Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The Entrepreneur Experiment

Mark Hughes started Solidroad in Dublin in 2023 with his co founder Patrick Finlay. There was just one problem. They did not actually know what they were going to build. Three years later, Solidroad has gone through Y Combinator, built offices in Dublin and San Francisco, landed major enterprise customers and raised a $25 million Series A. In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Mark breaks down exactly how it happened. We go inside the early search for product market fit, how they got their first customers, founder led sales, getting into Y Combinator after multiple attempts, moving his life to San Francisco and the extraordinary speed at which Silicon Valley operates. Mark also tells the story of meeting First Round Capital on a Saturday, meeting the partnership on Sunday and effectively having the investment agreed by Monday. We then get into AI. Mark explains how AI has completely changed the way he works as a CEO, why he believes repetitive work is most at risk, why customer support will remain a combination of humans and AI, and how he is effectively building an AI powered operating system around his company. Finally, we talk about the biggest mistake he has made building Solidroad and the lesson he would give his younger founder self: Move faster. A fascinating conversation about ambition, fundraising, sales, AI, Silicon Valley and what it really takes to build a venture scale company. —- Our Sponsors: Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azure26 Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment Podcast: https://www.mrgaryfox.com/podcast —- CHAPTERS 00:00 Meet Mark Hughes and Solidroad 01:52 From Dublin startup to a $25M Series A 03:09 Why Mark became a second time founder 04:30 Starting a company without knowing what to build 06:01 How they searched for the right problem 07:49 The moment they realised they had something 09:09 Funding the company before Y Combinator 11:39 Revenue as the North Star 15:01 Why timing matters in startups 17:00 How Solidroad found its first customers 19:37 Mark's founder led sales playbook 24:28 Why moving to San Francisco changed everything 24:59 What Y Combinator actually does 26:33 Inside a typical week at YC 28:31 Getting into YC after multiple attempts 31:24 The personal cost of moving to San Francisco 34:38 What happens after Y Combinator 36:22 Inside YC Demo Day 37:27 Meeting First Round Capital 38:50 Saturday meeting, Monday money 39:53 Building a $6.5M seed round 42:10 Landing major enterprise customers 42:49 Why money raised is the wrong success metric 43:10 Why Solidroad raised again 44:56 Will AI take our jobs? 46:30 Why customer service will remain human 48:56 The jobs most exposed to AI 49:40 How an AI powered CEO works 52:42 Has Claude overtaken ChatGPT? 54:04 Raising the $25M Series A 59:05 Mark's advice for founders raising money 1:00:41 Dublin versus San Francisco 1:02:52 What comes next for Solidroad 1:03:59 Mark's biggest mistake 1:07:02 Quick fire 1:10:22 Why face to face sales will win in an AI world 1:13:37 The advice Mark wishes he had earlier 1:14:08 Speed is everything

Sara Davies built the business that changed her life. Then she had to fight to save it. In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Sara tells the story of what happened when Crafter’s Companion, the company she founded from her bedroom, ran into serious trouble and ultimately entered administration. She talks candidly about buying the business back, the brutal 18 months that followed, and what it feels like when the company that has defined so much of your life suddenly becomes the source of enormous pressure. This is not simply a story about business recovery. We talk about the decisions and warning signs that founders can miss when a company is growing, including the uncomfortable reality of doing around £20 million in revenue while struggling for cash. Sara also opens up about stepping away from Dragons’ Den, the pressure of trying to be a founder, investor, television personality and mother at the same time, and reaching the point where she knew something had to change. We explore ADHD, hyperfocus, motherhood, guilt, resilience, investing and the psychology that has allowed Sara to keep moving forward through some of the most difficult periods of her career. In this conversation: • What really happened inside Crafter’s Companion • How a business can generate huge revenue and still run into cash problems • Why Sara decided to buy her company back • The toughest 18 months of her business career • The founder mistakes she can now see more clearly • Why she stepped back from Dragons’ Den • The pressure of combining ambition, business and family • Sara’s experience of ADHD and hyperfocus • How she evaluates entrepreneurs and investments • What difficult periods have taught her about resilience This is a very different side of Sara Davies. It is a conversation about what happens when success becomes complicated, when the business you built needs saving, and how you rebuild both the company and the founder behind it. The Entrepreneur Experiment is about one central idea: Build a better founder, not just a better business. —- Our Sponsors: Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azure26 Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment Podcast: https://www.mrgaryfox.com/podcast

James Haskell has spent most of his life performing under pressure. He won 77 caps for England, toured with the British & Irish Lions, played professional rugby around the world and then had to figure out who he was when the game stopped. Today, James is an entrepreneur, broadcaster, author, DJ and co-host of The Good, The Bad & The Rugby. He’s also building Blackeye Spirits alongside Mike Tindall and Alex Payne. But this isn’t really an episode about rugby. It’s about building a better founder, not just a better business. We talk about why self-awareness may be the ultimate competitive advantage, how elite sport teaches you to handle brutal feedback, why ambitious people struggle to recognise when enough is enough, and how James rebuilt his identity after rugby. We also get into focus, saying no, buying back your time, therapy, accountability, personal branding, choosing business opportunities, the creator economy, why information is becoming free and why implementation is becoming more valuable. James is candid, funny and completely unfiltered throughout. If you’re ambitious, stretched across too many things, or trying to work out what success actually means to you, there’s a lot in this one. In This Episode We cover: What professional sport teaches you about business Why “you can lie to everyone else, but you can’t lie to yourself” How to receive feedback without letting your ego get in the way The four things James believes you can actually control Why achievement can leave high performers permanently unfulfilled The difference between chasing outcomes and mastering process What Eddie Jones taught him about excellence Reinventing yourself when your first career ends Why James started preparing for life after rugby at 20 Learning to say no to opportunities How he decides which businesses and projects deserve his time Why he refuses most equity-only deals Authenticity, personal branding and protecting audience trust Why information is becoming free but implementation will remain valuable Therapy, mental performance and changing your emotional state His approach to focus, batching and avoiding distraction Why even a former professional athlete pays someone to keep him accountable Buying back your time Defining how much money is actually “enough” Turning The Good, The Bad & The Rugby from a podcast into a media business Why modern podcasts need to think beyond audio Building Blackeye Spirits and the mission behind the Blackeye Rugby Fund Links & Resources James Haskell: official site covering his rugby, books, music and other projects. James Haskell official website (https://jameshaskell.com/) The Good, The Bad & The Rugby: James hosts alongside Mike Tindall and Alex Payne; the show describes itself as the world’s biggest rugby podcast. The Good, The Bad & The Rugby (https://goodbadrugby.com/) Blackeye Spirits: James, Mike Tindall and Alex Payne’s spirits business. The brand says its Rugby Fund aims to eventually invest £1 million annually supporting injured players, research, risk reduction and recovery. Blackeye Spirits (https://blackeyespirits.com/ James’s books: What A Flanker, Ruck Me and Approach (With)out Caution are all featured on his official site.

This is one of the most personal founder stories we’ve recorded on The Entrepreneur Experiment. Danny Buckley is the co-founder of ADHD Now and a 2026 EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalist. But the company exists because of a far more personal story. Danny spent much of his life struggling with distraction, emotional dysregulation, anxiety and a lack of structure without understanding why. His wife Simone believed he had ADHD. Danny dismissed it. Then life changed completely. After years of serious health challenges, Simone became critically ill. The day before she died, she told Danny that life was short, that he needed to stop inflicting suffering on himself, get help for his ADHD, understand who he was and back himself. Danny eventually followed her advice. His diagnosis at 32 gave him a new understanding of himself, but getting there exposed another problem: accessing ADHD assessment and support was extraordinarily difficult. Danny saw an opportunity to change that. Together with his co-founders, he built ADHD Now around a simple idea: people should be able to get answers in weeks rather than wait years. We unpack how they found clinical capacity, built the technology and processes, generated demand, scaled the team and created a service that expects to see 13,000 patients in 2026. But this conversation goes far beyond business. Danny speaks openly about grief, becoming emotionally available for his son, sobriety, faith, asking for help and learning to live with structure and discipline. We also explore why ADHD appears so frequently among entrepreneurs, how hyperfocus can become both an advantage and a liability, and why Danny eventually had to recognise that not every exciting business opportunity deserved his attention. His personal framework is beautifully simple: desire, hard work and help. And each morning, he returns to his Three Cs: Connection. Compassion. Contribution. This is a story about what happens when you finally understand yourself, accept what you cannot control and put your energy into what you can. As Danny puts it: “Life is short. Enjoy the life you’ve left.” IN THIS EPISODE Danny’s experience of living with undiagnosed ADHD The final conversation with his wife Simone that changed the direction of his life Why he travelled to the UK to receive his ADHD diagnosis How diagnosis brought structure, discipline and emotional awareness into his life Why getting a diagnosis is only the beginning Turning his own experience into the idea for ADHD Now The stranger Danny met outside the hospital who would later back the business How ADHD Now went from idea to launch in a matter of months Recruiting clinicians when the healthcare system was already at capacity Using technology and systems to reduce friction for patients Why private providers may form part of the solution to healthcare waiting lists The relationship between ADHD, hyperfocus and entrepreneurship Why Danny bought two bakeries while scaling a healthcare company Learning when ADHD-driven curiosity becomes distraction Danny’s formula of desire, hard work and help His Three Cs: Connection, Compassion and Contribution The moment at EY Entrepreneur of the Year when Danny finally felt proud of himself Why he rejects the idea that founders have to be miserable to succeed Faith, fatherhood and redefining what success means Why “action removes anxiety” Our Sponsors: Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azure26 🔗 Links & Resources: ADHD Now: https://adhdnow.com/ie Danny Buckley on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danibuckley90 Danny Buckley on LinkedIn: https://ie.linkedin.com/in/danny-buckley-84840b2a0 Book recommendation – Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss: https://amzn.to/4dshO2a Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment Podcast: https://www.mrgaryfox.com/podcast

