Today, we're joined by one of Ireland's most successful hospitality entrepreneurs, Lorraine Heskin, founder and CEO of Gourmet Food Parlour.

What began as a 25-seater café in Dún Laoghaire in 2006 has grown into a business serving more than seven million customers, generating over €20 million in annual revenue, employing more than 320 people and operating 11 locations across Ireland. Along the way, Gourmet Food Parlour has become a major player in catering, events and sports nutrition.

Lorraine joins us to discuss entrepreneurship, resilience, leadership, scaling a business over two decades, and what's next for one of Ireland's best-known hospitality brands.

Visit www.thinkbusiness.ie for more news and supports for start-ups and SMEs in Ireland. If you want to start and grow a business, ThinkBusiness.

Today's guest is Padraic O’Kane, the driving force behind one of Ireland's most successful international sporting events, the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. What began as an ambitious vision to bring American college football to Dublin has evolved into a major annual event that attracts tens of thousands of visitors, generates significant economic impact and showcases Ireland on a global stage.

We'll discuss the entrepreneurial journey behind the Classic, the challenges of building a transatlantic sports brand, the power of partnerships and why major events like this can deliver lasting benefits for Irish tourism, business and international reputation.

Visit www.thinkbusiness.ie for more news and supports for start-ups and SMEs in Ireland. If you want to start and grow a business, ThinkBusiness.

Artificial intelligence is transforming how businesses operate, but as adoption accelerates, questions around data control, privacy and digital sovereignty are becoming increasingly important.

My guest today is Tim Grant, Executive Chair of TensorX, the Irish company building sovereign AI infrastructure for Europe following an €8m funding round. We'll discuss why businesses want their AI data to stay within European jurisdiction, what digital sovereignty really means, and whether Europe can build its own trusted AI future.

Visit www.thinkbusiness.ie for more news and supports for start-ups and SMEs in Ireland. If you want to start and grow a business, ThinkBusiness.

In this episode of the ThinkBusiness Podcast, we speak with MarkGo founders Peter McPartlin and Sharon Mooney about how AI is helping level the playing field for SMEs and start-ups that cannot afford expensive marketing agencies or senior consultants.

We discuss the biggest marketing challenges facing growing businesses, the rise of AI-powered strategy, common mistakes founders make, and why many companies struggle to turn ambition into action. It is a practical conversation packed with insights for entrepreneurs looking to grow smarter and faster in a competitive marketplace.

Visit www.thinkbusiness.ie for more news and supports for start-ups and SMEs in Ireland. If you want to start and grow a business, ThinkBusiness.

Community Foundation Ireland has quietly reshaped Irish giving since 2000, channelling €200 million into communities across the country while building a model built on data, trust and long-term partnership.

In this episode, CEO Denise Charlton joins the ThinkBusiness Podcast to explore how strategic philanthropy works in practice, from backing causes before they find public support to helping a new generation of wealthy families think through purpose, legacy and impact. She discusses Ireland's unique culture of anonymous giving, the rise of donor-advised funds, and what policy change could unlock the next chapter of Irish philanthropy.

Visit www.thinkbusiness.ie for more news and supports for start-ups and SMEs in Ireland. If you want to start and grow a business, ThinkBusiness.

Welcome to the podcast. Today I'm joined by Matthew Coffey, co-founder of SQUID Loyalty, the Irish tech company on a mission to make customer loyalty simpler and more effective for businesses and consumers alike. What started as an idea between two engineering students has grown into a platform used by thousands of businesses across multiple international markets. We'll discuss entrepreneurship, customer engagement, the future of loyalty programmes, scaling a startup from Ireland, and the lessons Matthew has learned building a fast-growing technology company.

Visit www.thinkbusiness.ie for more news and supports for start-ups and SMEs in Ireland. If you want to start and grow a business, ThinkBusiness.

Welcome to the latest ThinkBusiness Podcast, powered by Bank of Ireland. As AI rapidly moves from buzzword to business tool, many SMEs are still asking the same question: where do you start, and how do you turn AI into something that delivers real value?

As Google and Bank of Ireland join forces to provide 10,000 Google AI Professional scholarships to Irish SMEs at no cost, we speak with Kira Brakhage, AI specialist at Google, about how small businesses can use tools like Gemini Notebook to work smarter, save time, and unlock new insights from the information they already have.

From turning meeting transcripts into instant action plans and accelerating staff onboarding, to conducting low-cost market research and transforming documents into engaging audio content, Kira shares practical, real-world applications that SMEs can put into practice straight away. She also addresses one of the biggest concerns for business owners today: how secure sensitive company data is when using AI-powered tools.

Visit www.thinkbusiness.ie for more news and supports for start-ups and SMEs in Ireland. If you want to start and grow a business, ThinkBusiness.

Today we’re tackling a problem that every consumer and every business leader can relate to: why is customer service still so frustrating in an age of AI, automation and digital transformation?

Despite years of investment in technology, new research from ServiceNow reveals that Irish consumers are losing an astonishing 284 million hours every year dealing with customer service issues. Even more striking, nearly half of consumers say they would switch brands after just one poor customer service experience.

So what’s going wrong? Why are businesses still struggling to deliver seamless customer experiences? And with AI dominating boardroom conversations, are companies focusing on the right solutions—or simply adding more complexity to already broken processes?

To help us unpack these questions, I’m joined by Paul Turley from ServiceNow, a company at the forefront of helping organisations modernise customer service and employee experiences through digital workflows and AI-powered solutions.

In our conversation, we’ll explore why customer service remains one of the biggest pain points for consumers, the common mistakes organisations are making in their AI and customer experience strategies, and the practical steps businesses can take to improve service without committing to massive technology budgets.

Visit www.thinkbusiness.ie for more news and supports for start-ups and SMEs in Ireland. If you want to start and grow a business, ThinkBusiness.

By 2030, more than one in three people in Ireland will be over the age of 50, while the number of people aged 65 and over is expected to exceed one million. As Ireland's population ages, the need for stronger community connections, health supports and wellbeing services has never been greater.

In this episode, we speak with Martina Calvey, founder of Hello GoodLife Ireland, a Mayo-founded social enterprise that is building a nationwide network of health and wellbeing hubs designed to help people stay active, connected and independent as they age. Martina explains the inspiration behind the business, the challenges and opportunities presented by Ireland's demographic shift, and why she believes communities hold the key to healthier, happier ageing.

Visit www.thinkbusiness.ie for more news and supports for start-ups and SMEs in Ireland. If you want to start and grow a business, ThinkBusiness.

Artificial intelligence promises to transform how businesses operate, but with so much hype surrounding the technology, many organisations are still asking a simple question: where does AI genuinely deliver value?

In this episode, we speak with Neil Bowden, EMEA AI Lead at Dell Technologies, about how Irish businesses can take a pragmatic approach to AI adoption. From identifying real-world use cases and measuring ROI to avoiding costly mistakes and unnecessary spending, Neil shares practical advice for organisations looking to make smarter AI investments.

Whether you're an SME exploring your first AI project or a larger enterprise refining your strategy, this conversation cuts through the noise to focus on what really matters: achieving meaningful business outcomes with AI.

Visit www.thinkbusiness.ie for more news and supports for start-ups and SMEs in Ireland. If you want to start and grow a business, ThinkBusiness.