Aisling Hurley  Teamwoodcraft

The programme turned out to be exactly what I had expected and hoped for. I launched a new product because of it and increased my turnover by 100% for the year because I had such great support. Nothing said ever went outside the four walls, so it was a truly honest and enlightening experience. My only regret is that my time has now passed – how I would love to be anxiously awaiting the next meeting to receive and give advice, share experiences and know that the information being passed around was given with goodwill. I have made great friends from the experience. We still keep in touch and help each other out.

Aldagh McDonogh  Alternatives Marketing

A very useful programme and a great opportunity to learn from other people’s business experiences. The myriad of owner managers’ business journeys had many valuable lessons on which to draw. This programme gives you a real reason to get out of the trenches of your business and to reflect on where you’re at, where you want to get to and even some input into how you might go about it. The mix of businesses brought fresh perspectives and all participants were keen to share their lessons learnt and to ask those burning questions in a safe and confidential environment. I can highly recommend it.

Anne Hannan  SortMyBooks

We received the information about Going for Growth through Donncha Hughes who runs the LEAP programme in LIT. I attended on the basis that ‘all networking is worthwhile’. Thank God I did! My sister Aileen and I had been in business for 7 years and we were definitely at a cross-roads. We were at the point where we were finally making a decent living and could easily have stayed at that level. We had a number of ideas for how to go forward; so many that I was in fact stuck. I find that with most entrepreneurs – we don’t lack ideas, we suffer from having too many – so sometimes selecting the right path can be the hardest. Since the end of the programme we’ve gone from having 1 employee besides ourselves to having 3. We’ve moved into new offices, we’ve got BES approval to raise finance and in September we started our development project for a new online version of SortMyBooks. This is just the start of our growth phase. It is onwards and upwards from here on! If you get a chance to go on this programme, grab it!

Brid Fox Cater Care

Time spent participating in Going for Growth was very beneficial to both myself and my business. The format driven by the experienced mentor helped me to clarify my business, focus on what is good and bad business and put practical steps in place for business retention and growth.I am very happy to recommend the scheme.

Chris Winning  Corporate Care Relocation

I got strong encouragement from my Lead Entrepreneur and the group to implement changes to our process that has helped us with our time management and therefore our profitability. My objective was to grow my business outside of the Cork area and we now serve all of Ireland and are well recognised in our industry as being the leading relocation company in Ireland. We won the SFA Outstanding Small Business Award in 2008 and were shortlisted again in 2009. I have no hesitation in recommending Going to Growth to other women entrepreneurs who are focused on growth. I would love to be still a part of it!

Cora Barnes  Three Q Catering Ltd.

The opportunity to discuss your business, the challenges it faces and your triumphs, with leading business women in a discussion forum does not happen by chance. But it happens in the Going for Growth programme. Not only do you have an extremely successful Lead Entrepreneur to seek advice and guidance from, you have up to seven other fantastic business women to sound your ideas and actions with in a supported, empowered and charged meeting. You give and you get, you get a new perspective on your own business, you learn new skills of doing the same old thing and you appreciate the advice given is given freely and without bias. Thank you for the opportunity and I wish the programme every success in the future.

Grainne Barry  Anotherfriend.com

I just wanted to say a big ‘Thank You’ for the fantastic women in business Going for Growth programme that you organized and facilitated. I really had the most enriching experience and now have a completely new network of like-minded individuals who are happy and willing to assist me in any way as I grow my business. The format created was such a trusted and safe environment that each of the participants found a great place to talk about the details of growing their individual businesses, and we each found many of our experiences to be the same. Our group has now decided to continue our meetings on a bi-monthly basis, and it was your programme that gave us this great opportunity. I do hope that it continues for new groups in the future.

Jane Kelly  Big Mountain Productions

Going for Growth was, and continues to be, one of the most valuable learning experiences I’ve had as a businesswoman. Our group has continued to meet and my business has benefited enormously. Being in the company of experienced and confident entrepreneurs brimming with ideas and real solutions has been uplifting and invaluable -thank you ladies and thank you too to Paula for a brilliant idea that yields genuine results!

