The Wee Business Podcast

[00:00:00] The Digital Circles Podcast, giving a voice to Northern Ireland's Business Network, brought to you by Private Label People, with your host, Paul Mooney.

[00:00:12] Hello everyone, welcome back to another podcast. It's great to be here. I have not one, but two guests here today. I have Eivine McVeigh. Say hello Eivine.

[00:00:23] Hello.

[00:00:24] How are you?

[00:00:24] I'm great, thank you.

[00:00:26] Thank you so much for being here. And I also have Ciarán Devine. Ciarán, how are you?

[00:00:30] Hello, I'm good Paul, thank you very much.

[00:00:32] Good. Again, thank you. I know you both travelled a bit of distance, particularly you Ciarán. You're all the way from Derry this morning.

[00:00:38] Yeah.

[00:00:38] So that was a very early start for you.

[00:00:41] Very early on, yep. 2-1-2.

[00:00:43] You told me you were up at half five, which is...

[00:00:45] Up at half five, yeah.

[00:00:46] That's the middle of the night. I don't do that sort of stuff.

[00:00:49] Usually I would be in Dreamland by then.

[00:00:52] Hell, I don't blame you, but I really appreciate you being here. Thank you. And Eivine, you had a bit of a trek as well. Not quite as far, but...

[00:00:58] No, not too far. From Byrne and County Down, so only about an hour away from St. Field in Newry Mornin' Down.

[00:01:04] Oh good. Lovely part of the world. Well as you say, Newry Mornin' Down, which forms up actually a good intro into you and what you do, because you are Head of Regeneration and Business Development at Newry Mornin' Down District Council, isn't that right?

[00:01:19] That's correct.

[00:01:20] Okay, and part of what we have you here for today is to talk about the Go Succeed programme.

[00:01:26] And Ciarán has some knowledge of that, which we'll come on to later. I also have some knowledge of it because listeners probably wouldn't know this, but actually Digital Circles has had some mentoring through the programme.

[00:01:37] So, I had a lovely mentor called Sandra Young, who was really helpful and I am one of these people that struggles with putting things down. I put a lot of things down on paper, but actually picking the bones from it and finding the direction.

[00:01:52] And Sandra was actually brilliant at saying, right, where are we actually going here with this and what's it going to look like and how does it make money and everything else?

[00:01:58] So, I found it really worthwhile. And I know Go Succeed work with a lot of businesses and you work with Ciarán's business, but even if you wouldn't mind giving us a little bit of an insight into what the Go Succeed programme actually is and what it means for people out there who are maybe thinking of starting a business or who already have a business.

[00:02:18] Thank you, Paul. Go Succeed has just recently celebrated its one year anniversary. It was launched in November of 2023 throughout all of Northern Ireland. It is a service that is open to anybody that has a pre-start business idea, somebody who's just into business and somebody who's in business and would like to grow or scale up their business.

[00:02:40] It is free support. Yes, it is free, free support. You can register through the Go Succeed website. You can speak to your local council. The support on offer is bespoke to the participant. If you have a business idea, you will engage with a mentor through the Enterprise Agency throughout all of Northern Ireland, the Enterprise Northern Ireland Network.

[00:03:07] If you're in business, you will have a bespoke diagnostic and following out of that diagnostic, you will be offered a certain amount of mentoring hours and that mentoring hours can be with one mentor.

[00:03:18] It could be with two or three mentors and it's to assist your business, overcome a challenge to grow and maybe even take the first step into taking on your first part-time employee.

[00:03:29] The service to date has helped over 27,500 entrepreneurs throughout Northern Ireland, which is absolutely fantastic. Within Uri, Moran and Down, we are very fortunate to have very successful delivery agents with Uri, Moran Enterprise Agency and Down Business Centre.

[00:03:48] And also then we would work with full circle consultants and they would take businesses through the mentoring programme. People can avail of events. There's nearly an event on every day online. You can register on the website.

[00:04:06] And also then there can be in-person events and peer-to-peer support networks. So for example, within your sector, digital creative, there could be potential support that you could be working with another business in your area and the two of you could learn from one another.

[00:04:21] Okay. Okay. That's great to know. And it's great to know for people out there. I know there's a lot of adverts on television and things like that for GoSucceed at the moment and you've done a really good job of marketing it. So a lot of people have heard of it, but for anybody that doesn't, you just give a good picture.

[00:04:35] A funny story regarding the marketing. In October time, we had an event called The Ultimate Pitch and then the final was in November and I took a day off to go somewhere with my husband and we were in the apple grain service station and I was going walking in for a coffee and there the sign was GoSucceed, The Ultimate Pitch and I thought it follows me everywhere.

[00:04:55] But I just thought it was fantastic because, you know, people are aware of it. They see it on television and Coronation Street Channel 4, you know, different programs and my children would laugh at me and go, Mummy, there's your work.

[00:05:09] Well, a big part of what you said, it's free. So a lot of people will contact them because they've nothing to lose, right? And I guess with Ciarán, if we come on to you, Ciarán, you obviously have been through the GoSucceed program and just tell us a little bit,

[00:05:25] about your background and what led you to get to that and the thought that you might want to start your own business. Where did you start?

[00:05:33] Well, yeah, basically where I started, Paul was, I started working for a local tourist information centre, Visit Derry, over seven years ago.

[00:05:42] I took on a wee summer job and absolutely fell in love with the tourism industry and actually because I have such a great passion for my city and I love my history and all that kind of stuff.

[00:05:55] It fitted well, so it did for me and over the years then, as I got into it even more, more so, I started to see potential for myself to maybe, you know, start up my own business.

[00:06:12] So that led me then to starting up Derry City Bus Tours, so it did. I never, ever set out to start up a bus company.

[00:06:20] Okay. So I didn't, if you had been sitting here a couple of years ago and asked me, can you hold my bus company?

[00:06:26] I would have been laughing at you saying that, I wouldn't have thought so.

[00:06:29] So, because it's been very challenging, but I've, you know, I've come across all them challenges and hurdles, thanks to the GoSucceed program.

[00:06:38] Yeah.

[00:06:39] It's been instrumental. They get me where I am. And I have to say, like my mentor, business mentor, Keelan Campbell, has been by my size through, from day one.

