SME’s The Backbone Of The Irish Economy

Let’s hear it for the Little Guy

As you all know, we here at EcovisDCA are big supporters of small businesses, new start-ups and SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) and we have spoken many times in the past about new and interesting funding opportunities becoming available for these kinds of businesses. We have also spoken in the past about the way in which SMEs can be said to form the backbone of the Irish business world as in reality they form over half of all Irish Businesses. The shows the absolute vital importance of keeping these types of enterprises up and running in Ireland.

This week there has been good news for Irish SMEs as figures compiled by business and credit risk analyst Vision-net show that 2017 was the best ever year for the formation of new start-ups in Ireland. This is not only good news for our business world, but it shows a new and growing level of confidence in doing business in Ireland which can only mean good things going forward for our small island with big dreams.

These figures showed that a total of 22,354 companies were set up in 2017, which is a marked increase on previous years which barely surpassed 20,000 in 2016, the first time these figures have been seen since the late 90’s. Managing Director of Vision-net, Christine Cullen has been quoted as saying that the results are a

“Clear sign of a buoyant economy. Despite the continued uncertainty surrounding Brexit and the Border, the national business community has remained productive and innovative. Ireland is an attractive place to set up and do business, for indigenous and foreign companies alike”.

Unsurprisingly, Dublin was the strongest county for new start-ups, with professional services and finance businesses compiling the greatest share of these new businesses. It was also found that the construction industry continues its ongoing recovery and that there is a burgeoning sense of confidence in these industries that was previously unseen. This means that there is money being leant into these businesses which was not available to them before.

As always, it is important not to let good news let us become complacent, as Cullen states:

“There are important factors to consider. As Ireland approaches full employment, it’s likely that the impressive year-on-year growth that we have seen since the end of the recession will slow. Brexit, too, remains a largely unknown quantity. Its effects on the economy will likely not be felt for several years”.

Whilst this shows positive movement, we do of course have further to go and as always we here at EcovisDCA are always available to help with any new business or finance queries you may have. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

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~ DCA PARTNERS, DECLAN DOLAN & EAMONN GARVEY