E26 That Great Business Show - Ireland's best business podcast - presented by Conall O Móráin

1.40" Dave Kerr, boss at Wicklow based VBT IT solutions, is a rock star. He's had 5,000 views already on his LinkedIn page about his highly unusual hobby of 'rock running'...running 6m under the ocean carrying heavy rocks. Why does he do it? It's great for business. Dave also shares his other business hacks. And who would he 'hire in a heartbeat'? Well, he wants a cross between Stuart Lancaster and Brian O'Driscoll, but more for gossip than business!

17.00" Patrick Buckley is Managing Director at Mallow, Cork based EPS Group - a real golden nugget of a company that employs over 500 people. But Patrick joined Team GBS not to talk EPS (he got his pitch in however!) but to talk about LINC a North Cork, East Limerick network of engineering companies. He explains why competitor companies working together rather than against each other makes companies stronger and more successful. He says that sectoral clusters should be the new FDI for Ireland. His 'hire in a heartbeat'? Julie Sinnamon, outgoing boss of Enterprise Ireland but he's not sure if he could afford her!

40.30" Claire MacEvilly, Corporate Affairs Director with Danone, explains why every company should look at becoming a B Corp, part of a worldwide movement to promote businesses to be more than just for profit, but to be a force for good in society. Becoming a B Corp is also good for the bottom line with other member firms keen to promote the concept and sales rising sharply as the public recognises those companies that are making a wider effort. Claire had two choices that she would 'hire in a heartbeat' - actor Alan Alda and philanthropist Chuck Feeney. She met both. Find out what she thought of them.

56.00" Ireland will have a staggering 150,000 person shortfall in the IT sector next year according to Luke Treacy, General Manager of the Dublin Coding School. Part of a successful chain of coding schools, the Dublin satellite has just opened. They say they can train people to entry level in IT skills like Data Analytics and Systems Testing, in just ten weeks. Luke thinks it's an ideal option for the many who worry their jobs will not return post-Covid. And he brought our 'hire in a heartbeat' feature distinctly upmarket, saying he would hire successful businessman (also writer!) William Shakespeare to join his team.

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That Great Business Show is recorded at the Dublin South FM podcast studios.

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E25 That Great Business Show, Ireland's best business podcast.

2.00' A hilarious insight into the first seven years of start-up www.ImpactGumShields.com with former advertising exec James Murphy explaining the highly unusual and very, very painful way he found to attract a million viewers to learn about his patented gum shield. It involves Ian Madigan testing the gum shield, but not where or how you might think! Have a look here; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZ0BkQCyQTs After 'a mere' three and a half years Impact has finally secured a patent on its software. Next stop the world. To complete his Impact Gum Shield early executive team James explains why 'he'd hire Dan Weiden (creator of Nike 'just do it' strapline) in a heartbeat'.

26' The Ward family owned the Mothercare franchise in Ireland for decades but with the collapse of the UK mothership the Irish franchise finally foundered and the family business went down with it. Marketing director Laura Ward was in Mothercare HQ in Watford, UK the day the story broke. She heard not from management, but she saw it on Sky News. She tells That Great Business Show how traumatic that was. Now, the Ward siblings have started again with www.Kaliedy.com - an online version of what they had - but with a greater emphasis on backing small Irish businesses. Laura wants relevant businesses to contact her with a view to a listing. Her 'Hire in Heartbeat' is Chrissy Teigen. She explains how having Chrissie onboard could make her business go global.

47' You may think you know the horse business. That is until you listen to Equine MediRecord co-founder Pierce Dargan. He trots us through the worldwide market opportunities for his software, markets that include Sweden where horse trotting is massive (who knew?), New Zealand where bloodstock makes a mark on the country's GDP, Poland - famed for its Winged Hussars. In total he gives 60,000,000 reasons why his TCD Tangent backed business has a massive global opportunity. As well as hiring his grandad, famous industrialist Michael Dargan, in a heartbeat he also wants Andrew Lloyd Webber in his posse. Find out why.

