Read one Irish entrepreneur's blog as she operates a business in Dublin
First Mailshot
October 31, 2003
Positive results are still coming in from that first mailshot of a few weeks ago. I've already scored 2 bits of business from it, and I’m having a meeting on Monday morning which looks like it could lead to a 3rd. So, while it is tedious and time consuming sticking letters into envelopes and pasting stamps on, it is certainly worthwhile!
That first mailshot was a lot of hard work. First I had to get the letterhead designed and printed. Then ensure the brand new printer could cope. There was steam coming out of the printer as the first of the 200+ letters came through, but it soon dissipated. Purchase the envelopes and stamps (yet another cause for one to bemoan the high cost of living in Ireland). Then stuff em. Over the past decade I’ve been blessed with franking machines and people who stuff envelopes efficiently and without dripping papercut blood stains all over them. So one Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago I got stuck into it myself.
In the middle of stuffing, the addressee’s names started to look too familiar and I convinced myself that I had double printed some of the letters. Hours later, I worked out that I hadn’t and was ready to walk to the nearest postbox to rid myself of the load. The postbox beside the Shelbourne Hotel was the receptacle of choice, I wasn’t taking any chances at this stage, Smithfield postboxes could be subject to vandalism, or bangers and firework damage. And a blood stained half burned piece of marketing material is hardly the image I want to put forward for Brightspark! Once they were all in, waiting for the next stage of their journey I could relax.
Two days later, the calls began. The joy of doing follow-up calls in Ireland is that people are, on the whole, very friendly on the telephone. In my experience of making follow up calls in the UK, I have been made to feel like a little worm that needs to be flicked away…not so in Ireland.
Anyway, the upshot is, 2 nice corporate intranets to get my teeth stuck into, and possibly a third. There are some others I need to call back early in the new year, so they could lead to some business then. Hot on the heels of the success of that mailshot, I’m now about to get going on another one. This time it’s targeting organisations in The Arts. I’ll report back on how that one goes later.
My Birthday Blog
October 29, 2003
Today is my birthday! What a difference a year can make in one’s life and outlook. Last year I was going all out – had a big birthday party, complete with visiting friends from London, and was leaping at any chance to go to lunch/dinner or otherwise get out of the office during the days surrounding my birthday.
This year I chose to play it down. My attitude is very different, I feel much more content in my life. Because it’s my own business, I don’t want to miss out on too much working time by having a boozy lunch today. I will certainly go out for a bite with a friend, but I’ll be sticking to the sparkling water, not wine. Tonight’s meal out represents a chance to relax and unwind and not one to get hammered mid-week.
The only demand I made to my love was that my birthday present be nothing to do with work. I know I need lots of little things for the business, like an upgraded operating system, or new filing systems, but I intend to start out as I mean to continue and that means only receiving presents for me me me!
This morning after my full Irish breakfast that was lovingly cooked for me by Stephen, I was given the most amazing birthday present! And it’s nothing to do with work, hurray!
Happy birthday to me.
More on work related issues in the next blog.
New Contract Won
October 23, 2003
Intranets are obviously HOT right now because apart from winning a new contract to deliver one for a large Irish corporate that is listed in Dublin and London – if you’re reading this – can I mention you?
But I also attended a very interesting forum this afternoon about intranets – dream or nightmare?
Organised by AIB, it was the first meeting in the newly revived Communicators in Business group. A networking group for people who are responsible for communications in their organisation, it is a great forum for these people to get together and share information on approaches, solutions and common problems. Often, communicators are isolated in their organisations, so this is like a support group for all those communicators who are lonely and misunderstood by their co-workers!
Another historic event that occurred only yesterday was the opening of my brother and his wife’s new Thai restaurant in Athlone. Kin Khao which means ‘eat rice’ in Thai is going to give Athlone diners the chance to eat authentic, delicious Thai food of the type you could previously only get in Thailand. When you’re next on the road to Galway, stop in Athlone, go to Kin Khao on Abbey Lane, and treat yourself to a reasonably priced taste sensation!!
Growing Reputation
October 19, 2003
Today is Sunday. I’m writing the blog that should have been done last Wednesday. Guilt. Fear too. Fear that ‘certain people’ were right. These people told me when I started off with this that I was mad to do a blog, to commit myself to writing something that isn’t directly responsible for bringing in money, that I wouldn’t have the time. I defied them because I know the good this blog does for my search engine rankings…and because I love expressing myself through writing. Once again I've promised myself that I will get this thing written on time, at least twice a week, and if that means getting up half an hour earlier, so be it.
