(c) Peter Sweeney 2009
I began working on the basic concept for weddingdates.ie back last January when I attended my first ever wedding fair. As I wandered around through the stalls, met with the hoteliers and other wedding suppliers and talked to the eager brides, I realised that there was potential for a business in this “Wedding Industry”. From way back in those very early Market Research days, did I think I would have achieved this much in 1 year? While 2008 was still technically the “pre-start up” phase, I began trading with a fully live functioning website in late October.
I’m delighted to have the website off the ground, and to have close to 50 of Ireland’s top wedding venues featured on the site. The traffic stats are growing, we are getting wedding enquiries from brides and more hotels are contacting me to sign up. All in all a fantastic result for a site that only went live just over 2 months ago.
Being part of the Genesis program has had a HUGE impact on me and the potential for success of the business. The support of Denise Kennedy, Paul Healy and the other GEP participants themselves has been phenomenol and I have learnt so much in the program I can’t even begin to quantify it.
Networking and meeting other Start ups and Irish Business people through organisations like Cork OpenCoffee, BarCamp, Web Awards, Cork Chamber and BNI has increased my confidence and connected me with so many more people than I would have otherwise. I have worked with some of these people (Sabrina Dent, Bartosz Ptaszynski) and call them and many more my friends. To everyone that I have met through various meetups or networking events, many thanks for your kind words and encouragement… you know who you are!
And as I face another round of January Wedding Fairs (this time as an exhibitor!), I am eager with anticipation to see what 2009 has in store for Ciara Crossan and WeddingDates.ie. Here’s to a successful and prosperous year for new Irish Start Ups and Entrepreneurs!