1.09' Next time you look at a lamppost, say to yourself, 'there's a business in that'. The same goes for a park bench, a road sign, a telegraph pole. The great news for another TCD Tangent backed company, www.AIMapIT.com is that their very early stage AI company is already getting traction from large enterprises who want to count the 2 million lamp poles in Ireland, or the 5.5 million poles in the UK. Co-founder Julie Connelly says that because it's at such an early stage the business opportunities are only beginning (a Greek company has already come calling). Listen to see if you have a business idea that could you use their business idea. Julie's 'heartbeat hire' is Padraig O'Donoghue of Surecom Technology. He'll be scarlet when he hears why!

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2' Mathematician, statistician,...chef! That's the wonderful business journey (so far!) of Tara Beattie, co-founder of The Caterers, SI Cafes, Mange Tout...and what she joined Team GBS to talk about, her food preparation software, Prep Sheet. It's a wonderful piece of analytics software that can tell a chef from the tiniest café to the largest meal prep organisation, what ingredients are costing, what small recipe changes can yield to the bottom line, deliver consistency of meals across multi-locations...and, and, and....it's very good. All based on the many years of experience Tara and her top-end chef husband (Coq Hardi, Chapter One, l'Ecrivain) have had. She wants all and any of Team GBS who are in the catering business to try (for free!) her Prep Sheet software, and to Beta test it for her. Tell anyone in catering to get in touch with Tara at TheCaterers.ie

22' Giles Newsome is founder at iConnect101 - a digital transformation specialist, HQ'd in Dublin but with a growing business in the UAE and India (where they very recently beat off all-comers in a tender to create a secure rival for the Indian government to substitute MS Teams and/or Zoom) - and, as you do, they have created, for a client in Vietnam, a full digital bank, from scratch, in just 14 months. Like Louella Morton's business Test Reach that we featured on E23, this one is another hidden Irish made gem. BTW, Giles would have any or both of the Collison brothers (Stripe) if he could 'hire them in a heartbeat'.

40' Sinead Doherty is founder of Fenero.ie - Fenero we learn is Latin for 'doing well in business' - though there was some discussion about the actual pronunciation. Sinead's tax advice firm specialises in advising top end contract workers (tech, finance etc.) on issues around tax but she does it differently, having a customer care team that deal directly with the clients. The care team in turn send all of the tax issues on to their specialist tax experts who live in the 'back office'. Sinead says it's a different approach that her firm takes, unlike other accountancy firms, putting the customer first, and speaking in 'plain English'. Her heartbeat hire is billionaire founder of Spanx, Sara Blakely. Sinead explains why.

58' 'Employees don't quit jobs, they quit bosses' is the brave claim by (very) early stage start up HappyTeams.io - a company that uses all the latest whizz bangs to monitor the happiness of your staff - seeing if they're being cheesed by a task, a client or a boss, and feeding these anonymised daily insights back to the boss so that she/he can make changes before unhappy employee takes control of the situation themselves by exiting the company. Founder Michael Dever references how one woman, secondary school teacher, Caroline Clarke, gave Michael the confidence he lacked, and her approach is something he applies every day in his fast growing business. She's also his immediate choice for who he would hire in a heartbeat.

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E23 That Great Business Show - Ireland's best business podcast with Conall O Móráin

2' Lawyer turned entrepreneur Fergus Kerrigan, co-founder with Amy O'Flaherty of cannabis based products maker Ethos CBD, on how he got into the burgeoning business, working with a Wicklow hemp farmer, opportunities for other farmers in growing hemp, the challenges of maintaining CBD standards, exporting to Northern Ireland, targeting Great Britain, why honest brands win over 'fake' brands...and further growth opportunities, including adding mushroom extracts to his products. His 'hire in a heartbeat' is Jeff Bezos. Find out why.

