Louth open for business
FRANCIS CARROLL MEETS THOMAS MCEVOY, HEAD OF ENTERPRISE IN THE LOCAL ENTERPRISE OFFICE, HAPPY TO BE BACK IN DUNDALK AFTER A 13-YEAR IDA CAREER
WHILE there have been huge advances in the supports available to entrepreneurs, the core business principles remain the same now as they did when Thomas McEvoy learned them at his father’s knee. The late Owen McEvoy had a number of business interests in Dundalk, and from a young age his eldest son spent as much time in the office of CCO on the quay, as he did out playing.
‘From the age of 12, I worked Christmas, summer and Easter holidays, in every department - finance, reception - you name it.
‘You got a sense of sales and finance, and you got a sense that making a sale is one thing, making a profit is another and having the cash to do both is another issue. And until you can perform all three, you are not in business,’ said the Dowdallshill man.
Rather than go down the route of opening his own shop or setting up a factory, Thomas chose the path of guiding others in the world of business, as a lecturer in UL, IDA executive and, since last October, as head of enterprise with the Local Enterprise Office (LEO).
It was a return to Dundalk he was happy to make, having spent most of his career far from home in various IDA roles.
‘ The LEO today is similar to what was the county enterprise board, but two years ago the enterprise boards were folded into the local authority structure.
‘So, Louth county council, like each of the 31 local authorities has a local enterprise office, and in that office there is team providing support to small businesses.
‘ The brief of the office, and my brief, is to promote small business, to help start-ups, to work with existing businesses, to help them navigate through the business landscape, overcome challenges, and to target training supports that can help them,’ Thomas explained.
Based in the Town Hall in Crowe Street, his is a county-wide brief. There is a sub-office in Drogheda, and if anyone in the south of the county has a problem travelling to Dundalk, they can be accommodated in Drogheda.
Clients are also met on the business premises, to get a better understanding of their business and how they operate.
‘We try to make ourselves as accessible as possible.’ It is a job packed with variety. ‘ That’s the interesting part of it. We are a bit like a GP. Every day is different. Everybody’s issues are unique.
‘From my side, you need to be agile. You have to understand small business, and sometimes, it means dealing with someone who is uncomfortable making an investment decision or someone who can’t actually get the finance, or needs to get different types of finance pulled together.
‘It might be a technical issue, in terms of a website that they can trade on.’
Having got his feet under the table, so to speak, the first major initiative of 2016 was Enterprise Week.
‘From the end of last year, we were thinking about Enterprise Week in March, and trying to plan two or three months ahead.’ This year’s event was a notable success. ‘ That one week alone, we had over 600 businesses from Co Louth participate in a range of workshops, seminars and briefings. That was a great turn out.’
Over the last eight months, Thomas and his team have tried to raise the profile of the Local Enterprise Office.
‘We are more active online. We need to continually update our website to achieve that. We are more active on the social media platforms – Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin.’
He has witnessed shoots of recovery in the economy.
‘ There is definitely an uplift, but in small business, there are always challenges, whether it’s in good times, or more difficult economic times.
‘Seven or eight years ago, the challenge was getting good staff, and being competitive.
‘ The challenge today is more financial, getting paid on time, making sales and getting cash in on those sales.
‘ There are always challenges, they just change with time. ‘We offer a couple of different types of support. ‘People, traditionally, think of the grant. Can I get a grant for what I am doing?
‘I would estimate, probably, 75%-80% of our work is outside of that.
‘It’s about promoting start-ups, and working with companies, from start your own business courses to specific business training.’
How do I keep my accounts? How do I make a tax return? What is marketing all about, and how can I engage in social media?, are some of the questions fielded in the Local Enterprise Office.
‘ There is a lot of activity out there. A lot of great people with great ideas.
‘If you strip it all back, and take away all the jargon and numbers, what we are trying to do is help small business, whatever way we can.
‘If we can help improve how Louth businesses operate, then we’ve done a good job. If we can help them employ one or two local people, that has a ripple-on effect in the local economy.
‘Last year, we had around 650 people participate on our training programmes,’ Thomas pointed out.
There are huge opportunities around the Dublin-Belfast economic corridor, increasingly most economic activity happens around the major urban centres.
‘And, if you look at the three largest population catchments in Ireland, two of the three are in Co Louth, Drogheda, Dublin and Dundalk, in that order.
‘We have access to the motorway, Dublin airport is on our doorstep, and developments at DkIT in recent years have greatly enhanced the area. And DkiT’s strategic partnership with DCU, opens up an extension to Co. Louth, in effect.
‘We have a strong base of established companies here, between the FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) companies, PayPal, eBay, ABB and so on, to the indigenous companies.’
Just as Thomas learned the ropes at a young age, the LEO provides an outlet for budding entrepreneurs.
‘We go into schools at primary and second level.
‘ The students run a mini company, and learn to operate as a team. They will deliver a product or service, sell it, take cash in, keep accounts, write a report, and a business plan.
‘In the national competition finals, Louth was the only county that had a top three company in each of the three categories. We took away a silver and two bronze.
‘It was a remarkable result, that bodes very well.’
Thomas McEvoy spent more than 13 years with the IDA.
Most recently, on a team in FDI property marketing, matching some of the larger companies coming in with property in Ireland.
‘Prior to that, I was acting director of Europe, for IDA’s European operations. I spent 50% of my time in Dublin, and 50% between the offices in London, Paris and Frankfurt, so every second weekend I was abroad.
‘I have a family (wife, Aisling, and four children), and it didn’t really fit in. At a personal level. it was difficult, getting a work life balance.
He headed up IDA’s press and PR department at a challenging time between 2009 and 2012 when Ireland was going through a lot of turmoil, and its international reputation was called into question.
His IDA career also took him to the US for three years, and to the Dublin operations department for a number of years, where he worked with companies like Google and Amazon.
‘Prior to my time in IDA, I worked with the enterprise boards in Cavan and Louth.
‘I left Dundalk in the late ‘Eighties, and but for a period of three years in the late ‘Nineties, I either relocated or commuted up until last October.
‘I am glad to be living and working locally.’
MAKING A SALE IS ONE THING, MAKING A PROFIT IS ANOTHER, AND HAVING THE CASH TO DO BOTH IS ANOTHER ISSUE. UNTIL YOU CAN PERFORM ALL THREE, YOU ARE NOT IN BUSINESS. ULTIMATELY, YOU HAVE TO ENSURE YOU HAVE THE CUSTOMERS TO COME BACK AGAIN