International Business Advisory

The EEN office in Dublin Chamber has a strong track record of helping Irish firms to become successful sellers in international markets. To give you a taste of what is possible, we are pleased to unveil our case study with Achill Oysters, which has experienced a 5-fold increase in its turnover following an EEN-enabled expansion into the Asian market.

Free advice on moving into international markets is now at hand for your business, following the launch of Dublin Chamber's new business advisory service.

We are delighted to launch the new service, which is being rolled out by the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) office, operated by the International Services department within Dublin Chamber.

Full details of the service can be found below, including a Q&A with the Chamber's lead advisor Maria Deady.  In the Q&A, Maria provides a basic outline of how businesses can get involved, the help that's on offer and much more.

With the help of Maria and the Chamber's EEN team, Achill Oysters has gone from being a small aquaculture firm off the coast of Ireland to a highly successful international exporter. With our support, they have been able to access new markets and increase their turnover from €100,000 to half a million... and growing!

You can find more details about the Achill Oysters journey to international success in this article on the EEN website. 

If you would like to know more about any aspect of the Chamber's International services and the help that we can offer your business, please get in touch with us. You can contact Maria here.

FAQ: Dublin Chamber International Business Advisory Service

Can you simply explain what a business mentor is?

A business mentor is an impartial advisor who offers knowledge and tools related to areas of business management such as the definition of the business model, sales, talent attraction, finance, internationalisation or attraction of investment with the aim of helping companies to help to reflect and identify their main weaknesses more effectively.

Can you tell us more about the offering from Dublin Chamber's International department?

On top of the new mentoring service, Dublin Chamber offers a wide range of services including: The Enterprise Europe Network, which is the world's largest support network for SMEs who are looking to internationalise or would like information and advisory on internationalising. We also offer Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs, a cross border exchange programme between an experience host and an unexperienced new entrepreneur, which helps assist with peer-to-peer learning and further learnings on international markets.

Who can avail of this service? Which companies does this service suit best?

Our international services are available to all companies. However, these services best suit SMEs (companies with a staff of less than 250 people) who are interested in having a free, unbiased, confidential advisory provided to their business to assist them to grow domestically or internationally. 

Is there a certain sector this service would suit best?

No, the offer can help companies in all sectors.

Does this service only apply to senior directors or can anyone use this service?

From experience, we primarily deal with the business founder, owner or the senior business development manager. During the mentorship, important company details such as certain financial information might be requested and usually it is more senior directors or founders who can provide these. With regards to our other programmes, it must be a CEO or founder who acts as a host as part of the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme.

What differentiates Dublin Chamber services from other offerings out there?

Dublin Chamber's Maria Deady is the only certified and licensed EEN business mentor in Ireland, so the level of intelligence and service that we offer is unparalleled in Ireland. Being a part of the EEN Network and through her experience, Maria has vast connections across a global network.

How much does it cost?

All Dublin Chamber International services are available free of charge. Typically, other advisory services offered by competitor firms are paid-for services.

Can you explain the main modules looked at through this training?

The main modules looked at as part of the training include:

• Talent attraction to match commercial vision: This looks at a company's current talent pool and explores the type of talent it should aim to attract in order for the company to attain its commercial vision.
• Business models: Advice on how to determine the different types of business models that your company should consider.
• Internationalisation: The steps and requirements for a business to determine if they are ready to expand their business internationally.
• Digital transformation: How businesses are changing to keep pace with the digitally transforming world, streamlining processes with agility and a lean perspective.
• Financial structures:
• Searching for financing: The things to consider when a business is searching for financing, the documents required for investors, and what investors look for in a company.

Can this service only be used for companies who want to internationalise?

No the mentorship service is available to all SMEs who are interested in the service.

What is the time requirement for taking part? How long does it take?

There is no specific time requirement for taking part, the mentorship process is about building a relationship with the company, and creating a journey for them to get the best results for the company. What participants get out of the programme is a reflection of what they put in.

Can more than one person from my company participate?

Ideally the mentorship would be a one-on-one process with the business founder, owner or the senior business development manager.

Next steps? How do I go about getting involved or find out more?

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