21' Nua Fertility, founded by Deborah Brock, following her own fertility issues, with no background in medicine or science she set about formulating a fertility supplement to correct any nutritional imbalances that may be holding back a pregnancy. It's not just a female issue and she explains the 'Rod Steward Syndrome' regarding male sperm issues. The market is vast with millions of couples experiencing fertility issues which is why her company is now exploring the ginormous Chinese market. Her 'hire in a heartbeat'? Her nine year old daughter Ella, the reason Nua Fertility exists.

44' Cullen Nurseries, another great Hacketstown, County Carlow company (following on from Jo Browne Skincare, previously featured), a 25 year company specialising in native trees and bushes. She talks about how she decided to give up the job she loved to help grow the family business, how Covid has changed their business model for the better, the importance of the phone (still!) in their fully online enabled business, how phone chats help retain repeat customers, the many LEO courses that she has attended, and why she'd like to have Amy Huberman and Kamala Harris working on the Cullen Nurseries team.

64' A real hidden gem, Test Reach, based at Nexus at Nova UCD, is a fascinating company headed by Louella Morton and Sheena Bailey who between them have grown a world class, and worldwide, business already employing over 70 people, running every type of exam possible for companies, industry bodies, professional organisations globally. With a long career in IT Louella explains getting 'the itch' and how she wanted to run her own business, and why, even though they're already in over 120 countries, that the business is still only scratching the market surface. And Louella's 'hire in a heartbeat'? Graham Norton. And why not.

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E22 Ireland's best business podcast, this week with a world comedy star, Jason Byrne, turned tech entrepreneur

2' Top comedian Jason Byrne talks about branching into the tech world with his new iLaugh app, his rapid education about business, why he thought investment was a bad thing, why he's asking TeamGBS for future investments. He also explains how going to Luck School was his lucky break, meeting a future investor. He talks about the importance of mental health and about many, many other topics. He's a laugh. Not surprisingly! When asked who he'd hire in a heartbeat he gave the same answer as Laura Dillon did in her interview

34' Laura Dillon is the new CEO at the Dublin office of Dutch private equity firm Waterland. They've just raised another €2.5 billion and she explains what their 'buy and build' model is. They're looking to invest in companies with profits 'north of €2.5 million' but they also want to buy other, smaller companies, to bolt on to what she terms the initial platform companies. If you're in waste, nursing homes or IT (or have an equestrian business!), they'd like to talk to you. And, who would Laura like to hire in a heartbeat? See Jason Byrne's answer above!

58' Jerry Foley is one half of XR Concepts, that uses a mix of VR and AR = XR, to help improve your golf short game. They're using the very, very latest technology, which is why they're part of the TCD Tangent programme - under its Alsessor Accelerator AI umbrella. Jerry has worked with some of the world's big name 'short game' coaches, using their decades of experience to launch this product to the tens of millions of golfers around the world. After that, he says he says that the technology can be applied to most any sport that uses equipment. And who would he hire in a heartbeat? Legendary golf coach Bob Torrance (RIP), father of Sam and coach to Padraig Harrington.

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E21 That Great Business Show, Ireland's best business podcast

2 mins. Bob Hamilton, founder IrishUrns.com , Ireland's biggest urner (!). Former Bank of Ireland banker Bob explains the size of the market he's after for his bespoke Irish handcrafted cremation urns. 30,000 people 'pass' in Ireland each year, too small a market for Bob, who has his eye on the 320,000 Irish Americans who die each year. He explains the extraordinary detail and internet searches he's gone into, to find and 'talk' to that market, what he learnt from Google workshops and how he worked his website from being on page 9 of search engines to being at no. 2 or 3 on the first page. Hard work does pay off. He also talks about the 10,000 memorial trees he's planting in the Naul, in North County Dublin. Bob's choice for our 'hire in a heartbeat' slot is inspirational speaker, Simon Sinek. Listen to find out why.

