Workshop Feedback - Belfast

Group 1 – Awareness

Gerry Faloona

How do we embed enterprise?

• Need to champion success – local to global heroes – self-employed, public sector, management

• Address fear of failure

• Spread the message to parents

• Better careers advice at school – from the right people

Barriers to awareness

• No barriers – just challenges!

• Overall roadmap not there

• Attitudes in some schools to enterprise

• No awareness of what the curriculum covers re enterprise

• Departments and agencies know what the barriers are – need to grasp these

What’s not being done?

• No consistency of support

• Not targeting need at local levels

What do we need to do?

• Better business/education infrastructure

• More business links with schools

• Need to explain what enterprise and entrepreneurship mean with learning context

What are we doing right?

• Funding in place – but being told what to fund rather than what needs funding

• We are asking the right questions

• Education is responding

What can we do?

• Encourage more innovation within education

• Create an environment that secures long term funding

• Speak with one voice

• Focus on enterprise for life

Challenges

• Encouraging more people of all ages to be enterprising

• Encourage people out of the black economy

• Address the skills base

More joined-up approach

• 200+ organisations – impossible to manage

• Need clear distinction of their roles

• Be prepared to say no

• Initial funding needs to be in the right places

• There is a failure to take decisions at a strategic level

Group 2 – Pre-Start

Gerry Ford

Barriers

• Mindsets

• Women (Domestic/Seriousness)

• Culture

• Attitudes

• Motivation

• Confusion

Not Doing

• Co-ordination

• Exploiting Potential Indigenous Business?

• Joined Up Thinking

Can Do

• Money

• Good Will

• Legitimise

• Professionalism

• Infrastructure

Should Do

• Take Account of Macro Economy

• Brokerage Matchmaking Ideas

• Tax Breaks ( VC)

• Consistency

• Turnaround

• Career Breaks Funding

Next 3 Years

• Branding

• Tailored Support

• Enterprise Advisory Group

• Customer Data Base

Group 3 – Start-Up

Graham Cash

START UP

• BARRIERS/NOT BEING ADDRESSED

• Definitions

• Needs

• Communications/co-ordination

• Tailored

Doing Right?

Lots of different initiatives/programmes

Success stories

Geographic coverage

Focus on start up/enterprise

What should we do?

• Co-ordination, communication, proofing

• Involvement, participation, support

• Education sector – better advice and linkages – BEPs

• Voluntary/Community sector – build confidence, create pathways

• Informal/formal

The Challenges• The Economy

• Funding

• RPA

• Interim period

Joined up approach

• Accountability

• Measurement

• Reporting

• Reward

Group 4 - Growth

Aidan Gough

Growth – Aidan Gough, ITI

• Barriers include:• Lack of information• Mentality: risk averse and lack of confidence• Regulatory environment inc taxation• Lack of networks• Infrastructure: transport costs etc• Historical background• Planning • Lack of skills: both commercial and technical (reliance of

NI economy on public service means different skillset/mindset)

Growth

• What is not being addressed:• Co-ordination of information. Lots of activity already

underway, but lack of co-ordination means businesses are still falling through the gaps.

• Fear of failure.• Difficulties with planning guidelines.

Growth

• Generally, enough is being done to help companies export, but communication and co-ordination of efforts remains an issue.

• Provision of information on potential markets by InvestNI is good, but follow up to trade missions is poor.

Growth

• What can be done?• Streamlined/joined up/co-operative approach.• Focussed use of resources.• DETI to lead.• Encourage networks/role models• Improve public/private relationship• A more entrepreneurial public sector.

Growth

• How to promote a more joined up approach:• Leadership and communication.

Growth

• In summary:• Strategic approach vital.• Implementation critical.• Leadership

Group 5 - Awareness

Simon Bridge

Table 5 – General Points•Need for clear links between this strategy and the developing Social Enterprise Strategy.

•Clear aims and objectives of the Strategy:–More businesses/more enterprising people?–Faster Growing Businesses?–Both?–Will these areas require separate strategies?

Awareness

• Importance of the Education System– Teachers– The curriculum– Learners understanding where they are going

(careers guidance and the opportunities)– Does new careers strategy go far enough?– Needs to be wider than schools (FE/HE)– Teaching subjects with a focus on the world of work.– Resources

Awareness

• Relevance of the strongest influencers• Need to understand the inhibitors to

raising awareness• Need to promote success (with

appropriate local role models)• Many have been around this issue before

(are we starting from the ‘right’ place?)• Not just schools/HE/FE but also for those

already in work

Awareness

• Recognise that there is lots of activity but need for a co-ordinated strategy

• Balance between co-ordination and a free market approach

• Look back and learn lessons – don’t be afraid of new approaches

• Some areas of awareness raising activity are better resourced than others.

