Business Builders

Tim Sparsis, founder of The Attic Company, shares an honest account of what it really takes to grow a trade business from the ground up — from arriving in Ireland with an old van and borrowed money to building a company that now delivers hundreds of projects every year.

Tim talks openly about the early days of doing everything himself, the fear of hiring when cash was tight, and the moment he realised that staying “on the tools” was holding the business back. He explains why scaling meant going backwards to go forwards, how systems and people unlocked growth, and why letting go was the hardest — but most important — leadership shift he made.

The conversation also explores the human side of building a business: mental health, burnout, and the role running and fitness play in helping Tim switch off, think clearly, and build something sustainable over the long term.

🎧 In this episode, you’ll learn:
– How Tim moved from doing everything himself to leading a scalable business
– Why most founders think they can’t afford their next hire — and why that mindset holds them back
– What “going backwards to go forwards” really looks like in practice
– How systems and operations enable growth in a trade business
– Why stepping away from the tools was the turning point
– The importance of balance, mental health, and sustainability as a founder

Whether you’re building a trade business, scaling a service company, or navigating the transition from operator to leader, this episode offers practical, hard-earned insights into what sustainable growth really requires.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.
👇 Full episode link in the comments.

Business leader and entrepreneur Pádraig O’Céidigh shares a deeply reflective conversation on success, stress, and the question most people never stop to ask: what is enough?

Drawing on decades of experience in business and life, Pádraig speaks candidly about decision-making under pressure, the hidden cost of ambition, and why many of the richest people he knows are not happy. He introduces the idea of a personal “safe harbour” — a way of making life and business decisions that prioritise perspective, values, and long-term wellbeing over constant growth.

This is not a hustle story. It’s a conversation about wisdom, restraint, and learning to recognise when more is no longer better.

🎧 In this episode, you’ll learn:
– Why financial success doesn’t guarantee happiness
– What Pádraig means by asking “what is enough?”
– How stress and ambition can quietly take over your life
– A practical framework for making difficult decisions
– Why perspective matters more than momentum
– How life experience reshapes how you define success

Whether you’re a business builder, leader, or simply someone questioning the pace and pressure of modern work, this episode offers a rare, grounded perspective on success — and what it should actually serve.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.
👇 Full episode link in the comments.

Mail Metrics co-founder Nick Keegan shares a raw and revealing account of what it really takes to survive the early years of a startup — from three years with no customers to building one of Ireland’s largest customer communications businesses through bold pivots and high-risk acquisitions.

Nick speaks candidly about the naïve mistakes made at the start, burning through investor capital, letting staff go, and being months from running out of cash — before a single RFP became the lifeline that changed everything. He also explains how stumbling into a regulated, enterprise-grade business model unlocked long-term growth, and why learning by doing was the only way forward.

🎧 In this episode, you’ll learn:
– What it’s like to build a startup with zero customers for years
– Why building before talking to customers nearly killed the business
– How one tender became a turning point
– The reality of enterprise sales and long growth cycles
– Why Nick used acquisitions to scale faster than organic growth
– The personal and psychological toll of the early survival years

Whether you’re a founder, operator, or investor, this episode offers a rare, honest look at the gap between startup mythology and startup reality — and what it really takes to get through it.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.
👇 Full episode link in the comments.

Tom Rowan, founder of Rowan Engineering, shares a grounded and refreshingly honest account of how he built a forensic engineering and environmental consultancy from one customer and no grand plan into a 30-person business working with insurers, public bodies, and major Irish organisations.

Rather than chasing hype or overnight success, Tom explains how his ambition evolved gradually — from simply replacing his salary, to hitting €250k, then €1 million, and beyond. Along the way, he reflects on leadership, culture, setbacks, and why values like integrity, professionalism, and balance matter more as a business grows.

🎧 In this episode, you’ll learn:
– How Rowan Engineering grew one step at a time
– Why ambition changes as a business scales
– The reality of hiring when there’s no money in the bank
– How to build a values-led culture without ego
– Why slow, deliberate growth often wins

Whether you’re running a small business, thinking about scaling, or questioning what growth should actually look like, this episode offers a calm, thoughtful perspective from someone who’s lived it.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.

After losing his engineering job during the 2008 crash, Daniel Plewman found himself unemployed, on the dole, and unsure what came next. A chance moment — his wife struggling to source quality scrubs from the US — sparked the idea that would eventually become Happythreads, an e-commerce scrubs and healthcare uniform business now operating across Ireland, the UK, France, Spain, Germany and beyond.

