The Irish Donkey

©2025 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Martin O'Hara:  His poem about "The Irish Donkey" describes a solitary, wise old donkey, blessed with a cross on its back (a nod to the biblical story) and find joy in the simple act of scaring flies and enjoying tourists.

Winning New Exports

©iStock/Alberto Marrupe Gutierrez

Whether you are based in Ireland or the United States, winning new exports comes in handy for newfound growth at your business.

In this case, the Going for Growth program, which Enterprise Ireland and KPMG support, is designed to help female entrepreneurs achieve their growth ambitions by growing their sales, creating additional employment, and winning new exports. 

Over the past 16 years, over 950 businesswomen have participated in this unique program.

Check it out here.

Out of the Blue

©2023 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

A seafood restaurant in Ireland.

Sun Shines In the Hearts of the People

©2022 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"We may have bad weather in Ireland, but the sun shines in the hearts of the people and that keeps us all warm." – Marianne Williamson

Photo taken in Ireland  – November, 2022.

Today in Global Small Business: Some Global Small Business Pandemic Trends Are Here to Stay

©iStock/Nuthawut Somsuk

What's affecting me, my clients, my colleagues and other global small business owners:

• The US government’s Agency for International Development (USAID) launched a free online mentoring platform recently to connect emerging entrepreneurs with experienced business experts.
• A new ICC Small Business Champions Network aims to enable the voice of small businesses and empower SMEs to thrive in the global economy.
• These global small business pandemic trends are here to stay.
• Quote of the week: "Be fast, have no regrets... If you need to be right before you move, you will never win." – Mike Ryan, epidemiologist at WHO
• Ireland is a great country for talent.  See how G-P is doubling down in Ireland.
• Is Poland still the European Tiger in the Forex world?

Women Entrepreneurs in County Donegal, Ireland Are Dreaming Big, Are You?

©iStock/audioworm

The Ambition for 2021 program through the Local Enterprise Office Donegal provides women entrepreneurs with a clear pathway to start a globally focused business.  The program is open to female founders and co-founders, entrepreneurs, or those with a strong start-up idea, who have links to Donegal. 

Many of these women are dreaming big, with projects designed to make a real impact on business, social and cultural landscapes.  Sixty percent have accessed Local Enterprise Office supports since completing the program, and 54% are revenue generating and exporting internationally.

To attend the Open Evening introducing the program, apply, or learn more, visit:  http://www.localenterprise.ie/Donegal/

Fortune Favors the Bold

©iStock/anyalvanova

Fortune favors the bold and especially those who go after global opportunities to fuel growth.  Ireland is no different.  The country is unquestionably a magnet for investment from some of the largest tech companies in the world.  And like London’s reputation as a global financial center, the draw of Dublin for technology businesses has become self-perpetuating.

Read on to learn more about why Irish tech businesses are going global.

Ireland's IGNITE: Transformative and Life-Changing

©iStock/johns0114

The IGNITE program at University College Cork (UCC), which nurtures start-ups from ideas to commercial reality, has been hailed by some of Ireland’s best up-and-coming entrepreneurs as “transformative and life-changing” ahead of its next tranche of graduates to begin the program.

Founded in 2011 and supported by Bank of Ireland, IGNITE is a joint initiative by Cork City Council, Cork County Council, the Local Enterprise Offices in and UCC to encourage entrepreneurship and enterprise creation.

The firm now monitors more than 20 million beehives in Europe, North America and South Africa.

Learn more about how entrepreneurs of IGNITE are catching eyes of global investors.

Upskilling and Educating SMEs in Ireland

©iStock/twstipp

Staying Ahead Digital Roadshow, the second in a series of events held by Google in partnership with Enterprise Ireland, aims to upskill and educate Irish SMEs in reaching new customers, expanding their businesses, and future-proofing their operations for a digital world.

Fionnuala Meehan, Head of Google Ireland, says:

“With only 17% of Irish businesses selling across borders online, we see huge opportunities for Irish SMEs to be innovative in the digital marketplace and to become exporters of goods and services. We know that companies with a strong online presence will grow twice as fast and employ twice as many people as those with a minimal or no web presence, and at a time of uncertainty – now more than ever – we believe it is important that Irish SMEs are supported in getting online to build more successful and sustainable businesses.”

Read more about how Google is on the road in Cork, Ireland to to help SMEs stay ahead.

