Successfully Engaging Senior Entrepreneurs: 50+Start Your Own Business Course Sheelagh Daly CEO Wicklow County Enterprise Board (CEB)
CEB’s Overall Objectives • Fostering an Enterprise Culture • Supporting Dynamic New Enterprises • Strengthening Existing Businesses • Supporting Growth
CEB’s Supports for Start-ups • • • • • • • • • •
Information One-to-one Advice Start Your Own Business (SYOB) courses Business Skills Training Business IT Skills Seminars Networks Mentoring Finance
50+ SYOB Pilot Programme • Kildare, Meath, Wicklow • Pilot: 3 courses run simultaneously • SYOB Content & format adapted • Residential element introduced • Promotion • Funding
Participation
New Business Profiles • • • • • • • •
Healthcare Beauty Tourism Software Craft Web based B2B services B2C services
• Average projected number of employees:2 • Average projected annual turnover: €120,000
50+ SYOB course – A Success? • High overall satisfaction rating by particpants • Clear merit of having an age specific 50+SYOB course • Strong commitment by particpants • Good dynamic and collaboration • Too early to judge the number of sustainable new businesses that will emerge
Recommendations • A focus on an age specific 50+ Start Your Own Business has merit and should be continued • Include testimony from past particpants in marketing and promoting future courses • Extend the length of the course to 12 weeks • Focus on the production of business plans as targeted outcome
Recommendations Style of delivery • Draw on the expertise and experience of particpants • Less as a teacher more as a facilitator • Focus on applied learning • Provide course material in advance of each session • Presentation and course materials to be easily read and heard
Recommendations • Profile particpants at early stage (expertise, experience and planned new businesses) • Recognise unevenness among group in IT knowledge and computer skills • Issues surrounding succession and exit strategy very pertinent • Facilitate social/networking element
Recommendations • Residential workshop should be be made more developmental • Introduce role models to describe their experience to group • Following the course, develop self sustaining groups • Six month follow-up • Develop online resource material • Role of Senior Enterprise
Successfully Engaging Senior Entrepreneurs: 50+Start Your Own Business Course Sheelagh Daly CEO Wicklow County Enterprise Board
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