Save the Date... it's Party Time!

We've had style, problem-solving and productivity this Autumn / Winter at SWIBN... and now, to bring a suitably sparkling conclusion to 2014's calendar, we're heading to the Gallery at the Model for our December event.  Join SWIBN for a snapshot tour of the gallery, highlighting the current exhibitions, followed by networking games, mulled wines and canapé!  In keeping with the festivities at this time of year, we'll also do Kris Kindle, so bring a gift [value of no more than €5] for a fellow SWIBNER! To book, just head over to our Eventbrite booking page... 

SWIBN were on TV!

As part of our year long celebration of 10 Years of SWIBN (and with thanks again to the Local Enterprise Office in Sligo for our funding), we featured on Sligo Matters on Irish TV which aired on Tuesday November 3rd. Watch it here!

Huge thanks to Claire Ronan and congratulations to the five SWIBN members who featured!!

(1) Susan Bourke Monahan - Digital Cascade Ireland www.digitalcascadeireland.com
How To Use Inbound Marketing In YOUR Business
Discover How Inbound Marketing Really Works And How It Fits Into Your Overall Marketing Strategies

(2) Sharon Eastwood - Woodrow Sustainable Solutions http://www.woodrow.ie
Woodrow is an environmental consultancy working in the areas of ECOLOGY, SUSTAINABILITY and CAPACITY BUILDING. Our professional services extend to consultancy, training, facilitation and project management. We are specialists in Ecological Surveying including bats, birds, habitats and invertebrates and have considerable expertise in assessment of infrastructure projects such as wind farms. 

(3) Odilon Hunt - AVA Systems http://www.ava.ie - long time supporter of SWIBN.AVA Systems Ltd is a professional Audio Visual and Acoustics Engineering Services Company.  Our flexible attitude, high-level skill set and devout commitment to client satisfaction enables us to apply eighteen years of experience to your advantage every time. AVA’s clients include hotels, education, public and private organizations, multinational companies, entertainment venues, professional bodies and individuals. 

(4) Suzanne Maye - Property Clearance http://www.propertyclearance.ie - new startup in 2014
Property Clearance | All types of property clearance including house clearance removal and clearing of rooms apartments houses and offices in Sligo Ireland.
We offer a unique property clearance waste removal and cleaning service to home-owners, business owners, probate solicitors, councils and estate agents throughout Sligo Leitrim and the North West of Ireland.

(5) Eileen Forrestal - Get Up & Go Diary and Events http://getupandgodiary.com
Welcome to Get Up and Go Publications. Does life sometimes get you down? Do you ever feel stressed and overwhelmed? Do you find yourself worrying about the future, confused, anxious or despondent?  Do you sometimes feel stopped, unsure of what to do ...

Chaos to Control!

The penultimate SWIBN event for 2014 will take place on November 25th ( @7pm in the Glasshouse Hotel as usual). Register here.

Ever felt you were spending more time 'juggling hats' than actually getting stuff done?! 

Like to know how to put practical productivity steps in place to maximise your working day?

November's speaker is Ciara Conlon, The Productivity Coach, author of 'Chaos to Control'. 

Ciara helps busy professionals save time and get productive. Coming from Total Chaos, Ciara has developed strategies to help her find time to work, write, rest and play, all before breakfast.

She believes that with Productivity and Positivity there is little we can’t achieve.

Ciara has a degree in Economics and Politics from UCD, several IT diplomas, diplomas in Personal and Executive Coaching and Organisational Psychology. She is currently undertaking a Msc in Business. Ciara has almost twenty years’ experience in adult learning and development, with her experience ranging from coaching disadvantaged teenagers to the Banking Sector.

Ciara makes regular appearances on TV and radio. She is a columnist for The Journal.ie and www.lifehack.org. Her blog www.theproductivityblog.com encourages her readers to get organised, take action and adopt positive habits laying the path for greater happiness and success.

Summer Holliers are Over... Time to Blow Away those Business Cobwebs!

We're back with a brainstorming BANG after the summer holidays, ladies! 

After a wonderful, picturesque Sea Trail with Auriel, and a stunning supper at Eithna's, we really hope your August was a relaxed and sunny month.  It's been a busy summer for Sligo - not least of all with the Fleadh and plenty of other activities taking place.

We've also celebrated our tenth birthday, a big milestone for the network - and one which allowed us to showcase our super members! Ten years has certainly seen plenty of change, and we're very proud of all those who've been part of, and remain engaged with SWIBN.

Thanks so much to the Sligo Champion for their super feature, to all those of you who chose to take part in the feature - don't forget we also had lots of coverage online! SWIBN is also featured in the October Irish Tatler.

