That Great Business Show

E236 That Great Business Show

UCD Smurfit Business School 'Podcast of the Year'

Jacqueline and Bernie Ffrench

Investing in employee wellness isn’t just a trend—it’s a business advantage. A healthier, more engaged workforce drives productivity, innovation, and success. Here’s why:

When employees feel physically and mentally well, they bring higher energy levels, sharper focus, and better problem-solving skills to work. Studies show that companies with strong wellness programs see a 20%+ boost in productivity.

Workplace wellness initiatives lower stress, prevent burnout, and reduce sick leave. Businesses that prioritise wellness report fewer absences and lower long-term healthcare expenses, benefiting both employees and employers.

Employees value workplaces that care about their well-being. A well-designed wellness program boosts job satisfaction, engagement, and loyalty, helping businesses attract and retain top talent.

Wellness isn’t just a perk—it’s a strategy for success.

#WorkplaceWellness #BusinessGrowth #HealthyEmployees #CorporateCulture #EmployeeEngagement #Leadership #WellbeingAtWork #MentalHealthMatters #FutureOfWork

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Episode 235 That Great Business Show

UCD Smurfit Business School, 'Podcast of the Year'

An investment company that says they’re aiming to defy the "accepted norm", by flipping 70% failure, to a 70% success rate

MARTIN DUFFY is General Partner with Hibernia-Lab, at Dublin based early stage venture labs ecosystem that, inter alia, conducts 'thorough market research' develops ‘a unique value proposition’, identifies growth opportunities for almost any business, 'differentiates your brand', and maximises your businesses' market potential. Its investments appears positively eclectic with a portfolio of more than ten investments that includes a company that advises rugby teams, and another, called Team Taca (backed by dad and daughter team of Niall and Aisling Quinn) that has created a platform for youth soccer clubs. Hibernia-Lab has also worked with Leinster Rugby at Syracuse University.

Martin covers an awful, awful lot about business on this episode.

His 'hires in a heartbeat'? The late Nicola Tesla or the very much alive (and That Great Business Tip for the Top) Emma Meehan of Precision Sports Technology

Margaret Dineen - Food Whisperer

We like feature so many early stage food companies on the podcast as they make business accessible and understandable, whether we’re talking about buying, selling, marketing or doing deliveries. Lessons learnt from making bread, no matter what your industry, can make you bread.

Accountant Margaret Dineen is a food business whisperer. Her business Blue Sky Food Consulting, is a supply chain and commercial finance advisory service. Her other business, The Irish Food Trade Connect Forum is a Food and Drinks nationwide platform for trade development for the Irish Food and Drinks industry.

Her 'hire in a heartbeat'? Niamh Lenehan, CEO, Agri-Food Regulator

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E234 That Great Business Show

UCD Smurfit Business School, 'Podcast of the Year'

A special episode recorded in Longford, thanks to the Longford Local Enterprise Office that is keen to highlight the international diversity of businesses being set up in Longford, with budding entrepreneurs from all over the world being drawn to the county.

On this episode we have two women entrepreneurs from very different parts of the world and both with unbridled ambition for their businesses.

Jenna Farrell, co-founder of Scopey, explains what Scope Creep is and how to cure it. Essential listening for anyone selling a service where clients demand more for less.

Uche Chiemeka is founder of UC Nuts. Covid almost did for her fledgling nuts business, but then she saw an ad for Supervalu's Food Academy. She says it was 'life changing'.

With thanks to De Facto Shaving Oil www.DeFactoShave.com

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E233 That Great Business Show

A banker who wanted to run a car sharing business but turned to lens making instead. Simon Forsyth is part of the Lir Optic team at UCD Nova, the UCD spin out lab. They've come up with a 'world beating lens' they believe. It shifts shape by applying an electric current to it. That means no little motors to drive lenses in and out. That means thinner, cheaper phones and laptops, and...well anything that uses cameras, which is quite a lot. They're raising €3 million to bring it to the world. The market is so big we don't have enough zeroes on the keyboard to type it out...and they're in talks with A Big Company. Could be huge.

His 'hire in a heartbeat'? Steve Jobs, who had the greatest team of optical engineers ever.

SaaS Apocalypse is something new to us at That Great Business Show. It’s a term used by Niall O’Gorman, founder of MarketSizer, a competitive intelligence platform that helps SaaS companies find the right customers, optimize growth, and stay ahead of the competition. Wait until you hear how detailed they can be. They say they can know more about a company than the company owners may do. And other analyses they can do is pretty mind blowing. They track 60 million SaaS subscriptions at the moment. And growing. Very fast. Next may be an 'always on' analysis of what big companies are using, and telling the procurement what is being spent, on what etc.

They're raising €1.5m. to head to North America.

His 'hire in a heartbeat'? Matt Damon, because he was once 'stranded on Mars'.

With thanks to De Facto Shaving Oil, the world's best.

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That Great Business Show with Conall Ó Móráin – Episode 232

Ireland’s Best Business Podcast - UCD Smurfit Business School 'Podcast of the Year' brings you two incredible stories of entrepreneurship and innovation!

💼 From Milan’s Theatres to Dublin’s Boardrooms

Meet Ilaria Eugenia Ferri, the ‘Mary Poppins’ of business—a Virtual Assistant who helps companies scale, streamline, and stay organised. After swapping Milan’s top theatres for Dublin, she turned her passion for organisation into profit, helping small businesses structure their operations for success.

🍓 Revolutionising Jam with Mór Taste

Felix Oster is leading the jam revolution, crafting Europe’s fruitiest jams with 85% real fruit and zero concentrates. His journey—from food manufacturing to judging at the World Cheese Awards—led him to create a healthier, tastier jam inspired by an unexpected moment in the Swiss mountains.

