Dive in for the gritty truth from the trenches of business.
No unicorns, no brands. Just hard-working people who built their business from the ground up. Th...
There’s a reason why entrepreneurs and business leaders are always emphasizing the importance of networking, because it actually works! Today we’re meeting an entrepreneur who by leaning into his own experience and leveraging his network has secured support and investment for his digital start up. We hear how his personal motivation for the business has made him secure in his decisions, but how he has also learned the hard way to balance passion and personal life. Our guest has over 10 years’ experience in software integration and is using this to build a technology solution to make the online world more inclusive. It’s a pleasure to welcome Founder of Nexus Inclusion, Kyran O’Mahoney. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT● The use of technology as an enabler for accessibility ● Keeping on top of cash flow and financial planning ● Approaching investors and delivering on product ● Leveraging your own network for support and connections ● Striking the balance between founder and family life GUEST DETAILS Nexus Inclusion Limited is building a technology solution to make the world more inclusive.Kyran O’Mahoney is an IT professional with over twenty years of experience in developing complex technical projects for a host of sectors across Ireland, the UK, and the United States.O'Mahoney's professional background spans over two decades in the IT sector, where he has led complex technical projects across various industries, including financial services, insurance, media, human resources, aviation, retail, and the charity sector in Ireland, the UK, and the United States. His previous positions include senior roles at Allied Irish Banks, Ryanair, and Dunnes Stores. Prior to founding Nexus Inclusion, Kyran O'Mahoney co-founded Inclusion and Accessibility Labs (IA Labs) in 2021 and has served as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at the National Council for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI) since 2019. https://ie.linkedin.com/in/kyranohttps://www.nexusinclusion.com/ MORE INFORMATIONTake control of your business with accounting & business services you can trust.We take away the worry and headache of running your own finance and related business services functions.https://kinore.com/ QUOTESThe risk that I've taken here is to bring on more people to deliver faster. - Kyran O’Mahoney Ireland has a great culture of innovation and technology. - Kyran O’Mahoney Surround yourself with the people that you trust and the people that you believe in. - Kyran O’Mahoney You really have to leverage your own network. - Kyran O’Mahoney I think as a founder you just want to give your entirety to it, but you also have to have a life. - Kyran O’Mahoney Companies need to double down on diversity, equity and inclusion. - Kyran O’Mahoney KEYWORDS#digital #accessibility #AI #diversity #EuropeanAccessibilityAct #userexperience #productdevelopment #investment #startup
--------
37:09
Why Putting Yourself Out There Works
Although it can feel scary at first, putting yourself out there as a new business can be the key to success and avoiding the pitfalls that a lot of beginner businesses can fall into. Today we’re meeting a rapidly expanding Irish start-up that has grown exponentially since it was founded at the beginning of 2023. Based in the e-commerce space, we’ll find out how they are revolutionizing online business with the use of AI, and how through angel investors they’ve rapidly expanded into 15 countries with plans to take on more staff. Our guest today has a familial history with e-commerce and believes in bridging the gap between marketing and finance. It’s a pleasure to have Co-Founder of Store Hero, Thomas Gleeson. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUTBridging the gap between marketing and finance Putting yourself out there to gain new customers Understanding profitability over revenueManaging hiring and onboarding for a new, rapidly expanding team Setting up an appropriate CRM and distribution process GUEST DETAILS Thomas Gleeson is a co-founder at StoreHero. StoreHero helps brands centralise e-commerce, marketing and finance operations in order to scale their business profitably.Thomas has many years of experience in e-commerce, from growing up in a family fun DTC business for over 20 years, running brands himself and also working at Shopify as a Senior Consultant to some of the largest brands on the platform.Website: www.storehero.ai LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-gleeson-%F0%9F%A6%B8-74255b96/ MORE INFORMATIONTake control of your business with accounting & business services you can trust. We take away the worry and headache of running your own finance and related business services functions. https://kinore.com/ QUOTESA lot of the challenges I saw were with the silos between marketing and finance. - Thomas Gleeson It's putting yourself out there. - Thomas Gleeson We've tried to follow our own advice and to be led by Profit First. So trying to not fall into a lot of the traps that startups in the past have. - Thomas Gleeson I feel like we have a really solid solution for a market that's really crying out for it, and it's a huge market. - Thomas Gleeson Marketing has grown as a line item in every e-commerce business across the board - Thomas Gleeson The distribution of the product is its own product in itself. You can build the best tool in the world, but unless you have a proper distribution engine built in behind it, you know, nobody's going to hear about it. - Thomas Gleeson KEYWORDS#e-commerce #marketing #profitability #onboarding #remoteworking #funding
--------
40:09
Delegation is Your Shortcut to Growth
As a business owner, learning to lean on and delegate to those supporting you can seem like a scary transition. However, it is a vital step in taking your business to the next level. Today we’re meeting an entrepreneur who has created a leading education business in the financial sector. Through seizing opportunity and building strong connections she has created a multi-stream business from book writing, speaking, MC-ing, education and working with young people. We hear how important those first hires are to expanding the business and why ‘thinking breakfasts’ can be helpful in creating business solutions. Our expert guest is Chartered Financial Analyst and ‘The Positive Economist’, Susan Culleton Hayes. