That Great Business Show

E250UCD Smurfit Business School Podcast of the YearAine Kennedy and Billy Kennedy, of the Smooth Company. Aine is a Tik Tok queen, with millions and millions of views, with help from GRANDAD Billy.Aine doesn't hold back, she discusses her business journey, warts and all on her journey to 'world domination'.She's stocked in Brown Thomas having entered a competition with the store, but she lost. But won. She explains.Oh, she's looking for money, but only smart money...like Emma Grede, co-founder of wonderbrand, SkimsBilly wants to hire Marc Rieu, son of Andre Rieu, who between them have built a music empire.Working from home. Or not. It could be argued that law is about an interpretation of the rules, with the addition of precedent. COVID sent us all office workers home from where many still continue to work and wish to work. But once we saw the Biggies like Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan telling their staff to get back to the office we knew the jig was up...it was going to be 'back to the office' for the rest. But is it? Peter Leonard is a barrister and co-presenter of The Fifth Court and he joins us to explain the very latest from the courts and more particularly the WRC, the Workplace Relations Commission, where these issues are thrashed out on a regular basis.His 'hire in a heartbeat', HouseMartin's Paul Heaton

Episode 249 That Great Business ShowBad news. Thousands of ordinary businesses are being hit for small, but significant ransoms, via online hackers. Yes, they're targetting your small business. Every invoice, every payment, every piece of your business information is now in the hands of the Bad Actors. Once they have your invoices, they're out to commit invoice fraud. It can even happen to staff payment, where the staff bank details is compromised. We explain how it's done and it is ...BAD.Ian Power, wannabe Waterford rocker with 'Sleeze and Cheese' ('we're all failed musicians',),' but also CEO of Unitec tries to make the end of Windows 10 (still used by over 45% of SMEs) as sexy as possible. But did he succeed??His 'hire in a heartbeat'? Steve Jobs because of his innovative mind. Which brought us to Steve's pal, Johnny Ive and his new product that may replace the smartphone.Emma Maye, CEO, Ardale.EX Salesforce she's now building houses. Lots of houses. She's also a Image magazine PWC Business Woman of the Year.Her Salesforce ambitions fell apart (she wanted to head to the top) with the sudden and unexpected death of her dad, Liam Maye, the well know developer. His death coincided with The Property Crash and Emma took it upon herself to try to help her mum sort out her dad's international estate that involved 32 co-owners.She had '3 NAMA babies'...wait till you hear about the stress. Planning, planning and planning is her biggest bugbear. Storage is her next big business.Her 'hire in a heartbeat', Richard Branson (like Emma, another dyslexic)There's a maths teacher called Mr. Brennan, who was in a grind school in Dundrum, Dublin, who changed Emma's life, it could be said.

E248 That Great Business Show with Conall O MóráinDavid Dowling, Cronin Group & Eilis Quinlan, Eilis Quinlan AccountantsQuadrupling' of Americans leaving Trump's USA for Ireland - according to David Dowling, Commercial Director at The Cronin Group, one of Ireland's largest moving specialists. One of a number of subsidiaries specialises in moving employees to Ireland. He has seen a very large increase in 'others', not directly employed by US firms, moving from the US to Ireland in recent times. The Cronin Group has a fascinating history, with Michael Collin's lover, Kitty Kiernan (we cover all bases on TGBS!). If you want a museum, or four hospitals moved, you phone David. No matter what the size, the object or the location, he says they can do it, and probably have done it all before. He also explains why the Depart of Agriculture (!) has to get involved in moving machinery (no, not plants or animals) abroad. There's also a great story about a Hewlett Packard employee who didn't know (until now) his car was left at Dublin Airport for almost three years. Cronin's paid the parking charges! And, they moved Francis Bacon. Well not the artist himself, who is unfortunately no longer with us, but his entire studio, to the Hugh Lane Gallery in Dublin, from London. His hire in a heartbeat? Dave Shannon of Grow Sales who has been tasked with growing the Cronin business threefold. No pressure then.Eilis Quinlan, Naas Accountant that has just merged with AVID accountants.Eilis has served on the ISME Board and is one of Ireland's finest 'listening posts' for SME businesses in Ireland. What she doesn't know about what is ailing Irish business isn't worth knowing. And, she also knows how to fix many of our economies problems. The says it is a 'really scary place' out there for SMEs, and she has seen every up and down in the economy over the last third of a century. She suggests that the government should 'lure' foreign banks to Ireland to increase competition. Her 'hire in a heartbeat' is her new merger partner, Jamie O'Hanlon of Avid Partners - who is himself, according to Eilis, a BS free zone.

