6-Month Business Growth & Development Programme
Register your Interest Now!
Or book our upcoming Information Sessions
Next intake: February 20th, 2025
Application Deadline: February 7th, 2025
The Business Growth & Development Programme is an innovative learning and development response providing the owner/managers of design and creative businesses with best practice business management skills and knowledge to support sustainability and increase revenue in their business.
This bespoke programme is sector-specific and designed to fully support you in developing a winning strategy for your business.
Who is it for?
Suitable for studios, agencies and consultancies which are seeking to grow and/or expand*.
*Please contact us to discuss your specific business and needs.
Designs On Growth from Design Skillnet on Vimeo.
Duration
6 months
When
From February 20th to June 19th, 2025
Scroll down for more details on the structure and modules content.
Module 01 – Workshop 1 – Build your Dream Business – Delivered Online
Day 1: February 20th, 2025
Day 2: February 27th, 2025
Module 02 – Workshop 2 – Understand & Embrace the Financials: Time is Money! – Delivered Online
Day 1: March 20th, 2025
Day 2: March 27th, 2025
Module 03 – Workshop 3 – Develop and Implement a Successful Marketing Plan – In-Person or Online
Full-day in-person workshop, Dublin
April 17th, 2025 (Holy Thursday / Easter weekend – please flag if you have availability issues to attend this day)
Module 04 – Workshop 4 – Make Selling Easy and Create a WOW Customer Experience – Delivered Online
Day 1: May 15th, 2025
Day 2: May 22nd, 2025
Module 05 – Workshop 5 – Develop & Lead your Dream Support Team – Delivered Online
Day 1: June 12th, 2025
Day 2: June 19th, 2025
The programme typically runs as 2 x 0.5 Days online per month. One module will be run as a full day face-to-face, with the flexibility for a second module to be run in that format if the group wishes and by agreement with the group.
Why should I attend?
- Effectively address your business challenges
- Improve performance
- Develop your design or creative business practice going forward
- Manage your team effectively
Programme 2025
The next 2025 programme starts on February 20th, 2025 and consists of 5 modules, one module taking place per month.
Day 1: Thurs Feb 20th
Day 2: Thurs Feb 27th
Starting with a complete business review report and current situations analysis you will get an understanding of where you are starting from so that you can reestablish the vision you have for your business and develop a plan to get there
Day 1: Thurs Mar 20th
Day 2: Thurs Mar 27th
This workshop will take you through the importance of managing your business finance. The workshop is a simple step-by-step to understanding and getting the most out of the money in your business. The day is wrapped up with a time management session
- Full-day in-person workshop, Dublin Thurs April 17th (Holy Thursday / Easter weekend – please flag if you have availability issues to attend this day)
Understand and develop a marketing plan that effectively gets your message to your target market consistently, generating a constant flow of enquiries.
Day 1: Thurs May 15th
Day 2: Thurs May 22nd
Learn how to effectively manage and convert your leads to create a predictable flow of new customers in your business, when you have generated new customers WOW them with amazing customer service to ensure they never want to go to a competitor
Day 1: Thurs June 12th
Day 2: Thurs June 19th
Develop the right ecosystem around your business, whether employees or external supports, to take care of your customers and your business so you can invest your time in building it.
Coaching Support
Coaching is a critical part of the programme. There is one coaching session to follow each workshop.
Peer Learning & Support
At the beginning of each workshop, you will have an opportunity to exchange ideas with your peers. In particular, to discuss progress on implementation of programme best practices and also to discuss common challenges and issues.
Application
A maximum of 12 businesses will be selected.
Limited places.
Application deadline: TBC.
Register your Interest Now!
Or book our upcoming Information Sessions
What past participants had to say:
“My experience of the Designs on Growth programme has been overwhelmingly positive. As a fast track for creatives, who often don’t possess the knowledge and skills to diagnose and encourage fiscal well-being, Designs on Growth has been very beneficial. Expert and personable mentors and workshop leaders are complemented with easy-to-understand notes that build to create an invaluable resource for extracurricular reference. The Designs on Growth programme helps you take the firsthand, in-depth knowledge of your own business, structure it, assess it, set realistic goals, and create a road map for growth.”
Oran Day, Atelier David Smith
“We chose to participate in Designs on Growth as a means to both understand the design landscape in the RoI and to take stock of how we have been operating as a business. Our business is approaching an age where we felt that we need to define better our process, our client engagement and our delivery for existing clients, whilst moving to potentially attract new clients. The Designs on Growth programme has been really effective by allowing us to step out of the business and take some time to learn new methodologies, begin to understand how we might apply them and share experiences with a very diverse and friendly peer group. The sessions are very well structured and thought-provoking and the follow-up mentoring helps provide the answers to questions that you may have or things you wish to test.”