In this episode, Danny shares how he built Happy Threads from a spare room in Stoneybatter, going door-to-door with samples, and why launching an e-commerce scrubs business long before it was obvious became his unfair advantage. He opens up about the early years of survival, cashflow tricks, moments of being “technically bankrupt,” and the burnout and hospitalisation that forced him to rethink how he worked and led.

🎧 In this episode, you’ll learn:
– Spotting overlooked opportunities and creating a new market
– How e-commerce cashflow helped the business survive
– Building a 25-person team across Europe
– Burnout, lifestyle choices, and the high-dependency hospital wake-up call
– Leadership, culture, and moving towards a business that can run without you


🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube

Former Paddy Power co-founder Stewart Kenny shares a brutally honest account of how he built — and then left — the world’s biggest betting company.
From his father’s influence and early fascination with risk to the creation of Paddy Power’s fearless marketing, Stewart speaks candidly about success, addiction, ethics, and why he ultimately left the industry he helped define.

🎧 In this episode, you’ll learn:
– How Paddy Power became a cultural phenomenon
– The marketing mindset that reshaped betting in Ireland
– What Stewart learned about leadership, ego, and risk
– His reflections on ADHD and entrepreneurship
– Why he left the gambling industry — and what he’d change today

Whether you’re a business builder or just fascinated by the psychology of success, this episode offers one of the most disarmingly honest conversations we’ve ever had.

Niall Jones, co-owner of Anglo Irish Refrigeration, joins host Conor Kearney to share his journey from redundancy to running a €30M+ business. In this episode, Niall gets candid about the personal risks of buying a company, the adrenaline of nonstop growth, and how culture—not spreadsheets—has become his most powerful business tool. If you’re interested in acquisitions, scaling SMEs, or what it really takes to grow a service-heavy business, this is an essential listen.

What can a magician teach us about leadership, resilience, and growth?

In this episode of Business Builders Podcast, Ciaran McCormack shares how his early lessons in crowd control and stage presence became the foundations for running one of Ireland and the UK’s most successful retail groups. From balloon animals to Apple, to steering a company through examinership and rebirth, this is a story about creativity, grit, and believing in possibility — even when everything’s on the line.

🎧 In this episode, you’ll learn:

– How a magician’s stagecraft became the foundation for leadership and communication
– What Ciaran learned moving from film school to Apple to the boardroom
– Why naivety can be a strength when stepping into your first CEO role
– How he led a company through examinership and came out stronger
– What it takes to scale from £17M to £210M without losing culture or drive

Whether you’re building a business, leading a team, or redefining what success means, this episode is packed with grounded, human insight on confidence, growth, and resilience.

🎙️ Host: Conor Kearney

👇 Listen & Subscribe
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In Series 10, Episode #94, I interview Sean Mac Fhearraigh, co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Assay Genie. Sean shares his journey from academic cancer researcher to successful entrepreneur. We delve into the challenges of transitioning from science to business, raising funds, and growing Assay Genie into a multimillion-euro enterprise. The conversation spans topics like the importance of credibility in the scientific market, the impact of AI on science, and personal sacrifices made along the way.

CONNECT WITH CONOR:

LinkedIn

CONNECT WITH SEAN:

LinkedIn

Assay Genie

Discover EO Ireland—part of an international network designed specifically for entrepreneurs. EO Ireland connects business owners for networking, mentorship, and shared learning experiences. Take your business to the next level and join a community of like-minded leaders today at eoireland.org. Empower your entrepreneurial journey!

Produced by Jetbooks, Chartered Accountants Ireland.

Hire world-class accountants and in The Philippines. Visit Outsource Direct to scale your operations with higher flexibility, maximum efficiency and much lower costs.

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

In Series 10, Episode #93, I interview Laura Dillon, head of Waterland Private Equity. She elaborates on Waterland's investment strategy, focusing on mature companies with high growth potential, and highlights the importance of aligned values and ambition in partnerships. Laura also shares her diverse career trajectory from McKinsey to an MBA at Harvard, running a family-owned business, and returning to private equity. She emphasises the significance of hard work, learning from real-world experiences, and the impact of maintaining a balanced personal and professional life. The conversation delves into how private equity can help businesses scale, manage risks, and achieve significant growth through strategic partnerships and acquisitions.

CONNECT WITH CONOR:

LinkedIn

CONNECT WITH LAURA:

LinkedIn

Waterland

Discover EO Ireland—part of an international network designed specifically for entrepreneurs. EO Ireland connects business owners for networking, mentorship, and shared learning experiences. Take your business to the next level and join a community of like-minded leaders today at eoireland.org. Empower your entrepreneurial journey!

Produced by Jetbooks, Chartered Accountants Ireland.