who wants to be an entrepreneur
DESCRIPTION
In October there was a huge concern in the Comhairle na nÓg (Youth Council) regarding what job opportunities would be there for the young when they grew up. In response to this concern, Offaly Comhairle na nÓg decided that the need to promote entrepreneurial thinking to all teenagers would be a good response to their worries about their future job options. Showing young people enterprise as a career option will hopefully reduce stress and money worries as young people see there are other options for work by employing yourself.TRANSCRIPT
MOON...
IMAGINATION
ENERGY
ENTREPRENEUR
WHO W
ANTS TO BE AN
Young Voices. Local Issues.
O�aly
Contents 01Editors Message
Interviews
Kaitlin Corcoran Focus piece
Won the young entrepreneur programme in 2013 22-23
Jordan Casey Focus piece
Award winning gaming company founded by 13 year old 24-25
Social Gamers Interview
Professional And Extraordinary Video Game Tournaments 26-27
Shauna’s Boom Books
Created science books that were fun 30-31
Patrick Collison
Founder of Stripe 32
Advice & Info
What is an enterprise
5 keys to success 02
What is franchising
Business options 29
Confidence is key
Set yourself goals 14
Copyrighting
Protect your idea 29
Ooopsies of entrepreneurs
Success despite failures 03
The Process
Where do I go
Common problems/question 28-29
How ideas are born
Design Hub Process 08-09
How ideas are born
Tara Haughton 12-13Whats Next
College courses
The right start 33
Fun & Games
Quiz
Guess the Entrepreneur 20-21
Word Search
9 words to be found 18
Resources
Innovation Groups in Ireland
Groups that can help 04-07
Support Programmes
Groups that can help 15-17
Events and networking
opportunities
Meet other entrepreneurs 10-11
In October 2011 there was a huge concern in our Comhairle na nÓg (Youth Council) regarding what job opportunities would be there for us when we are older. In response to this concern, Offaly Comhairle na nÓg decided that the need to promote entrepreneurial thinking to all teenagers would be a good response to our worries about our future job options. Showing young people enterprise as a career option will hopefully reduce stress and money worries as young people see there are other options for work by employing yourself.
Enterprise is a way of thinking, believing in oneself and gaining huge satisfaction when you make the leap to achieve your dreams and ideas. Essentially as long as you are being true to yourself and working at something that you
love, then you are in our minds an entrepreneur. In order to really follow what you yourself want, you have to take a risk.
We hope that this magazine will spread that word to as many young people in Ireland as possible and increase their optimism, self belief and confidence to follow your ideas and realise from learning about other entrepreneurs, that what seems impossible can be possible.We hope this magazine will be sending out clear messages to young people;
1.To help them believe in themselves with interviews and quotes from famous Irish entrepreneurs and young entrepreneurs
2.Examples of entrepreneurs to stimulate thinking of ideas for enterprises
3.Information on where to go if a young person has an idea for a product/service
We have really enjoyed working on the content for this magazine. The content we selected is based on our research report with over 300 young people in Offaly that we surveyed on their views and knowledge of enterprise. Each article is carefully chosen and written by us to share with you.
We contacted all the interviewees and personalised each set of interview questions. We hope you gain some knowledge and inspiration from this magazine.
Here we are at our Who wants to be an Entre-preneur Conference in Oct 2012 with Social Gamers and Tara Haughton- Rosso Solini Designer Soles.
ENTREPRENEUR
WHO W
ANTS TO BE AN
Remember the measure of your success is not your success; it is how happy you are in what
you do.
# Happy enterprising
Jessica, Valene, Noelle, Clodagh, Orin, Arlene, Sarah, Eileen, Lorcan, Patrick,
Adrianna, Stephen, Leah, Shamie, Enya, Aoife, Eoin, Karl and Ciaran
Business, the human ability to be innovative and
proactive in life while taking financial and personal risks.
If you take a risk at being true to yourself that is Entrepreneurship
Thinking can only be inside the box. Inspiration can only be outside.
Be yourself- everyone else is already taken (Oscar Wilde)
Key to Success
Where to go? Who to ask?Common problem/question is where to go once you have your idea - Here are a few suggestions.
LOCAL MAGAZINES COMMUNITY WEBSITES
Enterprise Boards Irish Entrepreneurs Family youngentrepreneur.ie
Advice in Schools Business Ireland Friends Entrepreneurship.org
Foroige Local Entrepreneurs Socialentrepreneurs.ie
Inspirationentrepreneur.com
Europa.eu/enterprise/policies
J.K Rowling J.K Rowling was unemployed, divorced and raised a daughter on benefits while writing her first Harry Potter novel. She was also turned down by multiple publishers for years. Now she’s internationally renowned for her series of seven Harry Potter books. She is the first person to become a billionaire from writing.
Oopsies of Entrepeneurs 03What Is Enterprise ?
FACT! Did you know that 75% of
young people that we
interviewed, didn’t know
where to go with a
business idea.
COURAGE CREATI
VITY
COMMUNICATION
INNOVATIVE
TEAMWORK
They may find some flaws in your ideas that you didn’t see.
People who
found success
despite failures
and rejection!
Oprah WinfreyOprah Winfrey was fired from her television reporting job because they told her she wasn’t fit to be on screen, she rebounded and became the undisputed queen of television talk shows and the first African-American female billionaire.
Howard Schultz If Howard Schultz had given up after being turned down by banks 242 times, there would be no Starbucks.
I L I K E T H I N K I N G B I G ,I F Y O U ’ R E G O I N G T O B E T H I N K I N G A N Y T H I N G ,
YOU MIGHT AS WELL THINK BIG.
{ Donald Trump — Business Magnate }
Walt Disney If Walt Disney had given up after his theme park concept was trashed 302 times there would be no Disneyland.
Marilyn MonroeMarilyn Monroe’s first contract with Columbia Pictures expired because they told her she wasn’t pretty or talented enough to be an actress , she kept plugging away and became one of the most iconic and recognizable actresses of all time.
Thomas Edison If Thomas Edison threw his hands up and gave up after 9,999 failures there would be no light bulbs.
The BeatlesThe Beatles were turned down by many record labels. In one famous rejection the label said “guitar groups are on the way out” and “the Beatles have no future in the show business”. Later the Beatles signed with EMI which brought Beatlemania to the USA and became the greatest band in history.
