If you have big dreams of being your own boss, you need to get yourself to Belfast next Tuesday evening.

The hugely successful AIB Start-Up Academy is now in its second year and the next stop of the nationwide tour is in Belfast on Tuesday, November 17. The event kicks off at 6.30pm in McHughs Bar and Restaurant on Queen's Square, so be sure to register here and secure yourself a place at one of Ireland's best networking events. Why should you do this? Well, if you're thinking about starting your own business then you'll be hearing directly from some incredibly esteemed and experienced entrepreneurs. Speakers will include Brendan Monaghan of Neueda.com who, since 2004, have been leveraging their technical and domain expertise to globally deliver critical software projects to public and private sector clients. Brendan is the founding director of Neueda and leads the business strategy and business development functions across the company. The co-founder and director of ShredBank, Philip Bain, will also be speaking about how his company specialises in developing new ventures and turning around under-performing start-up companies from a range of sectors, such as; retail, business management and more. Philip has recently released a book for start-ups called Start to Grow. As well as hearing expert business advice from these two experienced entrepreneurs, you will also get the chance to listen to three local start-ups, who will be pitching their businesses. To get more information on the AIB Start-Up Academy, click here. To apply for a place on the AIB Start-Up Academy training and mentoring programme with the Irish Times Training Department, come right this way.