Wow, time certainly does fly. You'll hear people say, "Can you believe it's November already" or "Only 9 weeks 'till Christmas". Well, all I will be saying today, November 4th 2013, is that Éire Óg Tours has been in existence now for one whole year!
Last November was a fairly overcast day - nothing too remarkable about it. I woke up around 8am and did the usual, trolled through the internet looking for ways to make my business idea a reality. Usually, hours were spent going around in circles to same sites offering the same outdated information. But that day was different. Almost immediately after logged on I stumbled across an Irish Enterprise Board scheme for developing a website for a business - even if it's just at the idea stage. Boom!
Within 2 and a half hours of frantic typing, clicking and editing, Éire Óg Tours was online. I had created a presence for my business. I then spent the next few weeks keeping an eye on the Facebook, Twitter and site interactions and continuously tweaking content. After a month, I decided that the business was viable and applied to Companies Registration Office to officially register my business name. For the next few months I continued my research and started organizing myself in preparation for some big expenses. I kept an constant eye on Done Deal and in June, spotted the ideal minibus.
Since then, I have done trips to the Galway Races, Concerts in the O2, Matches in Croke Park (wahey), Festivals like Electric Picnic and the Willie Clancy among several birthdays, hens, stags and tour outings. And it has been great fun so far. Unfortunately, as most good business owners will tell you, the best way to learn is by doing. There were several things, (and still are), that needed changing to improve the customer experience. The first, and most obvious, one was to get the graphics done on the bus. The next big change was to refit a new radio and new speakers, to which we can now play CDs (if they still exist), and plug in any iPod or MP3 player directly. After that, I realized that the upholstery was getting more and more frayed with each trip. Happily, that should be completed within the net fortnight.
Of course, when your entire business relies on a vehicle, the mechanics have to be in good condition. There have been two runs to-date that I have had to turn down and both were just to be on the cautious side. Since then, more improvements have been made and the minibus will live to drive another day!
My plans are always to expand and I have some major changes in the woodwork, but I'll leave that for another post. For now, all I'll say is, thanks! To anyone who supported me in the last year, and even those who didn't. I think it was a healthy mixture of encouragement from my friends and family, along with stubborn pride to achieve contrary to what some pessimists had predicted. I am by no means a success story - but I'm not finished yet.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
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