The Entrepreneur Experiment

In this special episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with three of Ireland’s most exciting food and drink founders for a live “Recipe for Success” masterclass, brought to you with the Local Enterprise Offices and the National Enterprise Awards.

Gary is joined by Denise Buckley of Sugar Plum Sweetery, Pat Falvey of Blarney Brewing Company and Active Brewing Company, and Ian O’Rourke of RYSE Chocolate to unpack what it really takes to build a food or drink brand in Ireland today.

From viral TikTok moments and 900% growth to getting onto retail shelves, managing margins, building customer feedback loops, and staying agile beside global competitors, this conversation is packed with practical lessons for anyone building a product-led business.

Denise shares how Sugar Plum Sweetery went from testing a viral Dubai chocolate bar with just nine moulds to making thousands of bars a day. Pat reveals how belief, vision and speed helped him move from property into brewing, including his ambition to build a sustainable Irish beer brand. Ian explains why early founders should “do things that don’t scale”, and how grassroots relationships with retailers can become one of your most valuable sources of data.

If you are building a food, drink, retail or consumer brand, this episode is a tactical playbook on testing fast, backing yourself, getting close to your customer, and staying in the game long enough for momentum to arrive.

In this episode, we cover:

🔥 The “recipe for success” behind three standout Irish food and drink brands
🍫 How Sugar Plum Sweetery turned the Dubai chocolate trend into 900% growth
📈 Why Denise believes attention to detail, obsession and customer relevance drive brand momentum
🚀 How a test batch of nine chocolate bars became thousands of bars a day
📲 Why TikTok Shop became a powerful commercial channel for Sugar Plum Sweetery
🏪 The plan to expand Sugar Plum Sweetery into 10 physical stores over three years
🍺 How Pat Falvey went from 20 years in property to owning a brewery three weeks after a chance lunch
💡 Why belief, vision and the ability to embrace change are essential founder traits
🏉 The thinking behind Active Brewing Company and functional non-alcoholic beer
⚡ How Ian O’Rourke is building RYSE Chocolate as a new “chocolate energy” category
🛒 Why getting into retail is only the first challenge — and why shelf position, rate of sale and relationships matter
📊 How small brands can use local store managers and independent retailers as real-time market research
🎯 Why “do things that don’t scale” is still one of the most powerful startup lessons
💰 The importance of understanding margin before scaling any food or drink brand
🤝 How Local Enterprise Offices helped the founders with grants, feasibility studies, machinery, brand development and connections
🌱 Why Irish brands can compete with global giants by being faster, more personal and more agile
📚 The books Ian recommends for early-stage founders: The Lean Startup and Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway
🧠 The final advice each founder would give to someone thinking about starting their own business

Links & Resources

Sugar Plum Sweetery: https://sugarplumsweetery.ie/
Blarney Brewing Company: https://www.blarneybrewing.ie/
RYSE Chocolate: https://rysechocolate.com/
Local Enterprise Offices: https://www.localenterprise.ie/
National Enterprise Awards: https://www.localenterprise.ie/awards/2026-finalists/

In this Mentor Moment, Timo Boldt, founder of Gousto, shares a counterintuitive lesson for founders: sometimes your biggest competitive advantage is the thing everyone else is trying to avoid.

Timo explains why building Gousto meant embracing complexity at every level — from AI and supply chains to logistics, manufacturing, and customer experience. He reflects on the reality of scaling a capital-intensive business, raising hundreds of millions of pounds, and why founders need to be great at far more than one thing if they want to build something truly exceptional.

If you're building a business and wondering whether the hard path is worth it, this conversation is a powerful reminder that complexity, when managed well, can become your moat.

Listen back to the full conversation in Episode 429 of The Entrepreneur Experiment — and subscribe/follow so you don't miss the next Mentor Moment.

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In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Sean Noble, one of Ireland’s fastest-rising HYROX athletes, currently ranked among the top competitors in the world.

A qualified solicitor who walked away from the traditional career path to go all-in as a full-time athlete, Sean’s story is one of grief, obsession, discipline and reinvention. After a devastating knee injury ended his football ambitions, he spiralled into drinking, weight gain and depression — before discovering fitness as a way back.

What began as a means of escape became a new identity. From his first HYROX event in 2023 to winning major races, signing with MyProtein and Puma, and competing on the Elite 15 stage, Sean reveals the mindset, training structure and personal pain that have driven his rapid rise.

This is a conversation about going all-in, rebuilding yourself from rock bottom, and what it really takes to compete at the very edge of human performance.

The conversation took place at Wellfest, Dublin, as part of the new WellMan Stage.

