Frequently Asked Questions

I have an idea for a new business - Where do I start?
You should arrange to meet with a member of staff of the County Enterprise Board to discuss your idea. We should be your first point of contact. It is our business to help your business. Contact us now.

Who or What is the County Enterprise Board?
The County Enterprise Board (CEB) is part of a national network of 35 CEBs established by the Government in 1993 to assist the start-up, expansion and development of small business in County Kilkenny. The Board receives the bulk of its funding to deliver upon its strategic objectives from the Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment and from the EU through Ireland's the National Development Plan 2007-2013.
The CEB is a company limited by guarantee. It comprises of 15 Board Members drawn from the main organisations with a role and remit for enterprise development in County Kilkenny. The Board has the services of a specialist Evaluation Committee to advise on project assessments and make recommendations with respect to the allocation of Financial Assistance. The Board Staff currently comprises of a Chief Executive; a Business Analyst; a Business Advisor and an Office Manager.

Who are the Members of the County Enterprise Board at present?
The current members of the Kilkenny County Enterprise Board are as follows:

What is the function of the County Enterprise Board?
The Kilkenny County Enterprise Board (CEB) helps stimulate the establishment, development and growth of small business.
If you are in business or thinking of setting one up we are your first point of contact.
We encourage entrepreneurship and enterprise development at local level by:

• Promoting an enterprise culture in local schools and among the wider community;
• Assisting new business start-ups through the provision ofinformation and advice, organisation and delivery of enterprise training and the provision of selective financial assistance;
• Assisting the expansion and growth of existing small business through the provision of information and advice, organisation and delivery of management development support, the provision of mentoring assistance, technical assistance and/or selective financial assistance;
• Facilitating local community and business interests to provide infrastructure projects to assist small business (e.g. provision of incubation and enterprise workspace);
• Initiating and stimulating local economic development projects and programmes.

The Kilkenny CEB offers a 'First Stop Shop' service to anyone thinking of setting up or expanding a business in County Kilkenny. If you are in business or thinking of setting up in business, then we are here to help.

Contact us to discuss how we can help you.

What is the main target client base for the County Enterprise Board?
If you are in business or thinking about starting a business in County Kilkenny then the County Enterprise Board is here to help you. Our main target clients are micro-enterprises - those businesses employing less than 10 people. Micro-enterprises are an integral part of the local economy, but many face a range of obstacles that adversely affect their ability to start, to survive, and to grow. Our objective is to provide the full range of supports and to help create a supportive environment, which facilitates the establishment of micros and assists owner-managers overcome the obstacles they face, so that they can grow their businesses to their full potential. Contact us now to see what we can do for you.

What support is available for starting or expanding a business?
The County Enterprise Board (CEB) provides an array of supports for people either expanding or considering starting a business including:

• The provision of information and advice about your business idea. You can arrange an appointment to meet with a member of the CEB staff to discuss your idea
• Organization and delivery of enterprise training. Approximately 500 people per annum avail of our enterprise training programmes
• Organization of specialist mentoringservice.
• Provision of direct financial assistance for eligible projects.
• Provision oftechnical assistance.

Contact us now to see what we can do for you.

What types of financial assistance are available from the County Enterprise Board?
We offer a variety of financial supports to assist the start-up, development and expansion of small businesses in the manufacturing and services sectors (based upon eligibility criteria) as follows:

• Priming Grants for businesses trading <18 months of 50% of eligible investment costs up to a maximum level of €80,000
• Business Expansion Grants for businesses trading >18 months of 50% of eligible investment costs up to a maximum level of €80,000.
• Feasibility/Innovation Grants of 50% of eligible costs up to a maximum of €20,000

If you are setting up or expanding a business then contact us to see if you are eligible for support.

