flexitimers has the type of staff that make sense in Ireland today?"

Establish a social media strategy in 45 mins

2009-05-20T10:53:00.000+01:00

Flexitimers are attending the IIA Congress tomorrow in Dublin. There's an excellent line-up of speakers including representatives from Realex Payments, dotMobi, Google and Facebook.

I'm also involved in one of the break-out sessions where, along with my colleagues from the IIA Social Media Working Group, we'll be running a workshop entitled 'Establishing a Social Media Strategy in 45 mins' so if you're looking for a hands-on whistle stop tour of blogging, tweeting and general social networking well this is the 45 minutes for you. Hope to see you there.

Interview with Flexitimers' Joy Redmond

2009-05-19T12:51:00.004+01:00

The following interview with Joy Redmond Marketing & Operations Director of Flexitimers kindly syndicated from JobsBlog.ie

About Flexitimers
Flexitimers is a self-service project board enabling companies to connect with consultants, freelancers, small businesses, contractors and specialists/experts for professional project work in Ireland.

The site is completely free for both professionals and companies to use. Flexitimers is a closed network; employers or other professionals cannot search through profiles. Profiles are only viewable to employers whose project matches your profile.

Ivan: New Flexitimers site is launched, the media love it, and the response has been very positive. How happy are you with the media coverage?
Well obviously we're very pleased and I think the reason is because Flexitimers is a good news story during recession overload. Everyday we are hearing and reading about the recession, job losses, redundancy and market uncertainty. Flexitimers is good news for a few reasons. Firstly, we have hit on a previously untapped sector with the recruitment industry in Ireland being a mix of web2.0 and project work which is very new and hugely necessary. Secondly, project and indeed flexible work tended to be quite siloed for example IT and design sectors largely but our intention was to offer flexibility to a broader occupational base. Traditionally I suppose IT and design were easy outsource targets because the output was so tangible but there is no reason why any company cannot outsource less tangible operations/functions such as PR, sales and marketing, admin, legal and financial roles. It all goes back to people skills and effective management and just because someone is sitting in your office 40 hours per week doesn't always translate into an optimal solution. Thirdly, we practice what we preach: I live in Wexford and co-founder Dervla Cunningham is based in Dublin and we have managed to research, develop and launch a business by working remotely.

Ivan: The Recruitment industry in Ireland is changing. What role will Flexitimers play in the future?
Of course the recruitment industry is changing because it had to, it is a bit like the construction or property sector during the boom which was synonymous with over-charging and under-delivering. Today, no company can afford to pay for mediocrity whether that is in suppliers, staff or services.
To get back to recruitment, we believe the employment model is changing and the focus will be less on hiring full time permanent staff but will be more project driven. It is a win-win situation for employers because they get to pick and choose the best people for each task and manage their overheads more effectively.
Flexitimers' role is to provide companies with access to a pool of skilled and experienced professionals who are actively seeking project work. Traditionally companies tend to find project workers through their own networks but this is random and unfortunately the best people aren't necessarily within your reach. On Flexitimers you can hire beyond your network and not compromise on quality or caliber. I suppose, Flexitimers confounds false economy and mediocrity.

Ivan: The way we live and the way we work is not the same. Flexitimers seems to be accommodating this and applying it to recruitment?
Absolutely, as the line goes 'nobody ever said on their deathbed, I should have spent more time in the office.' But there is one key point I want to make here: just because you want to work flexibly doesn't mean you have to compromise your career. Take part-time work for example, typically available only in retail, catering and administrative jobs. Like I said earlier, Flexitimers is broadening that occupational base. How? We provide professionals with access to flexible positions i.e. contract, temporary, freelance, consulting and telework across a variety of roles so we're there to help anyone who has just been made redundant to earn income while they're in between jobs. Furthermore, more and more of these interim project workers who join the site for interim or stopgap work find it works better for them so now not only have they flexibility but also they're expanding their profile, career and portfolio.

Ivan: Flexitimers - what is the next step? What is the plan for the future?
I could tell you but I'd have to shoot you afterwards! Only joking, big plans and plenty of exciting developments. I suppose the biggest news at the moment is that our service is FREE to use which again reflects the dramatic changes in the recruitment industry. We'll of course want to build our brand and awareness over the coming months. In the background we are working on expansion plans both in terms of functionality and geography. I speak French, Spanish and basic Dutch so who knows, maybe I will be teleworking from a sunnier climate!

