Maidsfield Blog - Partnering and Business Development

On Monday December 1st 2008, Cork City, South Cork and West Cork Enterprise Boards, and FÁS together with the Plato Small Business Network will present a four hour workshop/seminar around the four core pillars essential to business survival, “Managing Business in an Uncertain Environment”

Maintaining Equilibrium - Managing Cash - Retaining your Customers - Internal Cost Competitiveness

I am presenting on “Internal Cost Competitiveness”. I have been asked to speak on how technology can help reduce the operating costs in today’s businesses. My focus will be on both technology in the business and real opportunities the Internet is presenting for businesses.

Things are changing all the time, I suggest you question everything in your business:
1) Energy Usage - IT, Lights and Heating - drawing from lessons at this week’s it@cork conference
2) Phone Costs - Landline and Mobile - VoIP / Skype
3) Broadband/Internet costs
4) Travel - Can Video Conferencing help?
5) Software - Google Apps and others
6) Services - What can you outsource (anywhere in the world?)

Donagh Kiernan
Maidsfield Associates
Partnering and Strategic Business Development

September 2008

After two years being CEO with Campbell Informatics, I’m back to pick up Maidsfield Associates. It’s been a great intensive two years with Campbell Informatics with many successes and many more to come. I spent much time building relationships and selling into the US Pharmaceutical market with Campbell Informatics and met many great people. I am continuing to support Cliff Campbell and the Campbell Informatics team as a Director on the Board and an advisor.

Maidsfield’s focus is on assisting globally focussed technology companies with Sales Generating Partnerships and Strategic Business Development support to the CEO.

Thankfully, things have taken a good start with reviving old client relationships and some new ones. I enjoy the constant learning experience and I revel in progressing and developing further and bringing this experience to my clients. In that vein, I was deeply honoured to have been one of the 32 Irish technology entrepreneurs to have been selected to participate in the Enterprise Ireland / Stanford University Leadership 4 Growth Programme over the past year. I learned so much and met so many great people.

In continuing with Maidsfield, I chose the focus of Partnering as it’s an area I had good successes in the past and when finding the right-fit can deliver great value to growing technology companies.

I chose Strategic Business Development supporting the CEO, as I enjoy it and can quickly understand the CEO’s visions and plans in developing their business and assist in their projects

Looking forward to it

Donagh Kiernan
Maidsfield Associates
info@maidsfield.com

Donagh Kiernan Appointed CEO of Campbell Informatics.

As a result of my move, Maidsfield Business Development is being transition to Whitehorsepoint Business and Marketing Consultants.

Whitehorsepoint is a privately held Irish company providing International Marketing, Business and IT professional services to a wide range of Irish and international clients. Whitehorsepoint and its founders have a proven track record in the software and telecommunications industries and an impressive list of client relationships.

Irene McGoey is one of the principles of Whitehorsepoint. Irene did great things at Euristix in assisting with market definition and general marketing activities. I first heard about Irene at the time around Euristix winning the Irish Software Association Marketing Company of the year. Vistech was a supplier to Euristix at that time. I also worked with Irene in more recent months as fellow Enterprise Ireland Mentors. Irene is also helping us out in Campbell Informatics on the Marketing side.

This is a fulltime position which means that I am transitioning out of Maidsfield. Maidsfield clients are being introduced to Whitehorsepoint Business and Marketing Consultants

Campbell Informatics (formerly Cliff Campbell & Associates) is a great company with fantastic potential, great people involved in the business and happy clients with tangible successes.

Campbell Informatics’ Avenio sofwtare is a very innovative Data Modelling and Engineering Data Management engine for the Life Science Manufacturing sector.

I’ve been consulting to Campbell Informatics for the past year assisting with business strategy and plannning and helping find a CEO….

It’s now my job, working with Cliff Campbell, the founder and now president, and the rest of the team, to grow the opportunities and the company’s capacity to deliver on them. I’m really looking forward to it…

Read more on Campbell Informatics website

“I feel like I just got home”…

it’s been stirring for the past months on whether it was happening or not. Now it’s official…Amazon are establishing their European Service Centre in Cork.

see RTE’s article

This further copper fastens Ireland’s strength in securing the new economy multinationals.

Also with the recent announcement of Cork company DSI’s partnership with Amazon, Ireland is really showing it’s world class capabilities in the new economy in attracting such commitments.

Congratulations to the IDA, Minister Michael Martin and his team..

December’05, Youghal, Co Cork, Ireland

The first event of the new Enterprise Youghal industry organisation took place in the Walter Raleigh Hotel on Tuesday, December 6th, with a strong attendance of over 50 local business representatives.

The organisations purpose is to drive Enterprise Development within the Youghal region. The greater Youghal area has a population of over 50,000 people with many small businesses. Through enabling proactive business networking and structured support from the South Cork Enterprise Board, Enterprise Ireland and The Youghal Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise Youghal aims to encourage and drive business development in the region.

South Cork Enterprise Board secured Maidsfield Associates to assist in the establishment of the Enterprise Youghal working with Youghal Town Council and Youghal Chamber of Commerce.

University College Cork operates a successful and highly appreciated Executive MBA Programme. In order to ensure the product continues to meet market needs, Donagh Kiernan of Maidsfield was engaged to facilitate a review.

The review involved facilitating a number of Focus Groups and reviewing the target candidate student (Ideal Client).

The Focus Groups consisted of Industry Leaders, Human Resource Directors, UCC MBA Graduates, UCC MBA Board, UCC Administration and Lecturing Staff took place over two month period in August/September ?¢‚ǨÀú05.

The review report was produced and presented to the MBA Management Board for discussion and review.

January’06, Cork, Ireland

Decare Systems Ireland (DSI), a leading provider of software and Internet solutions, based in the University Technology Centre in Cork have secured a partnership agreement with Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer.

Amazon’s online retail business involves selling product from their own warehouses but also acts as a channel for other merchants to sell their product on Amazon. The size of the merchant companies vary from 1 person selling used DVD movies to established wholesale/distributors/resellers selling a wide range of products.

DSI’s successes already include Avon.com and Figis in the development of their ecommerce platforms but also integration into the Amazon US platform. DSI are also the leading developer of Health Insurance Administration Systems within the US market.

In creating, recognising and realising opportunities Maidsfield have been a tremendous assistance. Working closely with the DSI management team over the past year in development our partnership with Amazon, Donagh has demonstrated the real value of what Maidsfield have to offer, getting things started and producing results. DSI and Amazon have a real sales-generation partnership bringing real value and immediate increased revenue to Merchants, Amazon and DSI.

- John Murphy, General Manager, Decare Systems Ireland

In my previous existing in Vistech, at it’s peak, I employed 43 staff. With the decline in the market at the end of 2001 and true experiences that followed we truly endured many hard lessons.

In Maidsfield and the Business Development of Technology companies I operated by oursourcing an element of what I do.

Monday next, January 30th, sees the start of Mary Meehan as Maidsfield’s first employee. I didn’t enter into the decision lightly, memories of the past come back to me…..

Mary posseses much experience in Marketing and Sales and I’m really looking forward to working with Mary.