Introduction to the Discovery Zone Programme March 2012

2. Aim of the programme
• Facilitate experienced professionals/trades
– who find themselves out of work or under
employed
– Develop business ideas
• start a new business or
• explore ways in which they can use their skills,
experience and talents to exploit commercial
opportunities.

3. Discovery Zone Programme
• The Discovery Zone is a fully funded exciting
12-week programme (3 full days per week)
• 36 days of face to face training
• 50 hours of one to one mentoring
• Access to office facilities
• Integration into the network of opportunity of
the providers

4. Workshops incorporate
• Business Workshop - Facilitated Training
• Softer Support Skills – Facilitated Training
Soft Skills / • Project Work - Linked to Active Learning /
Business Skills
Motivation Assignments derived from facilitated
sessions
• Individual Work - Linked to Individual
Personal and Career Progression Plan
Aspects to
• Guest Speakers - success Cases – “I did it,
Workshops You can too and this is how”
• Case Studies - Peer Group Learning
Exercise
• Expert Inputs - Experts in Core Fields
(dependant on issues as they arise
Group Peer
Active Learning • External Visits - to institutions, relevant
Learning
Premises
• Mentoring – Group and Individual Support
provided each week

5. Programme Stages
(3 week slots)
• Introduction to Programme, Self Awareness and Change Management
• Personal Interest and Skills Audit / Getting Started,
Awareness • Teamwork and Entrepreneurial Mindset / Brainstorming and Idea Generation
• Marketing Research / Feasibility Study
• Communication and Presentation Skills
Research • Ongoing Individual Work on Career and Progression Plan
• Production , Marketing , Costing and Pricing, Finance, legalities and
Intellectual Property
• Strategic Business Planning / Entrepreneurial Experience
Planning
• Continuous Personal Commitment to ongoing Improvement
• Business Proposal and Presentation
• Evaluation and Review
Implementation
• Exit Strategies

6. Day 1 Introduction to Programme and Expected Outcomes, Tour and Sign Up of Programme, resources
Day 2 Getting Started, Teamwork and Entrepreneurial Mindset, Importance of Entrepeneurship and the Irish
Week 1
Ecomomy
Creativity and Vision - - Introduction to Idea Generation / Brainstorming Ideas
Day 3 Introduction to Life Wheel and where people are at - Motivational and Focus exercises
Self Awareness and Change Management
Transition to Success after Loosing Your Job - Reinventing Yourself - TDI Intro / Assessment
Day 1 - Working on Individual and Group Ideas / Mentoring Participants - Skills and CVs
Awareness
Day 2 Half Day Personal Effectiveness - Personal Interest and Skills Audit - what sort of a person are you -may link to
CV/ Personal Profile
Introduction to Entrecode Analysis
Week 2
Day 2 Half Day Clarifying and expanding on Ideas / Developing questions around them - looking at the tangibility of
each
Defining and answering the questions - action plan around desk research
Day 3 Meeting Entrepeneurs / Success Cases (New Industries - Tech/ Sustainable/ Bio-Energy /Leisure)
Success Cases - Peer group learning / Entrecode Evaluation Tool Homework
Day 1 TDI Coaching Sessions - Results of Assessment (week 1)
Working on Individual and Group Ideas / Mentoring Participants - Skills and CVs
Day 2 Entrecode Results - (Cost)
Week 3
Team Building and Team Leading
Smart Objectives, Goal Setting - Action Plans
Toolkits for idea progression and development
Day 3 TDI Coaching Sessions - Results of Assessment (week 1)
Group Project/ Team Assignments

7. Guest Speaker -Success story , Meeting Entrepreneurs / Success Cases / Self Employment - SME
Other suggestions Guest Speaker - e.g. Gerard O Brien Enterprise Ireland, or CEB(strategy around entrepreneurs in
the Economy
Week 4 Day 1
Presentation of Initial Ideas - Group ideas - SWOT and Critical Issues / Review
Introduction to Market Research - Organizing the Desk and Field Research for Projects - Action Planning
Day 2
Day 3 Peer Group Learning / Guest Speaker
Working on Individual and Group Ideas / Mentoring Participants -
Working on Individual and Group Ideas / Mentoring Participants
Research / Review
Day 1
Action Feasibility Study
Week 5
Working on Individual and Group Ideas / Mentoring Participants
Day 2
Implementing and undertaking the Feasibility -
Working on Individual and Group Ideas / Mentoring Participants - Group and individual Finding information -
Assignment
Day 3
ICPP Mari (Half Day) Career Progression Action Plan (15-20 min slots)
Working on Individual and Group Ideas / Mentoring Participants
Presentation of Supports / Grants / Skills attainment available to Individuals (E.g. CEB, DSP, EI)
Day 1
Presentation of The Practical/ Tangibility re Feasibility - Money, Personal Survival, Cost Analysis, Budgets, Legal,
Day 2 Intellectual Property
Week 6
Ongoing Individual Work on Career and Progression Plan - ICPP - Gap Analysis
Verax Tool - What skills am I missing - where am I at in terms of Progression - what's working well / not
Day 3 Working on Individual and Group Ideas / Mentoring Participants -

