DERRY City and Strabane District Council partnership with Enterprise North West and Strabane Enterprise Agency is offering local budding entrepreneurs’ ‘virtual’ access to the Go For It Programme to help them launch their business idea during the Coronavirus pandemic.
This project is part funded by Invest Northern Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund under the Investment for Growth & Jobs Northern Ireland (2014-2020) Programme.
Derry City and Strabane District Council has joined forces with council areas across the North of Ireland to deliver virtual support through its wide network of enterprise agencies.
Would-be entrepreneurs will get the chance to speak to a business advisor remotely via telephone or video conferencing about their business idea and find out how the Go For It Programme can help them.
The Go For It Programme can help any budding entrepreneurs do more than dream up a good idea – it can help you turn it into reality.
It has mentored over 6,000 aspiring entrepreneurs across all 11 Council areas of Northern Ireland in the past two years.
It provides expert free advice and support to anyone wishing to start their own business, by taking them through the process of creating a business plan.
It covers everything from financial forecasting to marketing and long-term business planning.
Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Brian Tierney, said:
“We would encourage anyone in the Derry City & Strabane District area who has an idea to start their own business to not be put off seeking the appropriate advice and support of the Go For It Programme during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“We have a team of experienced business advisors, who are working remotely, through our network of enterprise agencies to provide candidates with the expert advice and support they need to start their own business.
“Our business advisors will help candidates create a business plan tailored to their business idea, focusing on important elements such as financial forecasting and accounts, sales and marketing, and how they can potentially access funding.
“The business plan will provide candidates with a blue-print for building a successful and sustainable business model, and the confidence that they have taken all the necessary steps before launching their own business.”
Two local entrepreneurs who have used their specialised skills and experience in the public health sector to pursue their own joint business venture is Karen Murphy and Anne-Marie Campbell of Health Hub Professionals NI Ltd.
Karen has over 20 years’ experience as a Hand Therapy Specialist and Anne-Marie has almost 20 years’ experience as a Specialist Physiotherapist in Women’s Health.
Both have combined their experience to launch a private consultancy service – the first of its kind in the North West of Ireland – offering comprehensive specialist upper limb treatment and management of a wide range of women’s health issues.
Karen Murphy said: “Anne-Marie and I had been working in the health sector for many years, both highly skilled in our respective fields of expertise.
“Yet, when we came together to develop the idea for our private practice, we didn’t have the business acumen to take it to the next step.
“That’s when we contacted the Go For It Programme, which offered us the help and support we needed to develop a business plan that provided us with the confidence and reassurance that we needed to see that our idea was a viable business opportunity.
“Our business advisor worked alongside us to develop a business plan which outlined a clear strategic approach to our service offering, financial forecasts, and sales and marketing targets.
“Our business plan has been Anne-Marie and I’s go-to manual for successfully launching and sustaining our business.”
Enterprise North West and Strabane Enterprise Agency deliver the Go For It programme in the Derry City and Strabane District Council area.
If you have a business idea you’d like to develop or if you are thinking about starting a business call 0800 027 0639 or visit: visit www.goforitni.com.
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