22 mins. Gary Stokes, CEO, Microfinance Ireland (MFI) on how much money the Government sponsored, not-for-profit, lender has to give to micro-enterprises, how they've simplified the application paperwork, why he expects thousands of small business failures post-Covid, particularly in the hospitality industry, he tells why it's cheaper to get an MFI loan from the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs), how the pillar banks are not seen by him as opposition, the gap in the market for loans between €25k - €50k and why he's hire Alan (Lord) Sugar in a heartbeat.

42 mins. Orla Walsh, director Specsavers Audiology, on the very interesting partnership model pioneered by UK based Specsavers founders, Doug and Mary Perkins, how Orla transitioned from ICU nurse to running an audiology business, what ICU nurse training brings to business practices (no room for mistakes!), the fantastic entry level opportunities for school leavers within the Specsavers 'family', where you can be paid to become an audiologist and how the model encourages staff 'partners' to take on a unit of their own. Orla's 'hire in a heartbeat' is Tony Robbins whom she heard speak at the Pendulum Summit some years ago, but hasn't forgotten the experience.

59 mins. Wendy Slattery, co-founder of the Beauty Buddy app, aka the TripAdvisor for beauty products. Wendy explains why she believes her app is a world-winner, what the fascinating business model is (she has micro-influencers who get paid in product for their candid reviews), she shares the secret of how they have already had 20,000 downloads of their app, what they have to pay for each download, how soon they'll reach a critical mass of users, what they'll do with the €1 million they're currently raising and why Sheryl Sandberg would be her 'heartbeat hire' and maybe the ideal investor?

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E20 That Great Business Show, "Ireland's best business podcast"

3' Paul O'Sullivan, co-owner of Ireland's Eye Knitwear on the value of resolving family business squabbles via an outside mentor, why they outsourced manufacturing to China and why they subsequently pulled out of China, product provenance and authenticity, how a trip to the National College of Art and Design, Dublin annual student exhibition led to finding their in-house designer, his belated conversion to online selling, and why he'd hire the late Senator Feargal Quinn in a heartbeat.

22' Bevin Mahon, co-owner, Dental Tech Group, her transition for social science graduate to entrepreneur, growing a business from 2 to 40 people, how dentures end up in toilets and fires, the future of 3D dentures and how it will cut costs and creation time significantly, how Covid forced the entire company into a rethink, how she intends for her company to dominate the world, how network groups grew her business vision, and why she would hire her Ukraine based mentor, Nadiia Vaseylieva in a heartbeat.

40' Tommy Kearns, former Connacht Rugby rugby pro and co-founder Xtremepush. on sea swimming and business, how their software can track what anyone is doing online no matter what platform (laptop, mobile, tablet etc) they're using, their new Park Avenue, New York HQ set to conquer the USA, and aiming for a $500m valuation in three years, and why he'd hire the Collison brothers, Patrick and John, in a heartbeat.

62' Sarah Oullette, co-founder Kindora, on how she advertised on LinkedIn for a co-founder, the number and types of flakes who responded, what her 'pre-loved' kids accessories platform can and will do, what business she modelled it on, her background with a Hong Kong art platform, seeking a third angel investor to bring her early stage company to the European market, why she'd hire a drag queen in a heartbeat to represent her company.

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E19

Covid has taught us that all businesses must now have an online presence. However, if you're selling physical products you have to consider who's going to fill those boxes? That's called fulfillment and it's a very tricky business, dealing with thousands of items, shipping them to thousands of customers, across many, many countries. However Team GBS comes to the rescue with this episode's line-up.

2.30" Ken Byrne, RedSky Europe, Kilkenny based company filling boxes and more for US and other companies shipping into the EU. Ken gives us the do's and don'ts of shipping, why they're developing a VAT platform, trebling employment in a year, raising cash...all the good things that businesses do. He also has some insight on how to develop a super strong jawline. You'll only hear it on That Great Business Show!

