As the Irish economy continues to grow, so too does the energy requirements of SMEs and the agricultural sector throughout the country. Ireland is transitioning to a low carbon economy in an effort to meet both Government and international targets and to reduce the economy’s dependence

According to the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) the scale of these challenges is significant, and it will require a coordinated interplay of technology, infrastructure and actions by organisations and individuals to shape Ireland’s energy future. For the past number of years, SEAI has been supporting Irish businesses, large and small, as well as the Irish agricultural industry, to shift to more sustainable energy use by providing a range of support services. This includes mentoring, training, standards development and a number of financial supports to help companies to become more energy efficient, deliver measurable savings and reduce their energy bills. There are six main grants available from SEAI that would be of great interest to SME’s and the agricultural sector.

The Credit Review Office provides an independent review process for SMEs, sole traders and farm enterprises that have had requests for credit refused or had existing credit facilities reduced or withdrawn from the banks that were, at the time, participating in the NAMA scheme. Since it started in 2010, other banks have voluntarily joined the process. The banks currently covered are Allied Irish Bank, Bank of Ireland, PTSB and Ulster Bank.

The Credit Review Office aim is to form an independent, impartial opinion on whether your business is viable and will generate enough cash to repay the loan.

When most people think of a franchise, they first think of food related businesses. Surprisingly only 41% of active franchise systems operating in Ireland are food related. The franchise model extends into other sectors such as children’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) education, personal health wellbeing and fitness, B2B support services; cleaning services, pet services, landscaping services, and so on. The list is endless, so if food service franchises don’t interest you, there are plenty of successful franchise models available for you to choose from.

“Research indicates that over 90% of franchisees continue in business after five years.”