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In this episode, we cover:

🔥 How a career-ending football injury changed Sean’s life
🧠 The mental toll of losing sport at 22
💔 How grief after his father’s death became part of his driving force
🏋️‍♂️ Why fitness became his “medicine”
🚀 Going from his first HYROX event in 2023 to the Elite 15
⚖️ The decision to leave law behind and become a full-time athlete
📈 Why HYROX is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world
🧪 The science of lactate threshold, smart training and avoiding burnout
🥇 What it takes to train 28 hours per week at an elite level
🇮🇪 The pride of representing Ireland on the world stage

“Fitness for me was my medicine. That was my why.” — Sean

In this Mentor Moment, Bobby Kerr - former Dragon and former CEO of Insomnia Coffee - shares the strategic lessons that helped scale Insomnia from a small coffee business into a recognised national brand.

Bobby breaks down why underfunding was one of his biggest early mistakes, how letting go of ego helped him choose the right brand name and structure, and why partnerships with companies like Spar, Easons, Penneys, and Meadows & Byrne became key routes to growth.

This is a practical lesson in playing the long game, building multiple revenue streams, and making the kind of strategic decisions that give a business more ways to survive and scale.

Listen back to the full conversation in Episode 439 of The Entrepreneur Experiment - and subscribe/follow so you don’t miss the next Mentor Moment.

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In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Conor Moules, founder and CEO of Barespace, the company building a true operating system for hair and beauty salons.

Conor’s journey is anything but traditional. He left school at 16 to become a hairdresser, moved to Australia during the recession, found his way into door-to-door sales, then business intelligence, location intelligence, and eventually the Irish startup world through Bamboo. After helping turn Bamboo around during Covid, Conor used that hard-earned reputation to unlock the next chapter: Barespace.

What started as a deep understanding of salon life has become a fast-growing software company solving one of the industry’s biggest problems: salon owners are expected to be creative experts, managers, marketers, employers, finance teams and operators - all while still working on the floor. Barespace was built to change that.

In this conversation, Conor shares how he and co-founder Glenn Baker profiled 173 salons, raised €750,000 from the very customers they wanted to serve, and went on to raise almost €4.9 million in total. This is a story about resilience, customer obsession, reputation, and what happens when you build with the industry, not just for it.

In this episode, we cover:

🔥 Why Conor left school at 16 and started out as a hairdresser in Peter Mark
💬 The unexpected lessons hairdressing taught him about listening, trust and human connection
🇦🇺 Moving to Australia during the recession and finding his feet in door-to-door sales
📊 How business intelligence and location data opened his eyes to the power of systems
🚀 The chance meeting with Luke Mackey that brought Conor into Bamboo
🧱 Why rebuilding Bamboo during Covid became the proving ground for Barespace
💡 The problem Conor and Glenn saw inside hair and beauty salons
✂️ Why salon owners are often expected to run the business and be the best person on the floor
🧾 How marketplaces can damage salon margins and weaken customer ownership
🔍 Why they profiled 173 salons before building the product
💰 How Barespace raised €750,000 from salon owners when traditional fundraising wasn’t working
📈 Processing €4.7 million in turnover in year one and growing from there
🧠 Why Conor believes founders need to ask for help earlier
🌙 The role of visualisation, daydreaming and belief in building a company
🔑 Why reputation, patience and obsession can become a founder’s greatest assets

“The mission was never to get rich out of Bamboo. It was to unlock the gates to be able to walk in with Barespace.” - Conor Moules

• Barespace — the operating system for salons and barbers: barespace.io (https://barespace.io/)
• Enterprise Ireland — mentioned as part of the Barespace funding journey: enterprise-ireland.com (https://www.enterprise-ireland.com/en/)

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In this Mentor Moment, award-winning journalist and entrepreneur Áine Kerr shares one of the most powerful career lessons you can hear early in life: it doesn’t have to be this or that. From teaching to journalism, startups to global tech platforms, Áine reflects on what she calls a “squiggly career” - and how the threadline only becomes clear when you look back.

This conversation is a reminder that curiosity, purpose, and following what genuinely energises you can often lead to a far more meaningful path than trying to force a perfectly linear plan. It’s especially powerful for anyone feeling pressure to “have it all figured out.”

Listen back to the full conversation in Episode 438 of The Entrepreneur Experiment - and subscribe/follow so you don’t miss the next Mentor Moment.

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In this milestone Episode 500 of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox turns the microphone on himself for a special AMA, reflecting on the experiments, decisions and hard-earned lessons that shaped the podcast from a side project into one of Ireland’s leading founder platforms.

Gary shares how the podcast began in 2019 as a literal experiment while he was running Host Butlers, his Airbnb management business, and how a plan to test multiple businesses turned into something far bigger. From buying and renovating a barge to remove rent pressure, to shutting down his property business, going all in on podcasting, building a team, launching live events and redefining success around body, business, brain and family, this episode is a rare look behind the scenes of the journey.

