From an early age, Liam Mc Stravick from New Lodge, had a true passion for sport.

Although denied the opportunity to pursue his childhood dream of playing soccer across the water at 16, with celebrated sporting family connections including his grandfather, boxing legend, Gerry McStravick, it was somewhat inevitable that Liam would one day turn his passion and hobby into a successful business.

In just over two years, the 27 year old entrepreneur has built Copius Consulting, based in North City Business Centre, into Northern Ireland’s top sport and community development consulting companies. Specialising in community sports development, the company currently provides services such as business planning, sports development planning, facilities development and training to a host of public and private sector clients across the province. 

Copius Consulting have been involved in many of the City’s most successful sporting projects including advising on the development of the highly acclaimed Midnight Street Soccer Project, co-ordinating Belfast City Council’s bid for the £45million Velodrome project in East Belfast and being the primary public funding consultant involved in the development of the City of Belfast Stadium.

Motivated and ambitious in equal measure, Liam developed a keen interest in youth work and community development and regeneration whilst studying for his first class honours degree in Sports Studies at the University of Ulster as he explains: “I learned a great deal working with the New Lodge Youth Centre as a Youth Worker and gained invaluable experience during my placement year in Belfast City Council organising large scale sports events such as The World Boxing Championships.” 

After graduating, he gained further experience working for The Meningitis Trust and North Belfast Sports Forum. However, it was whilst working for the Northern Ireland Sports Council that he identified a niche in the local market and began developing his own business idea: “I was studying for my MA in Marketing, had a very young family to support and I had worked very hard over the years building my network of contacts, skills base and reputation. I knew there was a real gap in the market for community sports development consultancy and I relished the idea of being my own boss, so I decided to set up my own business.”

Before doing so, Liam completed the Business Start Programme in North City Business Centre, which he found invaluable as he explains: “Marketing and project management were my key strengths but I was very naïve about the fundamentals involved in running a business. The Business Start Programme was brilliant. I learned a great deal about finance, managing cash flow, planning and setting key targets. It also helped me focus on pulling my business plan together and the grant helped me purchase my first computer at the time. I would advise everyone considering setting up a business, to do the Business Start programme just as soon as they can, to help them focus on getting the fundamentals right.”        

Getting the business off the ground took much effort and hard work as Liam readily admits: “The first year in business was very difficult and several times I questioned whether or not I had done the right thing. You need to be prepared to work very long hours and take risks. I focused on growing the business organically by initially providing a range of services to Sports Clubs and Community Organisations. I made a concerted effort to add value to every project I worked on and as a result, community development agencies soon commissioned me with projects and the business grew from there.”

Based in North City Business Centre has been advantageous also as Liam explains:

“Finding the right premises for your business can be difficult and the benefit of being located here at North City Business Centre is that we can tap into administration support on-site when we need it. We use the meeting room facilities here regularly when we are delivering training on behalf of our clients.”

Commenting on what advice he would give to anyone considering setting up in business, Liam says: “Seriously consider how you are going to finance the setting up of your business and how you are going to get by for the first six to twelve months. Be completely honest with your bank and consult with your business adviser before making any key decisions involving the business. You will have to be prepared to work harder than you have ever worked before, but if you put your heart and soul into the business for the first two years you will reap the rewards”.         

Currently employing three full time consultants, Liam has ambitious plans for Copius Consultancy over the next five years: “We plan on capitalising on the 2012 Olympics in London by launching a London office in the next 6 months as there are incredible business opportunities for tailored sports consultancy services. Manchester and Liverpool also feature as potential target markets given the increasing number of sports development and regeneration projects in the two cities. In addition, we plan to take Copius Consultancy to other regions including Wales and Scotland.”

Originally from Augher in County Tyrone, Ciara Daly worked in England before she returned to Belfast to be closer to her family and friends taking up a post as a Manager for a rehabilitation centre for young people on the Ormeau Road.

Whilst working full time, Ciara developed a passion for buying and revamping property as she explained: “It all started with my first house which I bought, redecorated and then rented out. Within two years, I had caught the property development bug as I had purchased property and moved on about three times. I also project managed the purchasing, renting and interior design of properties for friends and family and built up a good network of contacts in the local property market.”

Her hobby soon took on a life of its own and in conjunction with a number of landlords, she formed Rentz Belfast, a part time business, which grew as she developed a web site and a database of landlords and tenants.

