Women in Business

Mailmaker123 – a new Kerry business

By Anne Kiely  |  2010/06/22 07:00 Posted in Entrepreneurs, Ireland Business, Kerry Business, Women in Business  |  Comments (0)

According to research conducted by the Direct Marketing Association, email marketing generated a return on investment of €38 for every Euro spent on it in 2009, outperforming all other direct marketing channels.

Mailmaker123 (http://www.mailmaker123.ie) offer designer templates custom-made to match your company’s brand or image as well as an ever-increasing selection of seasonal themed designs.  They set up your account on their system and create a subscriber list for your email addresses from your existing database or file.  The next steps are then to create your newsletter, send yourself a test version and then send the final version to your subscriber list.  But it doesn’t end there : you can analyse the results from the reports - who opened your email, how many people clicked a link and the details of anyone who unsubscribed. 

Contact Tina Costigan or Lynda Foran for more information – info@mailmaker123.ie.

Kerry Businesswomen’s Network 1st July

By Anne Kiely  |  2010/06/21 15:19 Posted in Business Networking, Ireland Business, Ireland events, Kerry Business, Kerry County Enterprise Board, Kerry events, Women in Business  |  Comments (1)

Thursday 1st July will see the final networking meeting of this membership year of Kerry Businesswomen’s Network as we take a break from meetings in August.  We will be one year old on 23rd July and we already have over 90 members!  Take a look at www.kerrybusinesswomen.com for the latest news and to browse the Directory of our members.
 
Come along to the Meadowlands Hotel in Tralee, 7 for 7.30 pm, to meet up with members and other guests.  Mary Beary of People Sense will be the main speaker on “Practical Marketing in Action”.  She has lots of great ideas on how to promote your business in a cost-effective way.
 
There is NO ADMISSION FEE for this meeting and you are welcome to pass on this invitation to any other women who may be interested in attending.
 
Please let Anne Kiely know if you would like to come so that we have an idea of numbers – kerrybusinesswomen@gmail.com

The Meadowlands Hotel, Tralee

Click Ahead Summer Camp

By Anne Kiely  |  2010/06/06 06:00 Posted in Ireland events, Kerry Business, Kerry events, Women in Business  |  Comments (0)

Do you have a child who struggles with reading, writing or spelling?  Click Ahead Summer Camp is for children and young adults with dyslexia, dyspraxia and other learning difficulties.  It’s at the Institute of Technology, Tralee from 26th to 30th July from 9.30 am to 4.00 pm.

Margaret Slattery, from Clahane, Ballyduff, County Kerry is the Camp Co-ordinator and Parent and can be contacted by e-mail at slattery.margaret@gmail.comand on 087 982 9847.   There will be two groups: junior camp for 9 to 12-year-olds and senior camp for 13 to 18-year-olds.  Parents should attend with their child on the first day of the camp.  Registration forms are available at all Kerry County libraries and from the mobile library.  There is a registration session on Thursday 10th June from 5 to 7 pm at the North Campus of IT Tralee in Dromtacker.

The programme includes touch typing, texthelp software, mind mapping, study skills and time management, Word Shark software, Nintendo Brain Training, Astro Turf soccer, GAA, basketball and much more.   Three other facilitators are involved – Marie Stubbings (Director of the Dyslexic Support Centre), Conor Hartigan (Support Co-ordinator of Disability Services, University of Limerick) and Lorraine Gallagher (AHEAD – Association for Higher Education Access & Disability).

Democracy Board Game

By Anne Kiely  |  2010/06/05 07:00 Posted in Entrepreneurs, Ireland Business, Kerry Business, Women in Business  |  Comments (0)

The new Democracy Board Game was created by Shahidah Janjua, John Loughrey and Ramir Khan – a game which they describe as “truly different” and with a set of ethics which reinforces human rights and social justice.

DEMOCRACY is manufactured by Geepy Games, Co Kerry, Ireland and can be distributed to anywhere in the world, whether in a single order, or in bulk.
 
