‘I have always loved knitting. Nature and nature writers like Kathleen Jamie inspire my work.’

The product is aimed at knitters of all ages. Anya set up the online shop in January 2019 and she now has four patterns for sale.

Anya says: ‘The EMPOWER Programme helped me gain confidence. It also helped me develop the basic skills to start my own business. The support network has been amazing. For an immigrant like myself who has no connections here, the EMPOWER Programme has given me the resources to tap into, and the people I can ask for help from.’

Website: www.seanbhothar.com.

Instagram: @ahazelgrouse / Fbook: Seanbhóthar  / Twitter: @ahazelgrouse

We wish Anya continued success with her business!

 This project is co-funded by the Irish Government and the European Social Fund as part of the Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning 2014-2020.

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In 1999, at the request of the previous owners (her uncles), Catherine O’Grady and husband Jim Powers embraced the opportunity to take over Glen Keen Farm.

Growing up at Glen Keen, Catherine experienced the different aspects of farming throughout her childhood, making it easier to accept the responsibility of taking on the ownership role. However, they quickly realized the declining economic value that sheep farming had; a viable solution to sustain the family farm was essential. As a child, Catherine recalled tourists stopping by Glen Keen to take photos and talk with her dad and uncle. Not only did they want to talk, they wanted to learn how Glen Keen Farm was run. These memories were Catherine’s inspiration; A visitor attraction center at Glen Keen Farm, offering guests an authentic Irish experience.

Located in County Mayo, along the shores of Killary Harbour and along the Wild Atlantic Way, Glen Keen Farm hosts a visitor center and allows guests to experience the workings of a typical Irish sheep farm – sheepdogs and all. The visitor centre offers a Café, Craft shop, and demonstration areas for the visitors to enjoy watching the sheepdog doing their job; herding the sheep. Guests are also provided with a detailed briefing of the breed of Sheep farmed at Glen Keen.

A lesson in Irish History awaits

Additionally, guests can learn about traditional Turf cutting, and experience first hand an historical walk taking in Bronze age sites; here Ringforts, Cluster buildings dating back to the 1600s (when occupied as Tenant Farm houses), and ancient Cilin burial grounds are on display.  The landscape remains untouched, allowing guests to embrace and interpret their surroundings for themselves. In addition, Glen Keen Farm also offers guests private hikes of the farm; now a special area of conservation as designated by the European Union.

Having a background in Business Studies, Food Safety, and a Diploma in Tour Guiding, Catherine is well informed of how to best cater to Glen Keen’s target market.

About 70% of Glen Keen visitors are from the US, and the remainder are from Germany, Canada, Ireland, and China. Glen Keen Farm reaches other guests by attending International Trade events and maximizing their reach on social media platforms. In the future, they are hoping to grow their business by:

• Attracting more bus tours
• Expand the numbers in the private visitor market
• Open an online store
• Build a database of existing customers
• Develop their communications via a newsletter

When asked how the EMPOWER Programme helped with the process of starting a company, Catherine responded:

“The EMPOWER Growth Programme was of tremendous help to me in growing our business and increasing awareness of our visitor attraction.  Empower provided me with access to experts in in every field of business; Moreover, Empower facilitated many mentoring sessions for me which encouraged a major boost to my business operation. Empower also influenced Jim and I on the importance of setting goals and direction; to always know ‘How are we going to get there’. 

Goal Setting

I am presently setting goals and objectives for the business and for myself personally; this is hugely important.  I am grateful and feel fortunate that I was accepted on to the Empower Programme; it has taught me a lot and has provided me with a network of other entrepreneurs I can call on for support. Just knowing there is a circle of like minded people that are on this journey, is so important; being an Entrepreneur can sometimes be a very lonely route to navigate.”

Catherine and Jim- long may your success continue!

This project is co-funded by the Irish Government and the European Social Fund as part of the Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning 2014-2020.

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Starting a food production business was never part of the plan for Mary. Business Studies was not her favourite subject in school and having the time to commit to something so massive, was not on the cards.

In 2010, her three sisters bought her a gift voucher to attend a chocolate making workshop. Mary learned the basics of chocolate making; how to temper chocolate, make truffles, and the best ways to pair flavours.

http://noo.ie/

Mary continued practicing at home, making edible gifts for family and friends. In 2017 Mary was offered redundancy and took the opportunity to follow her dream. That is when Noo Chocolates was born.