[00:06:52] Okay. Before I started the GoSucceed program, I was on the GoFair program as well. Okay.

[00:06:57] Which I come on with another idea, which I couldn't get going, but that's still in the pipeline. But I transferred on then to the GoSucceed program.

[00:07:06] Okay.

[00:07:07] Then we developed my business idea.

[00:07:09] Okay. And how did that come about for you? Because obviously you've worked in Visit Derry, like you said.

[00:07:15] Yes. And then you've obviously noticed something within your role in Visit Derry to go, okay, I have a little idea that might work here.

[00:07:22] Yeah.

[00:07:22] But then how did the GoFair program or GoSucceed get involved? Did you pick up the phone and speak to them or did somebody put you in touch?

[00:07:29] Yeah. Well, during my time as well, back when I started in the tourist office, I went back to education as well at Northwest Regional College.

[00:07:39] I went in for a business pitch competition and I was one of the winners for having a best business idea.

[00:07:47] And then I got speaking to someone in the college and they said, why don't you go through Enterprise NI?

[00:07:53] Okay.

[00:07:54] And that got me on the GoSucceed program then as well.

[00:07:58] Okay.

[00:07:58] So then that's how it all began then for me.

[00:08:01] Excellent.

[00:08:02] I mean, I imagine that's exactly the sort of business that you love to see coming through.

[00:08:06] Somebody that's showing a little bit of initiative, has an idea, but also somebody who works.

[00:08:11] You probably get people who come in sometimes and it's a completely different industry from what they've knowledge of, but they want to do something different.

[00:08:18] But Ciarán had a background knowledge of the tourism industry in Derry.

[00:08:22] He knew maybe that there was a little bit of an area that he could get involved in and his business might work in.

[00:08:28] And that must give you a little bit of hope then that whenever he comes through that GoSucceed can help him grow that idea into something really, really good going forward.

[00:08:39] Absolutely.

[00:08:40] I think with entrepreneurs, sometimes you're serial entrepreneurs.

[00:08:44] You know, you're listening to your story there.

[00:08:45] You had one idea and maybe it hasn't worked out.

[00:08:48] Maybe it's something that you could go back to in the future.

[00:08:50] And then that path of lifelong learning and going back and touch point with the college and then Enterprise Northern Ireland and knowing where the support is and now GoSucceed stepping into assist.

[00:09:02] And, you know, I'm sure once your journey for GoSucceed and your business is up and running, your council, your college further support will be provided.

[00:09:12] And I think that's what's fantastic about the support system for businesses and social enterprises and startups within Northern Ireland that, you know, if one service can't assist at that time, there could be a referral on to a wealth of support that's out there.

[00:09:26] Oh, that's correct.

[00:09:26] So it is even yet because, I mean, I've been working closely as well.

[00:09:30] The Derry City and Strabant District Council.

[00:09:34] And they've been really supportive as well, you know, of the business and the idea.

[00:09:40] And they know and they can see that the city really needs this as well.

[00:09:44] Okay.

[00:09:44] Which is what I've seen firsthand working in the tourist office because when I was in the tourist, when I'm in the tourist office working, we get a lot of visitors, obviously.

[00:09:52] And whenever they come up and they're looking for stuff they do, you know, and experiences, we can offer them like walking tours and taxi tours.

[00:10:01] But unfortunately, our city at the minute doesn't have a city sightseeing bus.

[00:10:05] So that's where I've seen the gap in the market.

[00:10:07] Okay.

[00:10:08] And then the potential and they, you know, you know, jump on and, you know, try and bring an experience.

[00:10:15] Because I really want people to, you know, have that experience when they come here, you know, really enjoy themselves.

[00:10:21] Not just, you know, feed them information, but make it entertaining, you know, make it memorable, you know.

[00:10:30] I have a real close relationship with all the guys at Workway as well.

[00:10:35] And they've also been really, really supportive.

[00:10:37] So I've got the right network of contacts and stuff like that.

[00:10:42] So that has been really a good point as well.

[00:10:46] Good.

[00:10:46] And as you say there, Derry, the city of Derry doesn't have a bus tour.

[00:10:51] At the moment.

[00:10:52] Yeah.

[00:10:53] So it seems, I'm surprised at that.

[00:10:55] I know, I know, I know.

[00:10:56] I'd done a bit of traveling there a few years back there through the college.

[00:10:59] I'd done a few Erasmus exchange programs.

[00:11:01] And that's when I was in Seville and Lisbon for a couple of months working.

[00:11:05] And they just had so a variety, a great variety of different experiences.

[00:11:10] And then when I came back home and I was like, we need a lot more here in this city because we're thriving.

[00:11:17] You know, we're a really popular city, you know, for a whole lot of reasons.

[00:11:22] And, like, we get visitors from all over the world every day.

[00:11:26] You know, and it's, yeah, it's, and the city's just getting bigger and better every year.

[00:11:31] We have another new museum opening up in 2026 in Edmonton.

[00:11:35] The DNA Museum.

[00:11:36] Okay.

[00:11:36] As well.

[00:11:37] So that's another, going to be another added feature.

[00:11:39] But a new museum opened up this year as well.

[00:11:42] Yeah.

[00:11:42] And the Peacemakers Museum.

[00:11:44] So, like, things are, things are happening.

[00:11:46] Good.

[00:11:46] So there.

[00:11:47] Well, I was, I was actually in the west of Ireland last summer.

[00:11:51] We did the sort of the Killarney and Mayo and all those, some beautiful places.

[00:11:56] And the amount of tourists, especially from North America, is crazy.

[00:12:00] Oh, it's crazy.

[00:12:00] But once we sort of got a little bit further up into Donegal, there was quite a lot too.

[00:12:04] But you would like to think that starts spilling into Derry, because obviously you're right next door to Donegal.

[00:12:08] And Derry has a huge amount of history, probably maybe even more so than Belfast.

[00:12:13] And people talk about Belfast quite a lot.

[00:12:15] But, I mean, back to, obviously, the city's walls and the siege of Derry.

[00:12:19] And then also, you know, through to the modern times and then the Troubles as well, of course, was, was, Derry was heavily touched by that.

[00:12:26] Yes.

[00:12:27] But there's a lot of World War II history as well, actually.

[00:12:30] So you get a lot of people interested in that when they come up.

