Business Builders

Produced by Jetbooks, Chartered Accountants Ireland.

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In Series 7, Episode #56, I speak with Laura Weldon, owner of Honey Honey Cafes, now with three locations in Dublin. Laura discusses her entrepreneurial journey, from her initial foray into business in 2018 to overcoming various challenges, including the impact of COVID-19. She elaborates on the importance of learning by doing, allowing customers to shape the brand, and the necessity of loving what you do. Additionally, Laura shares insights on scaling a business, the value of investing in technology and people, and balancing hard work with smart decision-making.

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HONEY HONEY CAFE:

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Support mental health awareness with Brent Pope’s “Elephant in the Room” initiative. Join the movement to de-stigmatise mental health conversations in the workplace and beyond. Adopt an elephant sculpture and show your commitment to creating a supportive environment for everyone. Visit www.elephantintheroom.ie to learn more and get involved.

Produced by Jetbooks, Chartered Accountants Ireland.

Subscribe to the Business Builders Newsletter for the very best ideas I've discovered on business and personal growth

In Series 7, Episode #55, I speak with Barry Drennan about his extraordinary journey from mechanic to entrepreneur. Barry discusses transitioning from selling and servicing golf course machinery to founding his own business and how he successfully navigated the 2008 financial crisis by pivoting to a leasing model. Barry also delves into managing staff, creating a sustainable retirement plan through pensions and property investments, and balancing his professional life and personal passions such as running ultramarathons. Highlighting the mental and physical challenges of ultra running, the camaraderie among runners, and the profound life lessons he's learned along the way, Barry’s story is a testament to resilience, adaptability, and finding passion in every aspect of life.

CONNECT WITH CONOR:
LinkedIn

Support mental health awareness with Brent Pope’s “Elephant in the Room” initiative. Join the movement to de-stigmatise mental health conversations in the workplace and beyond. Adopt an elephant sculpture and show your commitment to creating a supportive environment for everyone. Visit www.elephantintheroom.ie to learn more and get involved.

Produced by Jetbooks, Chartered Accountants Ireland.

Subscribe to the Business Builders Newsletter for the very best ideas I've discovered on business and personal growth.

In Series 7, Episode #54, I interview Mary McKenna, founder and CEO of Tour America and The Travel Suite. Mary shares her entrepreneurial journey, influenced by her father's passion and values, highlighting her resilience through challenges like September 11th, the COVID-19 pandemic, and a near-fatal accident in 2004. She discusses maintaining work-life balance and fostering a culture of empathy. Mary also delves into her methods for creating a customer-focused company culture, emphasizing respect, communication, and addressing customer concerns promptly, ensuring zero complaints.

CONNECT WITH CONOR:

LinkedIn

TOUR AMERICA:

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Instagram

LinkedIn

Support mental health awareness with Brent Pope’s “Elephant in the Room” initiative. Join the movement to de-stigmatise mental health conversations in the workplace and beyond. Adopt an elephant sculpture and show your commitment to creating a supportive environment for everyone. Visit www.elephantintheroom.ie to learn more and get involved.

Produced by Jetbooks

Subscribe to the Business Builders Newsletter for the very best ideas I've discovered on business and personal growth

In Series 7, Episode #53, I speak with renowned entrepreneur and adventurer Enda O'Coineen. The conversation delves into Enda's early fascination with the ocean, his competitive nature, and his journey from being expelled from school to becoming the CEO of the Business Post Group. The episode covers topics such as risk management, the fundamentals of business, strategic thinking, and the importance of focusing on the customer. Listeners will learn about Enda's ventures in Central Europe, his acquisition of the Business Post, and his views on technology's role in advancing society.

CONNECT WITH CONOR:

LinkedIn

CONNECT WITH ENDA:

Business Post

Kilcullen Kapital

Support mental health awareness with Brent Pope’s “Elephant in the Room” initiative. Join the movement to de-stigmatise mental health conversations in the workplace and beyond. Adopt an elephant sculpture and show your commitment to creating a supportive environment for everyone. Visit www.elephantintheroom.ie to learn more and get involved.

Produced by Jetbooks, Chartered Accountants Ireland.

Subscribe to the Business Builders Newsletter for the very best ideas I've discovered on business and personal growth.

In Series 7, Episode #52, I interview Lorraine Heskin, founder and CEO of Gourmet Food Parlour, about her entrepreneurial journey. Lorraine discusses her early influences from American culture, the importance of a slow and steady growth strategy, and her experiences navigating the challenges of the Irish economic landscape. She shares insights into the art of building a strong brand, the value of adaptability, and the critical role of a supportive team. Lorraine also talks about balancing family life with entrepreneurial demands, the significance of good financial management, and the transformative experience of being an EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalist.

