Business Builders

Tom Rowan, founder of Rowan Engineering, shares a grounded and refreshingly honest account of how he built a forensic engineering and environmental consultancy from one customer and no grand plan into a 30-person business working with insurers, public bodies, and major Irish organisations.Rather than chasing hype or overnight success, Tom explains how his ambition evolved gradually — from simply replacing his salary, to hitting €250k, then €1 million, and beyond. Along the way, he reflects on leadership, culture, setbacks, and why values like integrity, professionalism, and balance matter more as a business grows.🎧 In this episode, you’ll learn:– How Rowan Engineering grew one step at a time– Why ambition changes as a business scales– The reality of hiring when there’s no money in the bank– How to build a values-led culture without ego– Why slow, deliberate growth often winsWhether you’re running a small business, thinking about scaling, or questioning what growth should actually look like, this episode offers a calm, thoughtful perspective from someone who’s lived it.🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.

After losing his engineering job during the 2008 crash, Daniel Plewman found himself unemployed, on the dole, and unsure what came next. A chance moment — his wife struggling to source quality scrubs from the US — sparked the idea that would eventually become Happythreads, an e-commerce scrubs and healthcare uniform business now operating across Ireland, the UK, France, Spain, Germany and beyond.In this episode, Danny shares how he built Happy Threads from a spare room in Stoneybatter, going door-to-door with samples, and why launching an e-commerce scrubs business long before it was obvious became his unfair advantage. He opens up about the early years of survival, cashflow tricks, moments of being “technically bankrupt,” and the burnout and hospitalisation that forced him to rethink how he worked and led.🎧 In this episode, you’ll learn:– Spotting overlooked opportunities and creating a new market– How e-commerce cashflow helped the business survive– Building a 25-person team across Europe– Burnout, lifestyle choices, and the high-dependency hospital wake-up call– Leadership, culture, and moving towards a business that can run without you🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube

Former Paddy Power co-founder Stewart Kenny shares a brutally honest account of how he built — and then left — the world’s biggest betting company.From his father’s influence and early fascination with risk to the creation of Paddy Power’s fearless marketing, Stewart speaks candidly about success, addiction, ethics, and why he ultimately left the industry he helped define.🎧 In this episode, you’ll learn:– How Paddy Power became a cultural phenomenon– The marketing mindset that reshaped betting in Ireland– What Stewart learned about leadership, ego, and risk– His reflections on ADHD and entrepreneurship– Why he left the gambling industry — and what he’d change todayWhether you’re a business builder or just fascinated by the psychology of success, this episode offers one of the most disarmingly honest conversations we’ve ever had.

Niall Jones, co-owner of Anglo Irish Refrigeration, joins host Conor Kearney to share his journey from redundancy to running a €30M+ business. In this episode, Niall gets candid about the personal risks of buying a company, the adrenaline of nonstop growth, and how culture—not spreadsheets—has become his most powerful business tool. If you’re interested in acquisitions, scaling SMEs, or what it really takes to grow a service-heavy business, this is an essential listen.

What can a magician teach us about leadership, resilience, and growth?In this episode of Business Builders Podcast, Ciaran McCormack shares how his early lessons in crowd control and stage presence became the foundations for running one of Ireland and the UK’s most successful retail groups. From balloon animals to Apple, to steering a company through examinership and rebirth, this is a story about creativity, grit, and believing in possibility — even when everything’s on the line.🎧 In this episode, you’ll learn:– How a magician’s stagecraft became the foundation for leadership and communication– What Ciaran learned moving from film school to Apple to the boardroom– Why naivety can be a strength when stepping into your first CEO role– How he led a company through examinership and came out stronger– What it takes to scale from £17M to £210M without losing culture or driveWhether you’re building a business, leading a team, or redefining what success means, this episode is packed with grounded, human insight on confidence, growth, and resilience.🎙️ Host: Conor Kearney👇 Listen & SubscribeSpotify | Apple | Amazon | Google Podcasts