About Joy Redmond, co-founder of Flexitimers
Joy Redmond started her career in 1996 as Marketing Director of Newmedia, one of Ireland's first web design companies. She remained agency side working with Zartis.com and Campaign HTDS before moving client side to become online marketing manager of IngredientsNet.com (a joint venture between Fyffes and Glanbia). Before setting up Flexitimers with Dervla Cunningham, Joy was a lecturer in E-business, research and marketing in the Dublin Institute of Technology and was Course Director of the Masters in Business & Entrepreneurship. Joy also is a busy project worker doing consultant marketing and research for many blue chip companies in Ireland such as Bank of Ireland, eircom, NTL, Poster Plan and JCDecaux. She is a mentor on the Wexford County Enterprise Board and a member of the Irish Internet Association Social Media Working Group.

Joy: Thanks Ivan, a pleasure doing this interview, keep up the good work.

Win a Flip Video Camcorder

2009-05-18T10:31:00.002+01:00

To compliment the launch of the 'Thinking outside the Lunchbox' movie, Flexitimers are running a competition to win a Flip video camcorder.

HOW TO ENTER
DATES: Starts 15th May, Ends Midnight 31st July 2009

HOW TO SUBMIT
Submit your video as a video response to 'Thinking Outside the Lunchbox' video as follows:
1. Go to our competition page and read the terms and conditions
2. Create a video of no more than 3-minutes in length (including opening and closing credits, if any) using 'business jargon' as the theme. Penalties will apply for over-long videos.
3.Sign in to your YouTube account (you must have a YouTube account to submit videos)
4. Upload your Business jargon video(s) to YouTube.
5. Go to the FlexitimersTV Channel on YouTube and click on 'Post a Video Response'
7. Choose your entry from the drop down list of videos in your account
8. Click on 'Respond with this video'. Once the entry has been posted on YouTube, Entrants must also submit the video title, YouTube Embed Code, and your name via email to video@flexitimers.com with the Subject of your email as 'Business jargon video'.

Video parody of Business jargon 'Thinking Outside the LunchBox' now live!

2009-05-18T10:11:00.003+01:00

The wait is now over, the Flexitimers' 'Thinking Outside the LunchBox' movie is now live. This video was produced thanks to Enterprise Ireland innovation vouchers in conjunction with Institute of Art & Design Dun Laoghaire and Glimpse Digital.

Credits:
The concept of this movie was developed by Dervla Cunningham and Joy Redmond of Flexitimers with Ger Fox from IADT and Andy Clarke from Glimpse Digital. Inspiration came from RTE The Business presenter/writer John Murray's book 'Now that's what I can jargon.'
Actors: Amy Redmond, Stephen Rooney and Shane Nestor. Script by Alan Kinsella.

First ever SME week May 6th to 14th

2009-05-08T13:37:00.003+01:00

In my opinion (and having been involved in two small businesses and sold to many more), owner/managers of small businesses are typically optimistic, hard working and smart. But they also neglect networking opportunities (but are very good and them when they go) and they neglect to celebrate the success they do have. I'd like to promote the first European SME Week which takes place from May 6th to 14th 2009.

Organised by the European Commission the aim of the week is to promote entrepreneurship across Europe and to inform entrepreneurs about support available for them at European, national and local level. Find out more about SME Week here. One Irish event is being organised online by smallbusinesscan.com.

You never know what you are missing unless you come along. Networking is now more important than ever.

Flexitimers speaking at The Goose Forum

2009-04-29T15:26:00.003+01:00

Flexitimers are speaking at the Goose Forum tonight about the trials and tribulations of outsourcing - the why, how and where. According to James Kennedy, the event organiser, the audience will be made of a small gathering of people interested or embarking on web ventures so I'll be there to talk about three things:
Starting up a web business in Ireland - help and tips
Outsourcing as a viable means of getting the job done and
Flexitimers as one of the platforms out there to connect companies to a pool of skilled and experienced freelancers, contractors and consultants.
The event takes place in the Maldron Hotel, Cardiff Lane at 6.30. More information available here.