A state-of-the-art digital platform connecting enterprise and entrepreneurship across the eleven councils in Northern Ireland
Gordon Gough explains how Enterprise Northern Ireland and the Local Enterprise Agency network are connecting enterprise and entrepreneurship across the eleven councils in Northern Ireland.
The new www.enterpriseNI.com website has just been launched. It has the potential to highlight more than one million annual bits of digital content within the Local Enterprise Agencies.
The new website is a live channel that shows all the entrepreneurial activity across Northern Ireland which could make the site one of the largest in Northern Ireland by the end of the 2017. An innovative use of #enterpriseNI coupled with a local council hashtag means that all stories will appear live on www.enterpriseNI.com
One of the stories trending at the moment is Start Up Loans for small businesses. Our members across Northern Ireland report that access to finance remains a key issue. That’s where Enterprise Northern Ireland members can help with our Start Up Loans. Start Up Loans provides mentoring and financial support to start-up businesses that cannot access traditional business finance. Since the scheme commenced, Enterprise Northern Ireland has dealt with over 3,000 enquiries resulting in 500 loans being dispersed at a value of over £3 million.
Enterprise Northern Ireland Start Up loans are unsecured personal loans for the purposes of starting a business. Loans of up to £25,000 are repayable between one to five years at a current fixed interest rate of 6 per cent. In addition, loan recipients receive up to fifteen hours mentoring support from their local enterprise agency. Start Up loans also provides access to a range of exclusive offers from various corporate partners.
To request an application pack or for further details call the Enterprise Northern Ireland office on 028 7776 3555 or visit www.eniloans.com
Our Start Up loans product sits alongside our business start up support under the “Go For It” banner which is the Local Councils innovative business support framework. ENI has an extensive and successful operating history in the delivery of volume business start-up programmes in Northern Ireland through its member Local Enterprise Agencies, including Regional Start Initiative 2012-2016, where we successfully worked with participants to produce over 13,000 business plans. ENI’s member Local Enterprise Agencies are embedded in their local communities and contribute significantly to the economic regeneration of their respective council areas. In other words, we are in it for the long haul!
Follow EnterpriseNI on its website: www.enterpriseNI.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/enterpriseni
Twitter: @EnterpriseNI
Enterprise Northern Ireland is the membership organisation for Local Enterprise Agencies.
There are 28 Local Enterprise Agencies across Northern Ireland providing a range of business support services.