Anyway, last week was a week and a half. I was in a meeting on Thursday and I was talking about delivery dates of early February for a project…they were looking at me a little strangely. It was only when I came home that evening that I realised that it’s only mid October. I’ve been working and thinking like it’s mid November. Maybe that’s one of the things that comes with having your own business – you put in so many hours work that, if you add them all up, it means you’re miles ahead in “work years.”
Last week two companies rang Brightspark - yes unsolicited - looking for quotes and ideas on how they should progress their websites. That makes a pleasant change and indicates that Brightspark’s reputation is beginning to grow. Unfortunately I can’t brag too much here about what’s causing that because a lot of projects are in development, but if you keep coming back, I guarantee you, in the next few weeks you’ll have some household names, and some up and coming names to read about.
Lone Salmon in Dublin
October 10, 2003
Like a lone salmon leaping from a fast-flowing river, pursuing in the opposite direction to the global marketplace, I see Mark Tarbatt of Generator. In the press yet again banging on about banner ads and how great they are. He may have convinced Dick O’Brien of the Sunday Business Post but he has not convinced me.
Just because they’ve added a bit of Flash to the banner doesn’t mean that users are going to click on it. Banner and skyscraper ads are still annoying, and users continue to block them out when surfing the internet. That’s why they failed in the 90’s and it’s why they are a waste of money now. The article neglected to mention that the browser Mozilla is designed to block pop-ups and that there’s talk of the new version of Internet Explorer will follow suit. Does Generator inform its clients who wish to use pop-ups about that?
The article in last Sunday’s Business Post gives a mere nod towards Google’s efforts to revive online advertising. It mentions AdSense, but not AdWords.
Google AdWords is where it’s at.
It enables advertisers to bid on the keywords they want and advertisers only pay when their ad is clicked on. Unlike certain Irish high traffic sites that demand exorbitant rates to simply be included in the site. In sites like these, the advertiser must pay for the potential of eyes to see the ad, whether anyone actually clicks through doesn’t really enter into it.
If you’re reading this, and you would like to know more about how to get a Google AdWords campaign off the ground for your company – from as little as €100 – then you should contact us.
A New First
October 08, 2003
A new first for Brightspark today. Am off to Clontarf to meet with Loretto of High Performance. Hers was the very first site I worked on and it's due for an update. Loretto's business has been growing so fast, it's now time to revamp the site to fit everything in.
It's Good To Dream
October 03, 2003
I don't know what I was worried about. The focus groups went off really well, good ideas were discusssed, and most important of all - the groups views of what price the service should be was more than double what I'd been planning for! So while I'm not exactly buying my house in Howth and my convertible Jaguar just yet, I am thinking about what might be!
It is good to dream.
The last couple of weeks have been a bit slower than any since I started Brightspark. I think I have been a bit spoiled - winning a client after 2 weeks, then another after 5....in the last 3 weeks I haven't won a new client and I was beginning to throw my hands in the air in despair. Yesterday I allowed myself a little dream time - goal setting on the Dart gazing out over Dublin Bay, the hill of Howth rising up in front of me....and lo the phone rang and one of my proposals has come home to roost. A couple of hours later and I got another call - another one wanting to see me next week. Can we make it 3? Yes, a follow up phone call from me today and I've got me another job to work on! So my advice to you if you are feeling a bit stuck - allow yourself to dream, give yourself time to visualise why you're doing this. And success will come to you. Have a good weekend everybody.
Fear & Anxiety in Smithfield
October 01, 2003
Today is the day of the focus groups and you know what? I'm pretty nervous about them on a number of levels. Firstly, that the people attending will laugh at the product. Secondly, that they'll have some cause to laugh at me because it's the first time I've ever run an entire focus group by myself. I'm also worried that there will be a large area that I'll forget to cover with them. I'm only getting one shot at this, I have to glean all I possibly can. Will I run over time? Will everyone show up?
So there you go. Fear and anxiety in Smithfield. Will report in on how it all goes tomorrow if possible. I can't have you, my readers, hanging to find out what happens!