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Managing director, Oak Tree Press |
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Accountant by training |
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Former editor: Accountancy; Certified Accountant |
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Writer, editor, publisher, webmaster, small
business trainer |
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Ireland's leading business book publisher |
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Focus on micro/small business |
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Books / websites / software / training |
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Licensing of customised solutions |
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Passion |
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Our passion is enterprise. Thinking about it.
Writing about it. Talking about it. Doing it. Helping with it. Making it
happen. |
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Vision |
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OTP will be known worldwide as the best in
developing successful methodologies for entrepreneurs, MSMEs and enterprise
support organisations. |
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Mission |
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Supporting enterprise. |
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Palo Alto Software – UK/USA |
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Clearlybusiness.co.uk |
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Virgin Books |
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Dept. of Enterprise, Trade & Employment |
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AIB |
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Institute of Commercial Management |
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Blackrock Education Centre |
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Small Firms Association |
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SFEDI |
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EINET |
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190,000 (<10,000 starts-up pa) |
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95% less than 10 employees |
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Owner-managed (1st generation) |
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Under-funded |
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Not growth-aware? |
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Price-sensitive |
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NATIONAL |
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Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment |
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Forfas |
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Enterprise Ireland |
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Shannon Development |
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Udaras na Gaeltachta |
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State agencies |
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LOCAL |
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City/County Enterprise Boards (35) |
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Business Innovation Centres (5) |
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Area Partnership Companies (38) |
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LEADER+ |
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PLATO |
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Enterprise Platform Programmes |
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Generally, underfunded (cut-backs 2003) but not
S/T |
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Programme-driven |
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Move to "soft supports" |
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Autonomous – co-ordination? |
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Low take-up? |
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Clients want 1-to-1 response |
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Mentoring |
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Financial management/control (understanding?) |
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Strategy |
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Value added |
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Succession |
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Business failure/rescue |
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Potential in high-tech (skepticism) |
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Focus required on marketing |
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Focus required on financials |
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Think big, bigger |
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Management team? |
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Planned accelerated development |
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ISSUES |
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Bigger, better, more profitable? |
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Trigger? |
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Motivation -
need / greed |
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Why? |
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How? |
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Name: Success POTential check |
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Online benchmarked assessment |
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Not a "health check" |
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Assesses impact of 16 key factors on the growth
potential of a business |
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Assignment for South Dublin County Enterprise
Board |
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Cash grants ð "soft" supports |
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Decision support: |
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Assess potential |
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Identify interventions |
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Benchmark performance |
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Literature search for suitable model |
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20+ examined in detail |
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South Dublin CEB did not want to use any of the
existing models identified |
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Oak Tree Press commissioned to develop new model |
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Overlaps identified in existing models |
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Common factors critical to growth |
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Measure these common factors |
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Develop as Excel spreadsheet |
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Desk pilot + Live pilot |
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Manager/Board liked model |
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Mentors HATED model |
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Too detailed / not detailed enough |
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Too numeric / Not numeric enough |
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Too visual / not visual enough |
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Benchmarking not possible with Excel model |
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Redeveloped 2002 as web-based application |
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External |
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Environment |
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Market |
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Customers |
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Direct competition |
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Suppliers |
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Promoters / Management team |
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Isolated because of critical impact on growth
potential |
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Potential for weighting(?) |
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Internal |
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Strategy |
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Marketing |
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Sales / Promotion / Channels |
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Products / Services |
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Process |
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Product Development / Innovation |
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Human Resources |
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Financial Resources |
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Financial Management |
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Systems & Administration |
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Self-assessment by entrepreneur / management
team |
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Independent assessment by consultant – for
support agency(?) |
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Commentary by consultant |
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Profile |
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Sector |
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Turnover |
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Employees |
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Location |
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ð Benchmarking |
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Summary |
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Graphs |
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Factors summarised in single table |
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Full |
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Graphs |
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Individual report on each factor |
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Guidance towards interventions (customisable
text) |
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1: Where Do You Want to Be? |
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Set growth targets |
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2: Where Are You Now? |
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Current position : Gap? |
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3: How Do You Get To Where You |
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Want To Be? |
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SPOTcheck assessment : Directed review of key
elements : Strategy |
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4: Business Planning |
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Business planning : Business Plan |
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SPOTcheck |
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Strategic box |
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MOAT |
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WEBS |
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Passion |
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Vision |
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Mission |
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Positioning |
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Resourcing |
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Maximise opportunities |
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Avoid threats |
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Weaknesses eliminated |
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Build on strengths |
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Mentoring |
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Financial management/control (understanding?) |
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Strategy |
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Value added |
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Succession |
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Business failure/rescue |
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Social/community enterprise |
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Being pushed towards: |
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Self-financing |
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Business professionalism |
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Lack of skills – finance/marketing |
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Need for business planning |
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Notes