Noo Chocolates is located in Ballina in County Mayo. They use locally produced ingredients to create unique and exciting chocolates. The name comes from her family nickname, Noo,. This is a term of endearment used for small children in South Africa, where her parents lived for a few years before Mary was born.

Today, Noo Chocolates is based in a small production unit in the Quay in Ballina, Co. Mayo. Hand crafted and packaged locally, O’Neill buys high quality chocolate from Belgium, and hand tempers it. Creating recipes for fillings, Mary uses as many locally sourced ingredients as she can. At the moment, she hand-packs the chocolates herself, and hopes to expand her team to get help with this area of the business.

Mary can then focus on expanding the business as well as dip her toes into the corporate market.

Mary participated in the EMPOWER Start Programme Cycle 1, which is a programme specifically for female entrepreneurs in the West of Ireland.

When asked how the Empower Programme helped her with the process of starting a company, she responded:

“The Empower Programme gave me the knowledge and skills to put a structure in place for my fledgling company. I had no knowledge of how to run a business. The programme covers all the aspects of setting up your own business. This encouraged me to proceed with a level of confidence I wouldn’t have otherwise had. In addition, the networking and support from within the group has been excellent. There is always someone on hand to offer a bit of advice or help, which is really important for anyone like me who mainly works alone.”

Mary has now been selected onto Cycle two of the EMPOWER Growth Programme.

This project is co-funded by the Irish Government and the European Social Fund as part of the Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning 2014-2020.

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FOOD FITNESS FERTILITY supports women and couples who are trying to get pregnant, educating them on how to optimize fertility through:

• Nutrition
• Exercise
• Sex education
• Implementing lifestyle changes

The courses are accessible on their website via a learning platform with weekly meal plans, video workouts, accountability and support.

Both Siobhán and Emer are passionate about:

• Women’s health
• Educating women on how their bodies work
• Empowering women on how to take control of their fertility

“both of us have been the women we seek to help”

Siobhán is a nutritional therapist registered with Nutritional Therapists of Ireland and also a personal trainer with years of experience facilitating workshops, classes and dealing with private clients; After a ten year span of no menstrual cycle, Siobhán, conceived a little girl in 2015 by making effective dietary changes.

Emer, a personal trainer qualified with ITEC health and fitness, has over 5 years’ experience running her own women’s fitness gym specializing in pregnancy and postpartum fitness. She worked in finance for 8 years and is a chartered certified Accountant. Emer overcame secondary infertility to have her second child; success was found through:

• Self-education
• Research
• Making changes to her exercise regime
• Learning how to cope with stress

FOOD FITNESS FERTILITY is predominately an online venture, registered in Galway.

The evidence based courses, designed by Emer and Siobhan, is based on The Nurses Health Study. The study followed 18k women and found infertility associated with ovulation issues coupled with diabetes are largely preventable; with lifestyle modifications.

The overall aim of the courses are to help women achieve:

• Optimal weight
• Balanced blood sugars
• Balanced hormone levels

all of which will assist with conception.

In the future, Food Fitness Fertility aims to achieve a more extensive marketing campaign based on member feedback and market research. Other potential revenue streams include:

• Corporate women’s wellness days
• Retreats
• Workshops.

Medium term goals are to explore partnerships with health insurance companies and the HSE, helping them to bring down costs that will be incurred with the new ART Funding Bill.

Longer term Food Fitness Fertility will offer online courses through their website, and also develop an app for women at ALL stages of their journey to motherhood from:

• Preconception
• Pregnancy
• Postpartum
• Early childhood

Regarding the Empower programme, are Emer and Siobhan satisfied with their experience?

“We joined the Empower programme at the infancy of our company. We had just incorporated and launched our website and courses. EmpowerStart programme helped us identify who our target market is; it gave us valuable resources and contacts to help set up the company with financial templates, forecasting information, and legal requirements. Moreover, the programme also highlighted  funding and grants available to us; Attending a programme over a 12-week period encouraged us set goals, not to mention strive to achieve them.

We found inspiration from the guest speakers, in addition to the other female entrepreneurs. We continue to be in contact with and have built a very advantageous network that will support, encourage and advise each other on all aspects of business.”

This project is co-funded by the Irish Government and the European Social Fund as part of the Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning 2014-2020.

