Belfast entrepreneurs coached to break boundaries

Belfast City Council has arranged the stand-alone sessions, supported by Podiem and Better, to encourage early-stage entrepreneurs and those thinking about starting their own business to build their confidence and resilience.

Local business for less than six months and new businesses will also learn how to deal with fear and self-doubt, set achievable goals and take their next steps to business success.

Councillor Ryan Murphy, chair of Belfast City Council’s City Growth and Regeneration Committee explained: “We provide a wide range of support to small businesses and social enterprises based in Belfast – and we always strive to tailor what we offer based on the feedback we receive.

“It’s clear that as well as getting the nuts and bolts of business right in terms of strategy, products, financial planning, customer service and more – we need to help our early stage and future entrepreneurs develop a success mindset – and the resilience to deal with the challenges of setting up and running their own business.

“Ciaran May brings a wealth of experience to these workshops, and I look forward to seeing lots of business people right across the city, benefitting from them.

“I also hear that the last workshop date includes the opportunity to try out your new-found confidence on Andersonstown Leisure Centre’s fantastic Drop Slide, so that’s going to be pretty memorable!”

Ciaran May is performance coach to some of Northern Ireland’s most successful athletes and the founder of Natural Resilience.

Using a range of stories, insights and techniques, he’ll equip participants with the tools they need for their future business and self-employment path.

The series kicked off last week at Girdwood Community Hub and will be followed by two further Friday sessions:

Friday, August 19 from 9.45am to 2.30pm in Lisnasharragh Leisure Centre and Friday and September 9 from 9.45am to 2.30pm in Andersonstown Leisure Centre.

Attendees at the final session on September 9 will be encouraged to put their ‘Boundary Breaking’ learning into action by taking on the Surf Simulator and Drop Slide at Andersonstown Leisure Centre.

To register for one of the forthcoming free sessions, go to: www.belfastcity.gov.uk/breakingboundaries