[00:12:33] Yeah, we have, we have Everington Barracks, which is turned down to Everington Square now.

[00:12:37] And that's become like a central hub for the city.

[00:12:41] You walk across the beautiful Peace Bridge and that takes you over to Everington.

[00:12:45] And as I say, that's got lots of business that's opened up in there.

[00:12:48] We've got a new hotel over there.

[00:12:50] We've got cafes.

[00:12:51] We've got the Wall City Brewery, you know, and the new museum as well coming.

[00:12:56] But the grounds itself, yep, was from World War.

[00:12:59] It was used as a British naval base and it was also used as a Canadian and North American naval base during World War II in particular.

[00:13:07] Okay.

[00:13:08] So, yeah, we had, I think at the height of World War II, we had over 15,000 to 20,000 service personnel based here in Derry from Canada and North America.

[00:13:19] Very good.

[00:13:20] And would it be right in saying that there's a certain television show that people are very interested in when they come up here in Agawage?

[00:13:26] Would that be?

[00:13:28] Aye.

[00:13:29] Well, definitely.

[00:13:30] I think your listeners probably will know what we're on about when we're talking about this, the Derry Girls, of course.

[00:13:37] Yeah, Derry Girls is crazy.

[00:13:39] It has put us on the map across the world.

[00:13:42] You know, we get people from every corner, from Australia, America.

[00:13:47] You know, I've had people from Brazil, you know, it's like the list is endless, you know, and they've only heard about our city because they've watched the show.

[00:13:57] And then they come here.

[00:13:58] And then when they come to the city, then they're just absolutely blown away by the city's hosting and by the people, obviously, as well, too, because it's got a name for being very friendly.

[00:14:08] Yeah.

[00:14:08] The people on Derry too, as well, very welcome.

[00:14:11] And we get that a lot.

[00:14:12] I get that from tourists all the time.

[00:14:14] You know, we can't believe how nice you all are here and how friendly is.

[00:14:17] I'm seeing definitely a marketing opportunity with your bus parked in front of the Derry Girls mural already.

[00:14:22] Oh, yes, yes.

[00:14:23] It'll be your website banner, won't it?

[00:14:25] Yeah, well, I mean, I'm going to be, you know, doing a Derry Girls tour as well.

[00:14:30] You know, we will do a bespoke Derry Girls tour as well as our normal city sightseeing tours.

[00:14:34] We will be doing some bespoke tours.

[00:14:36] I'm collaborating, like, also with the Amelia Earhart Society.

[00:14:40] Okay.

[00:14:41] Also working with the shirt factory girls as well, too, because Derry was the biggest shirt supplier in the world at the start of the 20th century.

[00:14:52] I think at the height of it, we had over 127 plus shirt factories in the city.

[00:14:58] Wow.

[00:14:59] We had the big, large ones, and then there was a lot of small ones as well.

[00:15:03] And then we had a lot of home workers, but that was the main bread.

[00:15:05] So that's a history as well, too, that I want to tell people about, you know, and, you know, that history, the history of the World War.

[00:15:13] And we can go back.

[00:15:15] You know, we could keep going back thousands and thousands of years if we wanted to, you know, back to St. Columbus time and stuff like that, you know.

[00:15:21] I think you've just given Lisa McGee a new idea for a prequel to Derry Girls.

[00:15:25] It could go back to the shirt factory then.

[00:15:27] Maybe we could have a series about that.

[00:15:28] That would be the next thing.

[00:15:29] But, Yvonne, I'd just come to you again.

[00:15:32] If you could maybe tell us a little bit more about once a business like Ciaran's, for instance, that he started off, say, Ciaran, he's obviously purchased a vehicle and he has to bring staff in.

[00:15:44] And then he's going through a little period of growth.

[00:15:46] What sort of support then kicks in from GoSucceed that can help him to grow that business?

[00:15:52] Is it maybe he needs new equipment or things like that?

[00:15:54] Is there a level of support from GoSucceed that can help him with that?

[00:15:58] Yes, there's a grant for participants in the service.

[00:16:01] So it's bespoke to that person.

[00:16:04] So the mentor will work with the participant and will identify what would assist the business to grow.

[00:16:10] So it could be a piece of equipment.

[00:16:12] It could be a specialist purchase, such as a bus that Ciaran has purchased, which is fantastic.

[00:16:19] Not to go into detail of people's businesses, but we have funded special medical devices that have assisted businesses to be able to offer new services.

[00:16:30] We've also been able to assist artisan providers, producers, purchase equipment that has opened up new markets for them.

[00:16:38] So the grant available is up to £4,000 of an investment into the business.

[00:16:44] And the business is required to make a 30% investment.

[00:16:50] So we will fund up to 70%, maximum of £4,000.

[00:16:54] The beauty about the grant within Newry, Morn and Downs, all my other councils are offering this as well,

[00:16:59] is we will actually pay at 80% up front because we recognise that one of the barriers to growth for micro-businesses throughout Northern Ireland is actually access to finance.

[00:17:10] So if we're able to give an assistance of providing 80% of the grant up front to enable the micro-business to go to purchase a piece of equipment,

[00:17:22] and then they can claim that final 20% back off council, it's an alternative way of looking at grant provision rather than the business having to go out,

[00:17:33] purchase the piece of equipment, £5,000, £10,000, and be out a couple of months, you know, waiting on the funding coming back in again.

[00:17:40] So it just gives that wee bit more of assistance to the business.

[00:17:45] The range of grants that we have provided throughout all of Northern Ireland, not just in Newry, Morn and Down, you know,

[00:17:51] when you hear about a bus and then you hear about, you know, medical equipment,

[00:17:54] and then you can strip it right back to just, you know, a laptop, an iPad, you know, to be able to assist somebody to do podcasting,

[00:18:02] you know, to be able to grow their business off or a new product or new service.

[00:18:06] It actually is really humbling to know that such a small grant of up to £4,000 can really assist a business to grow.

[00:18:13] And I suppose, Ciarán, for yourself, being able to access a grant, and then it's that stepping stone to further finance assistance

[00:18:20] that's available out there for micro and small businesses.

[00:18:23] That's really, really so important.

[00:18:25] It gives somebody like yourself, Ciarán, a lot of faith going forward that that supports there.

[00:18:30] Yeah, it does.