Can you herd cats? Of course you can't, unless of course you're John Hyland, founder of Clubspot. John's business is an overnight success after five years. He has raised €2 million raised and he says a further €2m could be on the way. He has a team of 31, and that will grow to 40-50 by the end of the year. He's targeting, amongst many/any other clubs, organisations, societies the GAA 2,500 clubs worldwide. He's also targetting High School sports teams in the US and and he's heading to Oz to see what sports clubs he could snag down there. He explains how he uses the Young Big Brains at UCD Smurfit Business School for research.Terry Clune is his 'hire in a heartbeat' AND if GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) NFL quarterback, Tom Brady, is listening he'd like a word with him - his family is from Cavan after all (and seemingly very proud of it) Also mentioned are Cathriona Hallahan, Irish Hereford Association, Cavan GAA (plus eight other County Boards), UCD Sports Management Course, Vodafone, Dermot Desmond and Tony SmurfitAlso on Episode 247 is Dr. Maria Gallo, author of 'The Alumni Way' who gives NOT her two cents rule, but her two sentence rule on how to effectively (but not cynically) use your alumni connections, not just from your school or college, but from your badminton society or your horticultural society. It may sound uncomfortable to Irish people, but not if you abide by her 5:1 rule (you'll have to listen to learn it). How you connect with your fellow alumni, is NOT about looking for something, it is about helping others. She explains that you have to get your niche or pitch down to just two sentences so that everyone you'll meet will know who or what you'd like to be connected with...'working with Diarmuid Gavin', if you dig gardening. Make sure to ask curious questions and broaden your network. Maria's 'hire in a heartbeat', her brother Marco Gallo, who works with Henry's Camera in Canada (Marco, we'd like to have you on the podcast when you're next in Ireland)And Maria wants to 'hire' Lorraine Tansey, of Student Volunteer IrelandAnd speaking of alums...this chat started randomly at a Trinity (College Dublin) Business Alumni Association annual dinner.All our tips, insights, opportunities and inspiration are brought to you thanks to De Facto Shaving Oil. The world's best. Fact.

E246 That Great Business ShowTake a seat. Here's Ciaran Finane, one half of the Finline Furniture team. They are one of Ireland's finest furniture manufacturers, shipping to 65 countries worldwide, including diplomatic residences. That's not straightforward. Every piece of furniture has to be vetted for listening devices and other James Bond like issues. Fun fact - you can ship a sofa from Emo, Co. Laois to Mexico City in 28 days.Their big pivot was to start selling to the public direct. They've bought a 25,000 sq ft salesroom on the Longmile Road in Dublin that has recently been opened to the public. (They also have showrooms on Cork, Galway and Laois - they have 85 employees now, but they have plans to grow again. That growth may come from bedding, or is that what he hinted at??). They also 'grow their own' employees, via long term training. However, finding employees is a challenge.Every piece of furniture is checked before leaving the factory. That's 250 pieces and they have a bounty or bonus if their operatives find a flaw. Ciaran explains why it makes sense. They ship to China, where there's plenty of competition, but Finline wins business by pitching at the high end.He's a big fan of trade shows to find customers in the UK and beyond.The company is great on recirculating their old furniture. They'll buy their old furniture from you and have it refurbished.Mark Cuban is his 'hire in a heartbeat'.Do you experience that Monday Morning Dread? Particularly when your team doesn't turn up for work?? Mary Finn, is founder of Connect4Work, based in Galway. She weans people who may be burnout, back to work. She has worked with people who have been absent from work for longer than four weeks, and up to a whopping five years. She explains how best to reintroduce people back to work following a lengthy absence. Mental health in business is a huge issue and That Great Business Show wants to smash that taboo of people avoiding saying 'I have a mental health problem'. Curiously, some physical illnesses can lead to mental health issues too.'Who's at my desk?', can be a huge problem for people coming back to work, having been out for a while.Going back to work does NOT mean you have to be 100% fit to get back to work. Mary recommends a slow return, reintegrating only when someone is ready - and maybe for one or two days at a time, to start with - for example, for people who have been hit with cancer.Mary Finn's 'hires in a heartbeat' is Alex Polizzi, The Hotel Inspector, (TV), Richard Branson (his organisation does wellness 'very well'), Biddy O'Neill (Healthy Ireland Programme, HSE), Sinead Burke (Tilting the Lens), Sinead Kane (lawyer)With thanks to De Facto Shaving Oil, not a beard oil, it's a shaving oil, for anyone who shaves.

E245 That Great Business ShowPolice drummer, Stewart Copeland on the need for creative industries to embrace AI. His 'Secret Mission' project, his new book on how to be a rockstar, when he realised he would be famous, working again with Sting, hiring David Grohl as well as Paul McGuinness, the vain futility of awards, how to spot a musical prodigy in your family, opportunities in the creative industries to make mi$$ions...and one to keep an eye on. Arthur Guinness. Oh, and his appearance at the Dublin Tech Summit.Fan-tas-tic.With thanks to De Facto Shaving Oil, the world's best shaving oil.