National Digital Research Centre (NDRC)
If you are interested in digital creations then the National Digital Research Centre is an independent enterprise dedicated to helping with research from the idea stage to income.
As an Ireland-based investor in digital innovations based on research, NDRC’s investment programmes are tailored to enable innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers and companies to translate great ideas into income generating products and high growth businesses.
Website_www.ndrc.ie Email_ [email protected]
Phone_ +353 1 480 6252
Location_ Crane Street, The Digital Hub, Dublin 8, Ireland
05
Imagination
IS MORE IMPORTANT
THAN KNOWLEDGE.
{ Albert Einstein — Theoretical Physicist }
Connect with Innovation Groups - To develop your idea
Dogpatch LABs
Dogpatch LABS provides technology entrepreneurs with access to experienced mentors, free space, connectivity, and a community of peers that encourage a constant atmosphere of innovation at The Warehouse on Dublin’s Barrow St.
Dogspatch LABS identifies and invests in exceptional entrepreneurs and operating companies with innovative and disruptive ideas.
The dogpatch LABS initiative has led to the successful launch of several important companies including Instagram.
Website_www.dogpatchlabs.com
Location_The Warehouse, 35 Barrow St., Dublin, Ireland beside Google’s Europle
Connect with Innovation Groups - To develop your idea
LaunchPad at the National Digital Research Centre (NDRC)
National Digital Research Centre- LaunchPad is targeted at emerging start-up promoters in the digital space. Launchpad is supporting the next generation of digital entrepreneurs to accelerate good ideas to sound startups. NDRC has worked with over 80 digital ventures to date.
NDRC’s LaunchPad provides:
A 12 week programme alongside other start-ups, innovators, engineers and investors
Expert mission guidance and hands-on support from experienced entrepreneurs
Weekly workshops and meetings with the right people in the right networks
Pre-seed investment of up to 20,000 euro per project
Opportunity to pitch at Lift Off Investor Day at the end of programme, with over 100 investors all keen to see strong de-risked investment opportunities.
Wayra
Wayra is a startup accelerator owned by Telefónica since 2011 and operates start-up accelerators in 12 countries around the globe.
Companies accepted into the Wayra program receive funding of up to€40,000 euro plus office space and mentoring.
Created in Latin America in April 2011, Wayra aspires to identify ideas with the greatest potential is in ICT. Wayra works to boost their development, providing them with the technology, mentoring and the financing they need.
Entrepreneurs are invited to submit their projects to Wayra. Wayra then selects a number of projects to take forward. Successful projects are provided with financing (in exchange for a 10% share), access to Telefónica resources and a place to work.
Check the Wayra Irish website for when the next call for applicants is.
Website_http://ie.wayra.org
Location_28-29 Sir John Rogersons Quay in the heart of Dublin’s docklands.
Startupbootcamp
Startupbootcamp- is the global digital health mentor network.
This Startupbootcamp is ideal for entrepreneurs who want to address healthcare issues to transform the World’s healthcare systems.
Startupbootcamp is a 3 month acceleration programme that focuses on exposing and connecting startups to our expanding community of top-level mentors and advisors.
At the end of the programme, startups get a chance to pitch to top angel investors and venture capitalists for funding at the investors’ Demo Day.
Website_www.startupbootcamp.org
Connect with Innovation Groups to Develop your Idea 07Going To College? (Third Level Innovation Groups)
Nova UCD
A comprehensive business support programme is offered to client companies at NovaUCD. This comprises of advice, seminars and workshops as well as facilitated access to the NovaUCD network of researchers, business leaders and investors.
Supports include: Facilitated linkages to research at UCD, Enterprise development advice, Nova UCD network and advice clinics and Workshops and Seminars.
Website_www.ucd.ie/innovation
Phone_+353 1 716 3707
Location_Belfield Innovation Park University College Dublin Belfield, Dublin 4
Ignite UCC
IGNITE is an incubation centre in University College Cork for higher education graduates of any discipline to:
Create jobs by nurturing entrepreneurship.
Accelerate business start-ups.
Turn innovative ideas into innovative products and services.
Participate in a structured programme on all aspects of bringing a product or service to market.
IGNITE provides start-up funding and free access to further funding opportunities, business incubation space in a top-class facility, Individual business mentoring from leading entrepreneurs and a range of other supports.
IGNITE is open to graduates of any 3rd Level Institution. Each year, 10 candidates will be selected to participate through a competitive process.
Website_http://ignite.ucc.ie
Location_ UniversityCollegeCork
DCU Ryan Academy
DCU Ryan Academy is a non-profit, joint venture between Dublin City University and the Ryan Family (Ryanair) that aims to be the leading supporter of entrepreneurs and innovation in Ireland.
It promotes an entrepreneurial mindset and real innovation focus among Irish SME’s, corporates, start-ups and researchers through a range of training, leadership and funding initiatives.
Website_www.ryanacademy.ie
Location_ 3013LakeDrive,CitywestBusinessCampus,Dublin24
NDRC Sandbox
The programme addresses the challenges encountered by future digital entrepreneurs but also caters to existing companies who wish to explore better ways of innovating. Our experience enables us to point out possible bumps in the road at a point where startups have just begun to rev their engines.
Website_www.sandbox.ie
CoderDojo
CoderDojo is a global network of clubs that teach young people in areas specializing in computer programming and computer technology. There are now clubs in 22 countries, teaching over 10,000 children to write computer code and programs each week Youth learn from one another about computer languages and tools including Xcode and CSS.
There are currently 92 dojo’s in Ireland so there should be one close enough to you if you are interested. To contact your nearest dojo check out the website link.
Website_ www.coderdojo.com
Email: [email protected]
New Frontiers Programme at AIT and NUI Maynooth
New Frontiers is Ireland’s national entrepreneur development programme, delivered by Athlone Institute of Technology in partnership with NUI Maynooth.If you have an innovative business idea and are planning to establish and run your own company the New Frontiers Entrepreneur Development Programme can provide you with a package of supports to help accelerate your business development and to equip you with the skills and contacts that you need to successfully start and grow your company.
