EVERY MONTH THEJOURNAL.IE focuses on a different aspect of life for Small and Medium Enterprises.

SMEs provide around 77% of the jobs in the Irish economy, and the issues they face are crucial to employment and economic growth.

For the first month, we looked at everything you need to know about starting a business in Ireland.

• #The Big Idea this month was Oishii Sushi, which is taking on a great Irish institution by trying to replace the breakfast roll with sushi. How did founder Ciara Troy go about this, and in the process turn a farmer’s market stall into a million euro business?

• #How to Guide – a key issue for anyone looking to start a business is raising finance. But can it be done without banks? We found out…
• #What I Learned – Keith Wood made a living out of running into large men for other’s amusement.

  Source: INPHO

  When he retired, he decided to commit to something maybe even more bruising by starting not one but two small businesses. But what lessons did he take from the rugby pitch for his life in business?

• #Business Poll – One smart startup was able to turn the disaster at Fukushima into a profitable export opportunity for Irish seaweed. But is it a good idea to focus on exports ahead of the domestic market? We polled our readers to find out…
• #SME Book of the Month – We found out about how habits – bad and good – can impact on a small business. Start early to avoid or encourage them if you’re kicking off your own business.
• #Business Chart of the Month – start ups need to be aware of repeating the mistakes of other sectors. In this instance, we looked at hotels, which are the most indebted sector in Ireland.

Nine need-to-know SME news stories from May

• Foreign banks were accused of a ‘slash and burn’ attitude as they exit the Irish market, leaving many SMEs with no bank
• We looked into the troubles facing Ireland’s independent retailers as they battle against discounters
• The incoming president of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants said that an SSIA for SMEs could unlock a new €90 billion funding avenue
• Late payments for Irish SMEs are a major problem, with half of them forced to sack workers because they aren’t getting paid on time
• Government committees continued their hearings on access to finance for SMEs, with ISME’s Mark Fielding in fine form
• An Irish guesthouse was voted second best in Europe for exceptional service
• Just like with mortgages, Bank of Ireland said there’ll be no debt write-downs for small business
• Amidst the pre-election furore, the Government announced a new €500 million bank for SMEs. We broke down what it means.
• New stats showed where Ireland’s most shuttered main street is.

For all the breaking news, features and analysis vital for the sector, keep up to date with TheJournal.ie’s dedicated SME channel>

Read: SMEs and Sport – I lost my job, got a skin cancer diagnosis and started a business. Now I sell to the LA Lakers>