Building a trusted brand rarely comes from one viral moment. It comes from showing up consistently, solving real problems and earning people’s attention over time. In this Mentor Moment, Laura Dowling shares how she built credibility by making complex health information easier to understand and creating content that genuinely helped her audience. It’s a valuable lesson for any founder or creator trying to grow a brand: trust compounds, consistency matters and meaningful impact will always outlast a temporary spike in views. 🎧 Listen back to Laura’s full conversation in Episode 466 of The Entrepreneur Experiment for more on her journey from pharmacist to educator, entrepreneur and trusted voice in women’s health. Follow and subscribe so you never miss a Mentor Moment. *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with professional heavyweight boxer and Thirst co-founder Thomas Carty to unpack how he built one of Ireland’s fastest-growing hydration brands while pursuing a career in professional boxing. The idea began with Thomas’s own search for a convenient electrolyte product to support his training. When the brand he relied on stopped shipping to Ireland, he decided to create his own. Within just ten weeks, Thomas and his business partner had developed and self-funded their first 300 boxes—but producing the product was only the beginning. After pharmacies, health shops and supplement stores refused to stock them, Thomas loaded the boxes into his car and began selling them one at a time to coffee shops and saunas across Dublin. Today, Thirst works with more than 20 distributors and is stocked across Ireland in hundreds of cafés, vending machines, gyms, forecourts and major retail groups. Thomas shares the reality behind that growth: the uncomfortable early sales, the importance of moving quickly, how founder-led content helped build trust and why the right business partner allowed him to balance building Thirst with training up to 11 times a week. If you have an idea you’ve been waiting to launch, this episode is a practical masterclass in product development, distribution, founder-led marketing and getting started before everything is perfect. 🎧 Show Notes: In this episode, we cover: 🥊 How Thomas’s Olympic ambitions led him into professional boxing 💡 The sauna conversation that sparked the idea for Thirst 🤝 Finding a business partner with complementary skills ⚡ Developing and self-funding the first product in just ten weeks 📦 Starting with 300 boxes across three flavours 🚪 What happened when pharmacies and supplement stores refused to stock the brand ☕ Creating a new route to market through coffee shops and saunas 🚗 Driving across Dublin to sell one box at a time 📱 Using social proof and founder-led content to build trust 🎙️ The podcast appearance that created a major spike in sales 📈 Growing from one distributor to more than 20 🛒 Designing packaging specifically for convenience and retail 🏪 Expanding into hundreds of cafés and vending machines across Ireland ⏱️ Why speed has become one of Thirst’s greatest advantages 🧠 Balancing a growing company with 11 boxing and training sessions each week 📓 The physical diary Thomas relies on to manage his life and workload 🌍 Why export—not launching a canned drink—is the next priority 📣 Why social media remains the most powerful free tool available to founders 🚀 What Thomas would do differently if he were launching Thirst again 🔥 Why blind faith and hard work form his personal formula for success 💬 “The secret sauce is graft. There’s no secret.” – Thomas Carty 🔗 Links & Resources: Thirst: https://thirstlife.com Thirst on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thirst.life Thomas Carty on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_thomascarty Thomas Carty on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-carty-775516162 Book recommendation – Relentless by Tim Grover: https://timgrover.com/relentless/ Our Sponsors: Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azure26 Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment Podcast: https://www.mrgaryfox.com/podcast

The biggest opportunities in your career rarely arrive with a perfect plan. In this Mentor Moment, Mark Breen, founder of Safe Events Global, shares how saying yes, staying open to unexpected opportunities and being willing to follow where the work led helped shape his career. It’s a powerful reminder that progress is not always linear. Sometimes, the next step only becomes clear after you take it. 🎧 Listen back to Mark’s full conversation in Episode 463 of The Entrepreneur Experiment for more on his journey, the growth of Safe Events Global and the lessons he has learned along the way. Follow and subscribe so you never miss a Mentor Moment. *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Jeff Dodds, CEO of Formula E, the electric motorsport championship that has grown from no established fan base to more than 400 million fans worldwide. Jeff takes us inside the rapidly expanding business of global sport and explains how Formula E is combining close-combat racing, world-famous manufacturers, sustainability, social media and entertainment to build the next generation of motorsport. He shares the unconventional story of how he moved from leading Virgin Media O2 into Formula E, what he discovered during his first month as CEO, and why he keeps a game of Snakes and Ladders behind his desk as a reminder of the realities of running a scale-up. Jeff also reveals the leadership principles that shape Formula E’s culture, including the three qualities he looks for in every team member: energy, optimism and accountability. He explains how obsessive behaviour can become a competitive advantage, why leaders must focus on what they can control, and how Formula E uses immediate post-race debriefs to turn lessons into action. From managing his energy while travelling for six months of the year to balancing competition, training and recovery, this is a fascinating conversation about leadership, performance and building a global sports platform. For founders, CEOs and anyone trying to scale an ambitious organisation, this episode is packed with practical insights. Show Notes In this episode, we cover: 🏎️ How Formula E grew to more than 400 million fans worldwide 💰 How the business of global sport actually makes money 📱 The role of creators, social media and entertainment in growing a sport 🔥 Why obsessiveness can become a competitive advantage 🪜 Jeff’s “Snakes and Ladders” approach to leading a scale-up ⚡ The three traits behind high-performing teams: energy, optimism and accountability 📝 Formula E’s “I like, I wonder” post-race debrief system 🔋 How Jeff manages energy, travel and recovery as a global CEO 🚀 Why first-mover advantage still matters in business Links and Resources Connect with Jeff and Formula E Formula E official website (https://www.fiaformulae.com/) Formula E on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/formula-e/) Jeff Dodds on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jedodds/) Formula E on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fiaformulae/?hl=en https://www.youtube.com/@FIAFormulaE *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment

ou don’t need a huge budget to prove that an idea can work. You need creativity, resourcefulness and the willingness to start. In this Mentor Moment, Ryan Casey, founder of C11 Recovery, shares how he began building the brand with limited resources by creating recovery boxes, tapping into his network and finding smart ways to test demand before scaling. It’s a practical lesson in building momentum without waiting for perfect conditions, using partnerships to create opportunities and proving the concept before making bigger investments. 🎧 Listen back to Ryan’s full conversation in Episode 462 of The Entrepreneur Experiment for more on the story behind C11 Recovery and the lessons he has learned building the business. Follow and subscribe so you never miss a Mentor Moment. *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Stephen Cluskey, CEO and co-founder of Mobility Mojo. At 18, Stephen broke his neck in a freak accident and was paralysed from the neck down. After years focused on rehabilitation, a six-hour wait for an accessible taxi inspired his first business and ultimately led to the creation of Mobility Mojo. Stephen shares how the company survived with just €237 left in the bank, adapted when Covid shut down the hospitality industry and evolved into a global workplace accessibility platform used by major organisations. This is a powerful conversation about resilience, purpose, product-market fit and why the people who survive are often those most willing to adapt. 🎧 Show Notes In this episode, we cover: 🔥 The accident that changed Stephen’s life at 18 🎯 Using small goals to navigate recovery 🚕 The inaccessible taxi experience that sparked his first business 💶 Reaching just €237 in the company bank account 🌍 The conversation that transformed Mobility Mojo’s business model 🦠 Pivoting when Covid shut down the hospitality industry 🏢 Building a global workplace accessibility platform 📈 Raising investment and winning major enterprise clients ♿ Why accessibility goes far beyond ramps and bathrooms ⚖️ Combining social impact with a profitable business model 👥 The importance of team, perseverance and adaptability 💬 “It’s not the strongest that survive; it’s those that adapt.” – Stephen Cluskey *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment

What if the key to performing at your best isn't working harder—but recovering better? In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with performance coach Dan Lawrence to explore the science behind sustainable high performance. Drawing on years of experience working with elite athletes, founders and executives, Dan explains why recovery isn't a reward for hard work—it's what makes peak performance possible. They discuss the hidden cost of chronic stress, the importance of sleep, nutrition and movement, and why the world's highest performers treat recovery as seriously as training. Dan also shares practical strategies to improve focus, resilience and long-term performance without burning out. Whether you're building a business, leading a team or simply trying to perform better in your everyday life, this conversation is packed with actionable insights you can start applying immediately. *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Emmet Savage, co-founder of MyWallSt, to talk investing, AI and the reality of building a business over the long term. Emmet shares the framework he uses to identify exceptional companies, why the best investors often do less, and how early bets on companies like Netflix and Tesla shaped his approach. He also reveals how MyWallSt went from being close to collapse after 12 years in business to generating the equivalent of 12 years of revenue in just 12 days. This is a conversation about patience, conviction, optimism and staying in the game long enough for everything to change. 🎧 Show Notes In this episode, we cover: 🔥 Emmet’s formula for success in business and investing 📈 How he identifies companies with long-term growth potential 🧠 Why emotion can help and hurt investors ⏳ The power of buying well and holding for decades 🚀 His early investments in Netflix and Tesla 🤖 Whether AI is a bubble or a generational opportunity 🌌 Why space and Rocket Lab excite him 💰 How MyWallSt achieved 12 years of revenue in 12 days ⚠️ Why hustle culture gives founders the wrong message 🌱 How optimism and persistence kept the business alive 💬 “The route to success is one mistake after another, staggered by the occasional blistering winner.” – Emmet Savage *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment Links and Resources Emmet Savage and MyWallSt MyWallSt: https://www.mywallst.com/ Learn by MyWallSt: https://www.learn.mywallst.com/ Prophet by MyWallSt: https://www.mywallst.com/prophet_landing Emmet’s investing journey: https://www.mywallst.com/chief-investor-letter Investicon 2026 Investicon takes place in Dublin on 27 August 2026, bringing together leading investors to share the companies and investment themes they believe have the greatest long-term potential. Tickets and event information: https://www.investicon.ie/ Listener discount mentioned in the episode: Use the code GARY200 for €200 off.

Success isn't just about what you know - it's about who you surround yourself with. In this Mentor Moment, Jenny Johnston, founder of Azure Communications, shares why the strongest careers and businesses are built on genuine relationships. From asking for help to creating opportunities for others, Jenny explains why generosity, trust, and investing in your network can open doors that talent alone never will. Whether you're building a business, growing your career, or looking to expand your circle, this conversation is a powerful reminder that your network is one of your most valuable assets. 🎧 Enjoyed this Mentor Moment? Listen back to the full conversation with Jenny Johnston in Episode 458 of The Entrepreneur Experiment, where she shares the story behind building Azure Communications into one of Ireland's leading communications agencies, the lessons she's learned as an entrepreneur, and why relationships remain at the heart of lasting success. Follow and subscribe to The Entrepreneur Experiment for a new Mentor Moment every week, plus full conversations with world-class founders, creators and leaders. *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Matthew Collins, founder of The Sibly Food Co, the Irish snack brand that began with a €143 food shop and a stall at a local Christmas market. Matthew shares how he went from making brownies, rocky roads and cheesecakes in his parents’ kitchen to building a brand stocked in approximately 800 outlets nationwide. Along the way, he taught full-time, baked through the night, delivered products shop by shop and even packed Sibly’s first Aldi pallet under his uncle’s carport. He reveals the pivotal decisions that transformed Sibly from a college side hustle into a national food business: leaving teaching, finding a business partner with complementary strengths, moving away from short-shelf-life cheesecakes, winning a Grow with Aldi contract and reinvesting everything back into the company. Matthew also breaks down the reality of scaling a food brand, from pricing and distribution to shelf space, rate of sale, hiring and protecting product quality as volume increases. With Sibly recently producing 32,000 pots in a single week and targeting €3.5 million in sales this year, this is a practical masterclass in building a consumer brand one shop, one customer and one small improvement at a time. For founders building a food business, consumer brand or bootstrapped company, this episode is packed with honest, practical lessons from someone still deep in the journey. 🎧 Show Notes In this episode, we cover: 🎄 How a €143 food shop and a local Christmas market started Sibly 🍫 Finding the gap between bland “healthy” snacks and heavily processed sweet treats 🏠 Growing the business from Matthew’s parents’ kitchen and a purpose-built unit in their front garden 🎓 Baking and delivering at weekends while working full-time as a teacher ☎️ The phone call that convinced Matthew to leave teaching and commit fully to Sibly 🤝 How he identified his weaknesses and found a business partner with experience in sales and finance 💶 Why Matthew was initially undervaluing both his products and himself 🚐 Building distribution through cold calls, shop visits and door-to-door selling across Cork and Kerry 🍰 Why Sibly moved away from cheesecake pots to focus on scalable, longer-life energy balls 🛒 Packing the company’s first Aldi pallet under a carport and winning a Grow with Aldi contract 📦 What happened when an order for two pallets quickly became four and then six 📈 Growing from approximately 1,000 pots a week to between 6,000 and 8,000 almost overnight 🧠 Why Sibly’s first major hire gave Matthew the headspace to pursue bigger opportunities 🗺️ The importance of building distribution geographically rather than expanding everywhere at once 🏷️ Understanding rate of sale and why getting onto a shelf is only half the battle 🥣 Why clean ingredients and consistent quality have become central to the Sibly brand 📱 Building consumer demand through community, social media, sampling and word of mouth 🏪 Growing to approximately 800 outlets across Ireland 🚀 Producing 32,000 pots in a recent week while maintaining the same product quality 💰 Sibly’s targets of €3.5 million in 2026, €5 million in 2027 and close to €10 million by 2028 🌍 Why Matthew wants to saturate the Irish market before pursuing international expansion 🔁 The power of compounding and moving the business forward by a millimetre every day 💬 “Compounding sounds fancy, but it’s pushing it a millimetre forward every day.” – Matthew Collins 🔗 Links and Resources Connect with Matthew and Sibly The Sibly Food Co website (https://thesibly.ie/) The Sibly Food Co on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/siblyfoodco/) Matthew Collins on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/mattzzer/) Learn more about Grow with Aldi (https://www.aldi.ie/grow) Books Mentioned How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie (https://harpercollins.co.uk/products/how-to-win-friends-and-influence-people-collins-classics-dale-carnegie) The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne (https://shop.penguin.co.uk/products/the-hearts-invisible-furies-by-john-boyne) Shoe Dog by Phil Knight The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (https://www.thesecret.tv/products/the-secret-book/) *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment

Most people don't fail because they lack information. They fail because they never act on it. In this Mentor Moment, Connor Martin, founder of The Essence Vault, shares why rapid implementation has been one of the biggest drivers behind his company's extraordinary growth. From testing ideas quickly to challenging conventional thinking around customer acquisition and scaling, Connor explains why speed beats perfection every time. If you're an entrepreneur, creator, or someone who finds themselves stuck in planning mode, this episode is a powerful reminder that progress comes from action, not another course, book, or podcast. 🎧 Enjoyed this Mentor Moment? Listen back to the full conversation with Connor Martin in Episode 452 of The Entrepreneur Experiment, where he shares how he built The Essence Vault into one of the UK's fastest-growing fragrance brands and the mindset behind scaling at speed. Follow and subscribe to The Entrepreneur Experiment for a new Mentor Moment every week, plus full conversations with world-class founders, creators and leaders. *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Michael Corcoran, former Head of Social at Ryanair and co-founder of Slice Social Consultancy, for a no-fluff masterclass on the state of social media in 2026. Michael breaks down why social media has become more fragile, more volatile and harder for brands to win on, but also why there is still a massive opportunity for founders who think differently. From the death of follower-first thinking to the danger of building your business on “rented land”, Michael explains why the brands that win are not the ones copying trends, chasing outrage or posting more for the sake of it. They are the ones with a clear strategy, a sharp point of difference and the discipline to build memorability over time. Gary and Michael dig into what strategy actually means, how founders can find their “aha” moment, why functional messaging rarely builds a brand, and how small businesses can use creativity to punch above their weight. If you are a founder, marketer or creator trying to build a brand in a crowded market, this episode is your playbook for standing out, being remembered and refusing to play the same game as everyone else. 🎧 Show Notes: In this episode, we cover: 🔥 Why Michael believes social media is on “fragile ground” in 2026 📱 Why followers matter less than attention, creativity and memorability 🏗️ The danger of building your business on rented land 🧠 What strategy actually means without the corporate fluff 💡 How to find the gap, problem or opportunity your brand can own 🥤 Why a protein brand should not just make workout and recipe content 🎯 The difference between creating impressions and making an impression ⚡ How Liquid Death reframed the water category by behaving like an energy drink 📈 Why founders need to look at company, category, customer and culture 🏋️ Why functional claims rarely build brands: emotion does 🧓 The overlooked opportunity in the “grey market” for health, wellness and protein brands 🎬 The Moneyball lesson every small brand needs to understand 💰 How time, budget and team shape your social media execution 🚀 Why small brands must think, behave and execute differently to win 💬 “You don’t build brands with function. You build brands with emotion.” – Michael Corcoran Links & Resources Michael Corcoran LinkedIn: https://ie.linkedin.com/in/michaelrichardcorcoran Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mc_so_me/ Slice Social Consultancy https://www.instagram.com/slice_social_consultancy/ *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment Mentioned in the episode (not affiliated) No Bullsh*t Strategy by Alex M H Smith “Liquid Death” (brand) Moneyball https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1210166/ Join Gary’s weekly newsletter: https://bit.ly/40TgDkq

