Pre and Start Up Support

Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey Alderman Stephen Ross recently launched Antrim Enterprise’s Start Me Up Show at Junction 1 with an inspiring line up of entrepreneurs.  The event is one of three taking place across the borough over the next couple of months to inspire and motivate individuals into self-employment.  Each event has a different set of entrepreneurs from all walks of life who openly talk about their entrepreneurial journeys and share their top tips for success.

At the Junction 1 event Mayor Ross emphasised the need for more entrepreneurs in the Borough: “Today you will hear first-hand from entrepreneurs about the highs and lows of self-employment.”

The speaker line up included Sinead Norton, founder of Mums at Work Network who talked about the importance of being able to diversify your business to meet customer needs and external challenges.

Andrew Kelly of EightyFive90 took to the stage to share his experience around the loneliness of self-employment and the need to have a network of likeminded people.

The third speaker on the day included Gabriella Weatherhead of Leaf Alkemy who told those in attendance about identifying your target customer, understanding their needs and ensuring they match with your business values.

Jennifer McWilliams Manager, Antrim Enterprise Agency is excited about the series of Start Up Shows: “These events are about encouraging and energising individuals who are considering a career change, a new career path or at a crossroads in life to consider self-employment. They will hear first-hand from a range of business owners who are at different stages of their entrepreneurial journey as well as availing of the opportunity to network with like-minded individuals.  The extra bonus is a limited number of one to one mentoring sessions available after attending the events.”

Antrim Enterprise’s next free event will take place 15^th of November 6pm at their Greystone Road  premises.  Open to Antrim residents, anyone interested in more details can check out antrimenterprise.com/events

Speakers on the 15^th November include

1. 1. Azman Khairuddin – Big Design Architecture. From Malaysia to Wales to settling in NI, Azman’s entrepreneurial journey has resulted in the design & building of his successful architecture business.
   2. Daniel McQuaid & Amanda Doherty – Antrim Playball. Daniel and Amanda chose the franchise route with Antrim Playball set up to support children with their confidences and self-esteem through sport.
   3. Turan Mirza – Feel Good Hypnosis. Turan went from being a software engineer to joining two business start-ups before taking the leap to start his own business as a hypnotherapist.
   4. Stefan Getty – Cloak & Dagger. Stefan will tell his story from growing up in a housing estate selling sweets and t-shirts to building several successful businesses.