The Entrepreneur Experiment

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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What does it take to make a plan at 16 - and still be executing on it at 32?

Ashley McDonnell saw a Christian Dior exhibition in London as a teenager and decided she was going to work for Dior. She didn't know French. She'd never lived abroad. She had no connections in luxury. Six years later, she was walking into LVMH headquarters on Avenue Montaigne in Paris.

Now she's back building in Ireland — founding Ireland Fashion Week, launching Vyko (Ireland's first luxury brand group), and building the kind of long game most founders don't have the patience for.

In this episode she pulls back the curtain on how the luxury industry actually works, the psychology behind why people buy luxury, why China is the most important luxury market in the world, and the one piece of advice — focus — that changed everything.

SHOW NOTES

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary sits down with Ashley McDonnell — founder of Ireland Fashion Week, Vyko Group and the Tech Powered Luxury podcast. Ashley spent over a decade working across LVMH, Christian Dior and Puig, one of Europe's biggest luxury groups, before coming home to build something entirely new.

What you'll learn:

How Ashley reverse-engineered her way from Galway to Christian Dior at 22 — by mapping the exact path the executives above her had taken

Why the luxury industry is built on groups and conglomerates — and what that means for Irish brands trying to scale

The psychology of luxury buying — from unlimited budget shoppers to the strategic Chinese traveller saving 20% per handbag

Why 90% of luxury sales were offline pre-Covid but almost 100% were digitally influenced

What Vyko is — and why Ashley is building Ireland's first startup luxury group from scratch

The one-note iPhone system she uses to track every single day of the year across Paris and Dublin

Why focus (not ideas) was the advice that changed everything

Connect with Ashley:

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ash.mcdonnell/

Vyko Group: https://www.instagram.com/vykogroup/

Ireland Fashion Week: https://www.instagram.com/irelandfashionweek/

Podcast: Tech Powered Luxury: https://www.instagram.com/techpoweredluxury/

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In this Mentor Moment, Paul Buckley shares the messy, real start of what became a serious founder journey - not from a polished “masterplan,” but from a place of pressure, responsibility, and learning fast. Paul is the entrepreneur behind EPS Group Australia (which he built and exited) and now C2O Group, and he’s a great example of how leadership is often forged in the moments you didn’t choose: when the plan changes, money gets tight, and you still have to figure it out.

The lesson here is about adapting at speed, stepping up before you feel ready, and how momentum is created when you stop waiting for perfect conditions and start operating like the person who can handle bigger responsibility. If you’re building something — or trying to level up how you lead — this one will land.

Listen back to the full conversation in Episode 444 of The Entrepreneur Experiment — and subscribe/follow so you don’t miss next week’s Mentor Moment.

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