What if your best marketing strategy wasn't paid ads, but the stories your customers tell? In this Mentor Moment, Dan Murray-Serter, co-founder of Heights, explains how authentic customer advocacy became one of the company's biggest growth drivers. From Stephen Fry becoming Heights' very first paying customer to building campaigns around genuine customer experiences rather than celebrity endorsements, Dan shares why trust always outperforms hype. If you're building a brand, marketing a product, or wondering how to stand out in a crowded market, this episode is packed with practical lessons on storytelling, credibility, and creating marketing that people actually believe. 🎧 Enjoyed this Mentor Moment? Listen back to the full conversation with Dan Murray-Serter in Episode 456 of The Entrepreneur Experiment, where he dives deeper into scaling Heights, raising investment, building one of Europe's fastest-growing health brands, and the lessons he's learned along the way. Follow and subscribe to The Entrepreneur Experiment for a new Mentor Moment every week, plus full conversations with world-class founders, creators and leaders. *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Niall McGarry, the founder of Joe.ie, Her.ie and Fabric Social, fresh from one of the most significant Irish founder exits of the year. After building Joe into one of Ireland and the UK’s best-known digital media brands, Niall started Fabric Social in the aftermath of the pandemic. What began in Ireland in 2021 became a UK-focused social-first creative agency that grew from roughly €2 million to almost €16 million in revenue and from 20 to 120 people in just 24 months, before being acquired by Publicis Groupe UK. This conversation is a deep dive into how Niall spotted the shift from follower-based social media to interest-based, trend-led vertical video, and how Fabric helped major brands like Curry’s and Subway show up with personality, speed and cultural relevance online. Niall also opens up about why he moved his family to the UK to crack the market, the difference between building a media company and an agency, how to know when it is the right time to sell, and why founders need obsession without becoming emotionally trapped by the business. If you are building a company, trying to understand modern social, or thinking about what it really takes to create and exit a business, this episode is packed with lessons. Show Notes In this episode, we cover: 🚀 How Niall built Fabric Social from 2021 to its acquisition by Publicis Groupe UK 📈 Growing revenue from roughly €2 million to almost €16 million in 24 months 👥 Scaling the team from 20 to 120 people during Fabric’s biggest growth phase 📱 Why TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts changed the game for brands 🧠 The shift from follower-based social to interest-based algorithms 🔥 Why brands now need “platform specificity” instead of one personality everywhere 💬 Fabric’s approach to “community nourishment” and comment-led brand building 🛒 The Curry’s and Subway social media case studies that helped put Fabric on the map 🎯 Why Niall hired “mavericks” who understood meme culture, trends and tone of voice 🌍 Why moving to the UK was critical to building a bigger business 🏙️ Why Irish founders should not overlook London and the UK market 💰 How recurring agency revenue made Fabric a more attractive acquisition target 🧾 The difference between building a media business and building an agency ⏱️ Why the best time to sell may be when every metric is pointing upwards ⚖️ Why your business is not your baby, and why emotional detachment matters 🔑 The role of obsession, timing and problem selection in founder success “You need to create a degree of separation quite quickly and you need to keep clinical and controlled about it.” - Niall McGarry *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment Links & Resources Fabric Social – Niall McGarry’s social-first creative agency, working with brands including Currys, Subway, Ocado and Sky: https://fabricsocial.com/ Publicis Groupe UK acquisition announcement – Publicis Groupe UK announced the acquisition of Fabric Social in April 2026: https://www.publicisgroupeuk.com/news-and-views/news/publicis-groupe-uk-acquires-fabric-social-to-create-powerhouse-pr-social-and-influencer-offering/ Niall McGarry on LinkedIn – Founder of Fabric Social and previous founder of Joe.ie / Joe Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niallmcgarry/

What happens when the dream you've spent your entire life chasing comes to an end? In this Mentor Moment, Steve Crosbie shares how retiring from professional rugby at just 26 became the catalyst for building Fad Saoil Sauna. He reflects on the power of obsession, the importance of backing yourself through uncertainty, and why the skills you develop pursuing one dream can become the foundation for the next. Whether you're navigating a career change, starting a business, or simply trying to find your next opportunity, Steve's story is a reminder that reinvention isn't starting over - it's building on everything you've already learned. 🎧 Enjoyed this Mentor Moment? Listen back to the full conversation with Steve in Episode 454 of The Entrepreneur Experiment, where he shares the journey behind building Fad Saoil Sauna, Ireland's pioneering mobile sauna experience, and the lessons he's learned along the way. Follow and subscribe for a new Mentor Moment every week, alongside full conversations with world-class founders, creators and leaders.

In this special episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with three of Ireland’s most exciting food and drink founders for a live “Recipe for Success” masterclass, brought to you with the Local Enterprise Offices and the National Enterprise Awards. Gary is joined by Denise Buckley of Sugar Plum Sweetery, Pat Falvey of Blarney Brewing Company and Active Brewing Company, and Ian O’Rourke of RYSE Chocolate to unpack what it really takes to build a food or drink brand in Ireland today. From viral TikTok moments and 900% growth to getting onto retail shelves, managing margins, building customer feedback loops, and staying agile beside global competitors, this conversation is packed with practical lessons for anyone building a product-led business. Denise shares how Sugar Plum Sweetery went from testing a viral Dubai chocolate bar with just nine moulds to making thousands of bars a day. Pat reveals how belief, vision and speed helped him move from property into brewing, including his ambition to build a sustainable Irish beer brand. Ian explains why early founders should “do things that don’t scale”, and how grassroots relationships with retailers can become one of your most valuable sources of data. If you are building a food, drink, retail or consumer brand, this episode is a tactical playbook on testing fast, backing yourself, getting close to your customer, and staying in the game long enough for momentum to arrive. 🎧 Show Notes In this episode, we cover: 🔥 The “recipe for success” behind three standout Irish food and drink brands 🍫 How Sugar Plum Sweetery turned the Dubai chocolate trend into 900% growth 📈 Why Denise believes attention to detail, obsession and customer relevance drive brand momentum 🚀 How a test batch of nine chocolate bars became thousands of bars a day 📲 Why TikTok Shop became a powerful commercial channel for Sugar Plum Sweetery 🏪 The plan to expand Sugar Plum Sweetery into 10 physical stores over three years 🍺 How Pat Falvey went from 20 years in property to owning a brewery three weeks after a chance lunch 💡 Why belief, vision and the ability to embrace change are essential founder traits 🏉 The thinking behind Active Brewing Company and functional non-alcoholic beer ⚡ How Ian O’Rourke is building RYSE Chocolate as a new “chocolate energy” category 🛒 Why getting into retail is only the first challenge — and why shelf position, rate of sale and relationships matter 📊 How small brands can use local store managers and independent retailers as real-time market research 🎯 Why “do things that don’t scale” is still one of the most powerful startup lessons 💰 The importance of understanding margin before scaling any food or drink brand 🤝 How Local Enterprise Offices helped the founders with grants, feasibility studies, machinery, brand development and connections 🌱 Why Irish brands can compete with global giants by being faster, more personal and more agile 📚 The books Ian recommends for early-stage founders: The Lean Startup and Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway 🧠 The final advice each founder would give to someone thinking about starting their own business Links & Resources Sugar Plum Sweetery: https://sugarplumsweetery.ie/ Blarney Brewing Company: https://www.blarneybrewing.ie/ RYSE Chocolate: https://rysechocolate.com/ Local Enterprise Offices: https://www.localenterprise.ie/ National Enterprise Awards: https://www.localenterprise.ie/awards/2026-finalists/