Remote and Alluring Places Around Ireland and Britain

©iStock/Richard Semik

In his comprehensive guidebook, Britain and Ireland’s Best Wild Places: 500 Essential Journeys, Christopher Somerville takes you through some of the most untouched and scenic pieces in Ireland and Britain.

Have a look.

Today in Global Small Business: Tap Into China's Fast-Growing Middle Class

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What's affecting me, my clients, my colleagues and other global small business owners:

• How to build a globally integrated business model.
• Six signs you need a global ecommerce solution.
• Top 20 resources for global women entrepreneurs.
• Why a world of opportunity awaits those who export.
• Why you should tap into China's fast-growing middle class.
• How Ireland is becoming a potential hub for foreign SMEs.

For Irish Entrepreneurs, Small Is Beautiful

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Ireland has the Small Firms Association (SFA), considered the "Voice of Small Business" with over 8000 member companies.

SFA assists you in managing your business, as well as allowing you to interact with fellow members through their member's directory listing.

In addition, SFA provides full details of upcoming events and management training, along with featuring their most recent news updates and outline of lobbying policy submissions and press statements issued to represent your interests. 

Give it look here:  Small Firms Association

Learn About Your Heritage? Ask Your Country

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Frank Bruni, an Op-Ed columnist for The New York Times, writes a wonderful piece on his newly appreciated heritage.

To Ireland, a Son's Journey Home

Top Of The Morning To Everyone Worldwide

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This is one of my favorite days of the year (my Dad is Irish -- from Ballyhaunis, County Mayo, Ireland -- and my Mom is Dutch/Swedish). The first thing I did this morning was to call my parents and wish my Dad his best day ever (85 years young and he said he was wearing the "Kiss Me I'm Irish" cap I gave him over the weekend; my Mom has her work cut out for her!).

Celebrate your global entrepreneurial and fighting-Irish spirit with the following Irish blessing:

May all the days
of the rest of your life
be the very best
of your life.

Enjoy and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

And Twitter me at http://twitter.com/laureldelaney to let me know how you are celebrating.

Everyone Is Irish On St. Patrick's Day

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In celebration of St. Patrick's Day Tuesday, Chicago traditionally dyes the Chicago River a bright emerald green (as pictured) which they did this morning.

The annual parade is taking place as I write this (3/14/09 at 1:25 p.m. CDT) and rest assured, with a name like Delaney (from Ballyhaunis, County Mayo, Ireland) ... I am wearing every green item I own.

Ireland's Love Affair With Entrepreneurship

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Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Mary Coughlan T.D. launched the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Report for Ireland for 2007. The report found that 8.2% of the adult population living in Ireland is engaged in entrepreneurial activity, an increase on the 2006 level of 7.4%. So don't let the peaceful photo above fool you. Ideas are flourishing here and the Irish (my people) are making it happen.

Directed by Babson College, GEM reviews entrepreneurial activity and perceptions of 42 countries and is the world’s largest research project focusing on entrepreneurs and how they affect national economic growth.

The report findings include:

The number of entrepreneurs in Ireland increased in 2007. In 2007, 1 in 12 of the adult population in Ireland (aged 18-64) was involved in actively planning or had recently started a new business. This rate of 8.2% is an increase on the 2006 level of 7.4%.

The 2007 report shows a significant increase in the number of women entrepreneurs. Over 1,000 women in Ireland are starting new businesses each month. The number of women setting up new businesses or actively planning to do so increased to 5.9% (of all women aged 18-64) in 2007, up from 4.2% in 2006.

The level of informal investment (investing in someone else’s start-up business) was 3.3%. This is the highest rate reported by GEM in the last five years and brings Ireland into the top 10 of 20 selected OECD countries.

The 2007 GEM Report is available on www.enterprise-ireland.com and www.forfas.ie as well as on www.gemconsortium.org.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

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You don't have to be Irish to celebrate St. Patrick's Day -- my favorite day of the year! You just need a little "spirit" to make it something special.

Ireland, Sir, for good or evil,
is like no other place under heaven;
and no man can touch its sod
or breathe its air without becoming
better or worse.
~ George Bernard Shaw

I will be thinking of all of you as I toast the night away.

Enjoy! Erin Go Bragh (Ireland Forever)!

Just in (3:19 p.m . CDT) ... St. Patrick's Day Parades Go Global. A hat tip to our Borderbuster newsletter editor Bob Marovich for letting us know about it.