Ciara Murray is the owner/operator of a Women’s Fitness Studio, Ci-Fit Studio in Clondalkin which opened its doors in 2018.
Having worked as a personal trainer Ciara decided to take the plunge into opening her own studio “I always knew I had a passion for fitness. I had come so far on my own fitness journey, I wanted to be able to pass this feeling onto other women and eventually own my own gym. After working for a year as a personal trainer and building up a great client base, I knew it was time to go out on my own”.
The Business Support Funds is an initiative of South Dublin Council that came out of the Business Sustainability Programme which was established a number of years ago to provide real support to the businesses of South Dublin, in particular the SME sector.
The Business Support Fund which comprises of 4 different funds is open to Micro and Small businesses to help regenerate the commercial environment in the county, and to invigorate employment and inward investment.
The funds are available to individual existing businesses who want to enhance the profile of the building they occupy, to redevelop their premises to further grow their business or support a new entrepreneur or promotor to start up a new microenterprise. An Industrial Area fund is also available to occupiers and landlords who come together to enhance and improve the attractiveness of their local business areas.
The funds are designed to:
• Support physical improvement works.
• Encourage occupiers to improve the investment potential of industrial estates / units.
• Improve those industrial estates experiencing high levels of obsolescence, dereliction, vacancy and abandonment.
• Help existing small-scale businesses and start-up businesses who are utilising previously vacant units.
And are offered as part of the suite of business supports that are available through the Local Enterprise Office South Dublin.
‘We have provided funding for local area improvements across the county including for example Cookstown and Greenhills Road says Peter Connolly, Business Advisor LEO and added ‘ we are seeing an increasing demand for the upgrade of individual units and establishment of new businesses across a wide range of sectors including food, tech and Gyms such as Cifit who benefited from a grant to convert a vacant unit into a fitness studio’ he added.
CiFit worked with LEO South Dublin to set up her own fitness studio in Clondalkin with the support of a grant under the Business Support Micro Enterprise Fund
Ciara Murray is the owner/operator of a Women’s Fitness Studio, Ci-Fit Studio in Clondalkin.
As with all new businesses Ciara was wary of taking the first steps “Financially, I knew this was going to be a huge burden and with not enough savings, I didn’t think it would be achievable. I searched online to check if there any grants to help a new business. Straightaway South Dublin Local Enterprise Office popped up and I was put in touch with a Business Advisor. From the get-go, LEO were nothing but helpful and my dreams of becoming a business owner seemed less distant. I applied, did all the paperwork I needed to do, and I began my next journey, I was terrified!
“Opening your own business is so daunting but the Local Enterprise Office have made this experience so much easier for me. Any move I made, any question I had, they there within a few hours to reassure me that they would help me wherever they could and they DID. “
With assistance through the Local Enterprise Office’s Business Support Fund Ciara was able to receive financial assistance to renovate a vacant industrial unit“ The process was so much easier than I thought it would be. After investing so much into something, there was no better feeling than knowing that you were going to receive help financially.
For further information on our Business Support Funds or other Financial Supports please check our website at www.localenterprise.ie/southdublin or call 01 – 414 9000
Pic Credit: Ben Ryan
