There have been a lot of changes in Meath since the last Business Owners Network meeting. Businesses have re-opened; restrictions are constantly easing, and the sun has also made an appearance to brighten the mood. This month’s Meath Business Owners Network meeting was held on Friday the 18th of May with guest speakers Adele Roche from Happy Days consultancy and Stuart Nelson of Jigsaw. Over 30 participants logged in for the June call which was once again chaired by Raymond Gibbons of BMS accountancy. The Meath Business Owners Network is a partnership between County Meath Chamber and Meath Local Enterprise office and is sponsored by Pinergy and Permanent TSB.
Adele Roche was the first speaker on the call. Adele is the owner of Happy Days- a colour and design consultancy. Adele took the participants through a fascinating presentation on how colour effects physical and mental wellbeing. She designs harmonious colour schemes for corporate and domestic settings and believes that colour is so important to everyone’s brand in business. “Everyone should be aware of the psychology of colour. It effects emotions and moods and everyone’s interpretation is unique. When choosing a colour for your brand you should base it on what your customer likes and needs- not what colour preferences you have.” Black and yellow together portray danger. These colours should only be used together when appropriate- for example, in warning signage. Red is a fast physical colour; it makes people want to move. Red is usually used for sale items in retail. Yellow is an affordable colour, blue an intellectual and calm colour etc. Adele finished her presentation with the advice to participants to not follow trends and to consider shapes in the branding as well as colour.
The first breakout room of the morning asked participants to pitch their business to the attendees in their room for 90 seconds. The breakout rooms have become an invaluable part of the MBON meetings for individuals to network and get to know each other’s business.
The second speaker on the call was Stuart Nelson, Lean and organisational coach with Jigsaw. Lean is a structured approach to problem solving. Eliminate waste (or elements of the job that hold no value) and only have steps that add value to your customers. Stuart looked at the 8 wastes of downtime: Defects, overproduction, waiting, non-utilised talent, transportation, inventory, motion and excess processing. Stuart spoke of the Lean mindset that included respect for people, team effort and continuous improvement. Jigsaw are working in conjunction with Meath Local Enterprise Office to deliver a Lean programme over several weeks starting in September. This programme is open to all businesses in Meath.
Participants attended a second breakout session for ten minutes to speak to other business owners on what methods of advertising they found most effective. All attendees shared their knowledge on what worked and did not work in their line of business.
Paula McCaul ended the meeting on a high with business shout outs to Priority Insurance in Trim who are celebrating 40 years in business, Choice stores who have just opened their 5th store in Meath in Ashbourne and to BMS accountancy who have just launched a 13-week cashflow course for small businesses. New members were also welcomed and included Titan digital and the Pandemic Pantry.
To register for the next Meath Business Owners Network on Friday the 23rd of July, keep an eye on the County Meath Chamber social media pages or www.countymeathchamber.ie. Pre-registration is necessary. To sign up to accept the Mí Meath Mastercard, claim your free listing on the Meath Business Directory or to become a member just email info@countymeathchamber.ie