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#SMEcommunity Story Inspires Irish SMEs

by Eamonn O'Brien on January 31st, 2012
26 Comments



Are you fed up of doom and gloom merchants in the media peddling stories about the woes of Ireland Inc – questioning if the country can escape its current mire? Need an antidote? Here’s a social media success story for SMEs you should know about. It’s called the #SMEcommunity – one of the fastest growing social media driven business networks for SMEs in Ireland.


Born just last June, as a result of a conversation between three entrepreneurs scattered across Ireland who wanted to create a way for smaller SME companies to get in touch and help each other…

…Kehlan Kirwan, Debbie Harper and Debbie McDonnell hatched a new online community weeks after one of Ireland’s more recently adopted sons, President Barack Obama , visited Dublin and gave his now famous ‘is feidir linn’ (Gaelic for ‘yes we can’) speech.

Whether inspired by these words or the mood in the country after the equally inspirational visit of Queen Elizabeth of England to the shores of Ireland in May – their idea has taken off, and how.

A great example of SMEs leveraging social media

It hasn’t taken long for the seeds that Kehlan and the two Debbies planted to blossom – as supporters of the #SMEcommunity grew from 2 to 10 in a matter of days, from 10s to more than a 100 within a month and is now approaching 1,400 participants and growing daily.

But what is it that makes this SME community so successful?

It illustrates what it’s possible to do through social media via:

  • Being a great example of what Seth Godin refers to as a tribe (a movement that brings together like-minded people to do amazing things), combined with
  • The fuel provided by oodles of networking ‘agent zeros’ (Chris Brogan’s term for people in the centre of networks who spread ideas and selflessly help others to connect with each other)

It’s a 100% community driven networking group in action and it’s:

–        Organic

–        Informal, and

–        Free to join

But the action isn’t just online.

Much of the #SMEcommunity’s success also comes from the way it is marrying offline and online activities to help cement friendships and business relationships among SMEs of every ilk – often connecting people who are in disparate locations.

Offline activities matter  when growing online communities

As I mentioned in a previous blog, integrating offline and online marketing activities together offers the opportunity to create a multiplier effect – where the cumulative effect of combined communications far exceeds the sum of the individual parts.

And the #SMEcommunity does this in style.

Following on the heels of 2 successful TweetUps in Dublin – the #SMEcommunity recently ran its first national event at the County Arms Hotel in Birr. And over 100 entrepreneurs came from the East, West, North and South of Ireland  to make this event a smash.

Hear what participants in Birr had to say about what the #SMEcommunity is doing for their business:

Uplifting, isn’t it?

How does this story inspire you?

Credits: Video created by Eamonn O’Brien and includes interviews with Chris Gordon, Samantha Kelly, Rob Quigley, Jagdeep Sahans, Peter Tompkins, Declan Connell, Eddie McGuinness, Be Rowland, Debbie McDonnell and Debi Harper



Category: Business Networking, online marketing, social business, social media, Social media Marketing

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The Author:

Eamonn is the CEO of The Reluctant Speakers Club, a leading provider of public speaking courses in Ireland. To learn how he can help you gain more trust and inspire others with your ideas, email eobrien@thersc.ie , call +353.1.5311196 or log onto http://www.thereluctantspeakersclub.com http://www.thereluctantspeakersclub.com

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  • Debi Harper

    Eamon,brilliant as always, you have such a great way with words:) Love it

  • http://www.tweakyourbiz.com Niall Devitt

    Hi Eamonn, I been keeping an eye of #SMEcommunity and they really are starting to blossom into something really wonderful. Something I have noticed of late is that the Irish small business community, in general, have now galvanized themselves and are really starting to fight back with social media playing an increasingly important role. Well done to all involved with #SMEcommunity and long may it continue.    

  • http://www.cgonlinemarketing.com/ Christina Giliberti

    Hello Eamonn,

    As a fellow #birr2012 attendee, I felt the powerful spirit of the SMECommunity first-hand like yourself….and it blew me away. There was never a dull moment or lonely person in the room.

    There was integrity, honesty, humility and passion in the hotel that day. Personally, I met people I’d been speaking to online for months (yourself included!) and all exceeded my expectations in person. The community vibe was alive and strong….we really are resilient when we stand together.

    Merging offline and online assists in cementing and building relationships. Actually meeting people who have influenced you online was an exciting experience. I also gained four hot leads…

    So sorry for missing the interview ; 0 (

  • http://twitter.com/xcelbusiness Helen Cousins

    Nicely captured Eamonn. Great to see some of the people that I talk to online as well!
    ~Helen

  • Epobrien

    Thanks Helen – I’m delighted you liked it, there was such a buzz in Birr.

  • Epobrien

    Hi Tina – It was great to meet you there and (now that I come to think of it) how did you manage to avoid the video interviews?  You must have been busy filling in order forms…happy days!

  • Epobrien

    Thanks Niall and you’re right – it’s great to see a success story in the making, with Irish SMEs coming together online and offline to help each other. It’s the epitome of what social media marketing is all about – people helping people.

  • Epobrien

    Thanks D – flattery will get you everywhere. And you can tell Jez you don’t look anything like a turtle in the video, I’ve never seen a turtle that engaged!

  • http://CupidRocks.ie/ Anton McCarthy

    Nice blog post Eamonn. I keep track of the latest tweets from #SMEcommunity every day, it’s a really positive initiative to participate in and contribute to – and it’s amazing to see how the community is growing and how engaged people are! It’s a great initiative and it’s gotten 2012 off to a fantastic start! 

  • Epobrien

    Thanks Anton – I couldn’t agree more, the participation levels are fantastic…creates a real win-win situation for all

  • Elishbul

    Its really inspiring to see somethng this organic take shape – well done and thanks guys!

