History of your startup

BAER Business Solutions Ltd was established to provide hosted software product solutions for B2B use. Barney and Eoin have extensive experiences in the IT industry specifically in project, program and operations management along with technical expertise.

Our first product, MyProjectTracker.com, is a hosted product solution that will allow businesses to more effectively and efficiently track and control projects. While there is serious competition in the global market in regards to project management tools, from straightforward SaaS solutions such as Basecamp through to deployed enterprise application environments, there still was no obvious tool that catered effectively for business owners as well as the project manager. MyProjectTracker will fill this gap!

The company was formally founded in March 2009, though work on the MyProjectTracker project started in August of 2008. Barney is working full time in the business and Eoin is providing direction as a board member at present while working on other roles.

We have partnered with Contrast to provide the actual solution and are working with other third parties in the areas where we need help – specifically sales and marketing. We have out-sourced in Ireland totally and have done this to ensure that our cost base is minimised as much as possible.

We have invested our own savings to date and have been approved for a CEB grant (due this month) and all other monies have come from the old reliables i.e. loans, overdrafts and the credit card!

We are getting ready for beta-launch!

Why do you deserve to win?

We believe that we have found a real market for our product both in Ireland and abroad. We have a great passion and vision for where we want to take our company and not just the MyProjectTracker product. Our previous working lives have allowed us to identify a real opportunity in hosted application suites providing functionally rich, but value driven products that will really assist frustrated business owners.

We intend to grow the business beyond the two man operation it is today i.e. it is not designed to be a lifestyle business. We intend to create employment in the areas of product management, technology and customer support.

We are a “do-ers” not talkers. There is, regardless of what we read in the papers, a real dynamic in the Irish business market place – specifically amongst micro/macro and SME companies. While everyone is suffering, optimism is abound and we hope that we epitomise this attitude.

What you’ll do with the money?

If we win, the money will be used as a contribution to direct marketing e.g. competition on Newstalk/RTE1 to raise awareness in the business community. It will also contribute towards further marketing/sales consultancy where we need the help most.