SHARING THE STORY OF SUCCESS WITH DONEGALSTORIES.IE
Local Enterprise Office Donegal recently launched a new website showcasing successful businesses that it has supported across the county. The website, entitled “Donegal Stories”, features success stories from businesses of all shapes and sizes – from Carndonagh to Bundoran – operating across a range of sectors, including manufacturing, food, drinks, technology, services and craft and design.
Launching the website, Michael Tunney, Head of Enterprise Donegal said: “We are delighted to launch Donegal Stories, the new home of business success stories supported by Local Enterprise Office Donegal. While times are exceptionally tough, this website is a timely reminder of the many resilient businesses in Donegal that continue to push forward. The economy in Donegal is very reliant on the success of the micro business sector and it is vital that we all work collaboratively to support these businesses to bounce back and hopefully move forward through these challenging times.”
“While 2020 was a very difficult year for Donegal businesses – and these challenges are set to continue for the foreseeable future – businesses are not alone” Michael added. “Last year, we approved 1,274 small business grants totalling €2.7M. In direct response to the pandemic, we issued 574 Business Continuity Vouchers totalling €917K to businesses across Donegal and provided 1,500 expert mentoring hours with €530K support for start-ups and expansion. We granted 462 Trading Online Vouchers totalling over €1M in supports to help Donegal businesses expand their reach and trade to the world online; having an online shop was particularly important during the pandemic as it has offered a new route to market for many businesses affected by closures – it also means our diaspora can avail of more Donegal products than ever before.”
Adding to this Brenda Hegarty, Assistant Head of Enterprise said: “The Donegal Stories website is about celebrating all the great businesses we work with in Donegal. In terms of the next generation of entrepreneurs, we are really encouraged with the strong level of interest and enquiries regarding the setting-up of new businesses in the county, with strong demand for our Start your own Business programmes and Start Up supports for 2021. So, despite these testing times, the entrepreneurial future is bright for Donegal and we look forward to adding lots more success stories to this website over the coming years.”
If you harbour dreams of returning home to set up a business in Donegal, there has never been a better time to follow that dream. To find out more about relocating to Donegal contact info@donegaldiaspora.ie
For more information on Donegal Stories, visit www.donegalstories.ie