That Great Business Show

E226 That Great Business ShowUCD Smurfit Business School, 'Podcast of the Year'Jim Campion, the man who didn't pivot, but who made a fortune (allegedly) by selling his eponymous insurance business to UK insurance consolidator PIB.Jim served a very, very short time in the Civil Service, but then got into the insurance business - a business from which he has never pivoted. He now has 22 offices across the State. His first expansionary step was in buying Phil Hogan's (later EU Commissioner) insurance brokerage. And he wants to do more, buying as many smaller insurance brokers' offices as possible. He has 525 people working for him and and he's hiring another ten a month. He does get cheesed off though when people he hires don't turn up for work from Day One. He says 'if you want bodies go to the morgue', he's very interesting about retaining staff.Then there was a cyber hack that shut down his business. Very serious. Interestingly, this experience made him think of selling.Hire in a heartbeat? Brian CodyShemaine Doyle, founder Brave Marketing, who went to Dubai for two years and came back after eleven years - bringing with her a husband and two young kids. She was once big in marketing with Aryzta but she got the itch...the itch to set up on her own. Despite being very senior in business she still felt she needed networking. So she joined the Back for Business programme - for returning emigres who want to get back into business.Shemaine explains how her small consultancy punches above their weight - even making camel milk (yes, it's a thing) popular.Her hires in a heartbeat (plural) are mum, Joyce Doyle, Dragon's Den Steve Bartlett and singing star, Pink.

E225 That Great Business ShowUCD Smurfit Business School 'Podcast of the Year'.Ronan Dunne, former boss of Verizon in the US, current board member Marks and Spencer (who he says are in the 'experience business'), Chair of Six Nations Rugby (and much, much more), on $10,000 sports tickets, introducing Irish businesses to his network, being a mentor to women entrepreneurs in Ireland, the difference between the male and female business ego, being paid to tell what you 'screwed up' in business... and then there's the LEO space company he's involved with...why he told Dómhnal Slattery, former CEO of Avalon, that he's not his 'rent a rolodex'...Hire in a heartbeat? Nuala Fennell. With thanks to De Facto Shaving Oil, the SHAVING oil for sports winners.

E224 That Great Business ShowIreland's TOP Business Podcast, winner UCD Smurfit's Podcast of the YearHow to get the top job in corporate USA. Ronan Dunne on how and why he moved from head of O2 in the UK, to head of Verizon Wireless in the US, heading a team of 120,000 people. Plenty of candid insights on the big differences between US and European corporate cultures, business values and strategies for success. His 'hire in a heartbeat'? Arsene Wenger

Episode 223 That Great Business ShowUCD Smurfit Business School, 'Podcast of the Year'Top Tip. Use Reddit...yes, Reddit. It has helped What's Exposed grow. Learn how.'You're hacked'. It's happening all the time. It's happening to business big and small. It happened to a recent guest on the show and it cost that business many, many thousands of Euro. Worse still, the 'bad guys' can come back and back and back...What can you do? And how can you know if the 'good guys' aren't working for 'the bad guys'?Elena Donea is Co-Founder, What’s Exposed https://www.whats.exposed/ based in Castlebar, County Mayo, an emerging cybersecurity business. They are experts in penetration testing / identifying cyber vulnerabilities.Hire in a heartbeat - Shark Tank, Barbara Corcoran & Pat O'Callaghan, EckoNeed to go to a tradeshow, but can't afford it? Talk to LEO.John Magee, Head of Enterprise at Mayo Local Enterprise Office and Chair of Network of Local Enterprise OfficesIt’s no secret. We love LEO. Or more correctly LEOs, your Local Enterprise Offices. That is where your entrepreneur journey should start…from the very, very, very beginning. You have an idea. A better bucket. A shinier mirror. A yummier sandwich. Whatever. Next stop is to go and have a chat with your LEO.Now…it’s not all milk and honey. Sometimes they’ll say no. Some other times it may be no but maybe…Hire in a heartbeat, - Tom Murphy, Pamex and LEO mentor.With thanks to De Facto Shaving Oil, the world's best all-natural oil, for anyone who shaves.

