One stop shop event for small businesses in South East region launched by Minister Bruton

Taking Care of Business  - informing existing and potential entrepreneurs of the Government supports available to them

REGISTER NOW: Thursday 30th April in The Tower Hotel, Waterford at 8.30am to 1.30pm www.takingcareofbusiness.ie

· Event will allow small business owners to learn about financial supports and assistance available

· Get advice from a diverse mix of Government Agencies

The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton, T.D together with the Minister for Housing, Planning and Coordination of Construction 2020 Strategy, Paudie Coffey, T.D., launched Taking Care of Business – a one-stop-shop event for existing and potential entrepreneurs in the South East region.

This free event will take place on Thursday 30th April in the Tower Hotel, Waterford from 8.30am to 1.30pm.

The half-day event is specifically targeted at people thinking of starting a business, as well as small business owners and managers. Attending the event will allow entrepreneurs to:

· Better understand the key regulations that affect them so that they can focus on the main task of running their business;

· Meet experts from a broad range of public bodies in an informal setting;

· Find out about advice and supports that are available from across the public sector.

This joint initiative of the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and the Health and Safety Authority, as part of the Action Plan for Jobs, will bring together over 26 State bodies in one location and builds on previous events in Dublin in 2013 and 2014. Earlier in 2014, three regional events were held in Cork, Limerick and Galway, bringing the total attendance at TCOB events to date to just over 1,750.

Minister Bruton said: “‘Taking Care of Business’ is part of a wider effort to communicate better with business and promote awareness and understanding of the full range of Government supports that are available for the SME sector. Two thirds of all new jobs come from start-up businesses in the first five years of their existence, so it is essential for Government to support new businesses in order to grow employment and that is what we have being doing through the Action Plan for Jobs process.

“This will also be a great opportunity for people to ask questions and raise individual concerns face-to-face with staff from across the public sector. The Government is committed to engaging with the small business community and this event will help SMEs to better understand the regulatory environment. I would strongly encourage anyone with a business or thinking of setting up a business to come along to get free information about state supports”.

Minister Nash, who will attend the event on April 30th, said: “As the minister with responsibility for SMEs, I would encourage businesses from across the South-East, but particularly start-ups or people thinking of making the leap to start their own business to attend this event. Government has a range of supports available to help SMEs make their business a success and the Taking Care of Business event is a great way for busy people to get all the information they might need from our agencies in one spot.”

The State offices and agencies represented will provide information across a wide range of areas, including:

· Tax, employment and Health & Safety obligations;

· Legal requirements for setting up and running a business;

· Requirements in areas such as food and environmental safety;

· Advice on government procurement and intellectual property;

· Assistance and supports from enterprise agencies and Local Authorities.

There will be two separate strands running concurrently with presentations from State bodies in one area and information stands manned by staff from these bodies in a separate area. The concise presentations will focus on key regulatory requirements as well as assistance available to help entrepreneurs develop their businesses. Experts will be available at the information stands to speak directly to attendees and answer questions throughout the event.

Speaking at the launch, Minister Coffey said: “This event will allow small business owners to informally ask questions and get advice from a diverse mix of government agencies; Ireland needs small businesses to thrive and so I welcome efforts such as this to demystify government regulation and tell people about the supports available to them.”

It is essential for SMEs to make the most of the advice and supports available to them so I encourage entrepreneurs and those thinking of starting a business to capitalise on this chance to hear from a wide variety of agencies, in one location”.

The Minister for Housing, Planning and Coordination of Construction 2020 Strategy, Paudie Coffey, T.D., will give the keynote address. Clare Hughes, Managing Director of CF Pharma Ltd, will Chair the first set of presentations. Dermot Walsh, Director, M & D Bakery Ltd and Louise Grubb, CEO Q1 Scientific will chair the remaining two sessions. Minister for Employment and Business, Ged Nash T.D., will close the event.

To register for the event and for more details including the running order of presentations and the full list of State Bodies attending, please visit www.takingcareofbusiness.ie. Early booking is strongly advised as there are a limited number of places available.