Businesses that are involved in distribution, wholesaling or agency work often find that they are at the mercy of the companies whose products they sell – poor marketing materials, late deliveries and inconsistent quality.

‘If only we could make our own products, we could do it better, faster, more efficiently than our current supplier …..’ is the common refrain.

The Buyer to Producer Programme will provide owner-managers with the confidence, the skills and the momentum to move from talking about making your own products in-house to launching the product and commercialising the idea. Participants will learn how they can have control of what the product looks like, what your brand could look like and where your product goes in the future.

What does the programme involve?
1) Three compulsory workshops aimed at laying a foundation for your growth through the introduction and launch of your own products;
– 1. Assessing your readiness to diversify / pivot;
– 2. New product development: Preparing to rise to the practical challenges ahead;
– 3. Getting ready for product launch and commercialisation.

2) Access to two days of bespoke one-to-one mentoring from an experienced consultant whose role will be to challenge you, to present new ideas to you and to help you to look at how you may ultimately kickstart your business during 2021 by diversifying into the introduction of your own in-house products.

Due to ongoing restrictions relating to travel and social interaction, all one to one mentoring will be provided virtually using Zoom software.
If you are not familiar with this software, a member of the Full Circle team can assist you to access and begin to use this.

Who is eligible?
To be considered for a place, your Business must:
– Be based in the Newry Mourne and Down council area;
– Employ less than 50 people;
– Have a genuine aspiration to diversify into the production of your own in-house products.

Please note that if you have previously participated on the NMDDC Business Growth Programme, you may apply however the amount of mentoring support that you will be eligible to receive will be restricted to one day.

How to apply:

To be considered for a place on the Programme, all you have to do is:

  1. Email Curtis at Full Circle – curtis@fullcircle.eu.com – and let him know that you wish to apply for a place on the Buyer to Producer Programme.
  1. Curtis will then liaise work with you to consider your eligibility to apply and assess your needs.

    Deadline for expressions is 1pm on Friday 29 January 2021.

    We encourage participants to get in touch as soon as possible as demand is expected to be extremely high for places on this Programme.

Costs:
The Programme is 100% free to participants.

The Programme forms part of the NMDDC Business Growth Programme which is part-funded by Invest NI and the European Regional Development Fund under the Investment for Growth and Jobs Northern Ireland [2014 – 2020] Programme.

How long does the Programme last for?

The Programme will start in mid February 2021 and will run until late May 2021.