So, now to our September event, and we believe it's very timely! The summertime provides a great opportunity to wind down, relax and take some much-needed time off.  Coming back from holiday-time can be a bit of a 'land' and we often find ourselves a little at-sea, reprioritising and juggling various new responsibilities.  This month, SWIBN is going to focus on solving your business problems in an informal way - brainstorming - with a difference!

SWIBN has over thirty areas of expertise within its network, and [sorry ladies!] well-over a hundred years of experience...

What's the ask? We'd like each one of you to think about a day-to-day challenge you face in business, one that's a real bug-bear, and send it to us via email... or just give it to us on the night.  Each question will then be brainstormed and real-time solutions provided!

As always please book on to confirm you'll attend - click here to do so!

Make the Media Work for You!

Well, ladies, we hope you've stuck to your social media resolutions from last month! Clodagh will be checking, so be prepared!

This month, we're delighted to be welcoming Orlaith Carmody, renowned media expert, business consultant and trainer.  Orlaith is MD of MediaTraining.ie and a board member of organisations such as RTÉ, AbleVision and HRM Recruit.

Orlaith will be demystifying what makes the media tick - and for those of you interested in getting your message out there - some tips on maximising your media impact.

Remember, as always, to RSVP - we're looking forward to seeing you on the 24th!

Networking and Marketing Yourself Smarter!

Hello ladies,

We've certainly had a bumper crop of tips on how to network and market ourselves more effectively - with Caitlin O'Connor last month - not to mention our January speaker, Sandra Hart!

So, this month, and in keeping with the theme of marketing yourself smarter - we are delighted to welcome Clodagh Higgins as our guest speaker.

Clodagh will talk about "How to market your business online in less than 4 hours per month" - sounds good to me!

Clodagh is going to share how we market for our clients; create videos, create blog posts, update Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn - most importantly, Clodagh will give everyone some practical tips they can implement straight away in their lives and businesses.

As always, don't forget to RSVP via Eventbrite - looking forward to seeing you on the 27th!

Time to Power Up those Business Prospects!

Thanks to all our wonderful soap-boxers for their great presentations in March! We're all agreed that the diverse businesses and offerings made for a really enjoyable evening.

So, now to April! We're delighted to be continuing our focus on creating new opportunities through networking, with networking and marketing expert, Caitlin O'Connor of Accelerating Performance.  Caitlin is widely acknowledged as one of the leading experts in networking, lead generation and marketing. She has a passion for empowering people to take control and action through learning. Her programmes and mentoring sessions are exhilarating and energy charged while being results orientated. Accelerating Performance was founded in 2005 to stimulate growth through forward thinking focusing on commercial development and marketing.

Caitlin is also an Ambassador with Dublin Chamber of Commerce and on the Board of IIBN. In 2010 she published a learning resource on networking which is CPD accredited called “Engage Lead Generation through Networking”. Caitlin is a regular contributor to radio and is retained by a number of MBA programmes.

Don't forget to RSVP promptly ladies!

Insights on Health in February... and it's all about YOU in March!

Dr. Patricia Fitzsimons

February's SWIBN provided new views and insights on cancer-screening from Dr. Patricia Fitzsimons, during her talk entitled "Are we making people sick in the pursuit of health?".  The topic garnered plenty of debate and discussion, something which is key to the issue of personal health management.  A hand-out is available for anyone interested in knowing more about the topic, please email  to access a copy.  A recent interview of Patricia's from the Irish Independent is also available via this link.

Time is flying, and we'll soon be upon our next meeting, on the 25th March! Which is going to focus entirely on YOU, the members! Oonagh will be emailing you closer to the time, but expect to showcase your wares, so business-cards are fine, but products are better :)

January SWIBN | Great Networking Tips from Sandra Hart | A Mine of Networking Nuggets

Back with a bang in 2014! Thanks to Sandra Hart for her super networking 'nuggets' ...

January's networking evening was a feast of fun and helpful tips on how to maximise your networking potential.  I know many of us learned new tricks on how best to network, using our natural talents [us women are super networkers!], as well as those crucial tips on entering and exiting conversations! Not to mention the key: follow-up.  

This is also my first post as co-facilitator, ladies! Delighted to be working with Oonagh on what is already a very dynamic and active network... hope I can bring some interesting ideas and suggestions for 2014.

Speaking of which - one of my tasks [thanks Oonagh! Well, in fairness, I volunteered... ] is our online presence - so website, social media etc.  Like to let me know your thoughts? Email me on olwenswibn@sligoenterprise.ie.

Looking forward to seeing you all on the 25th February for a thought-provoking talk from Dr. Patricia Fitzsimons.

Olwen