Connecting Independent Entrepreneurs in West Cork sharing, learning, supporting, innovating, growing....
SOHOSolo West Cork is a unique small business network tailored to the needs of the Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) enterprise. It offers independent entrepreneurs and home-based workers a forum for interaction, collaboration and engagement with their small business peers. It's about connecting, sharing, supporting and growing our businesses together. The West Cork chapter is part of the vibrant networking and support group SOHO Solo Ireland
SOHOSolo is about synergy -- harnessing and sharing the collective experience, energy, innovation and potential of independent entrepreneurs and home workers throughout the region.
If you're a small business or home-based worker in West Cork, why not join us today?
As you are bound to be a computer user if you are reading this I thought I would draw your attention to a great piece of open source software.
As is often the case it is better in many respects than the commercial offerings (certainly if you consider the price!). In addition it can open peoples eyes (young and old) to what is being achieved in the open source world.
In my view open source can and should be the way forward for small and solo busnesses as the size of the community that supports these projects and the very nature of their objectives means that these products are striving for inter connectivity and complience without being tied into any particular operating system or other vested interest.
Tomorrow (June 16, 2009) marks the 7th anniversay of the very first
release of Tux Paint! To celebrate, The developer has decided to name it “Tux Paint Day,” he’s asking for some help.
Despite how much people — even my closest friends — love and enjoy
Tux Paint, they have friends who still have never heard of it.
You can change this! Help me celebrate “Tux Paint Day” tomorrow by
telling just _two_ friends about Tux Paint!
Some things to mention to your friends:
(1) It’s free!
(2) It works with Windows, Mac OS X and Linux
(3) It knows over 80 languages
(4) It’s great for kids ages 3 to 12 years old
(5) It’s easy enough for most adults to use as well (they may need help kids).
and, of course, they can download it right now from:
As mentioned at the last two SohoSolo meetings I’ve launched a series of workshops: “Hands On: Online Marketing Workshops” The first takes place on Friday, 3rd July, 9.30am – 1.30pm. I will take you through setting up, customising, adding content and promoting your own blog. Places are limited to 5 participants to ensure individual attention.
I am also offering one on one training in Online Marketing and Search Engine Optimisation if that better suits you. Contact me for more information at 023 88 35287 or ebusiness2@omahonydonnelly.ie
This just in on the SOHO Solo News Wire. SAGE, the business accounting software behemoth has decided to make its standard TASBooks basic accounting software available for free to small businesses and startup companies. I’ve just grabbed my copy – download yours now from the TAS Books website.
Here’s the SAGE Press Release:
Sage gives Free Accounts and Payroll Software for start-up and small businesses
Sage is giving its software – TAS BOOKS Basic and Quickpay Free to start-up and small businesses Free of Charge.
“We at Sage have been thinking about how we can help in the current recession and it is very clear that there are lots of jobs being lost and hence lots of people that may have ideas about setting up a small business”, explains Liam Mullaney, Managing Director, Sage Ireland. “We think we can help here and we have identified two of our business software applications that could be made available absolutely free to new start-up and small businesses”.
Our monthly informal SOHO Solo “middle of the month, middle of the week, middle of the day” meet up for June is scheduled for Wednesday 10 June in the Celtic Ross. Join us for an informal chat about SOHO Solo, networking, small business challenges, opportunities and life in general as an independent entrepreneur in West Cork.
These informal meetings are FREE and are Open to All — so come along, say hello and join West Cork’s only network focussed on the home-base solo entrepreneur.
This just in via Twitter. Award winning web designer and internet marketer Sabrina Dent and online marketing specialist Martina Skelly of Activate have teamed up to offer a crash course in digital marketing for small businesses.
The two half day sessions take place in Cork on the 12th June, and look ideal for those of you who know in your gut that the internet has more to offer for your business.
The price is right too, at €150 for the full day and just €80 apiece for the morning or afternoon session.
Here’s a summary of what’s going to be covered.
Building Business Through Social Media
The Social Media seminar runs from 10 AM to 1 PM and covers:
The Whys and How-Tos of blogging for small and medium businesses;
Understanding and leveraging social networks including Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook;
Tools and metrics for quantifying results from blog and social network campaigns.
Putting Google to Work for Your Business
The Google Tools seminar runs from 2 PM to 5 PM and covers:
Safe and effective SEO strategies to improve natural search engine results and rankings;
Using Google AdWords to run cost-effective PPC (Pay-Per-Click) campaigns;
Utilizing Google Analytics to pull it all together, monitor results, and calculate ROI.
