Three Business to Vie for Investment in Dragons Den Style Programme
Ballyhoura Development Ltd. has announced the three successful entrepreneurs who have been chosen for the Ballyhoura Dragons project which was launched earlier this year to coincide with the 21st anniversary of Ballyhoura Development Ltd. The three successful start up companies were chosen from hundreds of applicants who wanted to set up a sustainable business in the Ballyhoura region.
The three businesses which have been chosen to partake in the programme to be mentored are Cabby Advertising, an in-taxi advertising company to promote advertising on the move, Credit Control Covered Limited which provides credit control training for businesses by way of a tutorial delivered online, and Polar Heating Controls Limited, a new heating control system for residential and commercial buildings. Mentorship will culminate in a Dragons Den style event where each of the participants will bid for investment by well known businesspeople.
Cabby Advertising is the brainchild of Rita Shinners who recognised the surge in popularity of in-taxi advertising in New York and wanted to bring a similar service to Irish taxis in a cost effective manner. Here, LCD screens are fitted inside taxis showing moving advertisements to a captive audience. With taxis operating day and night, Cabby Advertising will provide forward thinking businesses with a more widespread audience than any other form of media.
Credit Control Covered Limited is a family run business which was founded in January 2010 and led by Anthony and Laura Kelly. Anthony has twenty years experience managing his own long-established debt collection agency All Ireland Credit Services. On recognising the turbulent times businesses are facing and the basic mistakes made by both large and small businesses in terms of their credit control Anthony decided to put his experience in to writing a tutorial for organisations to help them avoid such pitfalls. The tutorial, which is delivered online is a desktop tool which will be of undeniable benefit to any company, large or small, domestic or international granting credit in Ireland. It is a Credit Control solution which is non-academic but rather provides real-life knowledge and expertise.
Polar Heating Controls Ltd. is a new innovative heating control system which is easily installed to existing systems and enables remote control and zoning of heat use, reducing energy costs for homeowners. The product is the brainchild of Gerard O’ Brien, Eamon O’ Dea, Gerard Barron, and Tom McGuinness. The business aims to create 20 jobs in the region in the first five years of business and expand the product range to incorporate new markets.
Speaking of the announcement of the three companies, Belinda Spillane, Enterprise Officer, Ballyhoura Development Limited said, “ Each of the three chosen participants represent real hope for the future of enterprise in the Ballyhoura region. Each company offers very different services and products and the coming six months will see them build their brand with highly experienced mentors. I hope that by the end of this year they will have secured the investment they require for their business to secure the future of long term employment for the people of Ballyhoura”.
The chosen mentors for the programme are DMConsulting, Chris Fussey, Hugo Flinn and James Nix. Each of the mentors will guide the participants through strategic planning and marketing over the coming months with each of the businesses also partaking in networking events and trade fairs to test their markets.
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