The GreenHouse Start-up accelerator

Comments (6)

• 
  Lorna

  June 17th, 2009 21:09

  Blogging has really benefited my business. I was recently profiled by Keith Shirley for an IIA white paper on the success of social media for business and I really had to analyse what proportion of my business comes from blogging – I would say that 30-40% of my business can happened due to the blog. One recent example was a lady in the west who contacted me for some interior design advice, sent me photos, I spoke to her once on the phone, other communciation was by email and she placed a considerable order for wallpaper, soft furnishings and giftware. She recently sent me photos of the finished room and she’s delighted with it so I hope she tells her friends about the ‘online interior design service’.

• 
  Mary New

  June 17th, 2009 21:29

  Hi Evert

  I am leaving this comment in respect of a fellow Irish wedding supplier that is taking the world by storm with their new venture – Weddingrunner.com.

  Although they did not tempt the dragons on Dragon’s Den, their company is going from strength to strength. They have recently been listed at Macy’s New York and are setting up their US distribution due to demand from the States. They have recently been commissioned by Pink to provide a runner for her after show event. The Oscar’s red carpet next perhaps?

  Why is this such a success story? Weddingrunner.com have brought a new, non-essential, luxurious product to an increasingly price sensitive market at a difficult time. The 140 wedding suppliers at the WOL seminar last week would testify to the current difficulties in this marketplace! It is for this reason, that I want to shout out about the success of these girls who are bringing their business to the international stage and succeeding.

  Perhaps if we focus more on the inspiration we gain from those, like the girls at Weddingrunner.com who are succeeding rather than the desperation plied by the media, we can move forward and in a more positive way.

  Take care,

  Mary

• 
  Derry O Donnell

  June 18th, 2009 10:26

  I have made a wealth of contacts on Twitter and have found some great contributors for my publications as well as learning new and exciting ways of doing things.
  Blogging has increased my company’s visibility and brand awareness and has improved search engine ranking.

• 
  Bohoe

  June 19th, 2009 12:43

  Hiya,
  The story I would like to share is about two clients: ‘BABYPOTZ’ and ‘DUBLIN EN ESPANOL’.

  BABYPOTZ
  In a sense, BABYPOTZ is like a physical manifestation of the archetypical Web 2.0 app: it is a very simple product, clearly presented, that does only one thing, and does it perfectly.
  BABYPOTZ are small plastic pots designed to store small amounts of food for weaning babies. They have been doing pretty well, and recently got an export grant from the Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Enterprise Board. They are expanding now to the Spanish and German markets!
  Great niche product!
  http://ww.babypotz.com

  DUBLIN EN ESPANOL
  Also, another great service for a very specific niche
  market, ‘Dublin en Espanol’: tours of Dublin and nearby touristic areas all in Spanish!!
  As Michelle Nylon describes in coolsites.ie review of their site “all too often English speakers forget that they are not the only people on the face of the planet”. Indeed, “Spanish is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world and providing services to Spanish speakers in their native tongue makes sense”.
  But wait, this is not just for Spanish speakers (+500 million worldwide) coming to Ireland, this is also a service for local business looking for a different day out, or perhaps a way to keep their employees well trained in Spanish, while having fun.
  They are really successful, and even the Tourist Office employees have notice that the sales are going to them over other tours.
  They are now expanding to offer tours in Belfast and other cities of interest.
  Discover Ireland, in Spanish. Clever stuff.

  Both businesses benefited from a strong image and a ‘cool’ site, and both are looking at social media for the next steps.

  In my opinion, these are good examples of how to tackle recession with great simple ideas.
  Hope you enjoyed them. If you need more info, just contact me.

  Bohoe

• 
  Nick McGivney

  July 7th, 2009 16:38

  Not one big success story, but a whole roll of little bubblewrap success pops. I have been moving into online brand building for the past year and a half, maybe, and apart from meeting some wonderfully energetic people, I’ve seen a steady increase in the scale and frequency of the things I’m being asked to pitch on. The D&G (ends in gloom, not Gabbana, unfortunately) seems to be the preserve mostly of people who are still in the jobs they were in years back, are still doing the same thing (or nothing at all) and are increasingly waiting for the horrible moment when someone says ‘We’re wanted in the boardroom.’ I’ve been there, I don’t wish it on anybody, but the thing tat happens after that is where all the good stuff can happen. It’s a year since I was pushed, I’m sorry I didn’t jump two years, five years, a hundred years before that, but that’s back there and I’m looking at what’s up here in front now instead. Linkedin is starting to bring requests in, Twitter has been fantastic for getting known (right, Mr Bopp ), blogging is now part of my day job too, Facebook and all the rest of it offer multiple points both for me personally and professionally to reach out to a new, vibrant community. I’ll piss some off by saying it, but a lot of good people in this economy actually need to lose their jobs. Variety, support and the means to make a living are out here, and I don’t think I’ll ever be complacent again.

  Not exactly what you asked for, but if it encourages anyone not to be quite so fearful, then I’m happy to bore the arse of anyone who’ll listen.

• 
  Karen Krizanovich

  August 2nd, 2009 11:22

  I am fairly well known as a presenter, guest and writer in London. But Twitter AND Facebook have really helped 1) source new people I wouldn’t have had dialogue with 2) find people who knew me and worked with me before and 3) found fans from before who are still keen.

  Also, strangely enough, one editor wouldn’t return my emails but he responded to my tweets and commissioned me.

  All I can say is that it is business as usual but more diverse, more fun, more challenging.

  I love social media and I love the new people I am meeting, particularly when a lot of my acquaintances are late adapters.

  Business bad? Just pitch more, meet more people, keep energy high. So many people are saying they are busy but not earning – busy is GOOD. Now is the time to plant seeds.

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