The development programme, Back For Business, is now in its 8th year, and is offering 50 free places on this Government-backed initiative. Created to foster and support entrepreneurial activity among emigrants recently returned to Ireland, the programme is funded by the Irish Abroad Unit, Department of Foreign Affairs. Recommended by 100% of past participants, the programme will run from February to June 2025, with the Launch Forum and first round table event taking place on February 11th.

Back for Business is for Irish emigrants who have lived abroad for at least a year and have returned to Ireland in the last three years, or for emigrants currently living abroad who are planning to return to Ireland in the near future. Since launching in 2017, the programme has helped entrepreneurs who are returned emigrants to significantly grow sales and employment. 

It also addresses challenges that all early-stage entrepreneurs encounter, in addition to focusing on additional barriers faced by emigrants who have been living away from Ireland. 

The initiative was designed and developed for the Department of Foreign Affairs by Paula Fitzsimons of Fitzsimons Consulting, specialists in areas related to entrepreneurship and growth. Ms Fitzsimons has been the national coordinator for Global Entrepreneurship Monitor for Ireland since 2000, and a former Director of GERA, the governing body for the Global Entrepreneurship Research Association. 

“Back for Business has been designed to draw on the proven successful elements in these other award-winning initiatives,” she explained. “Voluntary Lead Entrepreneurs are the backbone of the initiative; role models demonstrate what is possible; and a focus on goals and milestones keep participants on track to achieve their stated ambitions. Participant entrepreneurs support each other to achieve their growth aspirations, to overcome common challenges and to strengthen their networks.”

Participants will meet once a month on a peer-supported round table, facilitated by the voluntary Lead Entrepreneurs, who have experience of successfully starting and growing a business. Many of them have also lived abroad before returning to Ireland to start their business.

 This year’s Lead Entrepreneurs are: serial entrepreneur Hannah Wrixon; Morgan Browne, CEO of Milner Browne and Enterpryze; Paul Duggan of The Gardiner Group; Seamus Reilly, co-founder and formerly of Critical Healthcare; Sinead Doherty, founder and CEO of Fenero; and Thomas Ennis, founder of the Thomas Ennis Group. A Back for Business Community has been formed for previous participants, who are being offered workshops, round-table reviews and an annual Community Forum.

Those who completed last year’s programme, Back for Business 7, were positive in their feedback with 100pc saying they would recommend the programme to others and would like to stay in contact with the Back for Business community.

 In terms of their overall experience, participants rated it 4.6 out of a possible 5, with 97% considering the experience either extremely positive or very positive. A total of 93% felt nearer to achieving their ambitions since participating in Back for Business. At the start of the last cycle, under half of the group were trading but, over the course of the programme, this had increased to almost three quarters. 

The combined turnover of the participants was less than €300,000 at the start of the cycle. By the end, the combined turnover of the 31 participants who completed the cycle had increased to €1.2 million, while employment numbers increased from 14 to 47 during the six months.

 Back for Business lead entrepreneur, Thomas Ennis, said: “I was lucky enough to receive excellent mentoring when I was starting out and it made all the difference. It is great to be in a position to give back and to support those at the start of their entrepreneurial journey.” 

Back for Business past participant Aisling McVeigh, founder of the DANU Collective, said that the Back for Business programme proved invaluable as she transitioned back to Ireland from the Middle East and established DANU Collective. 

“The support and structure it provided were exactly what I needed to navigate this new chapter. The advice and expertise from some of Ireland’s leading entrepreneurs gave me the confidence to tackle obstacles and seize opportunities. Back for Business truly sets you up for success.”