Website_www.ait.ie/newfrontiers
The Centre for Design Innovation
The Centre for Design Innovation (CDI) is an initiative of the Institute of Technology Sligo . The CDI conducts research to establish the link between successful companies and their use of design; measure the efficacy of best practices to enable innovation through the use of design and creativity; and identify skill needs and training provisions to make Irish organisations globally competitive through the use of design and innovation
The CDI creates practical tools to embed skills within small and medium-sized enterprises to help them better understand their end customer needs and translate those insights into innovative products and services.
Website_www.designinnovation.ie
Guinness Enterprise Centre
The Guinness Enterprise Centre is a dynamic community of high potential businesses. The centre is a hub of entrepreneurial enterprises and business and investment support services.
The centre is suitable to a wide range of businesses but in particular multi media, software development for mobile phone, computers, games, tourist and all international traded services. The centre offers a range of services these include high-spec telecommunications and internet connectivity, supported by wireless connection.
Website_www.gec.ie
Phone _+35314100600
Twitter_@GECinD8
Success for Coder Dojo Student
Lee Byrne a current 6th year student at Gallen Community School Ferbane was the overall winner of the over 16 category in the Boston Scientific, "Coding the Big Bang" Coder Dojo National Awards last year.
The aim of the competition which was open to all post primary students across Ireland ,was to create an informative web based computer programme that explains the role of CERN's Large Hadron Collider in solving one of the great mysteries of the universe. CERN is The European Organization for Nuclear Research . CERN is an international organization whose purpose is to operate the world's largest particle physics laboratory
Lee received a cash prize and trophy as well as the chance to present his interactive game to the Boston Scientific Leadership Team at their international manufacturing facility in Ballybrit, Galway.
For more information contact:[email protected]
The Dojo Directory
Log on to CoderDojo
Join the Global Collaboration...
Find your nearest CoderDojo to you and register your interest and find out dates and venues to suit you. The Dojos listed here are all verified by the CoderDojo team.
http://coderdojo.com/
The Dojo Directory
Science Hack Day Science
Hack Day is all-day, all-night event that brings together inquisitive and creative minds to one place, to make wonderful things. Designers, developers, engineers, scientists and all card-carrying geeks proudly bring their A-game to the same physical space for a brief but intense period of collaboration, hacking, and building ‘cool stuff’. By collaborating on focused tasks during this short period, small groups of makers are capable of producing remarkable results.
Get ideas for events for your School or town. Watch the website for 2014 date.
Website_www.sciencehackdaydublin.com
Location_Venue : The Hub, Dublin City
11Events & Networking Opportunities
TO DO CERTAIN THINGS – TO COMPETE Y O U C A N J U S T B E A N O R D I N A R Y C H A P , S U F F I C I E N T L Y M O T I V A T E D
{ Edmund Hillary — First Man to Climb Mt. Everest }
Apps for Events & Networking Opportunities
Archipelago
Archipelago is the largest community of young entrepreneurs in Ireland.
The Archie Talks are a series of seminars about the role of young entrepreneurs in recessionist Ireland and the protagonists of a youth movement who are creating sophisticated consumer lead businesses in bedrooms, dorms, kitchens, lofts and open offices.
The goal of the events is to put a face and a story on the generation of academically accomplished, fiscally impoverished business owners who have chosen not to emigrate as a consequence of economic malaise. It is run entirely by young entrepreneurs for the purpose of understanding, supporting and facilitating sophisticated young Irish enterprise.
Website_www.archipelago.ie
Facebook_ archipelago
Location_ 11SouthWilliamStDublin211 SouthWilliamStDublin2
At Eventbrite, we believe that gathering with others is the best way for people to learn, grow, get inspired, feel connected, get healthy, give back, and celebrate. So we’re building technology that facilitates those gatherings, by helping people find and attend events that feed their interests, while connecting them with others who share their passions.
When we indulge our curiosity, events can transform us and make us better. We want everyone to join us in creating a world where we are encouraged to get out there and try new things, indulge in the things we love, and to express ourselves, improve ourselves and build our communities.
We are here to bring people together.
Website_www.eventbrite.ie
Phone_ Call 1800 937 094
Eventbrite_App Bizzabo_App
Networking Made Easy. We believe in eye-contact, handshakes and face-to-face meetings
Discover prospective upcoming events and find out who else will be attending.
Interact with fellow attendees and setup face to face meetings on the spot.
Get suggestions of business opportunities, tailored for your personal business profile.
Leverage LinkedIn to keep in touch with new connections and use twitter to be part of the buzz.
Website_www.bizzabo.com
Facebook_ facebook.com/Bizzabo
Twitter_ @Bizzabo
SOME MEN SUCCEED BECAUSEthey are destined to, but most men succeed
Because they are Determined to
{ Graeme Clegg — Motivational Speaker }
13How Ideas Are Born : Tara Haughton How Ideas Are Born : Tara Haughton
Hi Tara, nice of you to free up time for this interview. Would you kindly like to introduce yourself? Sure I am Tara Haughton from Co Kildare in Ireland, I am the only girl in a family of five brothers, I am 17 and still in High School (5th year) only one more year and then I can start College. The area I live in is very rural and is about 60KM from Dublin.
You have an online shop and a product, which is called Secret Soles. How did the concept for this idea come from? Yes that is correct I was 15 when I had the ‘eureka’ moment, let me explain how it happened. My cousin Lorna was getting married in Spain so a big section of my extended family travelled to Spain for the big event. I was getting dressed and was about to pop on my new heels when I noticed they still had the price tags on the arch, but off to the wedding we set and it all went fantastic.
After the church we had to have some group pictures taken and for one of the pictures we had to throw red confetti into the air. I did not know until much later that some of the Red Confetti got stuck to the sole of my shoe and people started to ask if I was wearing designer Shoes and that is how it started.
You started your company Rosso Solini ‘Designer Soles’ when you were only fifteen years old. How did the schoolwork conflict with your start up? In Transition Year I was part of a mini company in School. Transition year is used to give students practical skills and one of the sections is called mini company, this gives you the ability to learn how to run a business and develop an idea so it was just luck that I was able to use the mini company to work on the idea and develop it into a product, I also went on to win the Kildare Enterprise award and went on to win the All Ireland Enterprise award beating 16,000 students in the Final. Now I am in 5th year it is a little harder however I have a team behind the product and two mentors that help me so much (but I can’t get them to do the homework!)
