The Smile Resource Exchange allows businesses to exchange unwanted goods, surplus items, and waste to save costs and help the environment. The initiative has over 600 members across Ireland and will host its first event in Dublin next month. It aims to connect businesses to identify new opportunities from shared resources. Meanwhile, Bizapps makes it possible for small businesses to create their own smartphone apps inexpensively, with templates starting at €99. This allows companies to better promote themselves and reach customers internationally on their mobile devices. Bizapps founder Brian Crotty hopes this tool will become a standard part of business marketing.

1. THE SUNDAY BUSINESS POST
n24 SEPTEMBER 30 2012
OUT on your OWN
Talking POINT Easy way to make an app
System will make firms Smile Businesses
to attract an international cli-
entele.
‘‘We actually have a client in
A useful initiative that diverting waste from can build an Singapore and we’ve had en-
quiries from prospective cli-
allows businesses to landfill,’’ said Green. ‘‘A
exchange unwanted goods,
surplus and waste items is
major focus of the events
will also be to provide a
invaluable ents in South Africa,’’ Crotty
said. ‘‘That is the wonder of
the internet.’’
gaining ground as it gears
up to host its first event in
large scale networking
opportunity to allow
marketing tool Crotty hopes that businesses
will start looking at smart-
Dublin next month.
The Smile Resource
businesses to identify new
business opportunities in four hours, phone apps as the future of
marketing and advertising.
Exchange was first piloted from unwanted resources.’’
by Cork-based enterprise To take part, companies writes Nevan ‘‘If your customers have
your app downloaded, they
centre Macroom E in can log on to the website,
March 2010. The idea was smileexchange.ie, and add Riley have access to your services at
all times and, more important,
simple: allow participating their own listing or search
you have the ability to send
businesses to exchange the existing database of
them promotions and offers
reusable items, surplus and products by keyword,
L
by-products at special Elaine O’Regan category or location.
au nch i ng a
s m a r t p ho n e
which they can read instantly,’’
he said.
exchange events and via a ‘‘We track enquiries and
application for Whether they are making
dedicated website. follow up with businesses to
you r s mal l purchases or browsing online,
It was also a success, photocopiers, desktop PCs, support them,’’ said Green.
business can more and more consumers are
securing funding of uniforms, ceramic beads ‘‘If they take part in one of
be a daunting turning to their mobile rather
e300,000 and the backing and pallets. the events, all of the online
prospect. With the associated than opening their laptop. Ac-
of the Environmental ‘‘One of our companies – information is just written
cost and technical wizardry re- cording to a recent study by
Protection Agency. The Mamukko – makes bags by hand on cards and we
quired, many business owners Brian Crotty, co-founder, Bizapps: making smartphone apps more accessible to Morgan Stanley, apps will con-
exchange’s membership from recycled materials so have facilitators who can
simply opt for more traditional start-ups JIM O’SULLIVAN tinue to grow in popularity and
now stands at 600 and they have sourced make the matches between
methods of promoting their by 2014 smartphones will out-
extends beyond Cork to tarpaulin off-cuts from the different companies on
business. sell PCs and laptops. This pre-
Clare, Kerry and Limerick. lorries through the the day. It’s a combination
Waterford-based company in an attempt to tap into the lu- ple can come into a town, and are currently 27 templates to s e nt s hu g e p ot e nt i a l for
In Dublin, where its first network,’’ said Green. of networking and an
Bizapps is hoping to change crative applications market. whether they’re looking for a choose from and Bizapps can Bizapps, and Crotty is hoping
event will take place in ‘‘We also work with the introduction to the green
all that by making smartphone ‘‘About two years ago I hotel, B&B or a restaurant, it’s also design a specific template he can capitalise on it over the
Croke Park on October 9, ReMake Design Network in agenda.’’
applications more accessible to needed an app for a client and there for them in the palm of for a client at no extra cost. coming years.
Smile has 100 members Dublin, a group of
start-ups and SME owners. the prices I was getting were their hand. This is what people Bizapps also offers a full de- Crotty is grateful for the sup-
signed up. According to designers that use Membership of the Smile
Using Bizapps’ online edi- around ten, fifteen or twenty are looking for, and they’re sign service, costing from e799. port he re ceived from his
project manager, Macroom unwanted materials like Resource Exchange is free
tor, business owners can have thousand euro,’’ Crotty said. looking for it now,’’ Crotty said. ‘‘The biggest momentum we County Enterprise Board and
E’s Michelle Green, the plastics and cardboard.’’ for businesses. The initiative
their very own app up and run- ‘‘I spoke with Pat about it Building your app is a sim- have at the moment is from cli- advises all budding entrepre-
initiative is proving As well as its cost-saving is funded under the National
ning from as little as e99. After and with his software back- ple process and can be accom- ents getting us to build their neurs to get in contact with
particularly popular with potential for participating Waste Prevention
registering with Bizapps.ie, ground he knew those prices plished without the need for app for them. their own. ‘‘Waterford City has
SMEs and manufacturers. businesses, the Smile Programme set up in 2004. It
users simply choose a template were crazy because you only complicated programming. ‘‘We will meet with the cli- been very supportive of us,’’ he
‘‘Goods that have been exchange also has is managed by Macroom E
and upload their content. The really had to do A, B and C, so ‘‘Y can do it with very ba-
ou ent, take a look at their web said.
exchanged are as diverse as environmental benefits. and supported by the
app can then be previewed on we decided to find a way to do sic computer skills,’’ Crotty presence and see what they ac- ‘‘When you’re starting out
drum containers, ‘‘We want to help Environmental Protection
the customer’s own phone be- A, B and C ourselves, and said. tually want, and, more impor- it’s great to talk to someone
cardboard, furniture, businesses identify Agency and the local
fore publishing. t h at ’s h ow B i z a p p s w a s ‘‘You don’t need to know tant, what their users want.’’ who knows a thing or two
plastics and Styrofoam,’’ resource exchange authorities and enterprise
The company is the brain- formed.’’ HTML or Xcode or one of Though still in its infancy, about start-ups. Don’t b e
Green said. opportunities, which could boards in Cork, Limerick,
child of long-time business Bizapps has provided appli- these wonderfully weird com- Bizapps is trading well online afraid to ask for help. People
Other swapped and save businesses money as Kerry, Clare and Dublin.
partners Brian Crotty and Pat cations for tourism organisa- puter languages.’’ and hopes to have served its sometimes have an idea and
upcycled items have well as extending the life of For further information,
Jones. Having collaborated on tions, golf clubs and hotels, Apps are created using a 100th client by the end of the they think they can’t tell any-
included 15,000 unusable materials, which thus helps tel 01-4361864 or log on to
IT and technology projects for and is even collaborating with template system that allows re- year. one in case someone else runs
hotel key cards, the environment by smileexchange.ie
over ten years, Crotty and a school. gistered users to build their app ‘‘The business is doing so away with it. The world isn’t
Jones decided to start Bizapps ‘‘With our tourism app peo- in as little as four hours. There well, in fact, that it is starting really like that.’’