Enterprise Business Supports with Smart Marketing
Becoming an entrepreneur and deciding to start your own business is one of the most exciting and rewarding things you can do, but it’s also one of the most challenging decisions that you can make.
Starting a business, whether a micro enterprise or a larger business, can be very overwhelming and confusing when you’re trying to get started and grow your business in the early days.
Enterprise support can help you to get things going, through expert advice, networking help, mentoring, consultancy, training and a range of other services.
At Smart Marketing, we can help you to grow your business and overcome the difficulties that all young businesses face. We have years of experience in supporting entrepreneurs and all kinds of new businesses through planning, starting, and beginning to build your new enterprise. As a new entrepreneur, you will need a lot of varied skills to get started in business, and we can help you to develop those so you can fill any holes in your skillset.
Whether you need help creating a solid business plan or you need some support to make sure your business continues to grow, we can give you the knowledge and expertise to do so. You can use this support to help you develop the skills and knowledge you need to become a real entrepreneur.
Help for Existing Businesses
If you’ve already launched your business, you can still benefit from working with support agencies. Enterprise support can help your business to overcome a difficult period or to continue to grow. If you feel like you’re treading water, putting everything into your business and still not getting anywhere, then there is help available.
Running a business and keeping that business successful and profitable can be just as much of a challenge of starting your business in the first place. It’s natural to suffer from the occasional quiet period or creative block, especially in the early stages of a new business where you might be working alone a lot without much of a support network.
Help from a support agency can help you to get back your passion for your business if you’ve lost it and help you to rediscover why you started your business in the first place. You can get back on track with training, consultancy, or mentoring, to help you overcome a rut or a slower period.
As your business grows, you may identify areas where you need to develop more skills, whether you need help learning to become a more effective manager, or need assistance in working out what your next steps should be to help your business to continue it’s growth.
Mentor, or Consultant
If your business has stalled or you’re struggling to get started, seeking support is a great way to deal with any problems that you might be having. Enterprise business support can come in many different forms, but it can be hard to know what kind of support you would best benefit from. Would you benefit from a mentor or a consultant?
Mentor
A mentor is someone who is experienced in the area you need help in, and who understands what it takes to succeed as a professional in your specific industry. The relationship is different from the sort of relationship you’d have with a coach.
A mentor doesn’t work to help you improve your performance. Instead, a mentor is a guide and an adviser who will share their knowledge and expertise with you to help you succeed. A mentor can be:
- Formal or informal
- Ongoing or for a set period of time
- A volunteer or from a support agency
Consultant
A consultant provides you with advice, recommendations and solutions. They are an expert in their field and have usually worked with other leading companies in the industry, either in-house or as an independent consultant. They will have a lot of knowledge of best practices and the latest information of their industry.
Consultants don’t work with their clients to improve their skills, and they don’t operate as a mentor. Instead, a consultant will review your situation or the challenge that your business is facing, and come up with a plan for overcoming or addressing the issue.
For example, if you aren’t making sales, a consultant can analyse what you’re doing to see what’s working and what’s failing. This analysis can then be used to create a strategic plan for improvement. They can also implement this plan for you. Consultants usually:
- Work within a specific scope
- Work to defined deliverables and metrics
Training Courses
Smart Marketing offers a range of training courses suitable for start-ups to SME businesses. Courses on offer include:
- Marketing strategy planning and implementation
- Sales strategy planning and management
- Business development planning
- Management Development Programmes
- Irelands Best Young Entrepreneur Programme
- Investment Innovation Programme
- Female Entrepreneurship Programme
- Student Enterprise Programmes
- Advanced Management Development and Leadership Programmes
- International and Export development programmes
- Specialise in the delivery and evaluation of Pilot Programmes on behalf of Government Agencies and groups
These courses cover the common challenges that start-up businesses face, like planning your first marketing strategy, and managing early sales. Training can help to fill any gaps in your knowledge, and help you build the confidence you need to be a successful entrepreneur.
With schemes like Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur Programme, there’s even more help available. These schemes are designed to help small businesses and budding entrepreneurs get started, through investment funding and training.
For existing businesses, you can make use of a range of online courses designed to develop managers. These courses include Branding For Start-Ups, Developing An Effective Business Strategy, and Promotion On A Tight Budget.
Use Smart Marketing for Enterprise Business Supports
At Smart Marketing Limited, we are as passionate and excited about your business as you are. We can work with our clients on a one-to-one private basis, or via government agencies such as your Local Enterprise Office or Leader Group.
However, should you choose to seek our help with enterprise business supports, we can help you to start, grow, and scale your business, and cater to your needs as a business owner.
Get in touch with Smart Marketing to find out more information to grow your business.
