FAQs
Applying for a second TOV
Yes, unfortunately you do. However, some people just stay for the time that is needed to get proof of attendance. We recommend you stay for the duration of the webinar as it is very helpful. Our favourite webinar host is Noel Davidson, he gives great examples that small business owners can relate to. After hundreds of webinars, he really engages with the attendees. Well done Noel, keep it up!
You can see the updated dates and times for upcoming webinars from all local enterprise offices.
No, you are free to choose whichever company you would like to work with. Many companies who offer websites, don’t usually offer social media marketing and advanced SEO.
We keep it simple with our three stages for developing a strong online presence.
- The stage one services we offer consist of the basics/foundations of a strong online presence. Click here to see these.
- Our stage two services cover social media and SEO.
- Our stage three services cover advertising.
We also offer several add-ons such as photography, video editing and more.
Yes, if you have already submitted the documents to get reimbursed, but have not got reimbursed yet, you can still apply for the second TOV.
You can hire a marketing agency to do social media posting/marketing for as many months as you want, up to 18 months depending on how many posts you want to do per month.
For businesses who want to use the trading online voucher for social media, we can create packages that include social media posting for up to 12-18 months. Take a moment to see here some of our case studies for small Irish businesses that we manage social media for.
Seo is the strategy that results in your business ranking for the products, services or other keywords it should be found for when people search for them in the region(s) you offer them to. SEO stands for search engine optimisation. Many people complicate this strategy because it is so important, and they know it brings a lot of revenue and new customers to your business. So, they can charge a lot for it 😓. We don’t.
Already have a website?
Develop a marketing strategy! We first have a 15-20 minute consultation to understand what your business needs to do online. Most businesses who have done a website usually need more SEO (online visibility) and an active social media presence. These two services are what we call Stage Two. Take a look at those here.
Stage One services are the basics of the foundations of your online presence. These include quick fixes, website, basic SEO. Once these are done correctly, it’s time to move into marketing strategies that really generates an ROI for your business, such as SEO and social media (aka stage two).
If you already have a website that takes payments and has some or all of the basics done properly, you can use the second voucher to increase traffic to your website via SEO (search engine optimisation) and social media marketing. The second voucher can also be used for photography, videography, advertising and paying for software.
The first trading online voucher was used by many businesses to develop their website to be able to trade online. The use of a second voucher is encouraged by the local enterprise office to develop your online presence with a digital marketing strategy that will result in increased visibility, sales, job creation and brand awareness.
You can use the second trading online voucher for anything that will improve your online presence, sales, job creation, or any marketing activity that drives traffic to the website. You can also use it for photography, advertising and paying for any software/online tools.
To find out more about what services are popular for businesses who have done the first trading online voucher.
Your website is where everything connects online. You may not need to update the design of your website, however you probably need to improve the SEO (aka online visibility). SEO is a service that ensures you rank high on Google when people are looking for your type of business. This service (SEO) is done through the website and is one of the best services we offer that results in more new customers.
About the voucher
The trading online voucher is a government initiative aimed at getting small businesses online and reducing the money going out of the Irish economy through shopping online. The government announced that more than €1million is spent online in Ireland every hour and 70% of this expenditure goes to foreign businesses.
The government funds 50% of the spend up to €2,500 Ex. VAT. So, if the work costs €3,000 the government will pay €1,500, if the price comes to €5,000 Ex. VAT they will pay €2,500. However, anything over the €5,000 price, funding is capped at €2,500.
The first trading online voucher was used by many businesses to develop their website to be able to trade online. The use of a second voucher is encouraged by the local enterprise office to develop your online presence with a digital marketing strategy that will result in increased visibility, sales, job creation and brand awareness.
Application process
We have two people dedicated to doing applications and we’ve had a 100% success rate so far.
We have a friend working at one of the Local Enterprise Offices (on the inside) who has brought us through how exactly to word the application and proposals so we definitely get approved.
If we think it will be difficult to get approved, we tailor the proposal of services and then the application answers to ensure you get over 70 points out of the possible 120.
Yes, it’s common that people from other counties can attend one of the other webinars from another county. Your local enterprise office will tell you what webinar you are allowed to attend if your county has no upcoming date scheduled. Dublin, Cork and Galway webinars are usually the webinars they will tell you to attend.
