EE#5 - £11M a year niche toy business. Learn how Eddie Holmes turned around a struggling toy business.
🌍 A niche toy business making a massive impact on the world stage.In Episode 5 of The Hidden Hustle Podcast, we sit down withour uncle — Eddie Holmes from TFH.TFH specialises in designing and manufacturing toys for people with disabilities 💡. This is an incrediblyinsightful episode on how Eddie, together with his father and brother-in-law, grew TFH to £11 million in consolidated worldwide sales 🚀.Eddie shares his experiences on:• Implementing an employee profit-share scheme — a huge factor in their success• Turning a struggling business around• Navigating challenges like Covid and Brexit• Driving product innovation to stay ahead of the competition• The goosebump moments of seeing TFH’s toys transform lives for children and parentsA massive thank you to Eddie for his time and insights 🙌.This was our very first recorded podcast — the one that gave us the courage to keep going and learn more. (Hopefully we’ve improved a little since then 😅).
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EE#4 - How to Build €80M accounting software group in 33 years while competing in 8 Ironmans.
🔥 33 years. Multiple acquisitions. €80M collective turnover. 8 Ironman’s and a World Championship and ….. winning Entrepreneur of the Year 2024 🥇.What does it take to build a group of software companies worth millions 💻 and compete at the highest level in sport 🏊♂️🚴♂️🏃♂️?🎙️ In this episode of The Hidden Hustle Podcast, we sit down with Marc O’Dwyer, former owner & CEO of Big Red Cloud. Marc shares incredible insights into what it really takes to build, scale, and lead a group of companies to such success.Marc Sold the Big Red Cloud Group just 3 months ago. Marc is now open to consultancy opportunities with companies looking to gain valuable expertise.💡 In this episode, Marc dives into: 🚀 Sales strategy 🤝 Acquisitions & successful exits 🎯 Customer-focused product development 💪 How to bounce back from big setbacks 👥 Leadership & team building📚 Marc never stopped learning — from completing an MBA 🎓 to going behind-the-scenes with Leinster Rugby 🏉 to help drive his team and company forward.A huge thank you to Marc for sharing his story and wisdom.
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EE#3 - From Unemployment to a €22 Million Revenue a year business – Aidan O’Reilly’s Inspiring Journey.
In the latest episode of The Hidden Hustle Podcast, we had the privilege of speaking with Aidan O’Reilly, former owner of Medray. A supplier of medical equipment.Aidan is now the co-owner of Emerald Greens Irelands largest vertical farm!Aidan shares an incredibly honest account of his journey from only getting 120 point leaving cert to being unemployed to building a medical equipment business turning over €22 million annually. All with no medical equipment background!His story is a powerful reminder that resilience, courage, and belief in your vision can lead to extraordinary success.Huge thanks to Aidan for his lessons, time, and for sharing such an inspiring story.This is a must-listen for anyone chasing a dream or navigating challenges — proof that with the right mindset, anything is possible.
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EE#2 -2024 Business Woman of The Year - Building a €45mil a year Empire in the Construction Industry
This is an incredible story of resilience, vision, and outstanding leadership…In this episode of The Hidden Hustle Podcast, we had the pleasure of speaking with Emma Maye—an inspiring entrepreneur whose journey is nothing short of remarkable.Emma shares how she built her group of companies, Ardale and Core Building Providers, into the success they are today and ultimately leading to Emma being named the 2024 PwC Businesswoman of the Year!This episode is a must-listen for anyone wanting to understand what it truly takes to become an exceptional business leader.From growing up with undiagnosed dyslexia, to the sudden loss of her father, and carving out a path in male-dominated industries, Emma alongside her husband built a thriving portfolio of companies spanning property development, building providers, and now an exciting new chapter..... All while raising four children!A huge thank you to Emma for her time, openness, and the powerful leadership insights she shared.Tune in now to hear how it all began.
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EE#1 - Paul McCarthy the founder of Snapfix.
In this episode of The Hidden Hustle Podcast, we talk withPaul McCarthy, Founder and Head of Product at Snapfix. Paul founded Snapfix in 2016 and has been solving the complex problems faced by property managers eversince — through an easy to use app that applies photographs with the familiar traffic light colour system to help manage hotels, offices, and other buildings—as simple as using WhatsApp or Snapchat. He has raised millions in investment from global investors and won the Enterprise Ireland New Frontiers Programme in 2020. This award-winning software now has tens of thousands ofusers and operates in over 40 countries worldwide. One of the most remarkable parts of Paul's story is his vision, shared with his family: to build a billion-dollar company used in over 100 million buildings—and then give it all away to help solve a massive global problem.... The story begins at the family table, with Paul trying to solve his own problem. We hope you enjoy the episode. – Alan and Sean Holmes
The Hidden Hustle Podcast - a business podcast focused on learning from some of the best business owners across a wide range of industries.
Hosted by two brother Alan & Sean Holmes with a shared dream to own our own business one day. But before that day comes, we’re on a mission — to learn, to grow, to build a network and to shine a light on the kinds of business owners we admire most: the ones you don’t always hear about. We hope you enjoy these weekly episodes and learn something new about these incredible businesses and the people behind them.
Happy learning,
Alan & Sean Holmes
Ireland