[00:18:32] How many businesses en masse has GoSucceed helped from its inception?

[00:18:38] I mean, do you know? It must be a lot.

[00:18:40] Within Uri, Mornin Down, businesses that we've taken through, the mentoring stage is now around about 400 businesses.

[00:18:47] In one district, right?

[00:18:48] In one district.

[00:18:49] Across Northern Ireland, recent stats for the year anniversary was that we have interacted with 27,500 entrepreneurs,

[00:18:57] either through community outreach activities, which are really, really important because you could have somebody who is a current homemaker,

[00:19:07] but has this passion and maybe is doing something part-time at home or it actually hasn't been formalised.

[00:19:14] And maybe they're attending, maybe a mother and baby or a women's programme.

[00:19:20] And GoSucceed would go in and interact with those people to give them that wee bit of a spark to be able to say,

[00:19:25] you know, you can go and succeed.

[00:19:28] This is the support that is available.

[00:19:30] Also, too, working with social enterprises within Northern Ireland is really important.

[00:19:35] I was very fortunate two weeks ago to attend a social enterprise event within Uri at a place called Centred Soul.

[00:19:43] And Minister Conor Murphy attended and launched the Social Enterprise Action Plan at the event.

[00:19:48] And I was, I suppose, taken back by the breadth of social enterprises in Uri, Moran and Down and I know across Northern Ireland.

[00:19:57] And their story and how they got there and now that they're continuing to grow because they need to continue with the income.

[00:20:04] And GoSucceed can also help with that, looking at their model and then looking at future ways of being able to create money to bring it back into the social enterprise.

[00:20:13] So GoSucceed is there also to provide that service.

[00:20:16] Excellent.

[00:20:16] Excellent.

[00:20:17] And, Ciarán, you've obviously availed of these things.

[00:20:21] Yeah, that's right, Paul.

[00:20:21] And whenever you went in with your business idea and somebody liked the sound of it, obviously there's a lot of work to be done from that point.

[00:20:29] Yes.

[00:20:29] What sort of things did GoSucceed help you with?

[00:20:32] Business planning, financial forecasting, that sort of thing?

[00:20:34] Yeah, exactly, Paul.

[00:20:36] I got help.

[00:20:38] They built a real comprehensive business plan, which then was used for me then to go and apply for my startup business.

[00:20:46] Business loan, which was really important.

[00:20:49] So it was, so the mentoring side of it as well then, you know, and the support throughout that, you know, from Enterprise NI through the GoSucceed program was, you know, really important for me to get going.

[00:21:04] So it was, because I had this idea.

[00:21:06] Yeah.

[00:21:07] And for your listeners, the bus that I have, it's a 1951 Leyland PS1 post-World War bus, as I like to call it.

