Are You Stuck For An Idea?

Are You Stuck For An Idea?

Innovation is key in Business. Without new innovations businesses would suffer greatly and would most likely be left behind in our fast paced society

Many small companies feel that innovation is for much greater and larger corporations, but what they must remember is that those large companies began as small business who just started with a new innovation which led them to be the huge, successful corporations that they are today. However, what small companies must remember is that they have the upper hand on many of the larger corporations. Smaller businesses have more contact with their customers and would have a better idea of what they need and want. Smaller organisations can make decisions much quickly than larger business which means that they can get their ideas out onto the market first and small business can develop a team culture which allows everyone to get involved in innovation, however larger businesses would be unable to do this as there are too many employees.

A great example of a small company who came up with a brilliant idea would be “Snapchat”. Snapchat is a photo messaging app which is now a multi-billion corporation, however at the start they were just a small company who came up with a new idea. When they became popular Facebook tried to buy the company but the owners of Snapchat refused to sell. This led Facebook to create their own photo messaging app, however their app didn’t take off and it ultimately failed. This example proves that smaller companies can rise up and inevitably become one of the world’s most popular and powerful companies.

The “Idea Factory” is a company which helps business to develop and to think of new innovations which will help businesses to grow and succeed. The company was established by Joe Fitzgerald who has studied innovation at MIT and Harvard and Michael Cagney who has over thirty years’ experience as a manager in HR, Finance and Operations. They offer many services at the “Idea Factory” such as, idea generation, innovation training, creative training, innovation consulting, facilitation and workshops. They believe in the innovation funnel, that is if one idea is launched that many more will come. Their ultimate goal is to help business succeed.

 On Wednesday the 22^nd of June the owners of the “Idea Factory” are coming to the Dungarvan Enterprise Centre to speak about innovation. The seminar is free and all are welcome. 

Writer; Siun Morrissey,

Currently studying Business in Cork Institute of Technology going into my 2nd year. For the summer I am volunteering at Dungarvan Enterprise Centre.

Applying Innovation Workshop at DEC

Let's Talk About Innovation 

Innovation is the difference between market leaders and their rivals. 

And yet, although we all know this to be the case, businesses regularly find themselves at a creative impasse for a variety of reasons. Sometimes we are full of ideas but lack the resources to implement them. Sometimes we let the need to innovate be pushed to the back-burner while trying to keep on top of a hectic day-to-day schedule. But we need innovation, not just for pulling punches against our competitors and signposting our organisation as cutting edge- we need innovation in order to streamline those very tasks that often prevent us from innovating in the first place. Innovation is the bread and butter of the thriving enterprise and deserves our attention. With this in mind Dungarvan Enterprise Centre is delighted to announce that in March we will be running Solutions Consultancy Ireland’s “Applying Innovation” workshop.

Bernadette Clancy and Dermot O’ Reilly of Solutions Consultancy Ireland have made it their business to sow innovation wherever they go. They acknowledge that to many people, innovation is a rather vague concept- “something to do with ideas”. This is certainly true but, as Dermot points out, innovation in an entrepreneurial sense tends to register with people mostly as an image of an early-stage entrepreneur tinkering away at some ingenious project. The thing is, in order for these ideas to ultimately succeed, innovation must be enforced across every aspect of your company or service, not just as your starting point. Solutions Consultancy Ireland hopes to teach entrepreneurs and businesspeople how to achieve this through their workshops around Ireland. If the testimonials on their website are anything to go on, this half-day workshop will prove invaluable by equipping participants with a strategic approach to harbouring creativity. 

“Overall, the combination of outside the box creative thinking and strategic insight was very impressive.” (Brand Led Growth, workshop participants) 

Bernadette and Dermot teach their approach to innovation through four simple steps:

• What IS (Your current product or service),
• What IF (Looking at the ideal version of your product or service- the sky is the limit!) 
• What will wow the customer, and
• What will ultimately work.

During the workshop participants will be guided through this process and explore the tools needed in order to implement the innovation process in their business. “It will make you more innovative in the long run and it will improve your market share and give you the edge on any competition you might have,” explains Dermot. “It could also help you come up with an idea that’s completely different to anything that’s been done before. So it’s a creative process, it’s a fun process, you should enjoy the day and you should come away having learned a hell of a lot to give your business or organisation the edge that you need in today’s world."

“Applying Innovation” will take place on Wednesday 23 March at 9:30am and Bernadette and Dermot are keen to stress that these workshops can be applied to all businesses, no matter what their purpose or what stage of development they are at. So whether you are a fledgling enterprise trying to establish a customer base, or a more seasoned professional looking for a new way to stimulate life and growth in your business, or even a potential future entrepreneur with nothing yet but an idea, this workshop could help you to achieve your aspirations and establish you as the only choice for your customers. 

The cost is €60 per person and includes light refreshments. For more information, or to book a place, please call Dungarvan Enterprise Centre at 058 23598 or email dungarvanec@gmail.com

Dungarvan Enterprise Centre Launches Business Needs Survey in Waterford & Dungarvan

Dungarvan Enterprise Centre

Launches Business Needs Survey in Waterford & Dungarvan

We are delighted to say that we are developing and lunching a ‘Voice of the Customer’ survey, which will help to establish the gaps in support for micro and start-up business, and determine what supports business really need in order to grow.

Why we are doing this?

We want to make sure we are providing supports and services that business need. And we want to improve our offering by filling any gaps in our services.

We are urging all involved in business in Waterford city and county to have their say in our survey, we are taking this exercise very seriously and will be taking action based on the feedback that we receive.

It is our intention to further develop our facilities and services around the needs of the business community, based on the findings of this survey. We want to hear about your issues, challenges and needs so that we can make the right decisions to support you.

You can take part in the lottery for €100 for respondents to the survey, which is a further incentive. Everybody who responds to our survey and leaves their contact details will be entered into a draw for €100 cash.

We have contracted RIKON to help develop the survey and will work closely with the leading research experts to deliver a robust and comprehensive piece of research that can offer genuine insights into the needs of the business community.

RIKON are Ireland’s leading service innovation centre located in WIT and is staffed by doctoral and post- doctoral researcher along with industry experts.

The survey is online and will take just 6 minutes to complete. 

For further information please contact Dungarvan Enterprise Centre at (058) 23598 or dungarvanec@gmail.com .