Stephen McGilloway, MD Big Small Design, Product Design
“The course was a great opportunity to step outside and look back in on the business side of the studio. There was great solidarity seeing other studios on the course also faced similar issues. It has had a positive impact on how we’re now developing our studio.”
John Gavin, Creative Director, True Output
‘We made a lot of changes based on the Designs on Growth course. Most of these were around our finances. We now have a much better financial perspective for our business. It has been invaluable.’
Roisin Buckley, Director, Piquant
Scroll down for more testimonials or read our Q&A series with course facilitator Jeannette Naughton and past participants Kate O’ Moore, Gillian Reidy, Róisín Buckley, Kim Whyte, Brian Nolan, Graham Carroll, David Jackson, John Gavin, Colin Farmer, Clare Brennan, John Lynch and Cormac Kerrigan.
Design Skillnet training focuses on helping designers and creatives in their businesses to up-skill their teams and to attract and service clients in a rapidly changing commercial landscape.
About the trainer
Jeannette is a Master Trainer and experienced Business Coach and works closely with a portfolio of Design Sector Clients delivering training and coaching to improve their business performance. She delivers workshops and coaching to groups of business leaders and their teams on Strategic Planning, Marketing and Sales Strategy, Communication and Team Cohesion. Jeannette has delivered our highly rated Designs on Growth business and management development programme since 2019 and coaches participants to achieve business success and achieve long-term results in their businesses.
“My experience of the Designs on Growth programme has been overwhelmingly positive. As a fast track for creatives, who often don’t possess the knowledge and skills to diagnose and encourage fiscal well-being, Designs on Growth has been very beneficial. Expert and personable mentors and workshop leaders are complemented with easy-to-understand notes that build to create an invaluable resource for extracurricular reference. The Designs on Growth programme helps you take the firsthand, in-depth knowledge of your own business, structure it, assess it, set realistic goals, and create a road map for growth.”
Oran Day, Atelier David Smith
"We chose to participate in Designs on Growth as a means to both understand the design landscape in the RoI and to take stock of how we have been operating as a business. Our business is approaching an age where we felt that we need to better define our process, our client engagement and our delivery for existing clients, whilst moving to potentially attract new clients. The Designs on Growth programme has been really effective by allowing us to step out of the business and take some time to learn new methodologies, begin to understand how we might apply them and share experiences with a very diverse and friendly peer group. The sessions are very well structured and thought-provoking and the follow-up mentoring helps provide the answers to questions that you may have or things you wish to test."
Stephen McGilloway, MD Big Small Design, Product Design
"The course was a great opportunity to step outside and look back in on the business side of the studio. There was great solidarity seeing other studios on the course also faced similar issues. It has had a positive impact on how we’re now developing our studio."
John Gavin, Creative Director, True Output
‘We made a lot of changes based on the Designs on Growth course. Most of these were around our finances. We now have a much better financial perspective for our business. It has been invaluable.’
Roisin Buckley, Director, Piquant
‘A valuable way of learning; a valuable way of implementing change. We made a lot of changes based on Designs on Growth course. Most of these were around our finances. We now have a much better financial perspective for our business. It has been invaluable.’
Brian Nolan, Director, Detail
'An opportunity to step away and concentrate on the business side of our studio. Once I went on ‘Designs on Growth’ and other workshops, things just took off. It’s the way I now understand all the different aspects of running a design business.’
Karen Hanratty, Director, Path
'It has helped us to change our mindsets and focus on our business goals, not just those of clients'.
Rhys Jenkins, Director, Open
'We have seen an increase in sales that can be directly attributed to what we have learned in the programme.'
Graham Carroll, Founder & Head of Strategy, Friday
'Design on Growth is a must-do for anyone running a design or creative business'.
David Jackson, Co founder & UX Director, Friday
'It has given me the motivation and tools to become the designer and business owner that I wanted to be'
Kim Whyte, Founder & Creative Director , FiggyDoo
'I learned a lot about our business. It offered me huge support in understanding my style of management and moulding that for the betterment of our business – using the additional skill sets and business supports provided through the course such as new finance and customer management system which have hugely improved our customer care and pipeline consideration and made a big difference to the administrative side of the business. The greatest return on investment was a reaffirmed confidence in the business and renewed excitement for growth.'
Gillian Reidy, Creative Director & Business Owner, Penhouse Design
'This course has been transformative for my business and has completely changed the way I approach my business now. It has given me the tools and confidence to run my business in a better and more efficient way that works for me. The one to one coaching within the programme really helps you move forward at your own pace. I wouldn't think twice about joining - you will see a difference in your business by being on this course.'
Kate O'Moore, Creative Director and founder, MAKER
'In many ways we designed our website for other designers. The course changed the way we presented ourselves, which was fairly significant.’
Rocky Grennell, Managing Director, DesignWorks
‘The Designs on Growth training has really helped in terms of setting out goals for the business and deciding where we need to be. It’s given me the space and opportunity to think these things through.’
Colin Byrne, Director, Totem
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