Group 6 – Start-Up

Trudy Arthurs

BARRIERS

• Fear of failure, confidence, ideas, culture• Need for a quality relevant sounding board and relevant

business experience to take forward appropriate ideas• Need to build relationships at an early stage with key

effective people• Legislation• Clarity who funds what • Need a survey on NI businesses – what do they need,

where are they now, where are they going

What is not being addressed

• Support after the initial start up, recognition of the time it takes to become established

• Relevant advice needed for such a diversity of businesses – rather than a generic solution

• How to find the most appropriate investor or business partner / mentor for your business

• Incentives needed to engage in the process• Resourcing of LEAs to deliver the support

Challenges

• Ongoing support beyond year 1 of business start up

• Will the LEA still be there

• RPA

What can sectors do

• More working together and sharing of info

• Need to link in banks, accountancy companies etc

• Central listing of contacts at all levels for signposting

Group 7 - Growth

Peter Martin

Barriers/Gaps

• Accessing support for growth

• Gap between start up and growth

• Practical mentoring assistance

• Freeing up time – building 2nd tier

• Confidence

Helping companies export

• Driven from schools up

• Helping people turn locally focussed companies into export

• Export programmes tailored to meet specific needs eg women

• Clustering to provide support networks

• Linkages with ex-pats

• Networking events/coaching

Role for those outside INI

• Land/planning

• Skills – language, IT, selling

• Procurement procedures

• Use of foreign based offices

• Networking/ role models

• Lobbying role for private sector

Challenges

• RPA

• Lack of business knowledge by public sector/INI staff

• Need to be more agile

• Global economy

Encouraging more joined up approach

• Business representation on public bodies

• Consultation on policy issues

• Pathfinding model to be used for all businesses?

Workshop Feedback - Dungannon

Awareness

Ruth Daly, Network for Enterprising Women

Embedding Enterprise

• Education system is key, from primary onwards• Enterprise included in new curriculum, but will take time

to take effect• Enterprise activity in schools/colleges regarded as added

extra for CV – needs to be mainstream.• Self employment needs to be promoted as valid career

option.• Use of mentors and role models important – of all

demographics, and all levels of business model• Language needs to be inclusive and not off putting – ‘self

employed’ vs ‘entrepreneurs’. Focus on skills to encourage would-be business owners, not just humdinger ideas.

Barriers/Difficulties

• Cherry-picking businesses for support – importance of all enterprise activity needs to be recognised.

• Lack of business skills/knowledge of how and where to acquire those skills.

• Start A Business Campaign not sending out right message to right people – unrealistic and mis-use of resources.

• Fear of failure.• Attitudes to risk• Different barriers across different demographic and geographic

groups need to be recognised and addressed.• Lack of co-ordination between those involved in Enterprise Support. • Broader range of success stories - not just triumph over adversity

Barriers/Difficulties

• Resources targeted at support of innovation for innovation sake esp EU funds – need to mainstream things that have worked ie BEP.

• Lack of support outside Neighbourhood Renewal Areas.

What are we doing right?

• Go For It campaign at least increased awareness - slogan has been successful.

• One strength of Start A Business was that it included everyone.

• Current window of opportunity of public perception of INI to improve (SBSP).

• Asking right questions now; being asked to contribute.

What can be done?

• Promote self employment at all levels – focus on broader definition of enterprise

• Clarify objective of strategy – enterprise at all levels or just entrepreneurship.

• Promote networks, both within business and within providers of enterprise support. Formalise network structures.

Challenges

• Current economic climate

• Addressing confusion – where to go

• Embedding of new enterprise support mechanisms

• Ensuring buy in to strategy from all relevant bodies and co-ordinating many different streams of support

A more joined up approach?

• Inter-departmental Steering Group with representatives from all Stakeholders. Could be modelled on EU Monitoring Committees. (EDF patchy and Belfast-centric.)

• Promote networking between providers of support.

• Recognise the importance of a regional approach, which would allow more impact on the ground.

Table 3 – Start-up

• Audits/previous reviews need taken into account

• Need to ensure a focus on business • Awareness – an improved culture removes

barriers• Importance of role models• Importance of linking education to

business• Importance of special status schools

Start Up

Start Up

• Feeling of isolation by new businesses – reluctant to network

• But examples of good practice – womens’ network, business clubs

• Reluctance to explore unfamiliar markets• Bureaucracy – look to farming for best practice• Broadband quality given its importance as a

business tool• Finance – access and collateral

Start Up

• Accountants – reluctant to advise

• Social economy – hurdles

• Agreement on pipeline – who does what?

