Coppenagh House Farm Hosts Chamber Chats

Press release……

Coppenagh House Farm Hosts Chamber Chats

An evening of information exchange, ideas and inspiration in Tullow

The March Chamber Chats took place in the gorgeous surroundings of Coppenagh House Farm last Thursday evening. This informal and intimate event was attended by businesses from a mix of sectors including manufacturing, personal services, professional services and retail.

‘Chamber Chats create space for businesspeople from all sectors to meet, hear about other businesses, discuss challenges and opportunities – and to see things from another perspective. It’s networking – but in a very casual, and unpressured way, providing businesses from all stages of development the opportunity to share insights, inspiration and ideas.’ Explains County Carlow Chamber of Commerce President, Michael Quinn.

Chamber Chats are hosted by a different Chamber member each time. This event was hosted by Ciara and Robert Stanley, who between them run Coppenagh House Farm and farm shop, Ballybar Ireland clothing brand, Ardattin Embroidery and Stanley Stoves. They opened the evening by giving some insight into the evolution and development of their businesses over the past 5 years. They also treated visitors to samples from some of the stunning Irish food products that they stock in the farm shop and café – including of course their own beef.

‘ Our businesses have grown and evolved over the years in response to the situations we found ourselves in. Sometimes a challenge – such as the costs of doing business a certain way – drove the change. Sometimes an opportunity opened up that led us down a route we may not have anticipated. But the key has been, analysing the reality of the situation, making the decision and then putting in the hard work and effort to see it through and make it work.’ Explains Ciara Stanley.

This opener led to an engaging discussion – with each of the businesses giving some insight into their own evolution and the learnings they have picked up on the journey. Several of the businesses in attendance were from the Tullow area and there was a real sense of positivity about the growing range of businesses in the town and surrounding areas.

‘ These smaller, more intimate networking events are a great opportunity for business people to connect on a different level. The support and positivity in the room was clear to see – with people offering insights that may not be as easily shared in a larger setting.’ Says Nicola Doran, CEO of County Carlow Chamber of Commerce. ‘It can be challenging to make the time to get to events – but if you are a business looking to make connections, raise your profile or to get ideas to move your business forward these can be so worthwhile.’

Topics discussed included attitudes to risk, decision making, understanding the metrics, facing the reality of both your strengths and weaknesses, adapting and evolving, making your own stamp on a business.

Some great takeaways from the evening included –
Niche down and be really good at what you do
Don’t wait for everything to be right – move forward and keep adapting
Competition is healthy – and it can help you drive your business further