I have a little bit of a quirk going on with Google. To know what I mean, try the following:

1/ Go to Google.com

2/ Search for '17.5 cm'

3/ Look at what pops up around 6th-10th position

4/  (For added oomph, click on '+1' button for me, or click through the link)

This is my quirk with Google. I have a few more, but for some reason in all of the world, where Google is, my products rate pretty high for 17.5cm. Who knew that that size of Boxing Trophy would prove so universally popular.

http://www.trophiesawardsandgifts.com/boxing-trophy-17-5cm

'Oh, but the meta data is terrible' you say. Well, you are correct, but that is the old meta data. I have long since updated it and yet still it shows up that way in Google. We are working on it, but all so far is great and good.

So, if you could follow the steps above and let's see how far this goes. I think it would be funny to have the highest ranking for 17.5cm. Let's put 'Boxing Trophy' in it's rightful Google ranking place.

If you are about the Louth area particularly Dundalk, please help us spread the message of the up and coming leagues for this year. A collaborative effort between a lot of parties have joined forces to have all boys and girls aged 10 to 16 years of age compete in this years Dundalk Street League

A Dundalk Street League Project is to be initiated through the collaborative efforts of Co. Louth VEC, North East Regional Drugs Task Force, Dundalk Town Council, Dundalk F.C and the Football Association of Ireland. The project is funded by Young People’s Facilities and Services through the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and will be aimed at young boys and girls from 10 to 16 years of age. Divided into three age groups, the project will run over 5 weeks in JJB, starting on Tuesday 27th September and culminating in a finals night to be held at Oriel Park, Dundalk. Any groups/teams wishing to take part should register their interest by contacting either Marie McGorman on 042 9392984/ marie.mcgorman@dundalktown.ie or Paula Gribben on 042 9392990/ paula.gribben@dundalktown.ie

An information evening for those interested in entering a team will also be held in the Enda McGuill Suite at Oriel Park on Tuesday, September 13th 2011, from 7.00pm – 8.00pm

About a week ago, we got asked to ship our awards and gifts to America from our website. Normally they are small orders and from experience, the shipping costs tower over the price of the actual goods. But from an order request recently, I got to think about the possibilities of shipping globally. 

As a small firm, I wanted to ship my small quantity of products. I wouldn’t know when my next international orders would come in and so I couldn’t project or forecast. Also, the items in question took up no more than the size of a shoebox, weighing around 2kg. Finding out took time, but I have an answer, and in theory is a very simple idea.

Bernie O’Hara is a business owner in Leitrim. Her company, http://www.weddingstationeryireland.ie/, sells Irish Wedding Stationary but was finding it increasingly difficult to sell to the international markets. The cost of exports were exceptionally high. No obvious options were open to her as a small firm to reduce the costs of shipping which left larger companies to take over the market space. 

But Bernie didn't let that happen. Together with a group of other entrepreneurs in Leitrim, they formed http://www.buyirishonline.com/, due to launch in the coming months. This initiative is a portal for people to collectively sell their wares through one site. Combining a number of entrepreneurs together under one store front, small businesses are charged only a percentage on their purchases through the site. If they don’t sell anything, it doesn’t cost them. 

The most important aspect of this concept for me however, is the buying power. We all know that as a collective, there is a greater say and better leverage. As the purpose of the store is to allow small enterprises to get a leg up, the group have got buying power with delivery companies. The greater the number of the group, the better buying power can be had collectively. 

So how do I reduce the cost of delivery to my own clients?

Through buying groups such as BuyIrishOnline, I am able to avail of their costs for delivery. It is in my interest and the interest of BuyIrishOnline to do this as the more people involved and the higher the volume of goods shipped, the greater the economic savings. I am able to receive reduced fees for shipping which are passed on to the customer.

The export question took a lot of work in finding out though. One thing is clear. Networking, online and offline is good for everyone. Right now, Irish small firms are being priced out of the market for not having enough volume to send goods. Here is where I get to place a number of opportune shoutouts to my digital friendships formed in the past few days.