He answers listener questions on the most difficult interviews he’s ever done, the moment the podcast became a business, the biggest belief he’s changed about entrepreneurship, how young founders can earn a seat at the table, why AI won’t replace great human connection, and what the next 500 episodes could look like.

If you’re building something of your own, this is a powerful reminder that consistency compounds, clarity often comes through action, and the best experiments can change your entire life.

In this episode, Gary covers:

🔥 How The Entrepreneur Experiment started as a real experiment in 2019
🚀 Why Gary originally planned to build multiple businesses alongside Host Butlers
🏠 The barge experiment that changed Gary’s personal and business life
🎙️ The moment podcasting shifted from side project to serious business
💡 Why consistency may be the biggest lesson from 500 episodes
📈 The danger of building a business at the expense of your health, family and relationships
🧠 Why founders need to think in decades, not weeks
🪑 How first-time founders can earn a seat at the table
🤖 Gary’s take on AI, coaching, mentorship and the future of wellness
🌍 The vision for the next stage of The Entrepreneur Experiment: global guests, live events, personal experiments and founder performance
💬 Why success now means building an exceptional business and an exceptional life

• Subscribe to Gary’s newsletter for upcoming retreats, live events and behind-the-scenes updates: https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1
• Follow Gary on Instagram for more stories from the barge experiment and the podcast journey: https://www.instagram.com/mrgaryfox/
• Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment:
  
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• Check out The Wellness Script, launched by Lauren as part of the wider EE media ecosystem: https://wellnessscriptpod.com/
  
  

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In this Mentor Moment, Fran Quilty, founder of Conjura, breaks down one of the biggest shifts happening in business right now: the move from AI answering questions… to AI actually taking action.

Fran explains “agentic AI” in a way that finally makes sense — from AI identifying risks in your business, to making pricing decisions, changing campaigns, and automating workflows across platforms without constant human input. But beyond the tech, this conversation is really about removing friction, making better decisions faster, and understanding where modern businesses are heading next.

If AI still feels abstract or overhyped to you, this is the episode that makes it practical.

Listen back to the full conversation in Episode 437 of The Entrepreneur Experiment — and subscribe/follow so you don’t miss the next episode.

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In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Brian Lee, the entrepreneur behind Freshly Chopped and founder of TRYKA, Ireland’s inclusive hybrid fitness race league.

After building one of Ireland’s most recognisable healthy food brands, Brian has turned his attention to the booming world of fitness racing — but with a very different philosophy. TRYKA is not built only for elite athletes or podium chasers. It is designed for the everyday person, the local gym community, the company team, the first-timer, and the person looking for a reason to show up, train, and feel part of something bigger.

Brian shares how the idea for TRYKA came from his own experience in the hybrid fitness space, why he saw an opportunity to serve the “other 80%,” and how he went from concept to major venues in just six months. He explains the thinking behind TRYKA’s free affiliate model, gym and company leaderboards, community-first culture, and plans to expand into London, Lisbon and beyond.

This is a conversation about self-belief, brand building, operational detail, culture, wellness, failure, and the kind of ambition Irish founders need more of.

If you’re building a business, launching a community, or trying to turn a personal passion into something global, this episode is for you.

Show Notes

In this episode, we cover:

🔥 Why Brian Lee launched TRYKA after Freshly Chopped
🏋️ How TRYKA is building fitness events for the everyday person
🚀 Going from idea to major venue in just 6 months
💡 Why Brian believes TRYKA serves “the other 80%”
🤝 Building with gyms and communities, not competing against them
📈 How TRYKA reached almost 10,000 athletes in its first 7 months
🌍 Expanding from Ireland into London, Lisbon and beyond
🎮 The role of gamification, leaderboards and company leagues
🧠 Hiring people based on energy, trust and ownership
👨‍👩‍👧 Why TRYKA Junior is part of Brian’s bigger mission to inspire healthier families

💬 “If you can’t back yourself, how can anybody else back you?” — Brian Lee

Links & Resources

TRYKA: https://tryka.fit/
TRYKA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tryka.fit/
Brian Lee Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brianbrucelee/
Brian Lee LinkedIn: https://ie.linkedin.com/in/brian-lee-75927260

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In this Mentor Moment, Ciara Troy, founder of Oishii Sushi, shares a simple founder advantage that most people avoid: getting closer to the customer voice, not further away from it. Instead of over-engineering a five-year plan, Ciara focused on relentless iteration - testing, listening, refining, and letting real demand guide the next move.

It’s a practical reminder that traction often comes from doing the unglamorous work: showing up consistently, making small improvements, and acting fast on feedback - even when you’re tired, the weather’s against you, and the path isn’t clear yet.

Listen back to the full conversation in Episode 450 of The Entrepreneur Experiment - and subscribe/follow so you don’t miss the next Mentor Moment.

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