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JERRY KENNELLY HAS been self-employed his whole working life.
And sitting in his office on Dublin’s southside, he sells his passion for selling his passion.
Having sold his stock image company Stockbyte for over €100 million, he currently runs design company Tweak, but wants to pass on his passion for entrepreneurship.
To that end, Kennelly is the co-chair of the Junior Entrepreneur Programme (JEP).
JEP is a free 12-16 week programme for schoolchildren that is the only initiative that promotes entrepreneurship at primary level. Over the last five years, more than 26,500 national school pupils have already benefitted from the programme.
In his Kerry drawl, Kennelly outlines the importance of teaching children more than just the three Rs.
You can get children to open their minds to their potential. To make them see that it’s not all about working for someone else.
The project is obviously one that is close to Kennelly’s heart. Having grown up the son of a small business owner and starting his own business at 21, Kennelly is a firm believer in creating indigenous industry.
To that, he says, the country has to ensure that children are taught that they can be business owners.
I believe that entrepreneurship is in our DNA. We punch way above our weight internationally. We have an aptitude to make business happen.
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Kennelly has previously told a story of struggling to access credit for Stockbyte, but he understands that is the life of entrepreneur.
“You do have to sacrifice a lot and not everyone is able to that.
“When I’m mentoring people, I always ask them “are you up for it?” because it takes a lot to make it work. It takes an absolutely ridiculous amount of effort to make it work.
“It’s a very hard lifestyle.
“It’s a great lesson in humility!”
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So, why not take the fruits of his labour and ride off into the sunset?
Where is the impetus to back children? For Kennelly, it’s about community. His family founded Kerry’s Eye and wrote extensively about the local area.
Allied to that is his admiration for the GAA, which he says “gets to grassroots” in every Irish community.
But mostly, it’s about contributing.
“I’m very proud to be Irish, I’m very proud to make a contribution to my community and other communities around the country along with my colleagues.
That’s what Ireland is all about. It’s just good enough to be a citizen, you’ve got to play a part, too.
“Everyone has to give the skills that they can share.
“I think JEP is a great example of teachers stepping outside their comfort zone.”
This year, 10,000 JEP students had combined sales of €250,000, with profits of €159,000.
“That’s 11- and 12-year-old children.
“If nothing else, it helps them make better informed choices about their own future.”
Applications are now open to all primary schools to participate in the Junior Entrepreneurship Programme 2016/2017. The programme is available nationally and is free for parents, children and schools.
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How long can it take to write down that you will financially punish anyone with a car and crisscross the nation with cycle lanes?
@Mogh Roith: And state over and over again that you’re going to build more DART lines and metros/public transport but never build it. Must be costing the state tens of millions to keep the charade going.
Jayus that photo. Nauseating .
@Paul Gorry: you don’t like the Mazdas I take it Paulie?!
@Joe Kennedy: more a Toyota fan meself joe.
@Paul Gorry: same Paul….Toyota all day long!
You must be joking this government has missed a deadline
@kevin mc cormack: or two.
Choked and Air polluted Galway City has missed several deadlines for a Bypass over the last Five Years. Get your Green finger out and face the reality of necessity for clean air in the City.
Sure all the greens have done is put taxes on everything they could. Did it this government and did it the last time they were in government. They’re policy is put a carbon tax on it and more cycle lanes to nowhere.
Green or not so green all their rules haven’t worked or the cycle lanes time to go
Hard to believe that micro / smaller States within EU like Malta , Cyprus , Luxembourg with less resources can Lodge thier plans on time and Irekabd cannot , Odd also that with a ” Green Minister” that We could not achieve this deadline ..????? Is He ( Eamon Ryan ) seeking perfection or “what gives” as they say ? The sad thing is that it really does not matter that much anyway since China and India along with insane population growth in Africa + South + Central America etc has condemned us to exceeding 2% .yet the Woke Mib only interested in criticising Europe + North America exclusively.
Ryan probably missed the deadline because he was asleep
The Greens just don’t have time to draw up a plan. They are too busy blighting or streets with plastic poles to protect cyclists.
Half of the city (Dublin) has so much plastic poles that it looks like permanent roadworks.
Shame on you Green Party. You’ve blighted our city with plastic. The same plastic that you do whinge about. FAIL!
Saving up all the green tax. Long term savings plan.
What are all his assistants/advisers doing for their money. Just curious.
What about all the coal comming in to money point to fuel electricity cars and we are not allowed burn it
A simple fact that nothing gets done in good old Ireland !
A shur life goes on anyways,
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