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Why do a training programme?
MENTORS
Dr Thomas Cooney
Dr Thomas M. Cooney is academic director of the Institute for Minority Entrepreneurship (DIT), and a research fellow at the Dublin Institute of Technology. He is president of the European Council for Small Business (2009-2011), a member of two European Commission Expert Groups, visiting professor at the University of Turku (Finland), a board member of IRCSET (Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology), a board member of INTRE (Ireland's Network of Teachers and Researchers in Entrepreneurship), and a board member of ICSB (International Council for Small Business). He has researched, presented, and published widely on the topic of entrepreneurship, including the books New Venture Creation in Ireland (with Shane Hill), European Cases in Entrepreneurship (with Rickie Moore) and Irish Cases in Entrepreneurship. Further information is available from his website www.thomascooney.com.
Why do a training programme?
25.02.2010
Acknowledging he is somewhat biased, Dr Thomas Cooney, director of the Institute of Minority Entrepreneurship at Dublin Institute of Technology, is an advocate of people taking part in some sort of programme if they intend setting up in business.
“From a commonsense perspective it exposes you to all the different issues you need to think about when you start up, the vast majority of which most people don’t consider. For example, they may focus on getting finance and making their product, but not on marketing in the real sense or all of the small things that need to be done that can get forgotten, such as registering a company,” he says.
“Often people’s view of their business is exaggerated and going to a course brings reality into their thinking and adds to their list of items for consideration.”
Benefits of training
When you’re on a programme you’re mixing with people going through the same thing at the same time. Cooney feels this peer group interaction helps people to formulate ideas and identify shared challenges. “It reduces the loneliness of being a start-up.”
An important outcome from doing a course can be that you arrive at the end of the process deciding that there is no market for your idea at this time or setting up a business isn’t for you. “I would view this as a positive result. It’s better to have gone through the process and decide not to go ahead for valid reasons rather than starting a business and then failing.”
If you have the choice, Cooney advises doing a course as you’re going through your idea formulation and market opportunity analysis stage.
Contributed by
Dr Thomas Cooney
Dublin institute of Technology
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