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT● Setting up an opportunity based business during the financial crash ● Leaning on LEOs and networking to build strong connections ● The accidental creation of ‘The Positive Economist’ ● Managing multiple business streams from writing to speaking and working with young people ● Getting better at thinking and delegating decisions GUEST DETAILS Susan HayesCulleton, CFA, “The Positive Economist” is managing director of the Hayes Culleton Group, with clients across Europe and the USA. The businesses include Active Peers AI which unlocks, diffuses and records strategic tacit knowledge within networks and #SavvyTeenAcademy which manages the entire experience of teenage work experiences in corporate organisations. The company also provides training, speaking and content development services, in the subject areas of the financial markets, economics and entrepreneurship. Susan has published “Money Matters”, a textbook sponsored by CFA Society Ireland, to go into every secondary school in Ireland to promote and democractise financial literacy right across the country. She has twice co-authored “Positive Economics”, the market-leading Leaving Cert economics textbook in Ireland, and she is the author of two books published by Penguin, The “Savvy Woman’s Guide to Financial Freedom” and “The Savvy Guide to Making More Money”. Susan holds a Chartered Financial Analyst charter, MSc Executive Leadership, BSc Financial Maths and Economics and a Diploma in Taxation.https://www.hayesculleton.com/about-our-team/ MORE INFORMATIONTake control of your business with accounting & business services you can trust.We take away the worry and headache of running your own finance and related business services functions.https://Kinoree.com/ KEYWORDS#entrepreneur #finance #business #financialtraining #economist #networking #delegation #growth
--------
58:23
You’ve Got To Invest In Yourself
Owning a business requires a lot of self-belief and sticking with your gut feeling, even when persevering through the tougher times. Today we’re meeting an entrepreneur whose drive and determination has created a globally successful business and won her many awards, despite nearly losing it all during the 2020 pandemic. Inspired by her grandfather’s homemade spirits, she has captured the attention of some big investors such as Russell Crowe, Ed Sheeran and Jimmy Carr, and is investing back into her local community with the opening of a brand home local visitor centre just this year. Our guest today is Global Irish Business Entrepreneur of the Year 2024 and Founder and CEO of The Muff Liquor Company, Laura Bonner. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUTPursuing a dream in an industry that you know nothing about Sourcing investment from crowdfunding to celebrities Remaining resilient through tough times and global pandemics Developing a brand for expansion into the American marketTrusting your gut and investing back into yourself GUEST DETAILSThe Muff Liquor Company was founded in 2017 near Muff on the Inishowen peninsula in County Donegal. Laura Bonner, the CEO and Founder of The Muff Liquor Company, has a remarkable journey in the business world. Her achievements include winning the Business All Star in 2018, being recognised as the Ulster Business Woman of the year in 2019 and making it to the Industry Era’s list of the top 10 most inspiring CEOs in 2021. In 2023, she was honoured as the Handcrafted Spirits Business Leader and just this year crowned Global Irish Business Entrepreneur of the Year 2024. https://www.themuffliquorcompany.com/ MORE INFORMATIONTake control of your business with accounting & business services you can trust.We take away the worry and headache of running your own finance and related business services functions.https://kinore.com/ QUOTESI asked for help, non stop. I always say I'd rather lose face than lose money. If you think you might come across stupid, I don't care. I'll get my answer, and then I move forward. - Laura Bonner It's a complete gut feeling. I am so aware of myself that I could be listening to somebody, and be like, nah, this isn't for me. - Laura Bonner I think one of the first things I ever wrote down was that I was going to be one of the biggest and best alcohol brands to come out of Ireland. - Laura Bonner I wouldn't have a company if we hadn't had that support. - Laura Bonner I need you to meet me and my team and understand who we are and what we are and what we stand for. - Laura Bonner KEYWORDS#business #brand #global #investment #crowdfunding #self-care #resilience #entrepreneurship
--------
36:22
Freedom Comes With Responsibility
Online businesses come with their own unique requirements and challenges, especially when it comes to managing a remote team. Today we're delving into one of Ireland's international success stories, with an online business based in Dublin, leading a digital team working around the globe. We find out how they operate in the fast moving tech business, about building relationships with customers you never meet and geographically diverse staff, and some great advice from a business planner with a wealth of experience.Our guest is a finance and business operations professional working remotely for the tech sector for almost 20 years. He is Chief Financial Officer with MailerLite, Martin Ruano. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUTMailerLite’s growth into a global online company Creating a productive and intentional remote working environmentHow to build and maintain relationships in a geographically diverse team Advice for navigating mergers and acquisitionsLessons learned in planning and communication GUEST DETAILSMailerLite was born in 2010 to give businesses a simple yet powerful email solution to help them grow. Their global team has a passion for building a world-class product within a company culture that is built on trust, dedication and shared values.Martin Ruano Chief Financial Officer and MailerLite and is a Finance and Business Operations professional with sound knowledge in Financial Planning and P&L Management. He has 20 years in Technology industry leading global teams undergoing fast change with a proven ability to improve financial results growing the top line through creative business development strategies as well as improving the bottom line through cost management and operational optimization.MORE INFORMATIONTake control of your business with accounting & business services you can trust.We take away the worry and headache of running your own finance and related business services functions.https://kinore.com/ QUOTESWe can work remotely and having a colleague base in another time zone is going to enable our capabilities of providing support to our customers. - Martin Ruano It’s important for me to keep learning, it is very important to understand that I won’t be able to solve all the challenges in front of me. That's why we need a strong team to face those challenges together. - Martin Ruano Think that you're going to go through that process and plan to do it right from the beginning. - Martin Ruano Keep learning every day, especially if you want to scale up yourself or grow a business. Stay curious, stay learning and don't be afraid to ask for advice or ask for help. - Martin Ruano KEYWORDS#remotework #globalteam #customers #financialgrowth #business #growth
Dive in for the gritty truth from the trenches of business.
No unicorns, no brands. Just hard-working people who built their business from the ground up. They share real life stories, challenges and solutions, plus the risks they've taken and how they stepped outside their comfort zone to find success.
If you're running a business, join Larissa Feeney and get the inside track from others who have been down the road already.
Click follow to get new episodes on the last Monday of every month.
Real Business Conversations is produced by DustPod.io for Kinore Finance and Business Services.
Ireland