This arrived in my inbox this morning from a LinkedIn group I belong to called 121 Marketing, which recently started up in Dublin and has now added a Cork group. They meet up for informal networking on the first Wednesday of every month. Gatherings are free, and open to all, and it could be a great way of hooking up with other businesses in and around Cork. They’re inviting recipients to distribute the invitation — so here goes:
*****
Group: 121 Cork Network Ireland
Subject: Announcement from 121 Cork Network Ireland
Hi Everyone,
You are invited to the First Wednesday Club on June 3rd.
Our first meeting was great fun and effective.
I encourage you to bring people who may be interested in meeting other businesses in the Cork area. The more the merrier
What is the First Wednesday Club?
121 marketing members meet on the first Wednesday of every month from 6pm – late for a FREE social networking event.
Where is the venue? The Radisson SAS Hotel is conveniently located in the heart of Cork International Airport complex. For more information, please visit: http://www.airport.cork.radissonsas.com The Radisson have given us their very trendy Bar to meet and are also very kindly serving us complimentary tea and coffee.
Please distribute this invitation freely to your own business networks to ensure a great crowd.
Note: You must RSVP for each event to secure your name badge. You can RSVP by emailing; odette@stormvids.ie or by texting your details to me on 087 2642879 or replying to this post.
What do you need to bring? Lots of business cards and a smile
We will be showing the finished product of the Video footage taken at the First gathering – I am told there are some great clips.
Our monthly informal SOHO Solo “middle of the month, middle of the week, middle of the day” meet ups continue, with the next one scheduled for next Wednesday in the Celtic Ross. I can’t make it this month… but a host of the usual suspects will descend, so why not join them for a chat about SOHO Solo, networking, small business challenges opportunities and life in general as an independent entrepreneur in West Cork.
These informal meetings are FREE and are Open to All — so come along, say hello and join West Cork’s only network focussed on the home-base solo entrepreneur.
West Cork... a special place for whales, people, business culture and so much more!
This morning in Casey’s Hotel in Baltimore the Skibbereen and Region Economic Network (SAREN) met for the second time to announce four development projects spanning Enterprise, Infrastructure, Marine and Tourism, and Energy and Maufacturing to bolster the future of the region.
Although these type of breakfast events usually culminate in people showing up late – the West Cork crew were raring to go this morning! When I arrived on time at 7.30am there was already a good gathering of people tucking in to breakfast – thanks to Casey’s for their hospitality!
Guest speaker, Michael Hanley of the West Cork Enterprise Board, told us about the support available from the Enterprise Board and other networks including SOHO Solo. He addressed the danger of downplaying the value of start up companies and the negativity of some media outlets that choose to often ignore the positive emergence of start ups in favour of depressing stories. He mentioned begrudgery towards entrepreneurs as being a thing of the past with communities now welcoming those with business acumen to contribute to the area in which they set up. He concluded by encouraging business owners to harness the value of innovative staff as they will prove to be invaluable to the future of a company if treated in the right way.
Development Groups
Leo O’ Driscoll presented on behalf of the Enterprise Group who are in the process of establishing a mentoring scheme for start up companies in the area. This is a great idea as it supports start ups and also provides a network to drive new business opportunities. Leo put the call out for mentors in such fields as accounting, marketing, web development etc. who would donate their expertise to guide entrepreneurs who choose the SAREN region as a base for their business. He also spoke of the hope of establishing a “Green Business Centre” and promoting the region as viable low cost base for larger companies.
Next up was Conor Buckley who is leading the Infrastructure Group who will aim to establish Skibbereen and the surrounding region as a UNESCO World Heritage site. As Skibbereen is noted to have been the epicentre of the Famine – the group will aim to get this recognised by UNESCO. This project will be officially launched during the Inaugural Famine Commemorative Day to be held in Skibbereen in May.
Nic Slocum of Whale Watch West Cork leads The Marine and Tourism Project which will focus on three fundamental areas – marine safety, collective marketing and establishing best practise in customer handling. Nic Slocum spoke of their hopes of creating dinghy docks for visiting yachtsmen and the setting up of water trails around the region for eco friendly transport such as kayaking.
The fourth and final project in the realm of Energy and Manufacturing will be led by Frank Wilson of Ceramicx Ireland. Frank spoke of the crippling energy costs of running a production facility and how the go ahead of a Wind Turbine for his business would not only reduce bills but be better for the environment. He also had some choice words about the planning department (who he finds impossible to deal with) – but we will leave these for another day!
The general sentiment of the morning was one of positivity with people pledging to get involved to get the projects moving. The next meeting is in Schull on July 21st where we will have updates on progress on each project and hopefully some further projects will be realised in the meantime.
It was great to witness the positivity that is out there – despite the fact that we seem to be constantly hearing only negative stories. There is work to be done and there is hope. If businesses pull together everyone will see the benefits and enjoy being a part of a more successful region with the satisfaction of having achieved it together.