In this Mentor Moment, Timo Boldt, founder of Gousto, shares a counterintuitive lesson for founders: sometimes your biggest competitive advantage is the thing everyone else is trying to avoid. Timo explains why building Gousto meant embracing complexity at every level — from AI and supply chains to logistics, manufacturing, and customer experience. He reflects on the reality of scaling a capital-intensive business, raising hundreds of millions of pounds, and why founders need to be great at far more than one thing if they want to build something truly exceptional. If you're building a business and wondering whether the hard path is worth it, this conversation is a powerful reminder that complexity, when managed well, can become your moat. Listen back to the full conversation in Episode 429 of The Entrepreneur Experiment — and subscribe/follow so you don't miss the next Mentor Moment. *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Sean Noble, one of Ireland’s fastest-rising HYROX athletes, currently ranked among the top competitors in the world. A qualified solicitor who walked away from the traditional career path to go all-in as a full-time athlete, Sean’s story is one of grief, obsession, discipline and reinvention. After a devastating knee injury ended his football ambitions, he spiralled into drinking, weight gain and depression — before discovering fitness as a way back. What began as a means of escape became a new identity. From his first HYROX event in 2023 to winning major races, signing with MyProtein and Puma, and competing on the Elite 15 stage, Sean reveals the mindset, training structure and personal pain that have driven his rapid rise. This is a conversation about going all-in, rebuilding yourself from rock bottom, and what it really takes to compete at the very edge of human performance. The conversation took place at Wellfest, Dublin, as part of the new WellMan Stage. *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment 🎧 Show Notes In this episode, we cover: 🔥 How a career-ending football injury changed Sean’s life 🧠 The mental toll of losing sport at 22 💔 How grief after his father’s death became part of his driving force 🏋️‍♂️ Why fitness became his “medicine” 🚀 Going from his first HYROX event in 2023 to the Elite 15 ⚖️ The decision to leave law behind and become a full-time athlete 📈 Why HYROX is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world 🧪 The science of lactate threshold, smart training and avoiding burnout 🥇 What it takes to train 28 hours per week at an elite level 🇮🇪 The pride of representing Ireland on the world stage 💬 Standout Quote “Fitness for me was my medicine. That was my why.” — Sean

In this Mentor Moment, Bobby Kerr - former Dragon and former CEO of Insomnia Coffee - shares the strategic lessons that helped scale Insomnia from a small coffee business into a recognised national brand. Bobby breaks down why underfunding was one of his biggest early mistakes, how letting go of ego helped him choose the right brand name and structure, and why partnerships with companies like Spar, Easons, Penneys, and Meadows & Byrne became key routes to growth. This is a practical lesson in playing the long game, building multiple revenue streams, and making the kind of strategic decisions that give a business more ways to survive and scale. Listen back to the full conversation in Episode 439 of The Entrepreneur Experiment - and subscribe/follow so you don’t miss the next Mentor Moment. *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Conor Moules, founder and CEO of Barespace, the company building a true operating system for hair and beauty salons. Conor’s journey is anything but traditional. He left school at 16 to become a hairdresser, moved to Australia during the recession, found his way into door-to-door sales, then business intelligence, location intelligence, and eventually the Irish startup world through Bamboo. After helping turn Bamboo around during Covid, Conor used that hard-earned reputation to unlock the next chapter: Barespace. What started as a deep understanding of salon life has become a fast-growing software company solving one of the industry’s biggest problems: salon owners are expected to be creative experts, managers, marketers, employers, finance teams and operators - all while still working on the floor. Barespace was built to change that. In this conversation, Conor shares how he and co-founder Glenn Baker profiled 173 salons, raised €750,000 from the very customers they wanted to serve, and went on to raise almost €4.9 million in total. This is a story about resilience, customer obsession, reputation, and what happens when you build with the industry, not just for it. Show Notes In this episode, we cover: 🔥 Why Conor left school at 16 and started out as a hairdresser in Peter Mark 💬 The unexpected lessons hairdressing taught him about listening, trust and human connection 🇦🇺 Moving to Australia during the recession and finding his feet in door-to-door sales 📊 How business intelligence and location data opened his eyes to the power of systems 🚀 The chance meeting with Luke Mackey that brought Conor into Bamboo 🧱 Why rebuilding Bamboo during Covid became the proving ground for Barespace 💡 The problem Conor and Glenn saw inside hair and beauty salons ✂️ Why salon owners are often expected to run the business and be the best person on the floor 🧾 How marketplaces can damage salon margins and weaken customer ownership 🔍 Why they profiled 173 salons before building the product 💰 How Barespace raised €750,000 from salon owners when traditional fundraising wasn’t working 📈 Processing €4.7 million in turnover in year one and growing from there 🧠 Why Conor believes founders need to ask for help earlier 🌙 The role of visualisation, daydreaming and belief in building a company 🔑 Why reputation, patience and obsession can become a founder’s greatest assets Pull Quote “The mission was never to get rich out of Bamboo. It was to unlock the gates to be able to walk in with Barespace.” - Conor Moules Links & Resources Barespace — the operating system for salons and barbers: barespace.io (https://barespace.io/) Enterprise Ireland — mentioned as part of the Barespace funding journey: enterprise-ireland.com (https://www.enterprise-ireland.com/en/) *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment

In this Mentor Moment, award-winning journalist and entrepreneur Áine Kerr shares one of the most powerful career lessons you can hear early in life: it doesn’t have to be this or that. From teaching to journalism, startups to global tech platforms, Áine reflects on what she calls a “squiggly career” - and how the threadline only becomes clear when you look back. This conversation is a reminder that curiosity, purpose, and following what genuinely energises you can often lead to a far more meaningful path than trying to force a perfectly linear plan. It’s especially powerful for anyone feeling pressure to “have it all figured out.” Listen back to the full conversation in Episode 438 of The Entrepreneur Experiment - and subscribe/follow so you don’t miss the next Mentor Moment. *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment

In this milestone Episode 500 of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox turns the microphone on himself for a special AMA, reflecting on the experiments, decisions and hard-earned lessons that shaped the podcast from a side project into one of Ireland’s leading founder platforms. Gary shares how the podcast began in 2019 as a literal experiment while he was running Host Butlers, his Airbnb management business, and how a plan to test multiple businesses turned into something far bigger. From buying and renovating a barge to remove rent pressure, to shutting down his property business, going all in on podcasting, building a team, launching live events and redefining success around body, business, brain and family, this episode is a rare look behind the scenes of the journey. He answers listener questions on the most difficult interviews he’s ever done, the moment the podcast became a business, the biggest belief he’s changed about entrepreneurship, how young founders can earn a seat at the table, why AI won’t replace great human connection, and what the next 500 episodes could look like. If you’re building something of your own, this is a powerful reminder that consistency compounds, clarity often comes through action, and the best experiments can change your entire life. Show Notes In this episode, Gary covers: 🔥 How The Entrepreneur Experiment started as a real experiment in 2019 🚀 Why Gary originally planned to build multiple businesses alongside Host Butlers 🏠 The barge experiment that changed Gary’s personal and business life 🎙️ The moment podcasting shifted from side project to serious business 💡 Why consistency may be the biggest lesson from 500 episodes 📈 The danger of building a business at the expense of your health, family and relationships 🧠 Why founders need to think in decades, not weeks 🪑 How first-time founders can earn a seat at the table 🤖 Gary’s take on AI, coaching, mentorship and the future of wellness 🌍 The vision for the next stage of The Entrepreneur Experiment: global guests, live events, personal experiments and founder performance 💬 Why success now means building an exceptional business and an exceptional life Links & Resources - Subscribe to Gary’s newsletter for upcoming retreats, live events and behind-the-scenes updates: https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1 - Follow Gary on Instagram for more stories from the barge experiment and the podcast journey: https://www.instagram.com/mrgaryfox/ - Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment - Check out The Wellness Script, launched by Lauren as part of the wider EE media ecosystem: https://wellnessscriptpod.com/ *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26

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. *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment

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 *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment

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. *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment

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/ *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment

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. *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment

What if the reason your business isn't scaling is that you're aiming 10% higher when you should be aiming 10x? Sean Mullaney has been a founder three times, led engineering at Google X's moonshot factory, scaled Zalando from €1bn to €10bn, and is now building Seapoint - the business bank designed from the ground up for founders. In this episode, he unpacks the systems, mindsets, and decisions behind 25 years in tech, and why he believes we're living through the most exciting moment in business history. You'll learn how to spot a real technology shift vs. a fad, why "thinking in systems" is the single biggest unlock for any founder, how to give and receive the kind of brutal feedback that actually grows people, and why AI is the most optimistic story in tech right now — not the scariest. Whether you're pre-seed or scaling past your first million, this one's packed with frameworks you can use on Monday morning. SHOW NOTES: What you'll learn: Why aiming for 10x better is often easier than 10% better (the Google X philosophy) How to tell a genuine technology shift from a passing fad The "thinking in systems" framework Sean uses to run every part of Seapoint Why most business banks are built for bankers, not founders — and what Seapoint is doing differently How to give and receive brutally honest feedback (and why it's the greatest gift you can get) Sean's contrarian, optimistic take on AI and what it means for founders, workers, and society Why he'd back a 17-to-20-year-old founder over almost anyone else Key moments: Sean's first startup: web-to-SMS restaurant bookings built in a dorm room Lessons from the dot-com boom and how it mirrors today's AI wave Inside Google X: how moonshot thinking actually works in practice Scaling Zalando from €1bn to €10bn — the systems that made it possible Why Sean started Seapoint and what makes it different from every other business bank The books, advice, and mindsets that shaped his journey Recommended book: Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows Connect with Sean: Website: https://www.seapoint.co/ LinkedIn: Sean Mullaney (DMs open - make it interesting!): https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanmullaney/ *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment

A reminder that big breaks often come from proactive moves: ask, show up, build relationships, and make it easy for the right people to say yes. Rory also shows what matters after the moment hits - capturing it, repurposing it, and using it to build momentum, not just hype. Listen back to the full episode, Episode 443 - and subscribe/follow so you don’t miss the next episode. *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Anthony Kelly - entrepreneur, co-founder of Glofox, and co-founder of WellFest - for a wide-ranging conversation on building in the health and wellness space long before it became mainstream. From spotting the early signals in boutique fitness and turning that into a global software company, to building one of Ireland’s best-known wellness festivals over a decade, Anthony shares what it really takes to grow in a category that is evolving in real time. He opens up about the importance of timing, niche focus, culture, and hiring, how Glofox scaled internationally and navigated the shock of Covid, and what it was like to eventually join forces with ABC Fitness. But this episode goes beyond business too. Anthony reflects on identity, obsessive founder energy, male health, emotional resilience, and why more honest, conversational spaces are needed for people to figure out what actually works for them. If you’re building a business, navigating growth, or trying to create a life that works beyond just work, this is a thoughtful and deeply valuable episode. Show notes In this episode, we cover: 🔥 How Anthony spotted the shift in boutique fitness before the market fully exploded 🚀 The early Glofox story: from agency work to building a SaaS platform for gyms 💡 Why niche focus gave Glofox an edge in a crowded software market 📈 Growing from early traction to global expansion across Ireland, the US and Australia 🌍 What it takes to build enterprise relationships and win major fitness franchise clients 🧠 The hiring lessons Anthony learned the hard way, and what he now looks for in great people 🏗️ Why culture is built by behaviour, not by slogans or slide decks 🦠 How Glofox and WellFest both survived Covid - and what that period revealed about community 🎟️ The decade-long journey of building WellFest into a major wellness brand 👥 Why Anthony believes men need more spaces built around listening, not lecturing 🪞 The identity trap many founders fall into when business becomes everything ⚖️ Redefining success through business, body and brain - and building a life that works as a whole 🔁 A practical reset exercise for anyone trying to change the story they tell themselves Links and resources Anthony Kelly LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/anthonykelly81 Glofox: glofox.com/lp/gym-management-software-revenue/ WellFest: https://www.wellfest.ie/ *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Nir Eyal — bestselling author of Hooked, Indistractable, and Beyond Belief - for a masterclass on the psychology of belief, persistence, and entrepreneurial thinking. Together, they explore why success is so often less about intelligence, resources, or talent, and more about what you believe is possible. Drawing on psychology, behavioural science, and real-world entrepreneurial examples, Nir explains why some people spot opportunities everywhere while others walk straight past them. This is a fascinating conversation about the beliefs that quietly shape your decisions, your motivation, and your ability to keep going when things get hard. From “entrepreneurial alertness” to limiting beliefs, predictive processing, and the surprising science of persistence, Nir breaks down how founders can train themselves to see differently, act differently, and ultimately build more than they thought possible. If you’ve ever felt stuck, doubted yourself, or wondered why some people seem able to create momentum where others hesitate, this episode is for you. Show Notes In this episode, we cover: 🔥 Why intelligence is not the best predictor of entrepreneurial success 🧠 The difference between facts, faith, and belief 💡 Why beliefs are tools, not truths 👀 The concept of entrepreneurial alertness and why founders literally see opportunities others miss 🍀 What a simple “luck” experiment reveals about attention and opportunity 🐀 The famous rat study that shows how hope can radically increase persistence 📈 Why success in business, body, and brain comes down to persistence more than talent 🚫 The real reason most people fail: they quit or never start 🔺 Nir’s model of motivation: behaviour, benefit, and belief ⛓️ The difference between limiting beliefs and liberating beliefs 🪞 Why it’s easier to spot everyone else’s limiting beliefs than your own 🌍 How past experiences and “priors” shape what you notice in the world 🎯 Why we don’t see reality as it is — we see a prediction of reality 📱 The role of negativity bias, social media, and fear in keeping us passive ⚡ How changing your beliefs can change what you see, feel, and do as a founderLinks & Resources Connect with Nir Eyal Nir Eyal official website: nirandfar.com Beyond Belief: nirandfar.com/beyond-belief/ Indistractable: nirandfar.com/indistractable/ Hooked: nirandfar.com/hooked/ *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Jennie and Lisa, the founders of Gigi, the women’s health brand rethinking hormonal support through premium, evidence-led supplements. From working as registered nutritional therapists to building a fast-growing consumer brand, Jennie and Lisa share how their clinical experience led them to spot a major gap in the market: women being told to take multiple supplements for PMS and hormone balance, with no simple, targeted solution in sight. What followed was a crash course in product development, manufacturing, branding, retail, cashflow, and persistence. They open up about the reality of building a product-based business from scratch — from begging manufacturers to take a chance on them, to selling out their first production run in just two weeks, to learning the hard way how brutal stockouts can be when demand outpaces supply. They also share how social media, education, and bringing customers behind the scenes helped them build trust early and create real momentum. This is a powerful conversation about solving a genuine problem, building in a capital-intensive category, and creating a brand with purpose in a space that has long underserved women. 🎧 Show Notes In this episode, we cover: 🔥 How Jennie and Lisa turned clinical insight into a fast-growing women’s health brand 🚀 The lightbulb moment behind Gigi and why they started with one hero product 🧠 Why the best business ideas come from momentum, frustration, and seeing a real problem up close 💊 The flaw in asking women to take 4–5 different supplements for one issue 🏭 What it really takes to find a manufacturer when you have no track record ✈️ The trip to Paris that changed everything for the business 📦 Minimum order quantities, funding pressure, and the realities of cash-heavy product businesses 💸 How they used grants, personal capital, and negotiation to get their first production run made 📱 Why social media and education were key to winning their first customers 💌 How documenting the journey built an email list and a loyal early audience 🛒 Selling direct-to-consumer while also expanding into pharmacy and retail 📈 The operational stress of selling out — and why “high demand” can still create huge problems 🌊 Why branding mattered, and how they built a women’s health product that didn’t look overly clinical ❤️ Building a business that genuinely improves women’s lives, while also building a commercially viable company 💬 Standout Quote “There has to be a better way.” That simple frustration became the foundation for Gigi — and the catalyst for building a product designed to genuinely improve women’s quality of life. Links & Resources Gigi: https://gigisupplements.com/ Follow Jennie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennie.haire/ Follow Lisa on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisahughes_nt/ Follow Gigi Supplements: https://www.instagram.com/gigisupplements/ *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment

A premium-brand lesson you can steal in any industry: pricing that isn’t just maths. Alan shares how pricing can be communication, positioning, and part of the customer journey. He shows how the “moment of pause” or consideration can actually work in your favour when the product delivers and the experience educates. Listen back to the full episode, Episode 441 now for the full conversation with Alan, and subscribe or follow now, for more episodes like this. *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Ken Rideout for a conversation that goes far beyond endurance sport. Yes, they talk about marathons, HYROX, discipline, and what it really feels like to stand on a start line ready to compete — but this episode is really about identity, effort, masculinity, parenting, business ambition, and the mindset required to keep going when life gets hard. Ken opens up about what success actually means to him, why he believes failure is simply not trying, and how he’s learned to reframe adversity — from losing jobs to helping his wife through cancer treatment. He shares his brutally honest view that most people underestimate what they’re capable of, explains why he’s driven more by discipline than motivation, and reveals the internal pressure, imposter syndrome, and dark mental places that often sit beneath elite performance. This is not a polished “morning routine” conversation. It’s a raw, funny, provocative and deeply human episode about competing hard, living truthfully, protecting your energy, and building a life where you do more of what matters - and less of what doesn’t. Show Notes In this episode, we cover: 🔥 Why Ken believes success is rooted in family, friendship, and community — not status 💥 His definition of failure: not trying 🏃 The mindset he brings to marathons, HYROX, and elite competition 🧠 Why discipline matters more than motivation 😬 The imposter syndrome and insecurity behind high performance 📚 How Ken’s story went from “toiling in darkness” to bestselling author and major podcast guest 👊 Why he thinks 99% of people underestimate their own potential 🏠 Parenting, social media boundaries, and raising strong kids in a soft world 💼 His business philosophy: make enough money so you never have to do things you don’t want to do ⌚ The tools he actually uses: Whoop, sauna, cold plunge, and his beloved 8 Sleep setup 😅 Why he hates LinkedIn, protects his relationships, and refuses to be performative online * Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26 About Ken Rideout: Ken’s Book: Everything You Want Is On The Other Side of Hard: https://www.theothersideofhard.com/ Follow Ken on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ken_rideout/?hl=en Follow Ken on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ken_rideout Ken Rideout on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ken_rideout Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ On TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment

In this Mentor Moment, Gerry Hussey shares a simple but powerful way to visualise success that founders can actually put into practice. Instead of vague “future goals,” Gerry breaks it down into outcomes, daily process enablers, and identity — becoming the person who already lives the life you’re working towards. You’ll hear his step-by-step exercise to map what you want, identify the habits that get you there, and close the gap between who you are today and who you need to become. For the full conversation with Gerry Hussey, listen to Episode 413 of The Entrepreneur Experiment. *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26 Rory’s Travel Club: https://bit.ly/rorys26 Chartered Capital: https://bit.ly/49ZuFrk

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Eoin Cluskey, founder and head baker of Bread 41, the Dublin bakery business built on craft, care, and real food. From leaving school early and training as a carpenter to finding his calling in kitchens abroad, Eoin shares the winding road that led him back to Ireland to build one of the country’s most loved bakery brands. Bread 41 launched in 2018 and has since expanded across multiple locations while staying fiercely committed to quality and values. This is a conversation about much more than bread. Eoin opens up about losing money in a failed early venture, writing the original Bread 41 vision in a copybook, building a 24/7 bakery model, scaling without taking on growth for growth’s sake, and why he’d rather walk away than compromise the product. If you’re trying to build a business that grows without losing its soul, this episode is packed with practical wisdom. Show notes In this episode, we cover: 🔥 Why “simplicity scales, complexity fails” applies to almost every business 🥖 How Eoin went from carpenter to baker after a chance opportunity in Australia 🌍 Why travel, loneliness, and coming home to Ireland changed his life 📓 The copybook vision that became Bread 41 💸 The failed first business that cost him €25,000 — and what it taught him 📍 Why opening on Pearse Street worked because of community, not just footfall ⏰ How Bread 41 built a 24/7 operating model around bread, pastry, and wholesale 📈 The real challenge of going from one bakery to two without breaking the culture 🧠 Why founders can’t scale if they need to be in the business 24/7 🌾 The long-term vision to move into Irish milling and support local growers 👥 Why care is the company’s number one value 🏡 The family wake-up call that changed how Eoin thinks about success “The day I add an additive or preservative to the bread is the day I walk away.” Links and resources Bread 41 official site:https://bread41.ie/ Bread 41 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bread41bakery/?hl=en Bread 41 locations: including Pearse Street, Stillorgan, Cabinteely, and Greystones. *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26 Rory’s Travel Club: https://bit.ly/rorys26 Chartered Capital: https://bit.ly/49ZuFrk

In this Mentor Moment, Lorraine Heskin — founder of Gourmet Food Parlour — takes us back to 2006, right in the heart of the Celtic Tiger, when she made the leap from a stable job into the unknown to build her own café brand. Lorraine shares how she approached brand-building from day one, why finding a location was the hardest part (and why she refused to pay key money), and the magic of opening the doors to a queue down the street — proving the idea wasn’t just in her head, the community wanted it. For the full conversation with Lorraine and the full Gourmet Food Parlour origin story, listen to Episode 423 of The Entrepreneur Experiment. Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26 Rory’s Travel Club: https://bit.ly/rorys26 Chartered Capital: https://bit.ly/49ZuFrk

Andrea Reynolds, Founder & CEO of Swoop, joins Gary to break down what founders actually need to know about funding, cash flow and building a business that lasts. Andrea started Swoop after becoming deeply frustrated by how hard it was for business owners to access grants, loans and funding quickly. What began as anger at a broken system became a fintech platform helping businesses access cash faster, automate funding applications and identify savings across essential services. In this conversation, Andrea shares the real-world funding lessons most founders only learn the hard way: why you should raise debt before you need it, why revenue solves more problems than almost anything else, how to think about investors properly, and why profitability matters more than hype. She also opens up about building under pressure, raising millions across multiple rounds, expanding internationally, surviving market shocks, and why empathy is still her most important business principle. If you’re a founder, operator or business owner trying to grow without losing control, this one is packed with practical insight. Show notes Andrea Reynolds is the Founder & CEO of Swoop, a fintech platform helping businesses access funding faster through data, automation and smarter financial decision-making. In this episode, Gary and Andrea discuss: Why businesses fail when cash flow gets tight The original frustration that sparked Swoop How Andrea manually tested demand before building the product Winning early funding through timing, momentum and experimentation The open banking opportunity that accelerated Swoop’s growth What founders get wrong about fundraising Why you should raise before you actually need the money The difference between debt, grants and equity Why some investors can become a liability How to think about boards, board observers and investor fit Why diversification matters in a volatile market The shift from “growth at all costs” to profitability Expanding from Ireland and the UK into the US and beyond Building a forever business instead of chasing hype Andrea’s personal approach to time, energy and staying grounded The books, habits and mindset shifts that have shaped her This episode is full of practical advice for founders navigating growth, fundraising and uncertainty. Links and resources mentioned Swoop: https://swoopfunding.com/ie/ Enterprise Ireland: https://www.enterprise-ireland.com/en/ Books: The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz High Output Management by Andrew Grove The Art of War by Sun Tzu *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26 Rory’s Travel Club: https://bit.ly/rorys26 Chartered Capital: https://bit.ly/49ZuFrk

In this Mentor Moment, Anthony Gallagher, founder of Petstop, Ireland’s leading Independent Pet Retailer, shares what he’s proudest of after decades in business: the people who stayed. From team members who have been with him for nearly 30 years to multi-generational families now working across the business, Anthony reflects on why great companies are built by investing in people, staying close to customers, and never losing touch with what’s happening on the ground. He also shares why he still visits stores every week, how innovation helped Petstop scale through major change, and why the basics — listening, learning, and paying attention to detail — matter more than ever. For the full conversation with Anthony, listen to Episode 425 of The Entrepreneur Experiment. Our Sponsors: Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Rory’s Travel Club: https://bit.ly/rorys26 Chartered Capital: https://bit.ly/49ZuFrk

Will Meara is the founder behind Bingo Loco — the 3-hour bingo rave that sells chaos as an experience and somehow turns strangers into mates in the space of one night. In this episode, Will breaks down how Bingo Loco went from a scrappy experiment in Dublin to a global live-experience machine — running roughly 2,000 events a year, active in around 270+ cities, with a team of ~276 people and ~200+ performers (MCs, DJs and talent) powering the shows. We get into the real mechanics most people miss: why Bingo Loco works as “competitive socialising” (a focal point that removes the awkwardness of meeting up) the win-win commercial model that makes venues want you back how they localise every show so it feels native (Texas ≠ New York ≠ Melbourne) how you keep quality when you’re doing 40–60 shows at the same time on peak weekends the experimentation framework Will uses to launch new concepts: design → test variables → stress-test scalability → rollout We also flip the mic: Gary shares why the new studio is built around hospitality — making every step of the guest experience feel effortless — and Will shares the belief most founders won’t like: sometimes you need to smash your own structures before bureaucracy kills growth. If you’re building in events, community, hospitality, or any experience-led business — this is a masterclass in distribution, localisation, and disciplined creativity. In this episode Why Bingo Loco works as competitive socialising (a focal point that removes the awkwardness of meeting up) The “win-win” model: how to structure deals so venues genuinely want you back How to scale globally without losing the magic: localise everything (music, humour, pacing, crowd expectations) Why “you can’t multiply chaos without discipline” (and what discipline looks like backstage) How they recruit and train talent for a 3-hour live show (and why it’s so hard to do well) The feedback loops that protect quality: customer feedback + venue feedback + mystery shopping The framework Will uses to launch new concepts: design → test variables → stress-test scalability → rollout Why distribution is the real prize: once you have venues + trust, you can roll out new IP layers fast Founder lesson: too much structure kills growth, too little structure kills scale — and sometimes you must break your own rules Links & resources Guest / company Bingo Loco (official): https://www.bingoloco.com/ Locomotive HQ (Bingo Loco + concepts): https://locomotivehq.com/ Locomotive Live — Bingo Loco page: https://www.locomotivelive.com/bingoloco Will Meara on LinkedIn: https://ie.linkedin.com/in/williammeara Book mentioned Shantaram (Gregory David Roberts) Tool mentioned Brick (phone focus device/app): https://getbrick.app/ Sponsors Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26 Rory’s Travel Club: https://bit.ly/rorys26 Chartered Capital: https://bit.ly/49ZuFrk

In this Mentor Moment, Rory King - founder of Rory’s Travel Club - breaks down the content engine behind building a simple, low-cost membership business at scale. He shares how they publish across multiple platforms every day, the split between posts that convert (offers), posts that build trust (reviews/testimonials), and posts that drive engagement (questions, entertainment), plus why “value first” is the only strategy that lasts. If you’re trying to grow an audience, build a personal brand, or turn attention into recurring revenue, this is packed with practical takeaways you can apply immediately. For the full conversation with Rory, listen to Episode 421 of The Entrepreneur Experiment. Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Rory’s Travel Club: https://bit.ly/rorys26 Chartered Capital: https://bit.ly/49ZuFrk