8. Day 1 Working on Individual and Group Ideas / Mentoring Participants
Review, Evaluation and Regroup
Day 2 Introduction to Strategic Business Planning
Week 7
Presentation of Results of Feasibility Study / Marketing Research Phase
Day 3 Entrepreneurial Experience - Guest Speakers/ Case Studies
Peer Group Learning Assignment
Working on Individual and Group Ideas / Mentoring Participants
Day 1 Working on Individual and Group Ideas / Mentoring Participants -Business Planning
Day 2 Successful Business Practice and Procedures and Learning the skills of management - Planning , Leading,
Organizing and Controlling
Planning
Developing an appropriate and tailored strategic Business Plan - action workshop
Week 8
Day 3 Continuous Personal Commitment to Ongoing Improvement
Working on Individual and Group Ideas / Mentoring Participants
Visit Support agency (Assignment - SEAI, EI, CEB, LEADER)
Day 1 Working on Individual and Group Ideas / Mentoring Participants -Business Planning
Case Study and Peer Learning
Day 2 Capitalizing your Idea
What makes a good Business Plan - Production, Marketing, Costing and Pricing
Week 9
Day 3 ICPP Mari (Half Day) Career Progression Action Plan (15-20 min slots)
Working on Individual and Group Ideas / Mentoring Participants -Business Planning
Expert Input and Action Learning (E.g. Business Plan)

9. Day 1 Working on Individual and Group Ideas / Mentoring Participants
Review and Evaluation
Day 2 Communication and Personal Presentation , Deportment and Physical Presentation
Communication and Elevation Pitch -
Week 10
Negotiating, Networking and Planning for Successful delivery of individual and group plans
Day 3 Case Study and Expert Speaker (e.g. Gerry Duffy)
Working on Individual and Group Ideas / Mentoring Participants
Implementation
Day 1 Working on Individual and Group Ideas / Mentoring Participants
Day 2 Dragons Den Pitch - Practice Run - Presentation of Results of Business Planning Stage
Week 11
ICPP Mari (Half Day) Career Progression Action Plan (15-20 min slots)
Day 3 Working on Individual and Group Ideas / Mentoring Participants - Coaching, Counselling and Mentoring
Day 1 Team to support the delivery
Week 12
Day 2 Presentation of Business Proposals
Day 3 Working on Exit Strategy

10. Results to date
• 93% Finished the programme with either a Business or a New Career
• 83 % became or re-established themselves as entrepreneurs
– Of this we have;
• 47% started a new business
• 33% have greatly strengthened existing business idea
• 20% have viable projects needing further research
• 17% secured full time jobs, resulting from coaching received from the team
• 75% of those finishing did so with a different idea with which they started
Successful participants are now involved industries such as;
• Customer service •Export
• Import substitution •Technology
• Technology •Green technologies
•Tourism
• Insulation
•Health
• Manufacturing •Childcare & Special Needs
• Import substitution

11. Local Links
• The Delivery team will link into and draw from
local agencies that support entrepreneurs in
each region, for example the Institutes of
Technology, Donegal County Enterprise Board,
Donegal County Council, DSP facilitators in
each area amongst others.

12. Laid Off from Major
Environmental
Contractor

13. Un employed dancer
with Global lord of the
dance troupe experience

14. Ex Construction
Subcontractor

15. Un employed Elearning
designer and His Son

16. Under employed
beautician

17. Post Liquidation
Entrepreneur

18. Un employed mother
with autistic child

19. Next Steps
Contact DCEB to express an
interest in the programme
Ursula Donnelly –
udonnelly@donegalenterprise.ie
or
Cathy Slattery –
cslattery@donegalenterprise.ie
Telephone 074 9160735