For many entrepreneurs, a passion project can quickly turn into a thriving business. That's exactly what happened when Gráinne Mullins first launched Grá Chocolates in 2020.  

When Covid-19 hit Gráinne poured her culinary expertise into crafting hand-painted Easter eggs for friends and family, which soon transformed into a promising business.  

But while the award-winning chef knew her way around a kitchen, the intricacies of running a business – like managing workflows and optimising operations – were a new challenge. 

“As a manufacturing company, I didn’t really know how to create workflows. I was relying on my own skills, but little did I know the way I was thinking about it wasn’t very efficient,” says Gráinne. 

Having had support early on her business journey, she turned to her Local Enterprise Office who suggested she do the Lean for Business programme. 

“I’m so glad I did the programme so early as it meant we were ‘thinking Lean’ from the very beginning and we’re now so efficient with all our processes, cutting packing time by 45% on some of our products and reducing waste by about 20%.” 

Whether you’ve heard about the principles or can guess from the title, Lean is all about delivering more value with less waste. It involves looking at every step in your process and asking whether it’s necessary and if anything could be done faster or better. 

Imagine a finely-tuned machine, where every gear turns precisely, without wasted motion or unnecessary parts. That's the essence of Lean. But it goes further than that. It’s about seeking continuous improvement, taking a structured approach to problem solving and focusing on efficiency, without compromising quality.  

Not just for manufacturing 

Many SMEs think Lean practices are just for manufacturing companies, but the approach applies to any business. Take Profix for example. Experts in building maintenance, owner Stephen Hartnett describes how it helped his business.  

“We were always great on site, and, to the customer, everything looked perfect. But in the background, admin was a mess,” says Hartnett.  

“I had no office experience and as we got busier, there was too much information in my head and we had to do something to fix it.” 

Doing the Lean for Business programme “changed everything,” he says. After a consultation with a Lean expert, where they analysed all the inefficiencies together, the expert recommended creating an app to track job hours, site reports and materials, all in the one place. 

“If we hadn’t done the programme, we wouldn’t have known what’s possible. Now, everyone, all the staff are always coming up with ideas or ways to improve how we work.” 

What’s more, Stephen estimates that doing the programme and implementing the app has saved the business about a day a week in office administration.  

There are a number of supports available on the National Enterprise Hub to help you identify inefficiencies, reduce waste and become more productive.  

Lean Start: A short, focused introduction to Lean thinking. Over 8–12 weeks, a Lean coach helps your team identify inefficiencies, streamline workflows, and create a more effective, collaborative workplace. Ideal if you’re new to Lean and want a quick win. 

LeanPlus: For businesses ready to implement specific processes to reduce waste, increase delivery speed and improve quality. Grants can cover coaching, team salaries and project costs, helping SMEs embed Lean principles into day-to-day operations. 

Operational Excellence programme: A broader programme that includes Lean training, as well as guidance around digitalisation and sustainability. This support helps you invest in large-scale transformation which could increase your competitiveness on an international scale. 

Find the right support for your business 

Check out some of the most popular supports for creating a more productive business or talk to an advisor for free today on (01) 727 2100.