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Homecheck, a civil engineering consultancy specialising in services for home buyers and sellers in Counties Galway/Clare, is the brainchild of Niamh Ryle.

With a passion for identifying gaps between the expectations of home buyers and the type/quality of the service and reports which were available, Homecheck helps buyers/sellers by leveraging new technologies to drive down costs for her customers.

Graduating with a Civil Engineering degree from UCD, Ryle has a concrete foundation of understanding the concepts and resources required when it comes to home buying or selling.

Armed with this knowledge, Homecheck is best able to accommodate their growing audience of home buyers:

• First-time buyers
• Investors
• Holiday home buyers
• Trader-uppers
• Property sellers

The growth plan is to extend their service-based business beyond Galway and to expand on the services currently offered.

Niamh participated in the EMPOWER Growth Programme Cycle 1. This is a Programme for female entrepreneurs in the West of Ireland.

We asked how EMPOWER influenced Homecheck and Niamh said:

“The Empower programme highlighted the need for good planning. I was inspired, motivated and comforted when facing difficult decisions.”

If you are buying or selling a house this year, you know who to call first!

This project is co-funded by the Irish Government and the European Social Fund as part of the Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning 2014-2020.

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Hawthorne Handmade Skincare produces handmade skincare in small batches.

Using 100% natural plant seed oils and butters blended with essential oils, Elaine selects the ingredients in Hawthorn Handmade Skincare for their restorative properties. Lightweight in texture, they are absorb easily into the skin. The range currently includes products for lips, face, body and hands. Kennedy is the crafts person behind the Hawthorn Handmade Skincare range. From her family farm in the heart of the west of Ireland, she lovingly handcrafts all of the products; the recipes are carefully formulated to produce skin nourishing products made from the highest quality botanical ingredients.

Based on the shores of Lough Carra at the foot of the Partry Mountains, Kennedy’s family heritage has been rooted in this area for many generations. They have a great family tradition of crafting, dressmaking and knitting, jam making and baking. And of course, farming is at the heart of their way of life. Years ago, Elaine left the farming life behind to pursue a career in the retail industry in London. She spent time working for the high-end fashion retail company, Jigsaw, but was soon led back home. One glorious summers’ eve, as Elaine and her father strolled along the shores of Lough Carra, inhaling in the earthy fragrance of the Hawthorn, she wished she could bottle it.

At that moment, Hawthorn Handmade Skincare was born.

Kennedy has a wealth of knowledge from working in the retail sector for over ten years. During this time, Elaine gained experience of Visual Merchandising and Fashion Display. While still in London, she participated in a business mentoring programme with Melinda Coss, learning how to formulate and sell handmade skincare products.

Hawthorne Handmade Skincare range launched into a number of local Spas, key to the business sales strategy. This creates an air of exclusivity around Kennedy’s brand.  Moreover, there is great potential for expanding the current collection of skincare products. Kennedy intends to build on her bestsellers by introducing new essential oil blends. The range will continue to grow with new products  planned for launch seasonally. Not only that, but recent investment in a purpose built steel tech shed has created opportunities for an additional revenue stream; workshops at the family farm.

We asked how EMPOWER influenced Kennedy’s creation of Hawthorne Handmade Skincare and Elaine responded:

“For me, the programme offered the opportunity to build relationships with like-minded  women. I was one of six finalists to take part in a video-pitch competition at the end of the EmpowerSTART programme. Through the invaluable support of the programme mentors and  participants, EmpowerHer has provided me with the tools to overcome any challenges my business may face. The most valuable benefit of taking part, is that I now have the support of an incredible network of the most talented, inspiring female entrepreneurs the West of Ireland has to offer.”

This project is co-funded by the Irish Government and the European Social Fund as part of the Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning 2014-2020.

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Based in Moycullen Co. Galway, Bloom in a Box is a B2C internet based business whose primary route to market is to drives sales through their website.

Holding a BSc in Science, a BA in Personnel Management, a HND in Management and is a Qualified CIPD Trainer, Aveline’s insights from floral retail, combined with enterprise business, have informed the business model required for her Avelines’s new venture Bloom in a Box.

Aveline is the creative force behind the product and will focus on Sales, Marketing and Customer Care.