- Step 1: Register for and attend an online information webinar – see the webinar times here (link)
- Step 2: Organise a consultation to see what services you need to grow your business
- Step 3: Submit an application with three quotes
- Step 4: Wait 1-3 weeks for approval and to start growing your business online
- Step 5: Once the services are complete, you get the €2,500 grant back
To find out more details about each step of the process please.
No, it is a very straightforward process so, If you do the application correctly it is easy to get approved. The Local Enterprise Office wants to help businesses so, if your application is done clearly, correctly and you reach 70 out of 120 available points, you will be approved.
- You’ll need three quotes for the work you want to have done from other companies offering these services
- Proof that your business has been trading for over six months (This can be a business invoice or receipt in pdf format from a time more than six months ago. If your business has been operating for 3-6 months, you can still have everything ready to submit in month five of your business operating)
You only have to register the business name with the CRO, you do not need to register as a company. The process of registering for a business name is simple and straightforward.
To apply for a CRO number you need to follow the four steps below:
- Step 1: Visit https://core.cro.ie/
- Step 2: Create an account (or login if you have one already)
- Step 3: Register your business name and pay a €20 fee
- Step 4: Receive your CRO number within 5 – 10 working days
The wait time depends on how busy your Local Enterprise Office is. Some counties take less than one week to approve while most others take between 2 – 3 weeks. Smaller counties or even places like Galway who have a terrific office take 1-2 weeks to approve.
Dublin City takes the longest (by far) due to the fact that they have so many businesses in one place. The average wait time for Dublin City is 3 – 5 weeks. If you’re in this one, business owners pay a small deposit so we can get started right away. This deposit is then used as credits after the services from your TOV package have been completed.
Very, very high (98%+) if you allow us to help you with it. Only one business, out of over a hundred, has not got approved, and they did it completely by themselves. They didn’t want our help with this part. Other business owners who applied completely by themselves did get approved.
The preferred supplier should be chosen before you submit the application because the costs involved need to match the amount of funding that you are applying for.
You can start the work but you cannot pay for the work until you are approved. You have to get approved and then you can start the services. We can start work right away, however this would be because you’ll pay a small deposit. This deposit will be used as credit after the TOV services are complete.
Our team usually gets cracking right away by helping businesses with quick fixes while you’re waiting to get approved. Here are some common examples of these quick fixes small businesses need:
- Fixing/optimising your Google My Business (aka your account that someone finds on google maps.
- Fixing small errors on the website
- Tidying up your website while your new one is being developed
- Our goal is to help small businesses online, not just wait till we get paid in full. We’re eager beavers.
Yes, the Local Enterprise Offices are very reasonable as they understand that certain circumstances might get in the way of the work being done within the given timeframe. Small business owners are busy people!
If this is the case, we will help you to apply for the extension. They are very reasonable and usually give 1-2 month extensions depending on your situation. Don’t forget, the local enterprise office is there to help small businesses in your county, not catch them out!
Cost & payment process
The voucher is 50% funded ex. VAT. This means that in order to get the full 2,500 you will need to spend €5000 ex. VAT
Yes, you have six months to make the payments. The installments can be broken down over six months.
The Local Enterprise Office gives businesses six months to complete the work so, we will be able to break the payments down into six installments.
Eligibility
You are eligible for the grant if:
- The business is trading longer than six months
- Annual revenue is less than 2 million
- You have less than 10 full time employees. For example, if you have 8 part-time employees and 4 full-time employees you will be approved because a part-time employee counts as 0.5. (4 full-time + 8 part-time employees = 8 full-time employees)
Budget allocation
80% of the total amount (ex. VAT) can be spent on marketing
30% of the total amount (ex. VAT) can be used for advertising.
80% of the total amount (ex. VAT) can be spent on photography
Getting reimbursed
Yes, you are required to pay the total amount before the Local Enterprise Office will reimburse you for the full voucher amount, up to €2,500.
However, we can break the payments into installments over six months to make it more affordable for you.
Yes, you can get 50% of the total amount reimbursed, up to €5,000 (total ex. VAT). If you only want to spend €2,000 the Local Enterprise Office will reimburse €1,000 (50%).
Yes, you are required to pay the total amount before the Local Enterprise Office will reimburse you for the full voucher amount, up to €2,500.
However, we can break the payments into installments over six months to make it more affordable for you.