Good practice:

Hard Cash and Soft Supports - Building Resilient Businesses

The recent report ‘Design Practice in Ireland’ highlights the necessity to “provide the right training, for the right people at the right time” (Skillnet Ireland, 2021). Craft businesses require a sufficient supports network which provides not only financial aids but vital softer supports such as education and training provided by appropriate mentors and advisors.

The Local Enterprise Office (LEO) provides accessible financial supports for businesses in each local authority in Ireland. Their priming and business expansion grants can offer grant aid of up to €150,000. The Trading Online Voucher offers up to €2500 to help businesses with the establishment of web shops or similar activities. LEOs work closely with other bodies such as the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland in support of craft businesses.

LEOs also offer high-quality training and mentoring programmes, all of which are tailored to meet specific business requirements. LEOs assist creative businesses in gaining access to trade shows and innovation workshops, designed by Design+ Technology Gateway, which guide businesses through a strategic design process utilising a specific design tool kit. Engaging with such supports demonstrates commitment, increases viability and rigor of process for businesses, ensuring a greater chance of accessing financial supports. It can shape a network of supporting expertise for craft SMEs, building resilience, adaptability, innovation, and strategy.

For Priming Grants up to €150,000.
For Business Expansion Grants up to €150,000
For soft support, staff costs of Enterprise Development Officers will be needed. These costs will depend on the regional and national rates.

Success of financial supports: measured by examining current
and projected metrics such as employment numbers, turnover, and profit.
Training and mentoring: examining the success of supports on social media by a comparison of pre and post support engagement.
Topics such as leadership skills, which are not as quantifiable, can be measured through surveys of the participants.

One of the big challenges for any small, specialised business is to ensure long term sustainability. This is a particular challenge in any sector where the business owner comes from a non-business background and crafts and creatives would be an example of this.

Large numbers of small business owners in the crafts and creative sectors in Ireland have shown their willingness to engage with their Local Enterprise Office to help plan their business growth. Local Enterprise Offices have been able to support them both financially and just as importantly in strategic ways. That form of engagement, and willingness to plan strategically, is the key element of good practice for any crafts or creative practitioner who wishes to avail of state financial support.

The potential for learning or transfer is moderate, as it depends heavily on either creating new institutions or having existing enterprise supports in other regions. If in place, however, the potential for learning is much bigger. The soft support practices are well structured and interconnected. This template can be copied in other regions that have the infrastructure and institutions in place.