Bloom in a Box is a business to consumer (BTC) e-commerce company; Offering a uniquely engineered and patent pending product that disrupts the traditional gifted flower market. This solves the transport challenge that impacts the floral retail sector; providing an alternative single cut boom transported in an engineered box containing the protected bloom.

Flowers are ordered online and delivered via courier in perfect condition. Prices start at €25, to meet market demand, while providing the quality and elegance sought by customers.  The product is designed to be scaled for mass production and hand delivered to customers via An Post or with other couriers.

Coupled with her education and  ten years prior experience in the retail florist industry, Bloom in a Box developed a product that solves a shift in customer buying behaviour; connecting people at a more affordable price point.

Customers want the creative florists’ touch. Bloom in a Box designed products to solve this problem, filling the gap between traditional florist Bouquets and Supermarket flowers. 40% of customers who walk through the door of traditional florist shops are looking for something in the €20 to €30 price range.

When asked how Empower impacted Bloom in a Box, Aveline responded:

“The advice and support acquired from Empower is priceless. The topics discussed and the ability to ask questions in an empowering environment is so important.  Maria brings the whole programme together with her “can do” and “nothing is a problem” attitude. Every support offered and available to all participants; The network and the friends I made are of huge benefit.”

We love the flowers Avenline – keep up the good work!

This project is co-funded by the Irish Government and the European Social Fund as part of the Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning 2014-2020.

The post BLOOM IN A BOX with Aveline O’ Sullivan appeared first on EMPOWER Her.

Inspire Learning works directly with employers in Ireland and in the USA to develop internship/graduate program experiences. They have also developed a number of partnerships with several Universities throughout the United States; tailoring programs specific to their student’s learning needs. Inspire Learning teams includes experts in immigration and relocation; assisting and supporting companies and graduates as needed.

Louise Gibbons (CEO of Inspire Learning) was made aware of challenges facing recent graduates, during her time as University of Ulster’s Students Union President.

She recognized just how unprepared students were for the world of work. Louise developed a company that could not only assist students in identifying their strengths, but would help develop and enhance their work skills. This allows students to become assets to future employers and answering every student’s burning question of ‘where in the world do I want to work?’.

With a BSc in Occupational Psychology, a CIPD qualification, and a PgDip in Psychotherapy, Louise puts her skills to use every day. She understands, interprets, and analyzes what her clients hope to get out of their internship experience; connecting them with opportunities.

In addition, Inspire Learning is working to bridge the gap between graduates and employers through a software platform; allowing easier access for them to communicate with each other. Of equal importance, Inspire Learning plans to focus on specific industries struggling to connect with suitably trained graduates. With this knowledge and expertise they endeavor to broaden their catalog of graduate positions to include full time employment opportunities internationally.

When asked how EMPOWER helped her, Louiseresponded:

“This was a fantastic programme for me. I have been in business for the last 18 years; it can be lonely at times when you are the one dealing with problems. Participating in the Empower programme was a fantastic opportunity for me; meeting like-minded female entrepreneurs, sharing our stories and helping each other in any way possible.

I have made fantastic connections with other ladies on the programme, which has allowed my business to develop into new markets.  We work as a cooperative; There are fourteen sets of eyes looking at potential links and networks for your business. We work as a team and this will continue beyond our 11 months on the programme. I am really grateful for this opportunity and would highly recommend it for anyone else who is interested.”

 Louise – thank you for your kind words and best of luck to you with Inspire Learning!

This project is co-funded by the Irish Government and the European Social Fund as part of the Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning 2014-2020.

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CardioTech Healthcare Ltd, is a Galway based company, founded by Deirdre O’Dwyer Veerasingam and her husband.  Their core business is to promote innovative devices that help to improve the detection and management of  Cardiovascular diseases. Their flagship products are two non-invasive (PC enabled) diagnostic cardio-vascular devices called: 

• The VASCULAR EXPLORER:  comprehensive examinations of central and peripheral blood vessels and risk stratification of cardio vascular diseases.
• The CARDIOLOGIC EXPLORER: diagnosing ischemic heart diseases in 12 seconds.

When asked what inspired Deirdre to start her own business she replied: 

“My inspiration for CardioTech stemmed from a desire to use my skills as a healthcare professional in addition to my knowledge of Clinical Applications in healthcare setting, and put this all to another use.  Furthermore, by applying the skills I have, CardioTech now assists with the overall improvement of detection, treatment and management of  Cardiovascular diseases”.

