LEO Trading online grants
Up to €2,500 grant available for Web Design in Ireland
Everyone loves a bit of support and those free things in life. A bit like those little pens you get in Argos…. errrr actually maybe I’m not supposed to take those! Running a business is hard work, especially in the current economic climate. So why not take as much help as you can.
The Government, and your local enterprise office, have a range of grants available for businesses. With the trend ever increasing towards online spending it is estimated that only 23% of small Irish businesses are engaged in e-commerce. For businesses employing less than ten people, this percentage is even lower. It is believed that up to 70% of all online spend in Ireland goes to overseas retailers. As you can imagine this is a problem. By helping more Irish businesses join the online revolution more euros will be kept in this country.
How Much Is The Grant?
The Local Enterprise Office Trading Online Grant scheme funds up to 50% of your total qualifying project costs, with a maximum payment of €2500. Following approval of your application, you can engage suppliers (we hope us!) and upon completion of the work, submit a request for payment to your Local Enterprise Office.
Ok yes… there is a bit of paper work to complete, but once you have your grants it is really easy to claim back the 50% contribution once the site is live.
If you undertook a website project which cost €2750 ex vat, the trading online voucher would cover €1375 and you would have to pay €1375 plus the total vat liability…. What an amazing offer!
Start Your Online Trading Grant Application
Book Your Free Consultation
The starting point is to book your free consultation. We’ll talk you through the grant application process and discuss your website plans
APPLY TO YOUR ENTERPRISE OFFICE
Once you have your paper work ready you can apply to your local enterprise office. They’ll keep you informed as to the status of your application
Grant Approval & project start
Once approved, you appoint a supplier…cough, cough us… and you start developing the website. You’ve got 4 months to complete the work.
website live & claim your grant
To recieve your agreed grant show your enterprise office the live site, plus proof of payment, and they’ll release your money… happy days!
Who is eligible for the grant
The online trading vouchers are designed to help small to medium businesses in Ireland. Becuase of this there are some critria your business must meet before apply through your local enterprise office. Fantastically, if your business has previous received a voucher you can apply for a second one, as long as you are either adding or developing e-commerce through your website or intergrating online bookings.
Your business must be located in the area which is covered by the local enterprise office which you are applying to. You can’t apply to enterprise offices in areas outside your business location. More information on the local Westmeath Trading Online Voucher Scheme can be found HERE.
Limited or no e-commerce or online booking presence
10 or less employees
Annual turnover less than €2m
Business must be trading for at least 6 months
You must be able to provide an up-to-date tax clearance certificate
Business must be located in the area covered by the local enterprise office
HOW DOES THE ONLINE TRADING VOUCHER SCHEME WORK
1: Application Process
Voucher approval must be gained prior to incurring any expense or starting your website development project. You’ll need a number of quotes and to complete an application form. We’ll help guide you through every step of the process so don’t worry.
2: Online Information Session
All applicants are required to complete a mandatory online information session prior to submitting their application. Your local enterprise office will give you details of the next available sessions or you can book onto one via their website. HERE is a link to the Westmeath enterprise office where you can select the Trading Online Voucher Webinar.
3: Grant Offer
Once your application has been processed you will recieve an email from your local enterprise office which outlines the value of your grant. There will be a form for you to accept their offer and secure your place on the Online Trading Voucher scheme.
4: Appointing A Supplier
Great you’ve been given the go-ahead by your local enterprise office. The next step is to appoint a business to do the work from the pool of suppliers which you got a quotation from. Of course, we hope you’ll choose us…. I mean why would you not! We’re experts in the field, lovely to work with and just jolly nice people.
5: Claiming Your Online Trading Voucher Grant
Once the work on your website is complete you can go back to the enterprise office. You will need to provide a few bits of evidence such as proof of payment, a letter from your supplier, bank statement and an up-to-date tax clearance cert. Once done they will issue your payment and you just need to decide what you’ll spend your €2500 on… can I suggest a little SEO to help your new website generate more traffic….. just saying!