Mick Donaghy: How he built $1.4M from $7K (after his partnership collapsed)

Mick Donaghy's mother died when he was in his twenties.

Life's too short became his operating system.

He left Ireland. Moved to New Zealand. Became a top-billing recruiter! 

A few years later, he got his shot at ownership. A partnership to launch an Australian business for the agency he worked. 

For many reasons, this partnership didn’t work, so Mick paid back his business partner and walked away with $7,000 in his bank account.

No business. No plan B.

This time, he was doing it alone.

GEDON was born - named after his Mum.

Ultra-niche: quantity surveying and cost management. One discipline. Total focus.

• 12 months later: $1.4M AUD in billings.
• 65 placements. One person every three days.

But here's what makes Mick different.

He's not building an empire.- he’s building freedom!

Currently has 9 people, 5 offshore making 40%+ profit margins.

Last week, he won 3 new clients from his personal brand. Zero cold calls.

He just bought a 100-year-old house in Belfast. Cash.

He drives an old Toyota Corolla, does 30 minutes in the sauna daily and is two and a half years into rebuilding his relationship with alcohol.

He’s now set a new and incredible target: 20-hour work week. $300-400K profit annually.

This week on The RAG Podcast, Mick tells the full story.

We cover:

• The partnership in Australia that COVID nearly destroyed
• How he started Gedon with $7K and built it to $1.4M in year one
• Why ultra-niche made his business borderless
• The personal brand strategy that replaced cold calling
• Why he refuses to scale headcount
• His sobriety journey and the 20-hour work week plan

This isn't about scaling fast.

It's about a man who lost his mom young, tried a partnership that collapsed, and rebuilt everything from $7,000 into a million-dollar business that gives him his life back.

No investor decks. No growth-at-all-costs.

Just freedom over headcount.

If you've ever wondered whether there's another way to build a business—one that doesn't trap you -this episode has the blueprint.

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