Jennifer Rothwell  Jennifer Rothwell

My experience in the Going For Growth initiative was extremely beneficial to the growth of my business. I received great practical advice from my mentor Amanda Pratt creative director of Avoca, in relation to production contacts and exhibitions abroad etc. As a result I exhibited in Pure London 08 which resulted in invaluable experience in international Trade Shows. I also discovered that PR does not necessarily make your business successful. Customer satisfaction is the key and word of mouth is essential for your company’s growth and profitability. I would strongly recommend the initiative Going For Growth for any company that wants to receive invaluable advice from highly experienced and successful mentors! It is an extremely positive experience, and a must for any company that wants to succeed!

Joanne Hession  QED International

Just to say a big thank you for inventing, launching and organizing the Going for Growth Programme. I have found it to be extremely beneficial for my business and had excellent meetings with Anne Heraty and my fellow group members. At our last meeting we had a round table discussion of the challenges each of our businesses are currently facing and it was a candid discussion through which all received ideas and feedback for growth and improvement. Our group has agreed that it would be beneficial to keep the meetings going to act as an advisory group for each other’s businesses which is great. Please also pass on my thanks to the sponsors for funding the initiative and to Clare for keeping us all on track!

Nicola Byrne  11890 Directory Enquiries

I found the Going for Growth programme was more than just mentoring, it has become an invaluable network of dynamic friends and business peers. While the programme was designed to be a year long, our group has continued for three years and continues to thrive. I cannot recommend Going for Growth highly enough.

Regina Mangan  bookaroom.ie

I participated in the Going for Growth in 2008. It helped catapult my business from a small thinking firm to a more ambitious business. Participating with and being in the same environment as these successful and influential women was infectious. The drive, ambition & confidence spread like a virus and the adrenalin was high. Where else would I get to hang out with these serious business influencers. The group sessions offered each participant the time and support to resolve our operational and business development concerns. Some great ideas were shared and the setting for success was set within the Lead Entrepreneur’s own environment. I was also in a great position as a result of the programme to get tremendous business advice for one of Ireland’s leading entrepreneurs. I am a great advocate for Going for Growth and would recommend any women in business who is looking to grow to get on board.

Rose Quilter  Note Taking Solutions Ltd.

Our participation in the Going for Growth Programme opened up our minds to many new possibilities in business and enabled us to start thinking ‘outside the box’. We discovered that in order to grow we have to trust in our own judgement to take that leap of faith into the unknown. It was a very refreshing experience to be able to discuss issues and interact with women who were in a similar position to our own, even though some businesses were at different stages of development and growth. I would like to thank the Going for Growth team for all the research and work that went into running a national project of this magnitude and would like to wish the Going for Growth team every success in future projects.

Rosey Broderick  Webresults.ie

Going for Growth has been a truly brilliant experience for WebResults.ie. It has helped me bring focus and clarity to my web marketing services business, which has led to the growth of the business subsequent to completing the programme. The experience, guidance and support from Lead Entrepreneurs was excellent. Monica Flood, my Lead Entrepreneur, on the programme has been truly tremendous and so dedicated to ensuring we made progress throughout and even after the programme was completed. Some of the guidance she gave has inspired me to take the necessary steps to grow my business. It was also very beneficial to meet the network of other businesses through the programme. Many faced similar challenges as ourselves enabling us to share experiences and benefit from each others’ knowledge and expertise. Thank you to Paula and the Going for Growth programme for this wonderful experience. I would highly recommend any business, lucky enough to get the opportunity, to participate on the Going for Growth programme to do so.

Rosie Sheehan  Broadway Bagels

As a business owner and a mother of three young children, time is my most valuable commodity. I have to choose carefully which programmes will most benefit my business, and I found that Going for Growth was hugely beneficial. The facilitator for our group was knowledgeable and enthusiastic, but where I really benefited was in talking with and learning from the other businesswomen in our group. There were women from all sectors, at different growth levels, and the information I garnered from these women is invaluable.

Samantha Rathling  Expect Recruitment

I participated in the very first Going for Growth initiative. As a result of my involvement, I made some decisions in my business which have totally transformed the company. The Going for Growth programme certainly got me focusing on my business, and gave me an opportunity to step outside of the day to day whirlwind. It gave me confidence to drive on and make decisions for growth. Since participating in Going for Growth, my recruitment business, Expect Talent, has gone from a turnover of €120,000 to a turnover in excess of €1.5million this year, and all of this happened during a recession! We now have established offices in Cork and Dublin and we are creating jobs, the number of permanent staff we employ has doubled in the last 18 months. I would recommend Going for Growth to any entrepreneur who is serious about growing their business.