To gain a greater insight into running a successful business, Ciara completed a Certificate for Business Enterprise in Wolfhill Business Centre in Ligoniel and also attended the Start a Business Programme in North City Business Centre: “I found all the training to be very helpful. As I was hesitant about going it alone, the two courses gave me a greater understanding into the various elements involved in running a business successfully. I learned a lot about health and safety, insurance, vat and tax which was really useful”.

Along with her business partner, she decided to concentrate on property development full time and launched Property People in May 2007. The business is based in Atlantic Avenue. Ciara offers a range of services including: property management and development, tenant finding, commercial and residential sales, UK based property sales, international sales, land sales and property acquisition.

Commenting on the highs and lows of getting the business up and running, Ciara said:

“When you start your own business, you don’t have all the answers and sometimes it is a question of trial and error. Finding the ideal premises for the business was not an easy task. In addition, we had to invest a substantial amount of money in advertising in a range of local and daily newspapers before we could determine which newspapers delivered results for us.”

“With the issue of pricing, you want to be competitive, offer your clients good value for money for the service you provide and cover your own costs at the same time. We had substantial start up costs which I underestimated e.g. signage for the front of the property and the equipment we needed for the office.”  

To anyone who may be considering setting up their own business, Ciara has the following advice: “Do your research well in advance. Investigate the range of support and courses available to you from your local enterprise agency. The great thing about North City Business Centre is that they provide on-going support and I know that I can approach the business advise team for help and advice when I need to. Work on developing your business plan including outlining the key objectives and deadlines for achieving them. If you don’t have a clear cut plan, things will slip and you will find yourself running behind schedule and incurring additional start up costs that you simply cannot afford.”

“Undoubtedly setting up and building your business is hard work but it is equally

rewarding and fulfilling. You certainly have to work long hours, you can’t take extended holidays and initially you may be working for very little money until you build the business, but ultimately the flip side includes being in control and being your own boss.”                           

For further information contact: Ciara Daly, Property People, Atlantic Avenue, Belfast Tel: (028) 9074 7300 E: Ciara@wearepropertypeople.com

North Belfast man Gary Day never had a burning ambition to run his own business,

but that’s exactly what he is now doing and enjoying every minute of it.

Thirty three year old Gary set up GDay Communications in February 2007. As one of four approved sub-contractors for Orange, the mobile phone company, Gary is responsible for the installation and maintenance of vehicle hands-free car kits right across the province.

Whilst his business is still in its infancy, Gary has managed to grow his customer base steadily to include a number of Northern Ireland based mobile phone companies including: Cor-Tel Communications, Newtownabbey; Connect Communications,  Lisburn and Belfast based Euro Mobile Communications and Phonetics.

Whilst in his second year studying for a City & Guilds in Electronic Engineering and Maintenance at Belfast Institute of Further and Higher Education (now Belfast Metropolitan College), Gary had the opportunity to do a placement year with Euro Mobile Communications, a mobile phone company, based in Dargan Crescent. Gary made such an impression that the company offered him a full time post which he accepted: “I definitely learned a great deal during that placement year, one of my colleagues, a former BT Engineer took me under his wing and trained me how to install hands free car phones. Sixteen year ago, car phone were massive things, installation involved stripping the whole car out from toe to tail and parts had to be installed in the boot compartment. There was at least half a days work involved in one job. I didn’t go back to college but spent five years with Euro Mobile as an Installation Engineer and Phone Technician and received some invaluable training with Sony, now Sony Erickson.” 

Jobs with NetCom Communications in Belfast’s Harbour Estate and Barclay Communications followed. Whilst at NetCom Communications, Gary became an approved Orange engineer.  Towards the end of 2006, whilst working for Barclay’s and   after coming back from honeymoon he was presented with an opportunity which he just couldn’t refuse, one which proved to be the impetus for setting up his own business.  As Gary explains: “I got a call from one of the Technical Director’s with Orange about the possibility of becoming a sub-contractor for Orange. That call convinced me that the time was right to go out on my own.” 

Before leaving his full-time post with Barclays, Gary started planning for setting up on his own. He did his research into the market, began setting up his office systems and procedures and tapped into his network of contacts and was reasonably confident of being able to secure work. He also completed the Business Start Programme in North City Business Centre during evenings, which he found invaluable as he explains:

“In hindsight, I was pretty naïve about what was involved in becoming self employed.

