On the 12th of February our 4th mini-conference was held in the O’Mahoney Hall in the Helix. This conference was titled ‘Get Started’. This was our first DICE lecture of 2013. This conference was all about the business side of things. We had numerous guest speakers in to talk to us. They were discussing enterprise, telling us how to start a business and how to become a successful entrepreneur.
The first half of the conference was a group discussion controlled by Sean Coughlin. I found this helpful as it gave me an insight on what the conference was going to be about and I got some useful points.
The first speaker out of the group discussion was Michael Kelly from GIY (Grow it Yourself) Ireland. Michael was the founder of GIY Ireland and he informed us how he set up the business. I thought that it was an interesting discussion as Michael gave us an insight about the right time to start a business. Michael came up with a business plan to set up GIY. GIY was inspired by a clove of garlic. One day Michael wanted to set up a network which influenced locals around Ireland to produce food and sell in locally instead of importing from overseas. Michael finished on a very interesting note with an inspiring quote: “Do not die with the music inside you”. This quote really appealed to me and in my opinion, influences you to share your ideas with the world. I feel that it shows you that your ideas matter and could be extremely beneficial to the world.
My favourite speaker from Get Started was Conor Winders, co-founder and owner and CEO of Redwind Software. Conor impressed me to a high extent. He is an alumni of DCU having graduated in 2005. He told us how starting your business should be fun and rewarding, and shouldn’t be about money. It is about being passionate and having a big interest in something. I learned that you should believe in your idea and be so sure of it to just go for it! As long as you have the right people by your side and your idea is so brilliant you should succeed. You need the belief as well. I would like to be successful like Conor one day. His story sounds like an enjoyable experience. I would love be successful one day and also love what I am doing. Being happy about your success is essential to me.
I found this conference very beneficial. I am now aware that there is always a time to start your own business. Getting your idea out there and getting your business started is an amazing thing to do. You should never be afraid of your idea. If you believe in your idea then there is no reason for anyone else not to. Be passionate and creative! Overall, the Get Started conference was very encouraging for young, educated students to become entrepreneurs.
DICE 