E244 That Great Business Show with Conall O MorainUCD Smurfit Business School 'Podcast of the Year'Jason McLaughlin. TPS Plastics. Based in Drumcollegher, Limerick, TPS is one of those fascinating companies we love to feature. Hidden in plain sight, they are producing high-precision components for the medical, automotive, and aerospace sectors AND they’re pioneering digital twin technologies – something you need to know about. They're also working on plastic that eats itself! Sam Moorhead and Mikey Fleming as Co-Creative DirectorsWe love a good ad. Like they had in the 'good old days', Ones like radio ads, run at breakfast time, for Nilverm, 10/10/20 and Cheno Unction ‘a quare name, but great stuff, mostly chemicals for the agricultural sector, many of which are either banned or heavily reformulated since then. And of course the tractor ads, like 'Zetor, that’s better’ - nothing but quality all the way. And a sign of how dependent the Irish economy was on ag 'back then'. We like to think that ads should be part of the entertainment of radio and TV but the view at Business Show HQ is that nowadays too many ads are spelt C. R. A. P. That's why we've asked in two top advertising heavyweights, Sam Moorehead and Mikey Fleming, Co-Creative Directors at Connelly Partners, to see if we can fix that problem.With thanks to De Facto Shaving Shaving Oil. Don't forget to bring the 25ml bottle on holidays with you. Made to get through airport security.

E243 That Great Business ShowThe role of delivery in the food business - "I like horses but I'm not going to ride a horse to work every day" - that's Sean Murray, founder of Hosted Kitchens, explaining that he loves food, but he doesn't love cooking for himself. He says his 'dark kitchen' business is only going one way - up, up and up. When he has conquered Dublin he's then heading to Galway, Limerick and Cork as well as Belfast and Derry, so if you're dreaming of having a food business in any of those locations, keep listening. And, it's not just about cooking. He's big in delivery too - which is his original business.Hosted Kitchens can reach 250,000 people from their new 8,000 sq. ft. Glasnevin premises.He already has Allbar Chicken ("best chicken wings in Dublin") and he's very keen to attract Chick-Fil-A (already in Northern Ireland) to work from his kitchens.He's a big believer in drone deliveries - they serve him dinner regularly.They have already funded, with a seed round of €1.25 and an A round of €2.4 and they'll be going again.There are over 1,000 'dark kitchens' in London, so that's not a target. He's sticking with Ireland for the next 3-5 years.His 'hire in a heartbeat', Rory McIlroy, for his resilience. (Sean advises to keep thinking of the 'good days' during the 'bad days')ECO Powered CabinetsDarren Forde, CEO, a design engineer with Mayo Co. Council, has a side business designing, creating and placing medical cabinets to save lives in remote places. They're on top of Croagh Patrick, they'll be on the side of the road on motorways, the first one has been placed in an Applegreen M4 motorway service station. There are 10 units in Australia that hold snake bite medicine. He has his cabinets patented. He needs a Dragon's backing (Peter Jones or Debra Meaden) from the Dragon's Den. Timmy Mallett, the UK TV personality, has been in touch and he has been posting about it to 500,000 followers.His 'hire in a heartbeat', Sean Canny TD for his contacts.With thanks to De Facto Shave dot com.

E242 That Great Business ShowWe bring you the 'Absolute Truth', as Florida HQ'd Partsol announce they've moved their operational HQ to Ireland. John Callahan, CTO Partsol has just landed in Ireland with a very, very interesting twist on AI - they search for information in a very different way, hoping to expunge mistakes (some error rates with other AI systems can be as high as 25% according to John). Their product is aimed particularly at sectors that really, really need absolutely accuracy in its information (banks, insurance companies, government). They've had interest from Hollywood. And, even the simplest businesses can benefit from Partsol knowledge as well, like bread making. He explains. And, they're looking for businesses to partner with. Partsol has already raised $17.5 million already and they're going again to raise up to $50 million to make a land grab. He's hiring and just four days in Ireland he has already hired his first hire. They need up to maybe 100 more people...and that's just in Ireland. They'll be hiring across Europe.His 'hire in a heartbeat' is Chris Baker, a rollercoaster thinker.Mark John, founder of Tramshed Tech. Thanks to the Welsh Government office at the British Embassy in Ireland, we will be running a series of chats highlighting the opportunities for Irish businesses using Wales as a stepping stone to the UK market, that is six times the size of the Irish market. They have many incentives to entice companies to base themselves in Wales, including introductory offers on office space, they have a couple of investment funds (you need to register as a UK company to benefit), as well as family offices etc, and a networking system not unlike Ireland. The Welsh know every other Welsh person, anywhere. The creative sector is very strong and Mark says there are many opportunities for Irish creative companies, including access to the UK broadcast market.His 'hire in a heartbeat' David Stevens, of The Admiral Group