On the Business Start Programme, I learned about financial planning, approaching the Inland Revenue, tax and VAT. I also need to revisit North City Business Centre as they are going to provide me with some support in setting up my web site.”

Gary was up and running by February 2007, good timing in light of the Government legislation introduced in March, banning the use of mobile phones whilst driving, which he was able to capitalise on as he explains: “It was a good time to be up and running as there was certainly an upsurge in demand from the corporate sector with some companies requiring installations of up to 20 kits in fleet vans and lorries.”

Commenting on the highs and lows of setting up his own business, Gary says:

“Taking the plunge was certainly the most difficult decision because you worry about not making enough to pay the bills, will I ever be able to take a holiday, all of the things that that you take for granted when you are in full time employment. However, I do find it a lot less stressful, I enjoy the flexibility of being able to manage my own time and being my own boss, being in control.”        

Gary’s future plans include consolidating his current client portfolio and in order to broaden the range of services he can offer, he has just recently completed intensive training with a UK based company, Tracker, to install their vehicle tracking devices, as he explains: “Many companies are installing vehicle tracking devices to enhance their operations, reduce outgoing costs, increase profit margins and benefit from reduced motor insurance premiums. The vehicle tracking device is an electronic tracking device which is installed in vehicles to enable owner/ managers to effectively manage fleet operations and functions such as routing, dispatch, onboard information and security.

The installation work is fairly similar to a vehicle hands free kit in any case, so it just broadens my scope for additional sub contracting projects.” 

Vicky Newman and Martina McKendry came up with the idea for their business when Martina’s husband couldn’t find software which adequately addressed the needs of his busy repair garage. Using their collective skills in customer relationship management, web based applications and project management, they came up with a solution that would deliver everything a garage needs to manage schedules and keep in touch with customers. They took the idea to Invest NI and were advised to apply for a SMART award, a competitive grant which allows businesses to develop a prototype and explore market potential.

Vicky Newman commented "The SMART Award offered us a unique opportunity to develop the Autosure concept and has been invaluable to us in the early stages of the business. We have also gained a huge amount of advice and support from Invest NI along the way. Given the interest already shown in Autosure we feel confident that we can quickly demonstrate that Invest NI's confidence in Autosure is well founded."

Vicky also took full advantage of the help and support available to her through her local East Belfast Enterprise Agency. She attended the Start A Business Programme at the agency in September. “I know a lot of experienced business people who take the view that the SABP programme is just a hoop that has to be jumped through when starting your own business, but I would really encourage them to think again” says Vicky, “It’s always useful to take a refresher course, even on areas you know well, and you get an opportunity to network with new people, which can lead to new business or supplier contacts. Attending the SABP course allowed me to review our business plan thoroughly and the one to one feedback from the Business Consultant was invaluable.”

The East Belfast Enterprise Agency team was so impressed with Autosure that Vicky was invited to take part in the Tradelinks "Seeds of Success" Event held at Malone House in October 2006

She delivered her pitch to a panel of leading investors and entrepreneurs, including PR guru and Lynn Franks and Brian Cummings of Enterprise Equity, and ended up winning the event! The panel was most impressed by Autosure's potential for growth, the quality of the product and by the team's previous experience.

Vicky says “This was a great experience – to be able to pitch our idea to such senior business figures and come out top was tremendously rewarding, and the PR opportunity was very welcome too!”

Following on from this success, Autosure submitted the business plan and cashflow projections that had been developed through SMART and the SABP course to the All Ireland Seedcorn Competition, and the company was named as one of the finalists for the Belfast region. This competition is run by IntertradeIreland to find the best business plan in Ireland, and the judging panel looks for the same elements that a potential investor would look for.

Martina McKendry gave a very well received presentation and Autosure was highly praised for the quality of the business plan and the potential market for the business.
Martina commented "It's a huge boost for us to have beaten 20 entries in the Belfast area alone!  It's also great to get so much useful feedback and support from the panellists."

Vicky and Martina are currently working towards SMART 2 funding with Invest NI, and they see their relationship with the East Belfast Enterprise Agency as an ongoing one. Vicky comments: “I regularly check their website along with the Invest NI site as I like to keep up to date with opportunities and courses. Through the EBE I have been prompted to join the Women in Business Network, which I would definitely recommend, and I like the fact that when I attend the meetings I am sure to meet representatives from both the EBE and INI. They all seem genuinely committed to helping young businesses succeed.