[00:21:15] and it's

[00:21:17] you know

[00:21:17] it's

[00:21:19] whenever

[00:21:19] I had the idea

[00:21:21] I didn't want to just bring in

[00:21:23] a normal bus

[00:21:24] I wanted to have someone different

[00:21:25] I wanted someone

[00:21:26] that's going to

[00:21:27] you know

[00:21:28] bring a smile to people's faces

[00:21:29] from all ages

[00:21:30] you know

[00:21:31] from small

[00:21:31] the older

[00:21:33] and

[00:21:35] I see that already

[00:21:36] even

[00:21:37] you know

[00:21:37] just showing people

[00:21:38] pictures of it

[00:21:39] you know

[00:21:39] I was in hospital

[00:21:40] not that long ago

[00:21:41] and there was a wee man

[00:21:42] across the bed from me

[00:21:44] and

[00:21:45] he was in his mid 80s

[00:21:46] so he was

[00:21:47] and we got chatting one day

[00:21:48] anyway

[00:21:48] and we were talking about

[00:21:50] vehicles and

[00:21:51] bandage stuff

[00:21:51] because I love all that kind of stuff

[00:21:54] and I told him about the bus

[00:21:56] and

[00:21:57] I showed him a picture of the bus

[00:21:58] and by God

[00:21:59] it brought back memories to him

[00:22:02] and

[00:22:02] he almost filled up with tears

[00:22:04] so he did

[00:22:05] and I almost filled up with tears as well

[00:22:06] then

[00:22:06] when we started talking about it

[00:22:08] because he started telling me

[00:22:08] about his childhood memories

[00:22:09] and stuff like that

[00:22:10] and I was like

[00:22:11] oh by God

[00:22:12] he was like

[00:22:13] by God

[00:22:13] I cannot wait to come up

[00:22:14] and get a go on that

[00:22:15] I cannot wait

[00:22:16] and like

[00:22:17] it's just seeing that reaction

[00:22:19] you know

[00:22:20] it's

[00:22:21] you know

[00:22:21] that generation

[00:22:22] they're taking him back

[00:22:23] there as childhood

[00:22:25] you know

[00:22:25] for me

[00:22:26] that's emotional

[00:22:27] as well

[00:22:28] as an experience

[00:22:29] so

[00:22:30] you know

[00:22:31] touching on a whole lot of different things

[00:22:32] with it

[00:22:33] well it's definitely different

[00:22:34] that's

[00:22:34] a really good concept

[00:22:37] yes

[00:22:37] what sort of thing

[00:22:39] can people expect

[00:22:40] when they step foot

[00:22:40] on the bus

[00:22:41] yeah

[00:22:42] so our bus driver

[00:22:44] is going to be dressed

[00:22:46] is that the wee man in the hospital

[00:22:48] I'm hoping not

[00:22:49] we might not get too far

[00:22:51] but if we

[00:22:53] our bus driver

[00:22:54] will be dressed

[00:22:55] in 1940s

[00:22:57] gear as well

[00:22:58] and so will our guides

[00:22:59] we'll have an onboard guide

[00:23:01] okay

[00:23:01] so whenever you step on

[00:23:02] down to the bus

[00:23:04] you're going to get that

[00:23:05] nostalgic feeling

[00:23:06] straight away

[00:23:06] because it's

[00:23:07] you know

[00:23:07] it's 1950s

[00:23:09] it's got the old light fit

[00:23:10] it's got the old seats

[00:23:11] it's you know

[00:23:12] it's in beautiful condition

[00:23:13] so it is

[00:23:15] and it's

[00:23:15] you're going to be given

[00:23:16] a personal tour

[00:23:17] then with our guide

[00:23:19] as well

[00:23:20] then

[00:23:21] it'll take you through the city

[00:23:23] but we're going to be using

[00:23:24] a lot of

[00:23:26] sounds

[00:23:27] and stuff like that as well

[00:23:28] for example

[00:23:29] whenever we're going to be

[00:23:30] going through

[00:23:31] like the lakes of the bauxite

[00:23:32] and stuff like that

[00:23:33] we're going to have

[00:23:34] sounds of

[00:23:35] you know

[00:23:35] maybe some

[00:23:36] some of the riots

[00:23:37] that were going on

[00:23:38] or something like that

[00:23:38] if we go over to

[00:23:40] like Edmonton

[00:23:41] like whenever we pull on

[00:23:42] the Edmonton

[00:23:42] we're going to have

[00:23:43] and we're going to be

[00:23:44] telling the story

[00:23:45] about the world war base

[00:23:46] and we're going to have

[00:23:47] sounds like

[00:23:47] you know

[00:23:48] make people think

[00:23:50] that they're there

[00:23:50] so we're going to have

[00:23:51] sounds like

[00:23:52] the guys marching in

[00:23:53] you know

[00:23:54] gathering up

[00:23:55] in the courtyard

[00:23:56] as well

[00:23:57] so I want to make it

[00:23:58] as immersive

[00:23:59] as you know

[00:24:00] as I can

[00:24:01] I just don't want it

[00:24:02] to be a tour

[00:24:03] where it just talks

[00:24:04] and tells you

[00:24:05] here's this

[00:24:05] and here's that

[00:24:06] and here's that

[00:24:06] I want it to be

[00:24:07] entertaining

[00:24:07] I want it to be memorable

[00:24:08] I want people

[00:24:09] to come off the bus

[00:24:11] and go

[00:24:11] wow

[00:24:12] wasn't that just

[00:24:12] someone else

[00:24:13] you know

[00:24:13] I've never had that

[00:24:14] anywhere else before

[00:24:16] and I know

[00:24:17] that I can

[00:24:17] with the passion

[00:24:18] that I have for it

[00:24:19] that I can

[00:24:20] I have the passion

[00:24:21] in my head

[00:24:22] I know exactly

[00:24:23] what way I want it

[00:24:24] I'm part of a perfectionist

[00:24:25] so it will have to be

[00:24:27] that has to be

[00:24:28] perfect

[00:24:29] you know

[00:24:29] for me

[00:24:30] and are you going to be

[00:24:31] bus driver

[00:24:31] tour guide

[00:24:32] on call mechanic

[00:24:34] all at once

[00:24:35] exactly

[00:24:36] because

[00:24:37] funny you saying that

[00:24:38] whenever I was

[00:24:39] building a business plan

[00:24:42] one of the things

[00:24:43] that I had to go

[00:24:44] and do

[00:24:44] was obviously

[00:24:45] I had to go

[00:24:45] and do

[00:24:45] my bus licence

[00:24:48] so I went

[00:24:49] and never drove

[00:24:49] a bus in my life

[00:24:50] done a three day

[00:24:52] course with

[00:24:52] Sandy Arters

[00:24:54] and on the fourth day

[00:24:55] we'd done our

[00:24:55] driving test

[00:24:56] and

[00:24:57] I got it

[00:24:58] thank God

[00:24:59] but there was

[00:25:01] a whole lot

[00:25:01] of other tests

[00:25:02] in between that

[00:25:03] as well

[00:25:03] I had to get my

[00:25:04] professional confidence

[00:25:05] my CPC

[00:25:06] as well

[00:25:07] so

[00:25:08] there was a lot

[00:25:09] of challenges

[00:25:09] than doing that

[00:25:12] so

[00:25:12] that's been a real

[00:25:14] learning curve

[00:25:15] for me

[00:25:15] good

[00:25:16] all speed ahead

[00:25:17] great stuff

[00:25:17] and

[00:25:18] Yvonne

[00:25:18] as I say

[00:25:20] we've been through

[00:25:21] the programme

[00:25:22] as has Kieran

[00:25:22] and

