Support for SMEs

We work with many small- and medium-sized organisations and understand the challenges that they face in growing and becoming more competitive in challenging market sectors.

We offer our support and expertise to SMEs directly, and through programs funded and supported by Local Enterprise Offices across Ireland.

Lean for SMEs

We have worked extensively in the introduction of Lean principles to small and large organisations, supporting them to:

  • Identify and eliminate waste in processes
  • Become more effective and efficient
  • Reduce costs and increase competitiveness

The Lean for Business programme, supported by Ireland’s Local Enterprise Office network, provides participating organisations with access to up to 5.5 days of consultancy support.

We will provide SME owner/managers with the supports, tools and techniques to:

  1. Diagnose current practices and performance
  2. Develop an improvement plan based on Lean principles
  3. Implement measures to track performance against plan.

Digital for SMEs

The Digital for Business programme provides SMEs with support to obtain expert advice on their digital strategy, with a specific focus on utilising technology and data to:

  • Optimise processes
  • Deliver a seamless customer digital experience
  • Create new value and revenue streams for the business

The areas we can help you with are:

  1. Internal Process Optimisation:
    • Reviewing operational processes and systems to identify improvement opportunities;
    • Eliminating waste by introducing easier, faster processes backed up by automation and/or cloud based digital systems;
    • Processes covered can include any or all business functions from sales, finance, marketing, production, logistics and product development.
    • The review will be based on a Lean approach in combination with the adoption of digital technologies;
    • Review of cyber security risks and recommendations to reduce risk.
  2. Enhancing Customer Digital Experience:
    • Review of current products & services & channels and potential to create a high-quality digital experience for customers;
    • A digital review of the customer journey;
    • Review of cyber security risks and recommendations to reduce risk.
  3. Becoming a Data Driven Business:
    • Review of current key performance data that is used to drive the business and identify gaps and improvement opportunities;
    • Enhancing customer experience by aggregating data in all of it forms across the business.
    • Identifying data sources and potential untapped business value of data.
    • Identification of gaps in business or production data and suggesting ways to improve;
    • Identification of security risks and mitigation strategies;
    • Identification of potential new tools e.g., CRM, Business Intelligence, ERP, Robotics.

Green for SMEs

The Green for Business programme, supported by Ireland’s Local Enterprise Office network, provides SMEs with access to expert advice to help improve their environmental performance, reduce costs and identify practical sustainability opportunities.

We will work with SME owner/managers to:

  1. Review current environmental performance and identify key areas for improvement.
  2. Identify practical, achievable actions suited to the business.
  3. Develop a Green for Business report and prioritised action plan.
  4. Identify relevant next steps and potential supports available to help implement recommendations.
  5. Capture the business’s existing sustainability activity and help shape its Green Story so that genuine environmental actions and improvements can be communicated clearly to customers, staff and other stakeholders.

Where appropriate, we can also help businesses identify opportunities for further investment in energy-efficient equipment and other environmental improvements.

For many businesses, there is already a positive sustainability story to tell. We can help identify and structure that story around real actions and measurable improvements, giving businesses credible content they can use across their website, social media, tenders, customer communications and wider marketing.

For further details on how to access LEO-supported consultancy and advice we will be happy to talk you through the process of applying to your Local Enterprise Office. Please get in touch.