You’re a young entrepreneur and a successful businesswoman in your own right, but that always comes at a price! How difficult was it to get your product noticed and off the ground?
That is the funny thing, when I came up with the idea and did all the research there was nothing like it so I had to come up with the way to fit it to the shoe, the packaging and every aspect of the idea and as it developed more people found out about it and it just kept growing. Coco Perez wrote a small blog about it and it just went crazy. When you combine the two websites we have had over 5,000,000 hits in just over two years so it is growing all the time. I spend a lot of time on social media and some of it is very low key and some of it is main stream you don’t know what will work you just have to keep trying.. I now have about 4,500 fans on facebook and its growing everyday.
Where are your secret soles currently being sold? At the moment we have exported to 23 countries and it is now translated into four languages including Arabic, and also on my website www.rossosolinishop.com I am working on a new state of the art website that should be ready very soon.
“I was able to use the mini companyto work on the idea and develop it
www.rossosolinishop.
com
If you aren’t aware of Secret Soles by Rosso Solini, then you are about to know! Founded and created by Irelands very own young entrepreneur Tara Haughton, Rosso Solini is, and has been growing over the past two years with great acclaim. Selling in over 20 countries worldwide with prices from as little as €5.99, it’s a no brainer that this product (for the arch of those high heels) will bring a touch of colour to your best loves shoes. Tara was our guest at Offaly Comhairle na nÓg ‘Who wants to be an entrepreneur’ conference in 2012 with 200 teenagers in Offaly.
into a product”
Source ; www.heelsandsole.com (June 5 2012)
Foróige Youth Entrepreneurship: Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship
The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (aka NFTE) is a world recognised, youth entrepreneurship education and development programme.
The Foróige NFTE programme is delivered to young people from 12-18 years of age, through schools and youth centre’s throughout Ireland. The programme runs from September to May with teachers and Youth Workers trained to deliver this enterprise education.
DURING THE FORÓIGE NFTE PROGRAMME STUDENTS:
Study all aspects of starting and successfully running a business.
Receive a seed grant to start their business.
Visit wholesalers to buy their business supplies.
Engage with entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurs, business executives, community leaders.
Visit local & national companies.
Work with business corporate mentors.
Sell their products at the NFTE Class Trade Fair.
Prepare and present their business plan to a panel of judges.
Winners are recognized at the All Island Youth Entrepreneurship Awards.
Young Entrepreneur Programme
Support Programmes to help your Enterprise 15
It’s a sad truth today that
people, especially young people
suffer from a lack of confidence. It
has become the norm in modern life
but low Confidence is something that an
entrepreneur absolutely cannot have. It is vital
to break the negative cycle, set yourself a goal
no matter how small and at the end of every
week look back and make sure that you
have completed it successfully. Remember
to stay positive and don’t stop
believing, there is no success
without failure!
“It always seems in
impossible until it is done”
-Nelson Mandla-
“Self confidence is the first
requisite to great Undertakings”
Samuel Johnson
If you hear a voice within you
say ‘you cannotpaint,’ then by all means paint,
and that voice will be silenced”. - Vincent
Van Gough -
“Never bend your head Hold it high. Look the world straight
in the eye- Helen Keller -
Believe in yourself, have faithin your
abilities, without a humble but reasonable confidence in
yourself you cannot be successful or happy.Norman Vincent Peale
Confidence is the Key - Set yourself goals
CHAMPIONS AREN’T MADE IN THE GYM. champions are made from something deep inside them
A DESIRE, A DREAM, A VISION.
{ Mohammad Ali — Boxer }
www.youngentrepreneur.iewww.nfte.ie
The Young Entrepreneur Programme is a non-profit organisation which has been run in secondary schools and third level institutions since 2007.
It is dedicated to showing young people the validity of entrepreneurship as a career choice. It is their mission to help identify, inform and recognise the next generation of business leaders - and their educators.
This programme identifies a link between business people, educators and students and encourages aspiring young entrepreneurs to attend workshops interact with key business people in order to explore and improve their talent, creativity and inspiration.
Those who have created this programme hope that their efforts will inspire the students and that they may develop to become local or global entrepreneurs in business or bring entrepreneurial thinking to their place of work or education.
For more information contact
Get up and Go – PDST
The Student Enterprise Award and the Mini-Company Get up and Go competitions both require students to generate a business idea, research it, produce the product or service, market it, prepare costings and accounts and a business report. They must also prepare an exhibition stand and undertake an interview about their work.
Intel Youth Enterprise Ideation Camp
The camp aims to develop ideation and innovation skills of young people by giving an opportunity to work on real challenges. It is a transformational model designed to help young people experience and develop skills to increase the relevance, scale and impact of their ideas.
Lions Clubs throughout Ireland have teamed up with Intel to deliver these 2 Day Ideation Camps. The focus of the two days is broken down as follows and is an amazing 2 days of learning for young people.
STUDENT ENTERPRISE AWARDS
Student Enterprise Awards: Supporting Student Entrepreneurs in the Classroom
The Student Enterprise Awards, now in its 12th year, is the largest enterprise programme for secondary school students in Ireland.
Run by the County and City Enterprise Boards, around 16,000 students from 300 schools take part every year, setting up and running their own real-life businesses.
The aim of the programme is to help bring enterprise to life in the classroom and there are three categories in the competition: Junior (First Year), Intermediate (Second Year and Third Year) and Senior (Fourth Year/Transition Year up to Leaving Cert age).
With the support of the Local Enterprise Board, Student Enterprise Co-ordinators can visit schools and give presentations to Students.
The ‘Exploring Enterprise’ Manual for Teachers, DVDs and student workbooks are included in the programme, free of charge. There is also a dedicated website, www.studententerpise.ie, with plenty of useful tools and tips for students and teachers.
The enterprise programme starts in the autumn, with regional finals usually taking place in February or March. The category winners are invited to represent their Enterprise
Support Programmes to help your Enterprise 17
www.intelpls.com www.pdst.ie
www.allaboutbusiness.ie
Board area at the Student Enterprise Awards National Finals, which usually take place in Dublin during April.