Through the hashtag #SMEcommunity on Twitter, the following amongst others were particularly great supports. @TusNuaDesigns, @OlwenCD, @marketingdebbie, @Startinnovating, @SlatedIreland, @ei_mboyle, @connect_ireland, @webport_global and @SmallBC. 

I have to mention that the group on LinkedIn of most help was the Irish American Business Network who were keen to help out.

But it is not all over yet. I am still looking for buying groups to help reduce the costs further. To be as convenient for my customers as possible and give the best prices. I would like to see good group buying rates from a host of courier companies. I also would like to see buying power in groups for utilities and a host of other areas also. It has become clear that there are a lot of organisations who do not want to just make a difference in theory, but have the ability to bring it forward and make a lasting difference in reality. 

If you have any stories about exporting as a small firm abroad, please feel free to contact me or join in the discussion on #SMEcommunity with my twitter handle @taagstore or through the IABN group on LinkedIn or through here on the website. If you are in the same boat, or looking for more assistance, please do not hesitate to contact. Also, if you can help out in return, that would be greatly appreciated!

It is that time again for egg and spoon races, a day (kind of) off school and family fun. A day for rewarding pupils for their efforts in competitions through the year. Whether you are running the event, or part of the crew, whether it is to raise funds, or just as light relief in the school year, we thought we would compile a few checklists for the big day.

So what type of events happen on a school sports day? 

You can run a number of events on the day including straight forward running and track and field races. These can be run over extended lengths but mostly 100m tracks are best for primary school races. You can organise relay races, sprint, 200m and hurdles. Throw in a running backwards race but keep the distance short.

Parents and children races can be organised and three legged races. Egg and spoon races are always popular but make sure you don’t use fresh eggs. You can run a horseshoe throwing competition around a wooden stake, but if there is too much weight, think about using bean bags and soon hula hoops as targets.

Split the groups up by age for some of the activities. This is probably most easily done by classes, but you may also split groups up by mixed ages and abilities. It can be fun to organise groups of pupils mixed with all ages and have mammoth multisport events. Again, keeping the distances short and having a number of silly games included. These can be football dribbling, running round in circles three times, climbing over chairs or crawling under nets. 

1/ Fun: Overall point of the day and it may sound obvious but let’s keep it fun

2/ Engagement: Get everyone involved. From all age ranges within the school and including the crowd, parents, friends and even teachers.

3/ Safety: Keep an eye on safety for all involved. 

What other things will we need:

Whistles, markers, pens and papers for keeping the score, some ticker tape for the finish line. Keep a first aid kit close at hand for those slips, trips and falls. Have a stop watch. Plan the days activities and give copies to your trusted colleagues. Preferably give buffer times of at least 5 minutes. 

Have a mega phone to call for each race. Give the megaphone to someone that can use it. If you can’t use a megaphone, swallow your pride, hand it over. Make sure to have a camera and some trophies for the big day. Awards are a crucial part of running the competitions and rewarding your pupils is all important.

My advice is for some major trophies and some medals to go along with it. Most schools purchase trophies and plaques for the overall winners and gives medals as a reward to take home for all other pupils.

Along with the awards, improvise a winners podium. Get the crest done on A1 pages or get the crest printed professionally. Display it behind and get the year printed up. Keep it all together and take all of the winners pics against it. You’ll thank me in a few years time when you forget what year you took the pics!

Overall, enjoy the day and keep it fun. Get some sweets for the pupils. If the day went badly, at least the kids will be on a high!

Don't get me wrong, I like the idea of everyone being a winner. Encouraging people to do their best will always be a positive thing, but let's face it, there is usually only one winner. Whether it be on the field, in the classroom, in the work place or on the global stage, it can only be a few that bring home the first place prize.

So what can you do for these victors? A pat on the back? A thumbs up and a shake of the hand. Or what about a trophy? A plaque or award? A medal for each of the competitors would surely be a positive thing. We have plenty of ideas to reward your new victors.

We have trophies, plaques, glass and crystal to give them their reward. Check out the rest of the website for the best that we have to offer you to offer your competitve awardees.