[00:25:23] a lot of

[00:25:24] the emails

[00:25:24] that I would get

[00:25:25] from GoSucceed

[00:25:26] are around events

[00:25:27] that are happening

[00:25:27] I know you

[00:25:28] mentioned that

[00:25:28] at the start

[00:25:29] of the podcast

[00:25:30] but

[00:25:30] these business

[00:25:31] networking events

[00:25:32] and online

[00:25:32] classes

[00:25:33] they can

[00:25:34] really benefit

[00:25:35] somebody on their

[00:25:35] journey

[00:25:36] and

[00:25:36] I'm surprised

[00:25:37] at how many

[00:25:37] of them

[00:25:38] I think

[00:25:38] even last week

[00:25:39] there was

[00:25:40] five

[00:25:40] that were

[00:25:41] in quite

[00:25:41] a local

[00:25:41] area

[00:25:42] to me

[00:25:42] here

[00:25:43] and I'm

[00:25:43] managed to

[00:25:44] get the two

[00:25:44] of them

[00:25:45] so

[00:25:46] you meet

[00:25:46] all manner

[00:25:47] of people

[00:25:48] which is

[00:25:48] really good

[00:25:48] but

[00:25:49] the best

[00:25:49] part is

[00:25:50] you meet

[00:25:50] people

[00:25:51] like yourself

[00:25:51] and online

[00:25:52] mentors

[00:25:52] people like

[00:25:53] that

[00:25:53] who can

[00:25:53] really help

[00:25:54] you push

[00:25:54] your business

[00:25:55] forward

[00:25:55] how important

[00:25:56] is it

[00:25:57] you would

[00:25:57] say

[00:25:57] to somebody

[00:25:58] coming through

[00:25:58] the program

[00:25:59] that they

[00:25:59] avail of

[00:26:00] every single

[00:26:01] aspect

[00:26:01] that the

[00:26:02] program

[00:26:02] can offer

[00:26:03] I think

[00:26:04] it's really

[00:26:05] important

[00:26:05] I do believe

[00:26:06] that your

[00:26:07] entrepreneurial

[00:26:08] journey

[00:26:08] sometimes

[00:26:08] can be

[00:26:09] a very

[00:26:09] lonely

[00:26:09] place

[00:26:10] I'm only

[00:26:11] speaking

[00:26:11] from

[00:26:11] watching

[00:26:12] my husband

[00:26:14] and then

[00:26:14] watching

[00:26:14] people

[00:26:15] that I

[00:26:15] would

[00:26:15] interact

[00:26:16] with

[00:26:16] and it's

[00:26:17] that

[00:26:18] knowing

[00:26:18] that there's

[00:26:19] somebody

[00:26:19] there to

[00:26:19] support

[00:26:20] you

[00:26:20] whether

[00:26:20] if it's

[00:26:20] assistance

[00:26:21] through the

[00:26:21] enterprise

[00:26:22] agency

[00:26:22] if it is

[00:26:23] through one

[00:26:24] of the

[00:26:25] consultants

[00:26:26] that's

[00:26:26] delivering

[00:26:27] mentoring

[00:26:28] on the

[00:26:28] growth

[00:26:29] journey

[00:26:29] with

[00:26:29] GoSucceed

[00:26:30] I think

[00:26:30] it's really

[00:26:31] really important

[00:26:31] but also

[00:26:32] to the wider

[00:26:33] network

[00:26:34] of supports

[00:26:34] that are

[00:26:35] available

[00:26:35] invest

[00:26:36] in

[00:26:36] I

[00:26:37] intertrade

[00:26:37] and the

[00:26:39] fabulous

[00:26:39] network

[00:26:39] of colleges

[00:26:40] that we

[00:26:40] do have

[00:26:41] here

[00:26:41] within

[00:26:41] Northern

[00:26:42] Ireland

[00:26:43] but here

[00:26:44] in

[00:26:44] Eurie

[00:26:44] Mornindown

[00:26:44] we are

[00:26:45] fortunate

[00:26:45] to have

[00:26:46] two

[00:26:46] fabulous

[00:26:46] colleges

[00:26:47] SRC

[00:26:47] and

[00:26:47] SERC

[00:26:48] and as

[00:26:49] I said

[00:26:49] before

[00:26:49] if

[00:26:50] GoSucceed

[00:26:51] has

[00:26:51] assisted

[00:26:51] and you've

[00:26:52] got to

[00:26:53] a certain

[00:26:53] point

[00:26:53] and then

[00:26:54] you're

[00:26:54] going to

[00:26:54] move on

[00:26:55] into

[00:26:55] another

[00:26:55] journey

[00:26:56] either

[00:26:56] you're

[00:26:56] going to

[00:26:56] scale up

[00:26:57] through

[00:26:57] GoSucceed

[00:26:57] or you're

[00:26:58] going to

[00:26:58] maybe go

[00:26:59] down

[00:26:59] a different

[00:26:59] avenue

[00:27:00] if

[00:27:00] your

[00:27:00] first

[00:27:01] entrepreneurial

[00:27:01] idea

[00:27:02] didn't

[00:27:02] work out

[00:27:02] reach out

[00:27:04] to

[00:27:04] your

[00:27:04] council

[00:27:05] reach out

[00:27:05] to

[00:27:06] the

[00:27:06] network

[00:27:07] of

[00:27:07] the

[00:27:07] enterprise

[00:27:07] agencies

[00:27:09] there's

[00:27:09] always

[00:27:09] going to

[00:27:10] be

[00:27:10] somebody

[00:27:10] there

[00:27:10] that

[00:27:10] has

[00:27:10] experience

[00:27:12] maybe

[00:27:12] not

[00:27:12] in

[00:27:12] exactly

[00:27:13] what

[00:27:13] you're

[00:27:13] looking

[00:27:13] for

[00:27:14] but

[00:27:14] they

[00:27:14] will

[00:27:14] have

[00:27:14] the

[00:27:15] experience

[00:27:15] to be

[00:27:15] able

[00:27:15] to

[00:27:15] say

[00:27:16] to

[00:27:16] you

[00:27:36] however

[00:27:36] the

[00:27:36] service

[00:27:37] as I

[00:27:37] said

[00:27:37] before

[00:27:37] is

[00:27:38] bespoke

[00:27:38] to

[00:27:38] you

[00:27:39] because

[00:27:39] Cairn's

[00:27:40] journey

[00:27:40] through

[00:27:41] the

[00:27:41] service

[00:27:41] will

[00:27:42] be

[00:27:42] very

[00:27:42] different

[00:27:43] to

[00:27:43] somebody

[00:27:44] that's

[00:27:44] maybe

[00:27:44] starting

[00:27:45] up

[00:27:45] an

[00:27:45] IT

[00:28:06] brand

[00:28:06] and

[00:28:06] marketing

[00:28:07] at

[00:28:08] the

[00:28:08] end

[00:28:08] of

[00:28:08] the

[00:28:08] day

[00:28:08] when

[00:28:08] you

[00:28:08] strip

[00:28:09] it

[00:28:09] all

[00:28:09] back

[00:28:09] it

[00:28:10] doesn't

[00:28:10] really

[00:28:10] make

[00:28:10] a

[00:28:10] difference

[00:28:11] what

[00:28:11] your

[00:28:11] business

[00:28:11] idea

[00:28:12] is

[00:28:12] it's

[00:28:13] down

[00:28:13] to

[00:28:14] how

[00:28:14] do

[00:28:14] you

[00:28:35] with

[00:28:36] that

[00:28:36] when

[00:28:36] you

[00:28:36] mentioned

[00:28:37] it

[00:28:37] I

[00:28:37] suppose

[00:28:42] that's

[00:28:42] what

[00:28:42] your

[00:28:42] mentors

[00:28:43] for

[00:28:43] right

[00:28:44] yeah

[00:28:44] that's

[00:28:45] exactly

[00:28:45] right

[00:28:46] I agree

[00:28:46] with

[00:28:46] everything

[00:28:47] that

[00:28:47] you

[00:28:47] have

[00:28:47] been

[00:28:47] saying

[00:28:48] it

[00:28:48] can be

[00:28:48] a lonely

[00:28:49] place

[00:28:50] even though

[00:28:50] you have

[00:28:51] so much

[00:28:51] support

[00:28:51] because

[00:28:52] you're

[00:28:52] taking

[00:28:53] on

[00:28:53] this

[00:28:55] challenge

[00:28:55] so to

[00:28:56] speak

[00:28:56] and

[00:28:58] you're

[00:28:59] filling

[00:28:59] so many

[00:28:59] different

[00:29:00] roles

[00:29:01] within

[00:29:01] the

[00:29:02] business

[00:29:02] you're