The overall national winners (at senior level) will enjoy an international educational trip and all category winners receive a cash prize and trophy. In addition, the top fifteen Students at senior level are invited to attend a Business Bootcamp. Organised by the Enterprise Boards with support from Ulster Bank, the bootcamp has been previously hosted at the Art Nexus Innovation Centre at University of Limerick.
The Chair of the Enterprise Education Committee with the County and City Enterprise Boards, Loman O’ Byrne said:
“An enterprising culture in Ireland’s secondary schools will lead to a more enterprising culture in Irish workplaces and boardrooms in the future, where innovation and business skills are to the fore.”
He added: “Entrepreneurs are the driving force behind Ireland’s economic recovery, and the young people of Ireland today are the next generation of entrepreneurs tomorrow.”
For further information about the Student Enterprise Awards Programme, please visit www.studententerprise.ie. The contact details for all the County and City Enterprise Boards around the country can be found at www.enterpriseboards.ie
www.studententerprise.ie
www.enterpriseboards.ie
UNDERSTAND The participants will be focused on a real life ‘case study’ or challenge that represents a consequential challenge, that is, an opportunity or problem that requires innovation solutions
1
The goal of any innovation is to solve a problem. The important first steps in the innovation process are therefore to identify the needs of the user.
USER2
Most breakthrough innovations are based on a smart new technology or intelligent use of existing technology – In stage 3 you will learn how to screen and assess new technologies.
TECHNOLOGY3
To enable highly creative ideation sessions, we use a 3-step model that helps you to explore your ideas before the team sorts and converts them into the final concept.
IDEATION 4
A pitch is a short and precise presentation of your solution that highlights the most important features and makes the audience fall in love with you and your idea.
PITCH 5
Having pitched their ideas and begun prototype work the 2 day Innovation Camp will conclude. However, this is only the start of the journey; the participants will get information on how to continue to evolve their ideas, to connect with those who set the challenges and to bring their ideas forward into reality.
CONTINUE 6
Contact your local Lions Club to see if they run the Camps with Intel. www.lionsclubs.ie
www.RTE.ie
Support Programmes to help your Enterprise
Sean Lemass Awards
The winners of this Award are selected from both the Student Enterprise Awards, organised by the County/City Enterprise Boards and the Transition Year Mini-Company Get Up and Go competitions, organised by the Second Level Support Service funded by the Department of Education and Skills.
Junior Dragon’s Den
Check out the RTE website where you can download the application form for Junior Dragons Den.
“Entrepreneurs are the driving force behind Ireland’s economic recovery, and the young people of Ireland today are the next generation of entrepreneurs tomorrow.”Loman O’ Byrne said:
Word Search 19
B Y T I V I T A E R C P E R A
O R B S G T K W E D O C V I M
I Y A C K G A G E S K S I S W
Q E M I H I E A I O Q J T K R
D N V Q N V L T X W T A A S C
K T Z E H S I L X E Z G V F B
K R Y J C V T B S H D Q O T V
W E O Z I N Q O E N S Q N A C
Y P Z T K A E I R S V I N C R
H R Y N B K R D E M D G I A O
R E W A R D S N I K I V N J I
K N V R A Q I J L F U N L D Y
U E Z Y H S X O R X N U G B F
P U D B U G O J F N W O J P H
A R R B P A Y P U K A C C L K
1.BUSINESS 2.CONFIDENCE 3.CREATIVITY 4.ENTREPRENEUR
5.INNOVATIVE 6.POSITIVITY 7.REWARDS 8.RISK 9.SKILLS
Looking at the power, wealth and philanthropy that is Oprah Winfrey’s life now, it’s nearly impossible to imagine the difficult childhood that shaped her larger-than-life persona. She overcame long odds to become arguably the most influential female entrepreneur in history. Oprah’s rise began at the age of 17, when she became the 1972 Miss Black
Oprah Winfrey - Harpo Productions
NOT KNOWING when the dawn will come,
I OPEN EVERY DOOR.
{ Emily Dickinson — Poet }
Tennessee. That opened the door to a career in broadcasting, a full scholarship to Tennessee State and an anchor position at a local TV station.She got her first talk show in 1976, and the genre propelled her to stardom -- she is loved by millions of people. In 1986, she founded Harpo Communications and bought the rights to the Oprah Winfrey
Show, proceeding to become the wealthiest self-made woman in the country.
Successful actress, activist, broadcaster, producer, media mogul and all-around star, Oprah takes the entrepreneurial Gold.
Oprah WinfreyBorn: January 29, 1954 in Kosciusko, Mississippi.
Nationality : American
Salary : $75 million (2013)
Oprah’s rise began
at the age of 17
Find these 9 words in our crossword and get thinking of your business ideas.
Guess The Entrepreneur 21Guess The Entrepreneur
An English businesswoman, fashion designer,
model and singer
.
First black, female billionaire
.
Slept on his friends floors
through college to save his parents
money.
sold over 400 million copies & reached the bestselling book series
in history
Learned mandarin so he
could communicate with his girlfriend’s
family.
1.______________________ 2.______________________ 3.______________________
4._____________________ 5.____________________
1
2
3
45
Founded yahoo to
keep track of his own browsing
.
Bought his first share
at age eleven-says he regrets starting so
late!.
Her Paris couture house,
forged in the early 1900s as a single hat
shop, is still showing on runways.
.
Told his professor he’d be a millionaire at 30- he became a billionaire
at 31
The first name in Irish magazine
publishing and star of The Dragon’s Den journey to entrepre-
neurship was an interesting one..
6.______________________ 7.______________________ 8.______________________
9._____________________ 10.____________________
6
7
8
910
Answers Pg 23
How did you feel when you found out that you were the winner of the Young Entrepreneur Programme?It was amazing, I didn’t believe it at first !!! When they called out the winner they pronounced my name ‘Kathleen’ so I was sitting there wondering who ‘Kathleen’ was until the guy who was sitting next to me told me to get up. The moment was totally surreal and I will never forget it.
What inspired you to start your blog?I have always been interested it fashion and wanted to get involved. I was too short to be a model, not artistic enough to be a designer but I could write !!! And High Street Couture was born.