What are the criteria for financial assistance?
The Kilkenny CEB will give priority to eligible projects seeking financial assistance in the manufacturing and internationally traded services area. Projects must also ideally meet all of the following eligibility criteria:

• They must be commercial and must be capable of attaining economic viability, without ongoing support or subsidy
• There must be a definite market demonstrated for the proposed product or service
• There must be adequate overall finance available to fund the project
• The Promoters involved must have the requisite management and technical capacity to implement the project
• The project must comply with existing policies on tax and certification matters
• The project must be a micro-enterprise employing no more than 10 people
• The project must add value, be of relevance to and economic benefit to the locality
• The project must have the capacity to sustain and/or create new direct employment, commensurate with the level of financial assistance being provided

Projects cannot be assisted financially where they do not substantially comply with the criteria outlined above, or where any of the following apply:

• Primary agriculture production is involved
• The project involves wholesale, retail or transport services
• The project is a professional service
• The project is a construction trade
• The provision of financial assistance from the CEB has the potential to lead to job displacement or result in unfair competition
• The provision of financial assistance duplicates support available from existing programme and/or other agency
• The project can be implemented without financial assistance from the CEB
• The proposal is at variance with national and/or EU policies (e.g. de minimis rules)

Please note that financial assistance cannot be provided retrospectively.

If you are setting up or expanding a business then contact us to see if you are eligible for financial support.

How do I go about applying for financial assistance?
Our application process is straightforward and may be summarized as follows:
Step 1: The project promoter arranges to meet with our Business Analyst to discuss their project proposal in detail. If your business proposal is one that may qualify for financial assistance you will be requested to complete an application form and provide supplementary information/ documentation. The Business Analyst will explain what is required
Step 2: A completed application form, along with all of the necessary support documentation is then submitted by the project promoter for review by the Business Analyst
Step 3: Additional clarification / information may be sought by the Business Analyst.
Step 4: Application is then submitted to the Evaluation Committee for appraisal. The Evaluation Committee comprises members of the business community, financial institutions and local authority and they normally meet every six weeks. All documents relating to the application are submitted to the Evaluation Committee one week in advance of their meeting for consideration.
Step 5: The Evaluation Committee at their meeting makes a written recommendation to the Board and this is considered by the Board at their meeting before a final decision on the application is agreed. The Evaluation Committee and / or Board may deem it necessary to defer a decision pending receipt of additional information.
Step 6: The Chief Executive informs the project promoter in writing of the Board's decision. In the case of grant approval, a formal letter of offer and terms and conditions attaching to grant-aid will also be issued.
Step 7:  In the event of your project being deemed ineligible and/or not obtaining financail assistance from the CEB, you can discuss the project application and evaluation with your local CEB regarding this unsuccessful application to obtain further feedback and/or advice regarding this application. If you are not satisfied, you will be provided with written notification of the appeals process.

If a project does not qualify for grant assistance can it avail of any other assistance?
Where a project is deemed to be ineligible for financial assistance from the County Enterprise Board (CEB), we may be able to provide you with other supports. Our wide range of non-financial supports are normally available to all small businesses, regardless of whether they qualify for grant-aid or not. Contact us now to see what we can do for you.

What type of enterprise training does the County Enterprise Board provide?
The day-to-day management of micro-enterprises is generally solely in the hands of the owners. Like large firms, micro-enterprises face financial, production, sales, marketing, administrative, compliance and personnel challenges. Unlike large firms however, micros do not have financial, production, sales, marketing, and personnel specialists to deal with these challenges. The owner-managers of micros are very often responsible for all the operational and administrative functions within their business. The more successful micros tend to be promoted by owners that pay particular attention to detail, that have proper management controls and information systems in place and that have an ability to respond quickly to change. Our range of enterprise training is aimed at developing these features and improving upon the management capability of owner-managers. You can view our full range of enterprise training programmes in our Training Schedule. Contact us now to see what we can do for you.

What is theMentoring service?
The Kilkenny CEB complements the provision of financial assistance and enterprise training and management development supports with a Mentoring service.
The Mentoring service aims to provide each participating owner-manager with a temporary business advisor to help identify and overcome obstacles in their development. We have access to a panel of experienced business advisors on our 'mentor panel' who act as a confidential sounding board by listening, advising and suggesting solutions to problems encountered by owner-managers.
The owner-manager of the small business in conjunction with a member of CEB staff identifies an area where specialist advice is needed. We then select the mentor best suited for the assignment from our 'mentor panel'. The mentor is then briefed on the assignment. The mentor then meets with the client and agrees a plan of action for the completion of the assignment.
Throughout the assignment, there is regular contact between the CEB, the mentor and the client to ensure that the objectives of the assignment are being met. The assignment is usually carried out over a period ranging from six weeks to six months.

I've got another question/query?

Just Contact us and let us know your query and we will get back to you as soon as we can.