In this episode, Gary sits down with Dr Caitriona Ryan and Dr Niki Ralph, co-founders of the Institute of Dermatologists in Dublin, to unpack how they built a modern “centre of excellence” model in Irish private care - combining medical dermatology, cosmetic dermatology, skincare, and a growing surgical pathway under one roof. They share the realities of scaling a high-trust healthcare business (systems, hiring, standards, and culture), how COVID sparked a major pivot into new services, and why Ireland needs to shift from reactive healthcare to preventative, longevity-led thinking. Plus: the story behind ID Formulas, their new data-driven approach to supplements (including wearables integration), and what they believe actually moves the needle for healthspan. Show Notes Why Caitriona and Niki built a centre of excellence model (and why it’s scalable) A day in the life of two Consultant Dermatologists with five businesses and thousands of patients The difference between medical dermatology and cosmetic dermatology How they protect standards at scale: meetings, feedback loops, SOPs, and hiring The COVID moment that forced a pivot - and led to a new surgical model Their longevity philosophy: healthspan over lifespan The “longevity hype” they’re most sceptical of — and what they’d focus on instead A simple, no-fuss skincare framework for founders (men + women) Links & Resources Institute of Dermatologists (IoD): https://instituteofdermatologists.ie IoD Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/instituteofdermatologists/?hl=en ID Formulas waitlist: https://www.idformulas.com/ Dr Caitriona Ryan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caitrionaryandermatology?igsh=MW5jcGhleGFxMWRieg== Dr Niki Ralph Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drnikiralph?igsh=MWl2anNucWc5MDR0Yg== Things mentioned in the episode WHOOP: https://www.whoop.com Oura Ring: https://ouraring.com Book — Unreasonable Hospitality (Will Guidara) Book — Outliers (Malcolm Gladwell) Book — Good to Great (Jim Collins) EltaMD UV Clear SPF from IoD site(mentioned as a daily sunscreen option): https://instituteofdermatologists.ie/collections/elta-md-skincare Episode sponsors Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Rory’s Travel Club: https://bit.ly/rorys26 Chartered Capital: https://bit.ly/49ZuFrk Disclaimer This episode is for general information and education only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult your GP, pharmacist, or qualified healthcare professional for personalised guidance, especially before starting new supplements or treatments.

In this bite-sized Mentor Moment, Seán Brett shares the raw, real start of his entrepreneurial journey - leaving school at 14 after being misunderstood for dyslexia and ADHD, and turning that experience into creativity, resilience, and a relentless drive to build a better life. Seán breaks down why “non-traditional” beginnings can become an advantage, how early selling teaches you more than any classroom, and why understanding people - not just products - is at the heart of business. For the full conversation with Seán (and why it became a listener favourite), listen to Episode 419 of The Entrepreneur Experiment. Check out our sponsors: Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Rory’s Travel Club: https://bit.ly/rorys26 Chartered Capital: https://bit.ly/49ZuFrk

What doesn’t disappear in a recession? Money. What disappears is confidence — and that’s where opportunity lives. In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary sits down with Ray Ryan, founder of The Noledge Group, for a wide-ranging, founder-first conversation on staying relevant through decades of tech change — from mainframes, to PCs, to cloud… and now AI, agents, and wearables. Ray shares how he’s built and evolved a business by spotting shifts early, testing relentlessly, and focusing on what actually creates productivity (hint: it’s not hype — it’s time saved). They get into why voice + visual is the real unlock, how agentic AI changes the game, why the keyboard era is ending, and the simple human rule behind adoption: benefit must outweigh friction. This is a practical, honest conversation about how founders survive (and win) through change — and why systems, experimentation, and enthusiasm matter more than ever. In this episode: Why recessions are really confidence cycles (and where opportunity comes from) Tech cycles: mainframe → network/PC → cloud → AI The next shift: wearables + edge computing + AI agents Why voice is the “unlock” (and keyboards are on the way out) Business is experimentation: testing, packaging, and customer psychology Scaling through acquisitions — and why “audience” matters in business Ray’s best advice: cash flow and enthusiasm (and why enthusiasm wins About the guest Ray Ryan is the founder of The Noledge Group, working with businesses on improving how they run finance and operational systems—helping leaders move from messy, manual workflows to clearer reporting and stronger decision-making. Links & resources The Noledge Group: https://noledge.ie/ Ray Ryan (LinkedIn): linkedin.com/in/rayryanossm Power Law of Podcasting (course): https://stan.store/garyfox/p/the-podcasting-power-law Our Sponsors Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Rory’s Travel Club: https://bit.ly/rorys26 Chartered Capital: https://bit.ly/49ZuFrk Follow & support the show If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share it with one founder friend, and leave a review - it helps more than you think. Connect with Gary / The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment?igsh=cmdiM2Y3OXoydTE%3D&utm_source=qr LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrgaryfox Newsletter: https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1

In this weekend’s Mentor Moment, Charlene Flanagan and Niamh Ryan - the founders of Ella & Jo - share a refreshing take on what success really means. Instead of chasing someone else’s version of the win, they talk about defining success for yourself: freedom, family time, building from the west of Ireland, and creating a legacy by bringing a brand from “nothing” to customers in over 50 countries. If you’ve ever felt swept up in external pressure - the numbers, the milestones, the “next thing”- this clip is your reminder to pause, reassess, and choose what you actually want your life to look like. For the full conversation with Charlene and Niamh, listen to Episode 417 of The Entrepreneur Experiment. Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Rory’s Travel Club: https://bit.ly/rorys26 Chartered Capital: https://bit.ly/49ZuFrk

In this brand-new Masterclass Special, Gary Fox sits down with Diarmuid Corcoran of Chartered Capital to unpack the money questions Irish founders avoid - until it’s too late. They talk openly about why money can still feel like a “dirty word” in Ireland, why founders can be brilliant at making money but hesitant to manage it, and how wealth often compounds simply because of maths. Diarmuid breaks down the core principles of long-term investing (without the hype), the psychology that causes people to panic at the wrong time, and the practical founder moves that build real security - like taking a salary, using pensions properly, and keeping “fun investing” firmly contained. If you’ve ever said “I’ll start later,” “I’ll wait for the markets to settle,” or “my business is my pension,” this episode is the reset. Important note This episode is education and perspective - not personalised financial advice. Always do your own due diligence and speak to a qualified advisor/accountant for your circumstances. Show notes What you’ll learn Why the “rich get richer” is often compounding in action Why Ireland has a unique relationship with money (scarcity mindset + property-first thinking) The hidden risk of “safe” cash: inflation eroding purchasing power Time in the market vs timing the market (and why “waiting” usually backfires) The psychology behind bad money decisions: recency bias, fear headlines, and the Dunning–Kruger effect “Set-and-forget” investing, and why boring usually wins The founder dilemma: all eggs in the business and no personal de-risking plan Pensions: why they can be tax-efficient, protective, and misunderstood The “de-risking” concept approaching retirement (and the 2008 lesson) A simple way to start investing regularly (and remove emotion from the process) The “playpen” rule: keeping speculative investing (stocks/crypto/startups) to a small % Founder mistakes Diarmuid sees constantly: Not taking a salary early Not paying a spouse/partner (where relevant) Being far too cautious in long-term pension funds Missing employer pension matching More about Chartered Capital: Chartered Capital Initial Query Form (https://bit.ly/4a89Mcp) for people who want to get in touch. When people fill this out, Chartered Capital will reach out to  them afterwards to arrange a meeting. They also circulate a monthly newsletter that generally only consists only of good news and isn’t ever in any way technical:  Newsletter link (https://crafty-innovator-3012.kit.com/57ab7f6ffd)  Link to Blogs on Chartered Capital website (https://charteredcapital.ie/insights/blogs-and-news/) Chartered Capital Website (https://bit.ly/charcap) This is a super video on Robert Cialdini’s work for those who don’t have time to read the full book = Science of persuasion - Robert Cialdini (https://youtu.be/cFdCzN7RYbw) The Financial Planners Ireland website: https://fpireland.ie/ Our Sponsors: Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Rory’s Travel Club: https://bit.ly/rorys26 Chartered Capital: https://bit.ly/49ZuFrk   Book Recommendations General Psychology = Influence – The Psychology of Persuasion (https://amzn.to/4bB6q4c) by Robert Cialdini and The 48 Laws of Power (https://amzn.to/49XcBON)by Robert Greene. Running a business = Traction (https://amzn.to/4qgiJGM) and Rocket Fuel (https://amzn.to/3ZdOqWa) by Gino Wickman. Personal Finance = The Psychology of Money (https://amzn.to/4rosi7w) by Morgan Housel.