The Small Firms Association (SFA) has released its Vision for Small Business in Ireland report today (25 May), as is it welcomes over 300 delegates to its Annual National Conference, sponsored by NSAI and One4All.
Speaking at the event at UCD’s O’Reilly Hall, Chairman of the SFA, AJ Noonan commented "Much of Government policy is based on backing winners and attracting foreign multi-nationals, rather than creating an environment for more and more indigenous businesses to establish, create jobs, survive and succeed.
"Through launching our Vision for Small Business in Ireland report today, we are challenging every citizen to do their part in making Ireland the most vibrant small business community in the world."
He also revealed the findings of the SFA’s Summer Business Sentiment Survey, which found that 60% of small businesses say their business is growing, while 70% of respondents intend to take on new staff this year.
The Vision for Small Business in Ireland document includes over 60 recommendations to help boost and sustain this growth, covering a range of topics, from culture, to education and the business environment.
Noonan added, “We in Ireland need to change our attitude to accept the full diversity of companies and business people, both culturally and in terms of State supports.
"We need to integrate entrepreneurial skills into teaching throughout our education sector. Small business owners need to be more supportive of each other, to act as non-executive directors on the boards of new start-ups.”
He also noted that there is a need to discuss how we deal with failure in Irish society, and how business failures are reported in the media.
On the topic of finances, he said, “We need to address specific challenges in relation to financial literacy, acceptance of equity investment and accessing contracts with government and with large corporations."
© 2016 - Checkout Magazine by Jenny Whelan.