  • http://www.hometechdudes.com HomeTechDudes

    Having an online and offline system for getting your product or service out there is the way forward. #SMECommunity looks like a great initiative- well done.

  • http://twitter.com/marketingdebbie TheMarketingShop.ie

    Great post Eamonn, really captures the essence of both #Birr2012 and #SMEcommunity perfectly.  It’s quite a unique group, full of positivity and willing each other on to do well in their respective businesses, while offering fantastic support and friendship too – without any rigid structures or costs attached.  Great to see so many new people stop by on a daily basis and hear of the many successes that are happening.  

    Looking forward to an even more positive 2012 for everybody :)

  • Epobrien

    Thanks Debbie – You’re right, it does all of that and more. Any news on when next TweetUp is planned?

  • Chris TAAGStore

    Superb Eamonn!

  • http://www.electronicworkplace.com/ Tony Simpson

    I love this! A very positive and supportive group- something very particular about SME communities; so nurturing and fraternal! Will be spreading the word via all of these wonderful social media mediums :)  

  • Philip Galligan

    Hi John
    A very good article however I have to agree with Helen Cousins. Humanity is a better descriptive and more broadly defined than vulnerability. Sadly humanity is very lacking in today’s leaders at all levels of society. True leaders that meet the criteria listed are very rare. Many leaders today appear as greedy, egoistical, and autocratic.
    We have passed the phase of the “charismatic” leaders who lacked any substance or humility to a mix of autocrats and some enlightened leaders. In the light of recent history a more humble leadership style is required. Authenticity is vital. People are rightly skeptical.
    I think people are too dependent on leadership and we must take responsibility for our own choices of leaders. In Ireland we have too many greedy and egoistical leaders who thrive by promoting fear and too few leaders with he qualities outlined in your article. Let us hope for all our sake that a more enlightened leadership comes to the fore urgently.

  • John Twohig

    Thanks for the comments Helen. Vulnerability is seen as weakness, it takes a brave person in today’s society who exposes their vulnerability in public. I disagree with your comment that Obama’s love declaration did not expose his vulnerability and at no time have I equated vulnerability with weakness on Obama’s part, if fact the opposite is the case, it took bravery. Brene Brown has backed up her assertion about vulnerability with years of research, see the above link. Her claim that it is the birth place of Love. I agree that it also showed humanity and increased his connection with his community:)

  • Christina Giliberti

    I believe that John is referring to vulnerability as something which is open to emotional harm. I agree, that by being honest about our emotions, it can be percieved as a vulnerability to others, YET John’s post uncovers how this fear of the negative side (as you aptly put Helen) prevents us from being true leaders. Obama doesn’t hesitate when declaring his humanity, despite the fact that others would refraim from such ouvert emotional displays. To him, I would say, he sees it as a strength as opposed to a vulnerability or weakness. Perhaps therein lies the difference!

  • John Twohig

    Thanks Philip, the link on the post to Brene Browns TED Talk shows her work on vulnerability. It is very interesting and explains the results of her research which was extensive. I accept that out leaders also lack humanity, see the present case of the Governments treatment of the sad case in Galway.

  • John Twohig

    Thanks Tina, got it in one…..

  • http://www.facebook.com/gatik.chaujer Gatik Chaujer

    Hi John,

    Loved your article and can definitely relate to it… I recently shared my views on “what leaders need to do to foster high performing, engaged teams”; and my views on that resonate with what you wrote in your piece… sharing part of my comments….

    I will share what I have personally practiced as a leader, coach and trainer for leaders. I like to see it as the transformational role of a leader in two dimensions:

    1. Self Mastery – I have personally experienced and observed a common trait of high performing, highly engaged teams – and its not so much about the teams – its about their leader. Most successful leaders that I have worked with or seen, have been those who have had the courage to be authentic. This reflects in their words and actions – right from aspects of communicating directly (the good news and the bad), not just being empathetic – but being equally vulnerable (some of us cant connect with leaders who seem “superhuman”).

    2. Interpersonal Mastery – two elements of leadership that have worked great for me in this context are – being connected and establishing a shared vision. Being connected with your team members – officially and unofficially – knowing the names of their kids, the projects they are working on, the stakeholders bothering them, the accolades they got when you weren’t around – all of these establish a feeling of “being wanted” and the fact that we care about the team.

    Establishing a shared vision is one of the greatest gift a leader can give his team. This goes way beyond just driving their engagement and their productivity. I have seen this create an atmosphere of excitement, action, cohesiveness and above all – a chase fro something larger than individual priorities. I have seen great leaders not just establish a compelling shared vision, but constantly reiterating it – using analogies of day to day work to link to it – making it the team “mantra”.

    These are just some of the things that I have personally implemented and benefited from.

    Finally, I don’t believe that a leader can take a “initiative” to get people engaged and productive – its got to be the way the leader operated with the team – Its not one initiative or event – it is the philosophy and the style of the leader that established team performance and engagement.

  • John Twohig

    Thank you for your comment, guest.

  • disqus_SfanuQG0gQ

    That’st great motivational post. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.

  • John Twohig

    Your welcome

  • http://twitter.com/xcelbusiness Helen Cousins

    Hi Bob,
    It’s often failure to identify ‘big picture items’ that destroy a business -items like “who are our customers?” and “what business are we in?”. At the outset many founders think these are crazy questions and that the answer is obvious, and it is interesting to see that these are the questions that confound big, established companies too ~ “Kodak failed to realize it was actually in the photography business”.
    Great case studies Bob, and a lesson for us all!
    ~ Helen

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