Episode 222. That Great Business Show. UCD Smurfit 'Business Podcast of the Year'Cheesy, yet true. That’s what Noel Rowland Founder & Managing Director, wrote on the company website, ‘When we founded Churchfield, we wanted to create a company and service that our parents, friends and local community could be proud of.’ Churchfield is a full-service energy retrofitting business based in Crossmolina, employing almost 100 people. And they have big plans to conquer the UK from Mayo, though he may start with Belgium. Did you know that unoccupied homes, brought back into use, aren't counted in official figures?? And he has a partial solution for the pyrite affected houses.You'll also learn how to save a fortune on your heating bills.His 'hire in a heartbeat'? Michael O'LearySolving the housing crisis.When James McConville, Director of ACT, Architects and Urbanists, he - naturally - wanted to tell us about something very important that's going to affect every business, big or small. Every company will eventually have to have a sustainability report. To that end James & Co have developed a tool to help companies to prepare for that sustainability reporting – part of the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive – a report that will become mandatory in the very near future. A top young and highly creative architect, we also took the opportunity to ask him a simple [not] question. How do you solve a massive housing shortage. His 'hire in a heartbeat'? Gráinne Mullins, founder Grá ChocolatesWith thanks to De Facto Shaving Oil.

Episode 221Nigel O'Reilly is without a doubt one of the finest jewellery makers in the world. A one time precision tool maker making mouldings his future wife told him to follow his dreams and become a master craftsman. Luckily for the world, he listened. His works of art (we'll never refer to them as mere 'products') are now selling worldwide for sky high prices. You can see his rings, necklaces and bracelets on nigeloreilly.com but you can see them PLUS prices on Sothebys.com His jewellery is collected by the very rich and worn by the very famous. And the twist? They're not made in London, New York or Paris...but in Castlebar, County Mayo. And sold worldwide from there to end users, with the exception of Bergdorf Goodman. He tells the secret of how he made contact with the world's most prestigious jewellery store. He has a book. It's called 'Evolution of a Goldsmith'. Check it out.His 'hire in a heartbeat'...Iris van Herpen that he says is the most exciting fashion designers in the world.Clodagh McGovern of eyeworld.ie is building an empire, one optician shop at a time. But curiously, she's not building a brand. Her business model is that she buys existing opticians where the owner may be retiring or the unit is underperforming. Some or all of the existing staff may stay on, but Clodagh's team goes in, changes the processes, gleaned from her many years in the trade. Specsavers have 2,300 units. Clodagh has 8, and growing. But she's not interested in ever taking on the behemoths. She's on her own path to business success. She wants to grow women led Mastermind Groups. She explains. Her hire in a heartbeat? Barbara Corcoran of the US's Dragon's Den or Shark Tank as it's known over there.

E220 That Great Business ShowWe have found a lovely growing business called Tranzaura, born in 2010 and based in Limerick, that has developed fleet management software that is keeping transport fleets in Ireland, the UK and Australia on the road...including two thirds of London's red buses, 3,500 HGV's belonging to the UK's largest truck company, Travis Perkins. How did they win these companies? Trade shows. Keep that in mind. CEO Shane Mann explains how they keep winning customers. Another great insight was how they 'converse' with maintenance staff, no matter what their languages. This is thanks to Tranzaura partner, Microsoft, using some magical AI translation tools. Shane also recommends Hub Spot based marketing. He has some interesting views on opportunities thrown up via the British Commonwealth. Next? Maybe, just maybe, a funding in the coming years.That Great Business Show has also found you a Queen. Well that’s what Caraldine Nolan is called, when it comes to finding and securing grants for her businesses, called Weighless Wonders and Nutraverse. Grants trump loans of equity as they normally don’t have to be paid back. Since the aim of this podcast is to back your business, we had to ask the First Lady of Grants on to the podcast….to reveal how she does it. We bet you haven't heard of many of these grants, grants that your business might be entitled to. Caraldine also have a brilliant business proposition for her favourite retailer, Lidl.With thanks to De Facto Shaving Oil.

E218 That Great Business ShowPresident elect Donald Trump says that tariffs 'is the best word in the English language', as he threatens to apply a 10% tariff (customs tax) on all imports into the US. Ireland is the biggest European exporter to the US on a per capita basis. "This is a very serious moment" - Dan O'Brien, Chief economist at the Institute of International and European Affairs.Dan also gives his views on what the next Irish government will face in economic terms.If you're looking for something positive...it could be nuclear energy.His 'hire in a heartbeat' - David O'Sullivan, former Secretary-General of the European Commission