If you have an idea or want more information on any of the projects you can e-mail sarenATskibbereen.ie
With people’s inboxes flooded by a relentless stream of spam it’s understandable that some predict the demise of e-mail marketing in the not too distant future. If you believe that e-mail marketing has had its hey-day then you’re in good company. While researching “Understanding Digital Marketing” I conducted Q&A’s with several online marketing luminaries who predicted an uncertain future for the humble e-mail in the marketing mix.
Alain Heureux, President IAB Europe and IAB Belgium
Q. Which components of “digital” (ie: search, affiliate, display, etc.) do you believe will be LESS widely used in say three years time?
A. I think, unfortunately, due to the global spam epidemic, that e-mail marketing has difficult times ahead.
When you consider the spam epidemic alongside the meteoric rise in social media, the burgeoning use of RSS feeds to pull relevant information, and the perceived panacea of search marketing in the online mix, it’s perhaps understandable that the old stalwart of e-mail looks a little jaded in comparison.
But appearances can be deceiving.
E-Mail still has a lot to offer
E-mail usage and penetration remains huge… and for many businesses e-mail is still the preferred method of contact for their customers. The vast majority of internet users wouldn’t recognise an RSS feed if it bit them on the nose, and as for setting up a reader and managing feeds… forget it. But your customers are comfortable with e-mail… and as long as they ask for information (opt-in) and what you send them is targeted, relevant and valuable, it’s still one of the best ways to maintain an ongoing and productive relationship with your customers.
Let’s take my Mum as an example. I wouldn’t dream of trying to explain the ins and outs of RSS to her… let alone venture into the realms of social media… but she’s happy enough using her e-mail client. She can send and receive messages, keep up to date with newsletters from her favourite brands, and get the latest promotions that are relevant to her straight into her inbox.
Building an opt-in e-mail list for your customers allows you to build and maintain a relationship with them over time, and send them targeted information and promotions based on your previous interactions with them. Used properly it can be one of the most effective tools in the small-business marketing arsenal, and still has potential to reach a much wider audience then the new kids on the block.
“Follow me on Twitter” is all very well, but how many of your customers are really at the bleeding edge of social technology? How many of them, do you suppose, have an e-mail account? Thought so!
Use E-mail marketing tools to help you succeed
But where do you start when it comes to building and managing your opt-in e-mail list, constructing your e-mail newsletters and promotions, keeping track of statistics so you can refine your efforts, dealing with subscribe and unsubscribe requests?
For a very small list you could do all the work manually — keeping track of your customer’s e-mail in a spreadsheet and sending your mailings through your standard desktop e-mail client (don’t forget to use the BCC field), but for anything more than a few dozen subscribers that becomes unwieldy and ultimately unmanageable.
Luckily there are tools out there specifically designed to help small businesses just like yours manage their e-mail campaigns. Here are a couple of the better known ones — you can easily google for others. Most offer a free 30 day trial so you can give them a whirl and see which suits you best at no risk.
AWeber is the e-mail marketing tool of choice for many high-profile online marketers. It’s designed for small business, is flexible, affordable, and easy to set up and maintain. For more information and a free trial check out the AWeber e-mail marketing website:
Import your contact lists; choose from 100s of Email Templates, Send Campaigns and Track Reports… sign up for a free 30 day email marketing trial with Benchmark Email.
Newsweaver is an Irish based e-mail campaign management site that focuses on building relationships through delivering topical, opt-in online newsletters to your customers. Check out the Newsweaver website for more on their e-mail services and the business of e-mail in Ireland.
E-mail marketing video
And finally, a short video that will run you through some of the benefits of e-mail marketing and how to get started:
Just a very quick post to say that me and other SOHO Solo West Cork members will be posting more to the blog again soon. There’s been a bit of a lull in posting for various reasons, but together hopefully we can remedy that.
Remember that SOHO Solo members can post articles to the blog, just register for an account and drop us a line so we can upgrade you to contributor status. This is a blog by and for SOHO Solo’s — and the more of us who contribute to it the better.
SOHO Solo West Cork A Small business network specifically tailored to the needs of SOHO enterprise in West Cork, Ireland
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Our monthly informal SOHO Solo “middle of the month, middle of the week, middle of the day” meet ups continue, with the next one scheduled for next Wednesday in the Celtic Ross. I can’t make it this month… but a host of the usual suspects will descend, so why not join them for a chat about SOHO Solo, networking, small business challenges opportunities and life in general as an independent entrepreneur in ![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=ef0a7515-fb88-4304-9902-9c3fb4b4c6b8)
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