Sage launches free business planning software with
Bizstartup.ie
Accounting software player Sage is giving entrepreneurs free
business planning software as part of a special promotion to mark
the launch of Bizstartup.ie.
Sage Planning for Business software can help you successfully
plan, launch and run your business by assisting you in identifying
what you need to do to get started. With a business-plan template
and worked examples, you will be able to identify key tasks –
including how to manage your cash flow – and end up with a
professional business plan.
Sage Ireland managing director Liam Mullaney told
Siliconrepublic.com that the software can prove invaluable to new
business start-ups seeking to raise funding from investors or gain
support from banks.
“It is clear from the past year with all the job losses in the
economy and the fact that Ireland is a nation of small businesses,
it is logical that many of those who took redundancy would be
interested in starting a business,” Mullaney said. “It’s a
well-known fact that the best time to start a business is in a
downturn.”
He added that from talking to banks and various enterprise
boards in the midst of a credit squeeze, what is paramount is the
ability for would-be entrepreneurs to communicate with clarity
their business case with credible financials.
“The local enterprise boards love this software and the reason
they do is because the localisation for Ireland is quite
sophisticated. For example, the business-planning software helps
start-ups to explore what available grant options exist. This is
the only true Irish business-planning software on the market that
is free.”
In each of the 'Planning for Business' tasks, there are links to
many useful articles on Irish support websites, such as those from
the County & City Enterprise Boards, Enterprise Ireland, BASIS,
CRO, the Central Statistics Office, Revenue and more.
The software also works seamlessly with other Sage software
packages that the company has made available for free to start-up
businesses, including TAS Books Basic and Quickpay.
“The more people who use this software the more enterprise
boards and banks will become used to seeing information provided in
this format. The banks, who need to be issuing credit to small
businesses, will have a template based on facts and figures. They
will be able to see the logic whereas often the reason why people
are refused credit is because they don’t come across as auditable
as the banks would like them to be,” Mullaney concluded.
By John Kennedy