• Amounts of assistance against each stage of pipeline

Table 4 Growth

• BARRIERS

• Geography

• Culture

• Language

• Comfort Zone

• Market Size

Solutions

• More Inclusive Partnerships

• End Confusion

• Clear Lead within Govt-Enterprise Champion-Own Policy

• Speed of Decision Making

ANSWER

SPEED

FIREPOWER

AGGRESSION

Workshop Feedback - Derry

Table 1 Awareness (25/6)

• Barriers

• Accessibility-nb Women Domestic Issues• Confidence• Schools/Educational Approaches (BUS ED

Partnership Models)• Exposure to Bus Experience (Welsh Mentors)

Solutions

• Career Horizons Widened

• Skills Focus on Business (nb FE Colleges -Apprenticeships)

• Benefit Trap (Economically Inactive)

• Employed Potential – nb Middle Mgt

• Joined Up Govt-Top Down +Local \Accountability

Pre-Start

Alice Quinn

Barriers

• Current economic climate• Mindset: lack of confidence, risk adverse, fear of

failure, dependency. Even when ’awareness’ in place, there’s a lack of ‘get up and go’.

• Focus on professions/career ladder/job security. Self employment not promoted as valid career choice or encouraged by society/peers.

• Lack of the right, local role models.• Lack of business skills/understanding.• Social security system removes ‘need’ for

enterprise activity.

Can we make a difference?

• Giving people options does lead to change – highlight opportunities and showcase experiences.

• ‘Lifestyle’ businesses need to be valued – as enterprises in own right, but also embed enterprise culture.

• Black market economy needs to be addressed.• Direction and support at this stage to ensure pre-start

moves along pipeline to start-up.• As necessity is a motivator, resources could be targeted

towards declining industries/public sector.• Targeted use of resources eg women, non-claimant

economically inactive.• Loan Finance -Regional staff advising and

administrating.

What’s not being addressed?

• Not enough focus on ideas generation.• Lack of encouragement on skills development.• Development of business/management skills.• Attracting people on to programs – Invest NI and

DEL progs not inclusive. Don’t fit in.• Capital funding no longer available and was a

valuable tool.• Difficulty in accessing finance – esp

women/lower income individuals

Challenge

• Anomaly of a risk adverse public sector trying to promote enterprise

• Regional attitudes: difficult to get people think outside of own immediate area, never mind globally.

• Embedding enterprise across all Govt

What Are We Doing Right?

• NIBusinessInfo a great tool.

• Support is out there, but is fragmented, patchy and uncoordinated.

• Plenty of good initiatives-but of a stop-start nature.

How to ensure a joined up approach?

• Politicians to set example-who lobbies?• Rationalise number of agencies involved:

improve communication and co-ordination• Clarify where everyone fits in/improve

information• Ensure delivery mechanism in place. Strategy

needs to introduce a central driver/champion. A new agency? An existing agency?

• Strategy need to have funds to be implemented correctly.

Group 3 Start-Up

Barriers

• Confusion – inflexible, piecemeal support which is not directed by need

• Lack of knowledge of where to go for support

• Support not continuous after initial start-up• Government bureaucracy – time

consuming, misalignment of targets• But some bureaucracy is perceived rather

than real

What are we doing right?

• Go For It is a strong brand

• Mentoring – is there but needs to be better signposted and co-ordinated between public and private sectors

• Organisations like EHS and HMRC are giving advice at start up workshops

What can be done?

• Need to highlight the benefits of compliance to start ups – procurement opportunities, tax benefits

• Start up stage is crucial time for this

• Need to ensure that advice is given at the right time

Challenges over next 3 years

• Getting a coherent strategy in place pre-RPA• Needs to have a NI regional and local focus• Harness cross-border potential for start ups• Simplify support & advice• Key role for pro bono support and mentoring• Greater role for private/loan capital going into

businesses – needs innovative ideas from government to capture this

Encouraging a joined up approach

• Needs to be DETI led

• With a compelling case for all stakeholder involvement

• Tailor advice to businesses in different growth stages

• A better NI-specific website that gives timely, NI-focussed advice

Group 4 - Growth

Barriers

• More start – more growth• Reservoir – tap• Uni courses must be relevant e.g

computer games• Careers advice• FE is a core supplier but ‘cinderella’• Attitude as important as skills• Impact needed at primary school level

• Economically important jobs are ‘boring’• Flexibility and speed of course provision• Cultural resistance• Access to finance• What is growth?• Education and employers have different drivers• Lack of private sector willingess to assist training• Benefit system doesn’t encourage growth• Policies need to be aligned

Barriers to export

• Infrastructure

• Awareness of programmes

• Champions/awards

Doing right

• Recognising there is an issue

• taking a cross departmental approach

• Getting cuter!

What can be done

• Govt needs to address the problem in a joined up way

• Recognise their different drivers• Need to promote a culture of enterprise

and growth• Potentially use funding and fees to

influence course choices• Need to make hard decisions• More private sector buy-in

Challenges

• RPA

• Post EU funding

• Ensure effective communication and joined up approach

Outside Invest NI

• Involve people earlier in FDI process

• Complementary integrated marketing messages

• Post FDI engagement to retain projects

• People need to be educated about the FDI process to contribute better