23
Kaithlin Corcoran is a 15 year old student from Presentation Secondary School in Tralee Co. Kerry who won the Young Entrepreneur Programme in 2013 with her fashion blog which since its launch in October has attracted 39,000 pageviews. Kaithlin once wrote to Kate Middleton with ideas for her wedding dress and got
Interview : Kaithlin Corcoran Interview : Kaithlin Corcoran
What difficulties have you faced on your journey to becoming the winner of the Young Entrepreneur Programme?Part of the Young Entrepreneur Programme was to pitch your idea. I found it very hard to walk into a room of four or five experienced business people and pitch my idea. I didn’t have much confidence before participating in the programme. And confidence is completely invaluable, never let shyness ruin any opportunities for you !
How did you overcome these difficulties?I practiced my pitch on front of all the girls in my class nearly everyday (most of them now know it totally off by heart). I found this was a great help, when thirty people tell you it’s great it is definitely a confidence booster.
The Biggest Person With The Biggest Ideas CAN BE SHOT DOWN BY THE SMALLEST PERSON WITH THE SMALLEST MIND.
THINK BIG ANYWAY.
{ Mother Teresa — Missionary }
a personal response. Kaithlin, who is a self confessed fashion addict from a young age was chosen from over 443 second level students who participated in the 6th Young Entrepreneur Programme and was awarded a trip to New York where she will be a guest of Credit Suisse and learn how technology start-ups work in the Big Apple.
In your opinion what are the most important traits for a young entrepreneur?
of effort in don’t be surprised if your business fails.
What advice would you have for someone who has their own business idea?Go for it !!!! Take a chance or else you won’t get anywhere. And if it doesn’t work try, try, try again. In Ireland there is a massive amount of pressure on entrepreneurs to succeed and when they don’t it is seen as an embarrassment. Whereas in the US it is seen as a positive if you fail and try again because you have learnt and have the drive to succeed this time.
I was too short to be a model, not artistic enough to be a designer but I could write!“
”Where did you find support for your venture?My parents were great, they supported me financially and emotionally. My two business teachers at school were also amazing, they helped me with all of the financials and the all important pitches. As part of the Young Entrepreneur Programme a group of local business mentors came into our class and listened to all of our ideas and then gave us advice, this was amazing because we were actually hearing from people in the business world.
Bravery !!!! You need to be able to go out there and take the first step. You also need self believe, no one will ever believe in you if you don’t believe in yourself. You need drive and determination, if you don’t put an adequate amount
1)Steve Jobs 2)Victoria Beckham 3)Oprah Winfrey 4)J.K Rowling 5)Mark Zuckerberg 6)Coco Chanel 7)Warren Buffet8)Jerry Yang 9)Norah Casey 10)Bill Gates
Casey Games Inc, is the award winning gaming company. It was founded by 13 year old Irish schoolboy Jordan Casey. The company itself is based in Waterford, Ireland which is Jordan’s home county. Jordan is Irelands youngest entrepreneur and he is making a professional name for himself not only in the gaming scene, but also in the
Interview : Jordan Casey - Casey Games 25Interview : Jordan Casey - Casey Games
think I’m going to university/college at the moment and I’d really like to live in London.
going to run into some problems, maybe you’re not being taken seriously, but keep going because you’re going to get through it.
7. Where did you find support for your business venture?I’ve found a lot of support from family and friends, who have invested their time in me and really encouraged me to do this. Without them, I can guarantee I would never be where I am today.
Parents Can Only Give Good Advice
OR PUT THEM [CHILDREN] ON THE RIGHT PATHS, BUT THE FINAL FORMING OF
A Person’s Character Li� In �eir Own Hands.
{ Ann Frank — Author }
entrepreneurial world. Casey, the CEO and founder of Casey Games Inc started learning code at the age of nine!
to name but a few. Jordan has spoken to world- renowned leaders and entrepreneurs in India and Germany. He has also braved the Dragons on ‘Junior Dragons Den’, in which he successfully won over dragon Peter Casey to secure the 2000 bursary.
Jordans most successful video game so far has been ‘Alien Ball Vs. Human’. Apple has accepted two of Jordans self-made apps
which proves that his hard work is most definitely paying off. This was a defining moment in Jordans early success, as Apple has extremely high standards for apps. Jordan has already made waves in the growing gaming industry, as he now has five apps available on iTunes.
What inspired you to start Casey Games?What inspired me to start Casey Games was when I was playing Club Penguin and started writing websites about it. I then felt inspired to make my own version of Club Penguin, so I put a name behind it and called it “Casey Games”. I then was inspired at a conference to officially incorporate it as a company.
Were you always interested in gaming?I was always interested in gaming and computers. I got my first gaming console when I was 5 and from the first day I was always interested how these things work. We put the family computer in my room so I would go on that some nights.
Do you get nervous before speaking at conferences?Originally I was very nervous when I started conference speaking, but as I did more I got used to it. I still get a bit nervous just before I go on stage, but once on stage, I’m fine.
What are your aspirations for the future?I want to continue working in startups and software. I recently announced a new application (TeachWare) which is a web application for teachers to easily manage their students information. I think this could go places. I don’t
What difficulties have you encountered?There’s been lots of difficulties in the process of getting where I am today, partly because of my age. A lot of people such as investors don’t seem to take me so seriously because I’m so young. They think I’m just doing it for “a game” and then there’s been technical difficulties too for example if my app wasn’t accepted, etc.
What would be the best advice you would give to a young entrepreneur?I would say first of all, start young, because I consider this as a head start. In 10 years I will be 23 and I will already have 10 years experience of what it’s like to work in the software industry. Another thing is never give up, you’re
“I still get a bit nervous just
before I go on stage, but once on stage, I’m fine”
www.caseygameswebsite.co
m
Jordan has spoken at a myriad of prestigious conferences such as: the Irish International Business Network in the states, Cannes Lions, The smartphone and Tablet Games Summit and Gamecity7
Our best advice that we can think of is to take your product to market as soon as you can, nothing teaches you more than physical selling of the product to customers, you will make mistakes but
these will only teach you to become a better entrepreneur.
What difficulties have you encountered?The main difficulty we encountered was age, people just couldn’t take us seriously! We had to do something to overcome this.
Imed Abnoun, Marsell Fazilou and Davin Barrett, three mem-ber and owners of social gam-ers who started off in a sec-ondary school in Tralee. They want to provide professional and extraordinary video game tournaments in Ireland to bring the gaming over here to anoth-er level. By this gamers all over Ireland will have the opportunity to put their gaming skills to test in competitive tournaments.