In the first place, Galway is leading the pack in the Med-Tech industry; it is a no-brainer that CardioTech is based in Gawlay.  Not to mention, with a background in Cardiac Nursing and Clinical Information Management Systems, Deirdre has ensured CardioTech has gotten off to a strong start. 

All products are currently made in Germany, with CE certification, and are sourced directly from the manufacturer. CardioTech is compliant with Irish and European regulations for the distribution and sale of the products in Ireland.

CardioTech’s primary target market is, of course:

• Hospitals
• Primary Care Practitioners
• Medical research entities
• Health Insurance companies delivering a Health Screening Programme

Deirdre and her husband have long range goals to expand the company to cover wider regions with untapped markets. Equally important to the dynamic duo, would be the setting up of a health screening clinic using their devices, with a medical practitioners report output.

We asked Deirdre how she felt the Empower Programme has helped her on this journey:

“The Empower Programme has helped me acquire the relevant skills I need to run my own business. The course instills the importance of group/team work and networking, applying principles of critical thinking, problem solving, and sharing. The lecturers are engaging, covering topics such as:

• Lean Canvas
• Market Research
• Financials
• Networking
• Funding Sources 
• Data Protection

I have more confidence in my ability to structure CardioTech and position it in the marketplace. Over the course of 12 months, while participating in the Empower Programme, I came to  appreciate the continued and unique collegiality developed with fellow participants. Equally, the closed discussion forum, where we discuss our progress or barriers, is an excellent platform of support for each other. In the same fashion, I continue to avail of free (or partially subsidized) courses from GMIT i-Hub, plus the Local Enterprise Office and Inter-Trade Ireland supports for SMEs“.

Of course we at Empower are looking forward to seeing where the future takes you Deirdre!

This project is co-funded by the Irish Government and the European Social Fund as part of the Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning 2014-2020.

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Prepare Me is a social enterprise, creating resources for children and adults with additional needs; Allowing them to have informed experiences in everyday activities.

After 20 years of working in the disability sector, Caitriona Watters Crehan (CEO of Prepare Me) was frustrated at how difficult it was to access visual resources; essential to prepare many of the people she supports for everyday activities which include:

• Doctor appointments
• Dentist appointments
• Hospital appointments
• Navigating public transport
• Haircut appointments etc.

As well as that, Watters was also frustrated when simple activities would go wrong for some. Very often the assumption was that it was their ‘disability’ that was the cause of their stress; More often than not the person simply did not feel prepared for what to expect and what might be expected of them.

“…I founded Prepare Me because I believe our current information systems do not meet the learning styles of many people with additional needs. If you do not use words to speak or if you process language differently, verbal explanations and text are often not the best format of communication when preparing for something…”

Her background containing a Post Grad Cert in Education in Autism, BA (Hons) Applied Social Studies (Disabilities), Qualified Nursery Nurse, and Studio 3 (Behaviour Management) Trainer, prepared Watters for this field of work.

Prepare Me offers beneficial products for their audience and narrows in on their needs. Uniquely, they create video models of ‘typical’ experiences in action. Then, from that footage, they build usable teaching video models, picture stories, visual schedules and also multi sensory resource packs.

Prepare Me plans to build an interactive app allowing users access to a library of resources; then building their own bespoke picture stories, quickly and easily.

Future growth plans will see Prepare Me build a library of generic resources covering as many activities as possible; health activities, dental checks and haircuts. Additionally, they plan to make hard copy resources available for purchase. Not only that, plans are in place to build an interactive web app allowing users to access a visual resource library, and use templates to quickly and easily build their own resources. Finally, they also want to work with general service providers.

The Empower Programme influenced Caitrionna Watters in a number of ways:

“Empower was fantastic. The workshops on market research and planning really gave me the insight needed to explore my concept through the eyes of a consumer. The research we did allowed us to prove that this was a problem ‘worth’ solving. My biggest takeaway from Empower was the support of my peers. Here we are almost a year on and we are continually cheering each other on and sharing each others networks in any way that we can. Empower gave me the confidence to believe in my own abilities to lead and scale a successful and sustainable social enterprise.”

Caitriona – we love what you are doing. Keep up the good work!

This project is co-funded by the Irish Government and the European Social Fund as part of the Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning 2014-2020.

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