WestBIC's Enterprising Podcast

In this episode, Alison McGonagle from WestBIC sits down with Evelyn Mc Glynn, entrepreneur, author, trainer and business coach with a passion for empowering women in business, building strong networks and encouraging a culture of giving across both business and community.

Evelyn's own story is one of resilience and reinvention: after 20 years as a stay-at-home mum, she launched her marketing career in her 40s, proof that it's never too late to start and succeed. As owner of evelynmcmarketing.com, she's celebrating 14 years in business, mentoring SMEs to grow, adapt and thrive, and building extensive networks across Donegal and Europe along the way.
In this conversation, Evelyn talks openly about starting her journey later in life, tackling imposter syndrome and learning to name your inner critic, and how to navigate marketing trends on a limited budget. She digs into the crucial difference between working in your business versus on it, and why solving a real problem for your customer, with clarity on exactly what you're offering, is at the heart of it all.
Evelyn is also the face behind the much-loved Donegal Mammy brand, sharing relatable, humorous and heartfelt takes on everyday life and community.

As founder of Donegal Giving, she's built a community-led initiative celebrating the power of giving time, talent and support, including a Transition Year programme that helps young people build confidence and discover their own capacity to give back.
This is a conversation about communication, curiosity and connection, and about what's possible when you commit to all three, at any stage of life.
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What does it actually take to scale a small business without burning out, losing focus, or watching another business plan gather dust in a drawer?
We recently sat down with Rebecca Lyons, founder of BEXL and creator of The Momentum Map, to get into exactly that.

Her advice for overwhelmed founders is refreshingly simple: tackle one thing at a time, and turn off your emails for an hour to actually get the work done. On negotiation, she makes the case for leaving ego at the door, coming prepared, and flipping your mindset to find the win-win. We also got into what scaling without burnout really looks like in practice, not as a slogan, but as a set of choices founders can make day to day. And her one-page Momentum Map cuts through the noise to help founders move from scattered ideas to focused, meaningful action.

Rebecca brings over two decades of experience inside scaling businesses, combining deep financial expertise with hands-on operational know-how, and it shows.

If you're a founder feeling overwhelmed and drowning in advice, this one is for you.
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In this episode of WestBIC’s Enterprising Podcast, Greg Heaslip breaks down the practical side of using AI in business. From understanding different AI models to crafting effective prompts using the CLEAR framework, Greg shares actionable insights for entrepreneurs looking to leverage AI tools intelligently.

He discusses why human judgement remains essential when working with AI, and explores how start-ups can use AI for customer discovery and market research.

Whether you're AI-curious or already experimenting with tools like ChatGPT, this conversation offers grounded advice on making AI work for your business without losing sight of what matters most: your own critical thinking and customer understanding.
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"Be very confident about your own pillars and reasons for doing what you are doing. But be prepared and actively seek to be challenged." – Brandon Blacoe, CEO & Co-Founder, ByoWave

This month on WestBIC’s Enterprising Podcast, we catch up with Brandon Blacoe, who first joined us in 2022, just as ByoWave was emerging from the Beta phase and forging exciting partnerships—including one with Microsoft—to bring the Proteus Controller to life.

In this episode, Brandon talks about the impact of strategic partnerships, the significance of their recent €1.5M investment, plans to scale into the US market, and the vital support of Enterprise Ireland. He also shares what it means to run a company that blends social impact with business growth, and offers valuable advice for aspiring social entrepreneurs.

ByoWave is on a mission to change the game in accessible tech—and Brandon’s insight into that journey is packed with lessons for founders at every stage.
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In the latest episode of WestBIC’s Enterprising Podcast, we welcome back Ruairi Dooley, co-founder of BiaSol, to reflect on the company’s growth over the past three years.

Ruairi shares key moments in BiaSol’s journey, insights into innovation and investment, and the realities of building a sustainable business in today’s market.

Key themes discussed include:
Keeping pace with trends in the food industry
Accepting that "good enough" can be a catalyst for progress
The evolving consumer attitudes towards sustainability

This episode offers valuable lessons for entrepreneurs and business leaders navigating growth, innovation, and change.

Visit https://www.biasol.ie/ to learn more about their product range.
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