• Tune in for inspiring business insights and don’t forget to REPOST & SHARE!
• What’s your biggest takeaway from this episode? Let us know in the comments!
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#ThatGreatBusinessShow #IrishEntrepreneurs #VirtualAssistant #FoodInnovation #SmallBusiness #Podcast

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E231 That Great Business Show

Michael Guerin, founder Imvizar, making tourist attractions eh, more attractive. And, his second business, Lureo, will make anyone a Hollywood director. It's Canva for 3D videos.

He travels. A lot. But that's business. And he expects his team to rock up to the office. Even the ones who live in Lisbon and Marseille.

And, there's a land grab going on in the sector, so having raised €1.5m he's going to raise more funds by the end of this year to bring the business big in the US.

His 'hire in a heartbeat', Walt Disney.

Ciaran Doherty, founder of Loadar, cutting costs in a very significant way for big businesses that ship products - by land, sea or air. The biggest problem they're solving is pricing - the number of variables is huge, but Loadar automates the process. He's looking for the world's biggest shippers, a couple of thousand businesses only, but if he secures them that would make Loadar very, very successful indeed. Invest NI and Catalyst sent Ciaran to MIT in the US for a week. It transformed him and his business. In a week.

It took him just eight weeks to raise €4m from Frontline Ventures amongst others.

He talks us through on how to win business. Step by step.

His 'hire in a heartbeat'? Adam Blake of MIT. We want Adam for the for the podcast. Please.

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E230 That Great Business Show

UCD Smurfit 'Podcast of the Year'

IKEA? Check. Jysk? Check. AJ Products. ??? Yes, it's another hugely successful Nordic brand, available across 19 countries, including Ireland. Tanya Cawley is the Ireland country boss and she tells us what's in the secret sauce. Not surprisingly, attention to detail is very, very important. Oh, and she likes a clean desk. Very, very clean. And shut that drawer!

Her 'hire in a heartbeat'? Sharon Carey who works at Dunnes Stores.

How to make smarter decisions in a noisy world. Nuala Walsh is an extraordinarily well qualified woman who has written a book - 'Tune In' (Harriman House) - about decision making. It's a practical resource for making better choices. Now, what business would not want that? She says the book will show how to make fewer errors.

Her 'hire in a heartbeat'? Bill Clinton

With thanks to De Facto Shaving Oil. For everyone who shaves.

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E229 That Great Business Show

UCD Smurfit Business School, 'Podcast of the Year'

A 'handy number'? Some Non-Executive Directors, NED, can earn €80k for a monthly board meeting...some can earn twice that. Carol Bolger, formerly senior executive at Ulster Bank and Faculty member at Institute of Directors Ireland, teaches how to become a director at the Institute of Directors (IoD). You may be able to become a NED. Carol tells you how. At 10.00" she explains how tough it was being a senior banker in 2008, during the Financial Crisis.

Her 'hire in a heartbeat'? Mairead McGuinness, former EU Commissioner.

Rebecca Markey is CEO of IFP Media and, of course, she 'gives back' by being Chair of the Enterprise Committee of the RDS. Once upon a time the RDS was the 'go to' place for agricultural training. That's mostly in the past. Now the RDS is promoting the 'circular economy' (using, reusing, replacing, substituting) that one report from InterTrade Ireland says there's €3 billion a year going abegging. The RDS is running a programme to promote the 'circular economy' and they want your company to apply. Like now. There's a cash prize along with some invaluable publicity.

Her 'hire in a heartbeat'? Don Draper for Marketing as well as Blake from Glengarry Glen Ross

With thanks to De Facto Shaving Oil, for anyone who shaves. De Facto Shave dot com.

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E228 That Great Business Show

Economist Alan McQuaid sees the end of the EU...and what's happening to the UK economy???

He wants our Government to spend some of the Apple billions on a massive airlift of SMEs on trade missions worldwide.

He says SMEs should get more grants, rent rebates and insurance subsidies.

'No Dáil politician should be a a multiple home owner'

His 'hire in a heartbeat'? All of the SMEs that have feature on That Great Business Show (he's a big fan) OR Nigel Owens (hear him on Episode 212).

Crossbar.

Willo King has run bars, off licenses, created a party app, manufactured party goods...and now runs a recycle bicycle business.

She's a classic SME entrepreneur and she's an inspiration to anyone thinking of starting their own business.

If you're in the bike business she'd like a word.

Her 'hire in a heartbeat', Edie King (aka her daughter). Find out why.

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E227 That Great Business Show

UCD Smurfit Business School, 'Podcast of the Year'

We know about XXX businesses, the ones that sell the dodgy stuff, but how about 50X businesses???

The 50X Programme from SME Matters connects you and your business with like-minded business owners in a peer-to-peer learning environment that’s transformative. Damien O'Brien is CEO of SME Matters and he says he doesn't offer just support— he calls it empowerment. And, he wants you to step into a new way of leading and succeeding. Listen to get a free masterclass.

Every business owner, or wannabe entrepreneur, is full of good intentions…to do more R&D, find cleverer ways of making things, and of course finding anything, anything to remove costs from the business. But of course, REAL LIFE gets in the way. The boiler needs fixing and your favourite person in accounts has headed for Australia and needs replacing. But fear not. That Great Business Show is here to help.  Research Ireland wants to help with whatever it takes to make Irish businesses more dynamic, more innovative…indeed anything that makes our economy more competitive on the world stage. It is NOT just for big companies. Your business – no matter what size – can benefit. Ciaran Seoighe is Deputy CEO at Research Ireland tells us what’s available, who can get their goodies, and how to go about it…

With thanks to De Facto Shaving Oil.

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