Small is beautiful was the message on Wednesday night when the Tanaiste, Mary Harney, made the speeches for a new book, Start Your Own Business Guide at the Stakis Hotel on Charlemont Place. There was no shortage of initiative with most of the gathering made up of people in the enterprise sector, including of course, the authors Ron Immink and Brian O'Kane. Angela Lee Bourke of the Bank of Ireland and Tom Brannigan of AIB came along as did Aidan O'Boyle, chair of the Small Business Accountancy Services and Brendan Butler, director of the Small Firms Association. From the county enterprise boards came Dorothy Clarke, chief executive of the Leitrim board and Waterford's equivalent, Ger Enright. Fiona Nolan represented the Northside Partnership as well as supporting her husband, author Ron; his colleague Pat Kearney of SNE also came along. Melanie Mor- ris, editor of D-Side magazine and 1997 winner of the Dublin young businesswoman award was there and was heard to mutter, "I wish they'd had this four years ago, when I was setting up."
You can catch up with the duo and the guide at a series of roadshows around the country where they will give seminars on starting up in business. Ring 021313855 for details.