Chicken Chow Mein(from The Kildare Nationalist...again) How modest!

Athy girls have winning smile
AMONG the prize-winners at the Young Enterprise Ireland and Young Entrepreneurs Scheme awards was Scoil Mhuire, Athy, who received a plethora of accolades in Toughers last Thursday.
Scoil Mhuire, Athy, were to the forefront of the awards initiative, garnering five awards in total including the top award in the senior section of the Young Entrepreneurs Scheme.
Charmaine Kenny and Louise O’Mara founded their business called SMILE last April, making greeting cards and little trinkets. These items yielded a profit of approximately £250.
Charmaine told the Kildare Nationalist that making these products was very time consuming, as was the magazine which they produced and sold in their secondary school.
At present, the two students’ products are sold in a number of shops, including Noah’s Ark, Athy, while another useful marketing ploy proved to be their attendance at the Christmas Fairs. From the finance raised at these fairs, they donated 20% of their profits to charity.
Both girls said that they underwent a time of consultation prior to settling on cultivating their chosen idea and once they agreed on the direction their business would take, they “enjoyed it”.
As successful as SMILE was, the girls are contemplating starting a different business. However, they would not divulge any other information, stating, “that would be giving it away”.
Another of Scoil Mhuire’s successful participants in the competition were the Apollo 4.5 company. PRO and Marketing Manager of the award-winning company, Mary Dunne explained they also enjoyed the experience.
Garnering the runner-up prize in the Young Enterprise Ireland awards, Mary said administering a company was tough going, adding that if she was to continue on in the same business she would have to retire by the time she reached 25.
Manufacturing ID cards, Mary believed it is important for every company to have “good financial backing”. With six managers and 18 employees, she articulated the success of the company was because “we have the neck for it”.
In her presentation to the judges, the PRO and Marketing Manager told that each member learned to deal with customers and their queries. “We had to find out also about what was needed from each of us.”
The third Scoil Mhuire project which courted success last week was the Y2 KARDS project. Winning the Best Entrepreneurial Skills category, five second year students made greeting cards.
Working on the project since last September, 1999, the five members, Maeve Cunnane, Louise O’Sullivan, Tara King, Erika Kelly and Siobhan McCauley, affirmed it was a lot of work but they also enjoyed it.
Their aim now would be to keep the company running smoothly. They added that for a business to be successful it much set achievable aims and be able to accomplish these targets.