CONNECT WITH CONOR:

LinkedIn

GOURMET FOOD PARLOUR:

Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

Support mental health awareness with Brent Pope’s “Elephant in the Room” initiative. Join the movement to de-stigmatise mental health conversations in the workplace and beyond. Adopt an elephant sculpture and show your commitment to creating a supportive environment for everyone. Visit www.elephantintheroom.ie to learn more and get involved.

Produced by Jetbooks

In Series 7, Episode #51, I interview Sir Michael Smurfit. Sir Michael recounts his journey from joining his father's cardboard box company at 16 to transforming it into Ireland's first multinational corporation, Smurfit Westrock. Highlighting key moments and tough decisions, Sir Michael shares valuable insights on integrity, intuition in business, and the importance of understanding operations from the ground up.

CONNECT WITH CONOR:

LinkedIn

Support mental health awareness with Brent Pope’s “Elephant in the Room” initiative. Join the movement to de-stigmatise mental health conversations in the workplace and beyond. Adopt an elephant sculpture and show your commitment to creating a supportive environment for everyone. Visit www.elephantintheroom.ie to learn more and get involved.

Produced by Jetbooks, Chartered Accountants Ireland.

Subscribe to the Business Builders Newsletter for the very best ideas I've discovered on business and personal growth.

This week I had a chat with Barry Wallace, Managing Director of Dash Burger, a fast casual restaurant that specialises in something called a smash burger.

Barry opened the first location on Kevin St just 18 months ago, and the concept has taken off like a rocket. There is already a second location on Capel St with imminent plans to expand nationwide.

In this chat, we talk about Barry’s creative passion for food and his eagerness to constantly improve on his ideas… through what he calls, marginal gains.

We also talk about Barry’s journey in business, from humble beginnings in food trucks, to franchising in Europe and finally creating Dash Burger, his proverbial secret sauce.

Find out more about Dash Burger here: https://www.dashburger.ie/

Join Barry for an ‘eat and meet’ with the burger legend himself; George Motz, on Thursday 19th May: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/dash-burger-presents-the-george-motz-pop-up-world-tour-tickets-327968401317

Produced by Jetbooks, Chartered Accountants Ireland.

Subscribe to the Business Builders Newsletter for the very best ideas I've discovered on business and personal growth.

This week I caught up with Jim Breen, Founder and Executive Chairman of Pulse Learning. 

Jim set up the business in 1999, with start up capital of just 10 pounds. It’s now a global organisation with an enviable list of clients and revenues in the tens of the millions!

In this interview, Jim talks about his early days as a civil engineer, the steps he took to start Pulse Learning, and how becoming RTE's Secret Millionaire led to Jim Founding the Cycle Against Suicide an organisation set up to raise awareness of the supports available for anyone battling depression or self-harm.

Irish Business Builders is brought to you by Jetbooks. Jetbooks provides online bookkeeping services for Irish Businesses. For a free 15 minute online consultation, visit www.jetbooks.ie

Produced by Jetbooks, Chartered Accountants Ireland.

Subscribe to the Business Builders Newsletter for the very best ideas I've discovered on business and personal growth.

This week I chatted to Phillip McGlade, CEO at Thérapie Clinic, with over 65 locations in Ireland, UK and India. Thérapie Clinic was founded in 2002 by his father and Phillip joined the clinic in his 20's and became CEO in 6 months. In this conversation Phillip talks about what he learnt growing up in the family business and how they've grown Thérapie Clinic from a single location to a multi-national business with even bigger ambitions.

Irish Business Builders is brought to you by Jetbooks. Jetbooks provides online bookkeeping services for Irish Businesses. For a free 15 minute online consultation, visit www.jetbooks.ie

Produced by Jetbooks, Chartered Accountants Ireland.

Subscribe to the Business Builders Newsletter for the very best ideas I've discovered on business and personal growth.

This week I caught up with Brian Keegan. Brian was founder and CEO of a global outsourced payroll company called 360 Group which he started from his one bed flat in London, and grew it to 6 offices in the UK and Ireland, a data-processing centre in India and a £60 million annual revenues.

Brian sold 360 Group in 2018, and has started business coaching, helping entrepreneurs through the journey from the scale-up to stage, to ultimately selling their business.

Brian has embraced the Scaling Up methodology, created by Verne Harnish and the Entrepreneurs Organisation, having used it so successfully in growing and selling the 360 Group.

Attend the Harvard Business School and Scaling Up joint event:  https://scalingupglobal.com/scaling-up-2022/

More about Scaling Up https://www.scalingupglobal.com/

2 day Scaling Up Masterclass May 11th 2022 ,  Shannon Chamber event  https://www.shannonchamber.ie/events/scaling-up-the-business-2-day-interactive-workshop-with-verne-harnish/

Irish Business Builders is brought to you by Jetbooks. Jetbooks provides online bookkeeping services for Irish Businesses. For a free 15 minute online consultation, visit www.jetbooks.ie