Helping make SMEs smarter, simpler and greener

This is the very essence of competitiveness. Your Local Enterprise Office (LEO) offers a comprehensive suite of products and tools that can support these journeys.

It’s hard to imagine a small business owner or manager who wouldn’t want to save time, money and energy. But when you’re running a business, it can be difficult to step away from day-to-day tasks to find ways to become more competitive and more productive.

Help is at hand with the LEO Network’s specialized resources. This is evident in All in a Day’s Work, a new productivity and competitiveness campaign from the LEO Network. It outlines the benefits for small businesses of making the most of LEO resources such as Green for Business, Lean for Business and Digital for Business programs.

Thanks to these supports, thousands of businesses across Ireland have successfully increased their sales, productivity, number of employees and the quality of their products and services.

The benefits can be surprising. On average, companies saw their production increase by 31% and saved €34,000 each by becoming more efficient thanks to the Lean for Business program. In total, the program has saved Irish businesses more than €28 million since its launch in 2015. Among those to benefit is Rascals Brewing. The company found that LEO Dublin City’s help allowed it to reduce brewing hours by becoming more efficient.

Kerrigan’s Butchers has worked with LEO Fingal on improving the digital business, securing grants and training for web and social media channels, as well as greening their business. This included understanding how to reduce its carbon emissions and how to analyze its supply chain.

In business, “lean” refers to ways of doing things faster, better and at lower cost. It’s about implementing and refining intelligent business processes while committing to a culture of continuous improvement. The Lean for Business program offers SMEs free advice with a Lean expert who can advise them on how to follow Lean principles and help them develop an implementation plan. This should result in savings in time and money. Companies can also access additional Lean training and resources through the program.

With sustainability a priority for everyone, businesses need to understand how to reduce carbon emissions, promote biodiversity and be as “green” as possible. Similar to the Lean for Business program, Green for Business offers SMEs free consulting, a free green audit and a free implementation plan.

The third pillar of It’s All in a Day’s Work is digital. Most business owners and leaders have heard of digital transformation, but what does it mean for a specific business? The Digital for Business program enables SMEs to adopt technology and future-proof their businesses. Again, it offers free expert advice, as well as a free digital assessment and a tailor-made digital strategy.

Making your business more digital, simpler and greener is a smart way to future-proof it, and also leads to real cost savings and real growth today. To find out more, visit AllInADaysWork.ie.

Richard Murphy is Head of the LEO Support and Coordination Unit at Enterprise Ireland