Dear Members and Collegues,
We have watched in fascination over the last four and a half months to see how the State would assist the SME sector, and we have found them wanting. While wage subsidies and unemployment payments have kept a huge number of the population on economic life support, the underlying jobs in the real economy remain under existential threat. The Government’s main solution for business has been debt, which both we, our members and the banks have told Government simply won’t work.
As you would expect we have received a wave of questions regarding the new Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS). In response to this we will host a LIVE Q&A on Monday the 7th September with Karen Byrne, Assistant Principle Officer, Revenue Commissioners. We hope to get some clarity and answers on the scheme at the event. You can submit questions for Revenue and register for the event here. As always spaces are limited so register as soon as you can.
As cases rise once more the government are appealing for employees to continue to work remotely where possible. It’s important for our economy that we keep cases down, so if staff can work remotely, we would ask that you facilitate this. ISME have a number of resources to help you with this and they can all be found in our Back to Business portal here. If you wish to place a free advert or special offer in this portal you can find out how to do this here.
Last week saw the release of the 10th issue of the bISME. It was a bumper issue with great articles and resources for SMEs. You can download your free copy here. If you wish to advertise in the next issue the media pack can be found here. You can also share your stories to be included by emailing marketing@isme.ie.
ISME Skillnet have released further free webinars for September:
- Develop Your Network and Customer Relationships- 1st September
- Customer Service in a Virtual World- 2nd September
- Negotiation in Challenging Times- 3rd September
- Build Your Career and Your Profile on LinkedIn- 9th September
- Grow Your Business With LinkedIn- 15th September
ISME Skillnet are also running a Business Growth Programme with Simon Haigh and Jason Cooper. You can submit and expression of interest here.
Finally, ISME are calling all Members in the midlands to join us for our next ‘Pitch my Business.’ We are delighted to announce that Robert Troy, Minister of State Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment with responsibility for Trade Promotion will join us at the start of the session. Each attendee will have 3 minutes to pitch and their business details will be displayed. You can register for the event taking place of Wednesday 16th of September here.
If you or your business are on social media make sure to tag us and your local representatives on everything your business does locally. It’s never been more important to raise awareness and show them the contribution that our sector makes in their constituency. You’ll find their details here.
Stay Safe,
Neil McDonnell
ISME CEO