Where did you get your original idea?Well the main idea came from a very common problem be-tween me and the lads, we simply couldn’t find anyway to prove who was the best at our favourite video game! So we researched online if there was any medium for such video gaming events. After weeks of research we found nothing and just knew something had to be done about this. After all the video game industry is a huge market!
27Interview : The Social Gamers Interview : The Social Gamers
Where did you get support from?Teachers in our school were a great help, especially the business related ones, they gave us all the right knowledge about legality etc. and provided excellent advice on marketing, selling etc.
Pictured here are Marsell Fazilou(front), Imed Abnoun(middle) and Davin Barrett(back), the three members of the social gamers.
How did you overcome these difficulties?
We over came these difficulties by first setting up a mini pilot event in our school, this would prove to everyone that such an idea like ours works and they-were left with no choice but to agree.
How did you all come together as a group?We felt that the three of us had a similar view as to how this business should be run so we made the perfect team with each person playing a part in the business.
How helpful did you find school/teachers when setting up?We found them very helpful, it is no doubt that without the help of our school we would not be here today.
Did you ever think of abandoning the whole idea, if so why?Of course we thought about scraping the whole idea, I don’t know which business hasn’t to be honest. Sometimes things just didnt seem to go to plan and we had no idea how to move on. But we stuck through it and got over these obstacles, if you believe in your idea, it will work no matter what.
In your opinion, what is the most important trait of an entrepreneur?The most important trait of an entrepreneur in my opinion is planning and thinking outside the box. You can not set up a business in the same way as others, you will just look the same as everyone else and your product won’t sell. You must stand out from the crowd, but take care not to overdo it.
in which you really stop to look fear in the face. you are able to say to yourself,
I LIVED THROUGH THIS HORROR. I CAN TAKE THE NEXT THING THAT COMES ALONG.
You Must do the Thing you Think you Cannot do.
{ Eleanor Roosevelt — Activist You Learn by Living }
{ {How did your families react to the whole idea, were they supportive?At first they were very 50/50 on the matter, it just seemed like a simple school project to them. But when we went on to setting up real events and making money they became really supportive and always wanted to know how the business was going.
“Teachers in our school were a great help”
...gamers all over Ireland will have the opportunity to put their gaming skills to test in competitive tournaments.
What is a franchise?
Buying a franchise guide,
Why franchise in Ireland,
Benefits of a franchise business,
Why become a franchisee, Franchise types,
Disadvantages of a franchise,
Why become a franchisee, Franchise types,
Find the franchise type to suit you,
Evaluate the franchise market,
29Where do I go ? How to Protect your Idea{
{Ok, so you’ve taken the first step and come up with the idea that’s going to make you a millionaire so congratulations!
One of the most challenging hurdles met by young entrepreneurs is what to do next and sadly many great business plans never make it simply because people don’t know what to do with them.
Good ideas don’t just magically become thriving businesses, even the greatest entrepreneurs of our time needed help to get off the ground, so with that in mind we here at Offaly Comhairle ne nÓg have put together a list of places where you can go for help whether it be for funding, IT support or just somebody to brainstorm ideas with.
The first and easiest place you can go with your plan is of course the Internet. There are literally hundreds of crowd funding sites out there where you submit your idea and if people like them then they hit the donate button.
Take Kickstarter.com for example this website allows for crowd funding for a huge array of ideas from small businesses to short films.
It was through kickstarter that ten million dollars were raised for a revolutionary smarthwatch, nine million for the Ouya video game console and six million for an academy award winning movie, but these are just some of the successful projects this one website has a 63 percent success rate for funding and has raised more than 250 million dollars in funding so far. Kickstarter isn’t the only site of course,
Here’s some more suggestions out of the dozens that are available.
Of course the internet isn’t the only way forward for you there are a variety of other resources available.
It is well worth getting in contact with your local enterprise boards.These organizations are present in every county and it is their job to provide assistance to budding young entrepreneurs. Another thing that is well worth taking a look at is the “Irish Entrepreneur”, magazine a publication with 70,000 avid readers and some great advice for entrepreneurs,
One great resource which many people overlook is your friends and family. One of the best ways to get constructive feedback and criticism is by bouncing your idea off the people around you. This can help your plan really take shape and in some case family members will even be willing to provide a loan to help you get on your feet.
Patenting- A Physical product
Copyright- A piece of original work
Trademark- Design of a company name/logo
Patents- To be eligible for a patent a product must conform to three fields.
1.Novelty
COPYRIGHT The author of the piece of work is the owner of the copyright. If the author of the work is being employed to create the work then the employer has possesion of the copyright unless an agreement which contradicts this has been made prior to the work.
The owner has the exclusive right to prohibit or authorize others to undertake the following:
1.Copy the work 2.Perform the work 3.Make the work available to the public through broadcast-ing or recordings 4.Make an adaptation of the work
words, (including personal names), designs, logos, letters, numerals or the shape of goods or of their packaging, or of other signs or indications that are capable of distinguishing the goods or services of one undertaking from those of others.
How to apply- The Patents Office
To apply for a patent, trademark or copyright visit http//:patentsoffice.ie and fill out the corresponding form. The form can be sent off online and payed for with a credit card.
FRANCHISING A franchise is an agreement or license between two parties which gives a person or group of people (the franchisee) the rights to market a product or service using the trademark of another business (the franchisor).
FranchiseOptions.ie is Ireland’s leading website dedicated to franchising and the many excellent wealth creating opportunities franchising offers aspiring entrepreneurs.
This website offers practical advice and help for anyone considering franchising and starting a business.
Franchise Direct.ie - Directory of Franchises for Sale and Business Opportunities for Ireland.
TRADEMARK A trademark is the means by which a business identifies its goods or services. A trade mark may consist of
Check Out
Whichfranchise.ie
A great place to get information
Other Places to try
It must ust be new and not exist anywhere else in the world.