In line with the ethos of the game and how it was created,  profits from each game of DEMOCRACY sold will be invested in community projects in Co. Kerry, Ireland.  Nina Lyons of re:turnstudios (www.returnstudios.net),  a member of Kerry Businesswomen’s Network,  has designed the graphics for the game.

Find out more at www.democracyboardgame.com and “like” their Facebook page (search for Democracy Board Game).

Tiny shoes

By Anne Kiely  |  2010/06/04 11:59 Posted in Entrepreneurs, Ireland Business, Kerry Business, Women in Business  |  Comments (0)

 Kerry woman sells designer shoes for petite ladies

 A Kerry business can satisfy the needs of petite ladies who love their shoes.  Amy Hanley of Castleisland, County Kerry,  launched Shoetastic (www.shoetastic.ie) after many months of research and planning.  This online shopping service will be a delight for ladies who find the search for sizes 32 to 37 so difficult.

 Amy knows only too well how difficult it is to find tiny shoes:

“I have always had problems in finding fashionable shoes in my tiny size, so I decided to solve the problem for myself and others by setting up my own business.  By selling online, I can reach out to petite women all around the world who want to buy designer shoes.”

 The  range includes ankle, knee-high and calf boots, casual shoes, high heels, peep toes and a special bridal collection.  There are even matching handbags to complete an outfit.  Current prices start at just over  €30.   

Amy is delighted with the help she received from Kerry County Enterprise Board.  With the help of a mentor and a grant, she has been able to explore how best to set up, manage and market her business.  The “Start your own business” course run by the Enterprise Board was just what Amy needed to enhance her skills and she now regularly attends networking events in the County.

 

The Business of Weddings Ireland

By Anne Kiely  |  2010/06/02 13:28 Posted in Business Networking, Ireland Business, Ireland events, Kerry Business, Kerry events, Women in Business  |  Comments (1)

 Annie Byrne with Videographer Pat Breen, Florist Leona Fitzmaurice (Every Occasion, Tralee), DJ James O’Brien and Niall Tangney (Muckross Park Hotel).  Photograph by Michelle Crean, www.dimage.ie

There are more than 30,700 marriages registered each year in the island of Ireland and nearly 262,000 in England, Wales and Scotland – that’s great news for the many businesses who cater for the wedding market.  Annie Byrne of Aislinn Events is convinced that bringing these businesses together to learn and network can lead to new or improved business opportunities. 

 The first Business of Weddings Ireland conference will be held at the luxury five-star Muckross Park Hotel in Killarney, County Kerry on 2nd and 3rd November 2010.  This is timed for “pre-engagement” season!  Annie Byrne is excited and delighted that Meghan Ely, an expert in PR and marketing for wedding businesses in the USA, will be flying over to be the main speaker. 

 Annie comments:

“This conference is ideal for wedding co-ordinators and planners, bridal shop owners, photographers, florists, bakers, designers, videographers, hairdressers, make-up artists, entertainers, chauffeurs and any other business connected with weddings.  Meghan will be focusing on how to reach and market to “Generation Y” brides and grooms, bridal show marketing strategies and using social media and networking to raise your profile.”

 Annie Byrne (http://aislinnevents.com), originally from Los Angeles,  is an experienced wedding planner and co-ordinator based on the lovely Dingle peninsula; she specialises in working with couples from outside Ireland who want to come to Southwest Ireland for their wedding.  The process starts with “dreamstorming” – a chance for the couple to chat about their wishes so that Annie can come up with a “to do” list, inspiration board and checklists.  Annie has been working in the wedding business for more than five years, involving hundreds of weddings and events.  Her blog (http://aislinnevents.com/blog) is an inspiring collection of photographs and articles.

 Meghan Ely of OFD Consulting lives and breathes the wedding industry and has planned three “Artful Wedding” bridal shows.  She is MD of the Richmond Bridal Association, co-host of Bridesight TV (a webcast show) and Marketing Chair of “Wish upon a Wedding”.  As a writer, she contributes to Virginia Bride and Premier Bride magazines.  Her blog – “Illuminate” (http://ofdconsulting.blogspot.com/) – gives a taster of her tips and ideas for the wedding professional.