[00:29:03] trying

[00:29:04] to do

[00:29:04] hands

[00:29:05] on

[00:29:05] jobs

[00:29:06] you're

[00:29:06] trying

[00:29:06] to do

[00:29:06] background

[00:29:07] stuff

[00:29:08] and

[00:29:08] it's

[00:29:10] saying

[00:29:10] that

[00:29:10] for me

[00:29:11] now

[00:29:11] it's

[00:29:11] very

[00:29:11] important

[00:29:11] that

[00:29:12] I

[00:29:12] build

[00:29:13] a

[00:29:13] good

[00:29:13] team

[00:29:14] which

[00:29:14] I've

[00:29:15] started

[00:29:15] to do

[00:29:15] already

[00:29:16] and

[00:29:17] that

[00:29:18] have

[00:29:18] the

[00:29:37] been

[00:29:39] in

[00:29:39] work

[00:29:40] to do

[00:29:41] before

[00:29:41] you

[00:29:42] put

[00:29:42] it

[00:29:42] in

[00:29:43] the

[00:29:43] road

[00:29:43] yeah

[00:29:44] well

[00:29:44] I

[00:29:44] did

[00:29:44] actually

[00:29:44] I

[00:29:45] took

[00:29:46] it

[00:29:46] out

[00:29:46] a test

[00:29:47] drive

[00:29:47] there

[00:29:47] a couple

[00:29:48] of weeks

[00:29:48] ago

[00:29:48] actually um it's driving 100 percent um i just need to do some restoration the the roof really

[00:29:55] um we've had a week obviously because of its age um 1951 um we just have to replace some seals and

[00:30:03] do a wee bit of body work but i worked in the motor i worked in motor trade for 15 years i'm

[00:30:07] i'm a trained body man so i can do i'm working at that myself at the minute stripping it down

[00:30:12] but as i say go back they took it out for a wee test drive a couple weeks ago and i never seen as

[00:30:18] many phones come out as many horns go and as many bus men wave it basically it was yeah but it was

[00:30:26] just it was amazing feeling because it was the first time i'd taken it out around dairy and i took it

[00:30:31] down past um st colms college down the bunkrana road and i got stuck in traffic and every car that went

[00:30:37] past was like stopping and waving and wow you know and and then i got up and through the city center

[00:30:43] and that just gave me a real boost like this is you know how this is going people are going to

[00:30:47] perceive it and see it you know um because it's really different it stands out but you know um which

[00:30:54] is yeah so for for me now to get the the the bus actually i can go on um one of my biggest hurdles

[00:31:02] next is obtaining an operator's license okay um which has a lot of criteria um so it does but again

[00:31:11] um it's these are challenges and hurdles um that you overcome and you know take baby steps do one

[00:31:19] thing at a time and and you know you will get there well you sound genuinely excited which is

[00:31:24] brilliant yes very excited very that's a fantastic project you're embarking on to start your own

[00:31:30] businesses it's it's a brave thing to do people shouldn't underestimate it's not an easy thing to

[00:31:34] run a business but uh it's great that you've been able to get the success from go succeed yes even from

[00:31:40] your point of view working within the program i know you do other things within within the council

[00:31:44] and you're a morning down but what going forward with go succeed uh do you see the pathway does it rely

[00:31:52] on government funding and that sort of thing to run the program that's correct go succeed is funded at

[00:31:57] the moment um from the uk government it's actually an investment of over 17 million pounds into northern

[00:32:02] ireland and then uh councils would then also add funding into it and the department for economy

[00:32:08] um yes funding going forward is extremely important and at the moment our funding is up until march

[00:32:15] of um 2025 and hopefully we will get the green light for further funding from my perspective in your

[00:32:23] morning down i would love to see um our sectors i suppose that are our strongest grow but then also

[00:32:29] help our new and up and coming sectors i would like to be doing work within sustainability and within

[00:32:35] your morning down to be able to assess businesses and to understand actually what sustainability is

[00:32:40] at a low level and then being able to have them to have a plan moving forward and

[00:32:46] being able to embed that into their business i would also like to be able to create networks for

[00:32:51] businesses um that are of similar nature that maybe could somebody that has been in business for a very

[00:32:57] long time and somebody that's coming into business that there's um a network of support that's out there

[00:33:03] that's available and it's not in competition but it's about recognizing that if we grow the local

[00:33:08] economy everybody benefits from it yes we do other work within your e-morning down as do all the councils

[00:33:14] in relation to business support and regeneration and it all comes hand in hand and in relation to

[00:33:20] regeneration and local economic development and within urea morning down but then also very fortunate

[00:33:25] of working across all 11 councils within northern ireland and having that great partnership and

[00:33:29] collaboration because at the end of the day the service is there for the participant and it makes

[00:33:34] no difference if they're from saintfield to straban um that it's the service that's available that

[00:33:40] they log on they get the same level of service and it's bespoke to them great and it must give you

[00:33:46] a lot of satisfaction when you see a business coming through and you're helping with those baby steps

[00:33:49] and and to see them then go on and and thrive and you know you must walk past businesses on the main

[00:33:55] street sometimes at different times you go i remember them coming in or you know you've heard

[00:33:59] about them and they've came through the program or you've seen them online or whatever it might be

[00:34:03] and a lot of our work would be quite silent in the background because um the mentors obviously work

[00:34:09] directly with the businesses so we would maybe see their path growing through social media and

[00:34:14] maybe the actual business doesn't really know that it has been funded by the uk government and also

[00:34:20] supported by their local council and then interactions with enterprise northern ireland

[00:34:25] and the different consultants i would work with so that's maybe one thing that i would say is go succeed

[00:34:29] you know and even though you're dealing with your your mentor and that actually there's somebody in

[00:34:35] the background and one of your local councils has been able to put you in touch with your mentor and but

[00:34:41] maybe you mightn't have a direct interaction with them i do take a great buzz of when i walk up um