2.Inventive step An invention is considered as involving an inventive step if it is not obvious to a person skilled in that area of technology
3.Industrial Capabilty Must be capable of being made or used in some kind of industry
Where did the idea for your product come from‘I was watching Ellen DeGeneres on YouTube and there was a Science teacher who was showing some interesting Science experiments. I thought that in Primary schools these days science isn’t as important as other subjects but when you go to Secondary school it gets a lot harder. So if children find science more exciting and fun at a younger age it will be easier and they’ll take a greater interest in it when they become older’.
Have you always felt you had an aptitude for business?‘I never thought about setting up a business so I never really tried to be a part of one until I entered the Student Enterprise Awards, it was hard at the beginning but after a while it gets easier’.
31Shauna’s Boom BooksShauna’s Boom Books
If not then, what was your key motivator in the creation of Shauna’s Boom Books?‘I started Shauna’s Boom Books so I could enter the Student Enterprise Awards. You can create any type of business for the competition and I loved writing so that was something that I wanted to be part of my business. I really wanted to win the competition so that was my key motivator’.
During the early stages of the publication of the book, did you find any snags or difficulties?‘When I was finished writing my books I had to find a printing company who would make the books of a good quality and affordable to families. Not many people can afford to pay 10 to €20 so I made the book educational and within peoples means. It wasn’t easy to find a printing company but I actually found a local one (Eden Print) who was based in the same town as I live. This was definitely my greatest hurdle’.
If so then what would you suggest young entrepreneurs do to avoid these problems?‘Know the people you’re doing business with and try to stay local. It is good to make mistakes though because once you overcome them you become more confident and want to work harder on your business’.
What would you personally rate as the 5 most important traits or skills of an entrepreneur?‘There are many skills you need and even develop while working on your business but the 5 most important ones are being confident (usually you have to work with the public so if you want to be heard be confident in yourself and your business ideas), be a team player (in some businesses there is more than one person involved so be heard but also listen to others because they might help make your idea better), being hardworking (it’s hard work being an entrepreneur and there’s times when you want to give up so set goals and work to achieve them and every time you do you’ll want to do more), you have to be determined (this ties in with being hardworking and setting goals for yourself ; if you’re determined if will be a lot easier to achieve them and the last one is that you have to enjoy yourself because it will be much easier if you love what you do’.
When you went into
Enterprise Awards but I wanted to and did my best to win. I believed that if I did the best I could win but and if I didn’t it wouldn’t matter to me because I knew I did what I could’.
Do you see yourself continuing down this road in the futures?‘I am definitely going to continue with my business and work on creating more books; it’s hard work but worthwhile. I’ve come this far and I’m not going to stop now. There has been many people helping me like my Mother Sandra, Ms. Hynes (my Business Studies teacher), All Inks in Edenderry Town Square, Mangan’s Centra, Edenderry Library and all schools that I’ve visited and I wouldn’t want to let them down’.
Shauna’s Boom Books Interview by Orin Tulie Daly
the school year last year, did you honestly see yourselves winning the County Enterprise competition? Do you think believe is a key factor in a successful business?‘I wasn’t sure I was going to win the Offaly Enterprise Awards or the Student
““It is good to make mistakes though because once you overcome them you become more confident and want to work harder on your
business”
www.shaunasboombooks.com
www.shaunasboombooks.com
BE in Manufacturing and Design Engineering Level 8
BSc in Product Design Level 8
Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Aided Engineering and Design
Bachelor of Science in Product Design and Technology
What is StripeFounded by Limerick brothers Patrick and John Collison, Stripe aims to make it easy for online businesses to accept payments over the internet.
Recognising a gap in the marketPatrick Collison said the company was not trying to take the market share from existing payments firms, but wanted to grow the ecommerce market as a whole, bringing areas currently not transacting online into the market.
33Patrick Collison —Stripe
YOU’VE GOT TO
PUT UP WITH THE RAIN.
{ Dolly Parton — Singer }
Third level Industrial Design Courses
COLLEGE
Letterkenny Institute of Technologyy
www.lyit.ie
National University of Ireland, Maynooth www.nuim.ie/
Dundalk Institute of Technology www.dkit.ie University of Limerick www.ul.ie
Dublin Institute of Technology www.dit.ie
Sour
ce: w
ww.
hotc
ours
esab
road
.com
COURSE
Bachelor of Arts in Product Design Bachelor of Engineering (Hons.) in Engineering in Embedded Systems Design
BSc in Product Design (Marketing and Innovation)
Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Sustainable Design Engineering (This course is a one year add on honours degree programme)
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Product Design Innovation
Bachelor of Arts in Industrial Design
In 2007 an information booklet for second-level students on the diverse opportunities to study design at third level entitled Why Design: A Guide to Studying Design in Ireland was published.The guide sets out the opportunities for design-related study in 22 third-level institutions, Ireland, North and South.
Information is provided on the diverse range of design disciplines from fashion to architecture. Included are textiles, multimedia and the new media, graphics and visual communication, product and industrial design, craft, furniture, education and interior design.
Thinking Differently- Stripe’s Transparency PolicyPayments startup Stripe has a pretty innovative policy when it comes to transparency.
Any employee can read almost every email sent within the company. What that means is that every email is internally public and searchable.
The rationale: if everyone automatically knows what’s happening within the company, Stripe can reduce the number of meetings it has and have a more fluid coordination process.
About Patrick Collison“I watch virtually no TV. All my screen time is computer time for me. When I’m not doing that I’m reading or talking to my friends who I got to know through computers.” (PC)
Things we learned about Patrick & John Collision from www.businessinsider.com
Work On Things You’re Passionate AboutYou would think that processing payments would be a hard thing to get passionate about, but to Patrick payments at its core, especially on the internet, is an extremely interesting problem to solve.
“It Took 14-Months To Build
Stripe’s Infrastructure”
Some consumer web startups seem to pop up over night, but Stripe’s infrastructure took 14-months to get ready before they could launch to the public.
Peter Thiel’s InfluenceThe Stripe team met with and took funding from all the major PayPal team members including Peter Thiel, Max Levchin, and Elon Musk. Peter specifically was able to help the young startup look at different pricing models and was one of the first major players to believe and commit to the startup. It had a big immediate impact.
Download a copy at www.designinnovation.ie
Institute of Technology Carlow
www.itcarlow.i
39
MOON...
IMAGINATION
ENERGY
ENTREPRENEUR
WHO W
ANTS TO BE AN
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