 Booking for the conference is already open and there’s an early registration price of €237 until 1st September which includes lunch, dinner and overnight stay plus breakfast in the Muckross Park Hotel.  Killarney is only a 20-minute journey by taxi from Kerry airport (served by Ryanair and Aer Arann).  Book on www.thebusinessofweddings-ireland.com or contact Annie Byrne at hello@aislinnevents.com or phone +353 76 6026800 or mobile +353 87 676 1900.

Kerry Business at Bloom in Dublin

By Anne Kiely  |  2010/06/01 08:04 Posted in Ireland Business, Kerry Business, Women in Business  |  Comments (0)

This time last year Melanie Harty, a Tralee businesswoman, was still putting the finishing touches to the production and packaging design for her range of pepper jellies and launching them in Kerry.  The business has grown so well that this year she will be exhibiting at Bloom, Ireland’s biggest garden festival in Phoenix Park, Dublin,  from Thursday 3rd to Monday 7th June.

 Melanie will be there herself at Stand 5 in the Bord Bia Food Market, a firmly established key attraction of the event. In 2009, more than 58,000 visitors were at Bloom, more than 59% of them from outside the Dublin area.  Over 40 artisan food producers will be at the market, with a wide variety of foods. 

 Melanie comments:

“Bloom is a fantastic opportunity to tell so many people about my products, to let them taste the jellies for themselves and also share tips on how to use them.  When you go to an exhibition like this, the feedback from visitors is really valuable and I also hope to find more outlets who would like to stock my four different varieties of savoury jelly.”

 Already, Harty’s Foods are widely available in Kerry and Cork but the number of stockists is growing rapidly and the popular jellies can now be bought in central and County Dublin and Counties Galway, Kilkenny, Limerick, Tipperary and Wexford.  Melanie is aiming high – she won’t rest until they are in all 32 counties!  The jellies are made with all natural ingredients and are an alternative to conventional sauces and dips.  The jalapeno variety is hot and spicy whilst the char-grilled pepper jelly is mild and subtle; the ginger hot pepper, and hot pepper versions make sure that everyone can find a favourite.

 Bloom is open from 11 am to 6 pm on Thursday 3rd June and from 10 am to 6 pm from 4th to 7th June. More information, plus ticket booking, can be found at www.bloominthepark.com

 For more information on Melanie and Harty’s Foods, visit www.hartysfoods.com

Launch of the European Network of Female Entrepreneurship Ambassadors

By Anne Kiely  |  2010/05/20 08:00 Posted in Entrepreneurs, Ireland Business, Women in Business  |  Comments (0)

Here’s a video of Mary Coughlan launching this Network in December 2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwetYjRZgC0&feature=player_embedded

Kerry Businesswomen’s Network 6th May

By Anne Kiely  |  2010/04/21 15:28 Posted in Business Networking, Kerry Business, Kerry events, Kiely & Associates, Women in Business  |  Comments (0)

It’s time for another Business Showcase to find out more about members of the Kerry Businesswomen’s Network.  We are now up to 85 members, even before we are one year old!

Business Showcase will be on Thursday 6th May, 7 for 7.30 pm at the Meadowlands Hotel, Tralee.  Guests are welcome to attend their first meeting without a fee; subsequent meetings are €12 per guest.    Membership is €60 (until 31st August 2010) and has many more benefits than just the networking meetings.

On 6th May, nine of our members will take ten minutes each to tell us about their business.  We will also have an exhibition for members to display information, samples or demonstrations.

To book a place for this event, contact kerrybusinesswomen@gmail.com

To find out more about the network, visit www.kerrybusinesswomen.com

Bargains at www.shoetastic.ie

By Anne Kiely  |  2010/04/17 07:45 Posted in Kerry Business, Kiely & Associates, Women in Business  |  Comments (0)

Kiely & Associates’ client Amy Hanley has some great bargains on her website www.shoetastic.ie.  Amy sells shoes for ladies with petite feet and also has matching handbags.