“We are so lucky in Northern Ireland to have such a strong business support network, and everyone we have worked with has been really well informed and supportive. I would recommend that anyone thinking of starting their own business takes the SABP course – it’s all done in the evenings at a local business centre, so it’s convenient to attend and you will end up with a really clear idea of how to take the business forward. I now have a great relationship with the EBE team and know I can pick up the phone if I ever need advice or useful contacts. Along with Invest NI, they have been central to making our business idea a reality.”

Having worked in the print area of the trade for more than 17 years

I decided last year to try and make a go of it on my own as I felt  that the costs

In the print and design area was very expensive and nothing was aimed at

the lower end of the market just the top end making it expensive for all

involved.. I have a number of different price ranges and lower price doesn’t

necessary mean lower quality or service.

 

Starting out as part time I am hoping to be running on a full time and

Self sustaining business within 3 years. I have learnt a lot from the start a

Business program and found the areas on tax and accounts of incredible interest

and help. I aim to start a diploma in business management in September and

am looking to do accountancy as well. I met a lot of  interesting people like

myself who wanted to be their own boss and we all found the program

helpful and in teresting.

 

Name of LEA: Antrim Enterprise Agency
 

Client Name : Russell arbuckle

 

Business Name:  e.m.a. design and cards

 

Telephone Number : 028 94464843
 

Website Address: www.emsdesignandcards.co.uk

 

I specialise in a number of design areas including logo design,  page set up,

basic web design,  hand made wedding stationery, business stationery and

more.

 I try to treat every client as a person not just a source of income and if you don't see what

you are looking for, a little help from you I will try to make an idea just for you.

LighterLife is a weight loss programme for people with 3 stones or more to lose.  It uses cognitive behavioural therapy and transactional analysis to address underlying issues with food and allow clients to prepare a lifelong strategy to maintaining their healthy weight.  The programme uses a very low calorie diet which is nutritionally complete and is medically monitored.  Clients meet in single-sex groups of between 8 and 12 people once a week for 2 hours.

 

Client Name :               Jackie Adamson

 

Business Name:            LighterLife

 

Telephone Number :     028 94 423051

 

Website Address:         www.lighterlife.com

 

Wee Ones Models were established in 2006. Our main aim is to place all of the children (0 - 15 years) in our modelling database with assignments from clients within the advertising, media and fashion industry.

 Wee Ones Models are in contact with many advertising companies that are always looking for babies, toddlers and teenagers’.

Wee Ones Models are the only model agency that specifically works with children in Northern Ireland, giving us time to work with you and your child on a personal level.

To ensure your privacy, only companies that meet our guidelines will gain access to our database of child models. Each agency is contacted and reviewed before their registration is approved. We continually market our website to increase our agency list.

Above all modelling can be fun and is a very good way for parents and children to meet new people

It is a unique venture but we are already taking baby steps towards making wee ones a huge success

 The sabp programme really helped me in realising my dream of working for myself could be more than just a dream the business support, emotional support, financial support was outstanding, the people that run the course and the people behind the scenes really work hard to ensure you are off to a fantastic start. I would highly recommend anyone thinking of starting a new venture to go along and do this programme, you may thing you know all there is to know but believe me you have not!!

Client Name : Mrs Terrie Whiteside

Business Name:  Wee Ones Models

Telephone Number : 028 94464277

Website Address: www.weeonesmodels.co.uk

Sprint Services began trading in November 2005 as a Sole Trader.

 

With over 12 years Airfreight experience and working within the Aviation Industry we have a wide knowledge on how to get your packages from A to B no matter were that may be.

We are totally independent and can offer you, a small company, personal service with large company service options.

Sprint Services offer delivery solutions to both small and large businesses. This can be a small box to high volumes of pallets.

Being based in Antrim means we are ideally situated in the North of Ireland to provide an efficient service.  We are only 5 minutes from the International Airport and have vehicles going to and from daily.

 

Client Name :  Mr Jonny McKinney

 

Business Name:  Sprint Services

 

Telephone Number :  +44 7951 431720

 

 Website Address:   www.sprintservices.co.uk