Enterprise Spaces and Support
Incubation Space
Enterprise Centres and Business incubation Centres can offer your new start-up business the chance to avail of small units at affordable rates,whilst also getting the added benefit of shared knowledge, resources and equipment.
‘Networking with similar minded start-up companies gives great support. The exchange of ideas and the benefits of prior experiences among small businesses is of immense benefit. Mentoring and training events are delivered on an ongoing basis providing real and practical supports.’
Breda O’Dwyer, Tom Crean Business Centre, Tralee.
Leasing business incubation space, even if it is only for one person initially, can be a huge help in creating a business environment around you.When working from a home office it can become difficult to distinguish between your working life and your home life, so, surrounding yourself in a culture of learning and development can help bring a greater focus to your business.
Some of the main advantages that your new start-up business will receive in a business incubation centre include:
- flexible licence agreements
- affordable rates
- networking opportunities
- access to business consultancy andmentoring support.
All of this will lead to an accelerated development of your start-up business.
Location
For some businesses, location is king - retail businesses, restaurants and takeaways all require a location with a passing trade. Many manufacturing businesses want a location that is not on a main shopping street. Having said that, there are probably only two possible choices for your new business:
- work from home
- find a workspace somewhere else.
Working from home is a simple and cheap solution for certain kinds of start-up businesses. if your business idea is office-based, and requires you to meet your customers in their offices, then working from home might be practical.
Experience has shown that you will probably need to separate your domestic space and your workspace. You will need to check with Kerry County Council Planning department to find out if you need to get planning permission for your workspace. You also need to check that your insurance policy will cover working from home. When you work from home your business will have a residential address and telephone number.Where the address is of importance to your business you might consider the combination of working from home with a ‘virtual’ office service, giving you a business address, and professional telephone answering services, but without the cost of owning the office.
Working from a workspace away from home will generally always be more expensive, both in terms of the cost of the premises, but also in commuting to your place of work.
Some business ideas will require particular types of premises. Light industrial businesses and food production businesses have very individual requirements that must be matched to particular buildings, and will probably include specialist
services such as three-phase electricity. If you are looking for a high street location to develop a retail business, then you must do a lot of research. You will need to be sure of the number of people passing your door, and whether these people are potential shoppers for your product. Good retail space will always be expensive, but location will be vital if your retail business is to prosper.
For many start-up businesses outside of the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors, the opportunity to find space in an enterprise Centre should be fully explored. There are a number of these around Kerry offering a variety of space sollutions for start-up businesses. These solutions range from‘hot-desking’, literally providing a serviced desk space for short periods, to ‘turn-key’ units for developing your business concept or product. In all cases enterprise Centres will encourage you to network with other users of their services. You will probably find this to be invaluable as you work to establish your business.
Enterprise Centres often offer subsidised accommodation for an initial period, but remember that they are in the business of encouraging a constant stream of fledgling businesses. You can expect, therefore, that you will be encouraged to move on from the Centre as your own business becomes established.
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