[00:34:46] the local town or high street and i say oh i see such and such has grown or maybe they've extended

[00:34:52] um or i i know maybe that they've got a new product and necessarily my interaction maybe them

[00:34:58] would have been very very limited in the background but you know that that little bit of a help

[00:35:03] to them has assisted them to grow excellent and kieran lastly yeah come to you uh who's your

[00:35:11] favorite dairy girl if you could have one dairy girl on the bus to do the tour who would it who would

[00:35:16] it be leading the way i think it would have to be michelle

[00:35:21] you couldn't get more dairy than michelle

[00:35:24] the great thing about the show is that so many of the characters remind you people that you went to

[00:35:28] school with yeah i mean all the characters are fantastic obviously even the uncle and the father

[00:35:32] and tummy tearing their breath it's brilliant it's brilliant they are they're they're they're

[00:35:35] it's a brilliant cast and i've bumped on the a few of the cast before already um watched a few of them

[00:35:40] um that put them up in dairy as well too which has been a great experience um we've had lisa mcgee come

[00:35:47] into the tourist office a couple of times as well um so yeah we're very we're very proud they say you

[00:35:52] know that um that the guys are from yeah from our city yeah it's it's just by sheer luck lisa mcgee

[00:36:00] was from dairy i suppose yeah yeah i'm thrilled for that but uh yeah fantastic and if if we're on the

[00:36:07] bus yes we're going somewhere what are you most proud to show in dairy or to take them to or is there

[00:36:13] somewhere you'd like to take something for a pint or a meal or or even just show them a certain area

[00:36:18] is there something that you get particularly sort of hers raised in the back of your neck and say

[00:36:22] this is my this is my city yeah well i mean i think um uh from from the area from like you know from

[00:36:30] the walls um which is one of the main attractions in the city um right down under the bog side over

[00:36:36] and to everington under the world war um you know one thing that i think you know what we should be

[00:36:42] proud of in the city was um the legacy of the shirt linen and how important that was as well

[00:36:49] um but yeah i mean i think you know as the bus goes through um the different areas you know what we

[00:36:56] will be highlighting um the the history around them areas um well and we'll also be you know we

[00:37:03] collaborate and work on my way businesses um within the city as well and you know giving recommendations

[00:37:08] maybe we want to go for the nicest pint or you know the you know for good but we have a great selection

[00:37:14] you know it's it's hard it's hard to just take favor you know one or two because uh and you know

[00:37:20] they're they're all all good and everything's in close proximity in the area which is great also so

[00:37:25] it's that's that's yeah that's the beauty about the city it does everything you know as

[00:37:29] as close proximity um which is which has a benefit as well um yeah i mean i think one of the

[00:37:35] places i was speaking the evening earlier um we've got a place called the craft village and i think

[00:37:42] that's a beautiful little hidden gem in the city we've got a little irish cottage in there um where

[00:37:47] the um hank he's he's originally from south ever he won for best scones in ireland and stuff like

[00:37:53] that you know so you can go on if you want to get one of the nicest scones in in ireland then you can

[00:37:57] go on the craft village or a pint somebody's rumbling now yeah but listen i i can't wait to see

[00:38:04] you get it up and going and i know it's not far away and i'll definitely be coming up picking

[00:38:08] it on the tour brilliant the family and yeah and extend the family and then absolutely uh well

[00:38:15] i have two daughters that they're never off instagram and all the rest of it so they'll be

[00:38:18] looking forward to the photo opportunities everything else and the periodic costumes and all that so

[00:38:22] yeah because we're going to work around we're going to work as well around events you know

[00:38:26] because we have a lot of events in the city throughout the year so you know we've got the biggest

[00:38:29] halloween event um in europe um or across the world and we also have a lot of lots of events we've had

[00:38:36] the clippers come for quite a number of years um as well too we have the maritime festival um we had

[00:38:42] the world gated games um year before as well so we have a lot of uh good events and all lined up as

[00:38:47] well for the city so i'll be embracing and working alongside them the jazz festival yeah that's one of

[00:38:53] the big ones as well and like my boss 1951 is going to fit perfectly for the jazz festival so yeah i cannot

[00:39:00] wait because i'm going to have um a jazz band on but on board right i could do a wee tour you know

[00:39:06] maybe jazz tour so you know i've got so many ideas in my head but i could sit here all day and tell you

[00:39:11] them you know if i had i'm sure your mentor had fun with you oh yeah it just loves me great stuff well

[00:39:19] listen i wish you all the best with it again thank you so much it's uh it's gonna be great to see

[00:39:24] yavin thank you so much to you for for being here and thank you behalf of us as well because we've

[00:39:29] had great mentorship through go succeed and i know kieran would extend those things but i really

[00:39:33] hope the program continues to thrive and as you said was 27 000 businesses something like that

[00:39:37] 27 and a half thousand entrepreneurs have had touch points with go succeed over the last year

[00:39:42] and also suppose one thing that i didn't really highlight i know we did touch on the grants

[00:39:46] is we have invested up to two million pound um across northern ireland with grant investment

[00:39:54] up to date and we hope to be able to deliver up until march of um 2025 further grants for support

[00:40:00] so one thing i probably would urge is if there's anybody um going through the go succeed program at

[00:40:06] present and um they're in the process working with their mentor and have that idea of a piece of

[00:40:12] equipment that they would like to purchase to assist their business to grow to please go ahead now and

[00:40:17] get into the process of applying for a grant to be able to assist your business grow yeah excellent

[00:40:22] i think another very important thing just they they touch on quickly uh would be just to say like

[00:40:27] anybody out there if if they have an idea don't don't be afraid they they take it any further

[00:40:32] you know the go succeed programs there the mentors are there the supports there if you have an idea and

[00:40:38] you have enough you have a vision and you have the passion for it then go for it you know just don't

[00:40:44] let anything sloppy because you will get that support and that will get you through um so yeah

[00:40:49] anybody out there has got an idea and then when i start up a business don't be afraid yeah you're

[00:40:54] evidence of that karen that's it yeah anyone can do it if i can do it anyone can well it's there's

[00:40:59] no better way to wrap it up so you've wrapped it up for us and i appreciate that it's me doing

[00:41:02] it it couldn't have been done better but thank you again both so much and uh yeah we'll see you again

[00:41:07] thanks a lot