20.30" Aimee Connolly is Sculpted by Aimee, her own cosmetic brand stocked in hundreds and hundreds of outlets, including Boots across the UK but during Covid, nearly half her sales are now online. With a turnover of €5.4 million in just her fourth year, this powerhouse woman was one of the first adopters worldwide of using Facebook to promote her brand, why those days are over, why it's Tik Tok and Instagram now, what works best on Instagram, what's the next big marketing platform, how she's going to crack the massive Middle East market, and why she'll she no longer dismisses the idea of selling her business.

36.30 Ciara Sheahan wants to make your website sticky. Her amazing technology ("we're two years ahead of the curve") makes people watch, engage and then re-engage with your products using her ORB Media tech. She tells us about a small North Dublin insurance company that was one of the first adopters of the tech and she gives us some incredible stats about usage that are quite stunning. Her software is for big and small businesses. Hear what she can do for any kind of business.

50.00" Caroline McEnery is the HR Suite! Her Kerry and Dublin based company covers all the bases across HR requirements, including fraud investigation, sexual harassment, bullying...and of course, keeping your staff happy. And how do you do that? By asking 'The Right Questions'. Caroline knows so much about this issue that she's written the book about it. We know how busy Team GBS is so we've made it simple for you. In just 15 minutes Caroline explains all. Listen to her, it's the least you could do to keep your staff happy.

71.00" We don't just tell you how to make your business brilliant online, we also find you the talent to make the magic happen for you. Rob Muldowney is co-founder of Covid-Interns, five college graduates who have an unending supply of smart talent across all disciplines, (though the biggest pickup is for marketeers) - students and graduates that want to add experience to their CVs during lockdown and who are willing to offer their services at the right price. They had 400 new people sign up to their database, some coming from the UK, since the start of the year and they've placed candidates as far afield as New York and Singapore, though the vast bulk are working remotely for Irish firms. A great source of talent.

81.00" A tribute to Jimmy Fitzpatrick, RIP, 'the most charming man in Irish business'. An original and huge supporter of TeamGBS he's greatly missed by everyone who ever knew him and his infectious, raucous, laugh.

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E18 That Great Business Show, Ireland's best business podcast

3.30" Caoimhe Heery, Partner at Flynn O'Driscoll lawyers on the 'working from home' legislation and why, technically, a self-employed person could be breaking the law by working too hard!

24' Damien Browne, CEO Standard Access, on his company's multi-billion dollar business opportunity around commercial buildings and why he's raising €4 million to bring his Dingle, Kerry business to the rest of the world

43' Tracy Armstrong, co-founder, Kombucha KO, on pivoting from Hello magazine to brewing her fermented tea in her apartment, why Ferbane, County Offaly is Ireland's kombucha centre, and why she wants to be listed by O'Brien's Wine

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Three more great growth companies with world ambitions. After twenty different jobs, Jo Browne, who started work at 13, founded her own Carlow based skincare company and is now selling to 12 countries around the world, most recently South Korea. Why South Korea? Because there are 50 million people there, that's why! Hear why she works until midnight every day, making her own solid perfume and how three people in Carlow can take on the world and win.

Thomas Ward had an ice cream kiosk in Bray, Co. Wicklow. When he wanted to expand he couldn't find a suitable van with pzazzz. He called on his brother Kevin, a salesman at Indeed.com, and with absolutely no knowledge or experience of building vans they started a business - as you do. From Rathnew in Wicklow they now export Airstream type vans to Australia, across Europe and they even have started selling them back to the home of Airstream, the US. It's all about SEO according to Kevin. Hear how TeamGBS are opening doors for him to Connecticut on the US east coast.

He said he was the class dunce, but it turns out that 25 year old entrepreneur Charlie Gleeson may be smartest kid on the block. He got his college pals to work on his e-scooter business plans as part of their college course. He raised €1.1 million (raising a further €4 million currently), has won numerous UK tenders to supply e-scooters, again using his college pals who cracked the tender process code, and is now waiting for legislation to expand to large towns across Ireland. Then...the world.

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