|
 |
You are > Home > Encouraging words
|
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Encouraging words
TERRY Clune, the 2009 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year, provided an injection of encouragement and inspiration when he addressed an audience of MBAs at an MBA Association guest speaker event in Waterford in conjunction with Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) and sponsored by Ernst and Young.
Mr. Clune’s company, Taxback.com, employs over 700 people in 22 countries, with a 2009 turnover of €90m. He told the audience that challenging times could be a great source of innovation and a spur to progress.
The main impetus for the growth of his own business, Mr Clune explained, was a serious challenge posed by the changing tax laws in Ireland in 2002, which would have had the effect of wiping out 80% of his small business and its 20 staff.
He was forced to look further afield for opportunities and credited Enterprise Ireland, and their 33 overseas office network, as being pivotal to the company’s expansion.
Through their network, he secured introductions to significant companies, now clients, around the world and now 95% of his turnover is from overseas.
Mr Clune drew parallels between his business crisis and the challenges facing many firms in Ireland today, and encouraged Irish businesses to take the same approach – to use the recession to rethink business models and to explore new opportunities.
Concluding on a very positive note, he said: “Opportunities are everywhere all the time, even in a recession. The key is never to look back, always forward to the future. And turn off the radio, with all the negative news. Listen to Beethoven instead!”
Entrepreneur of the Year’s suggestions:
•Capture new ideas he emails himself every time he thinks of a new idea and has 250 ideas in his inbox.
•Ask customers for feedback. It inspires business improvement and can be a great source of new ideas.
•Hire positive people.
•Have passion for what you do. Entrepreneurs need passion you can learn the rest.
•Be open and willing to change your mind.
•Learn how to sell.
•Teach children good communication skills from the earliest age. Clune himself was an early developer in the entrepreneurial stakes – raised on a farm, he began his first business at the tender age of seven selling recycled fertiliser bags to pack wood blocks.
Main News Page |
Previous Page
|
|
|
|
