Down To Business

All good managers and leaders are concerned about productivity on their teams but what happens when managers begin to worry that their staff aren’t doing enough? In his updated edition of 'The Creative Thinking Handbook: Your Step-By-Step Guide to Problem Solving in Business', Chris Griffiths offers advice on “productivity paranoia”- a new phenomenon in our post-pandemic world, and how that may be affecting your next big breakthrough. Chris joins Bobby to discuss. Chris Griffiths is the founder of www.Ayoa.com, the leading mind-mapping app transforming the way we work and learn.

Christmas preparations are likely well underway with hams and turkeys being ordered, bottles of wine being stocked, and prezzies being bought. It’s a time of bounty, and here in Ireland, we have an incredible array of products made by homegrown talent to choose from. To find out a little bit more about some of the kinds of food producers we have at our disposal here Bobby is joined by: ● Sarah Kiely of Sadie’s Kitchen ● Giselle Makinde of Cream of the Crop ● Aisling Cullen of Thanks Plants ● James Burke is Network Manager of the Dublin Food Chain

Ciaran Hancock is the business editor at the Irish Times and this week alone he was interviewing the Taoiseach-elect as well as reporting on everything from Easons to Hotels. He took a break from his hectic beat to bring Bobby some of the stories of the week.

Bobby stopped into Dogs Trust: Dog Rescue & Rehoming Charity on Ashbourne Road in Finglas to discuss how their rehoming and rescue operations work, welcoming dogs into the workplace, and just how fulfilling having a dog in our lives can be.

When it comes to managing your finances as a business owner at a time of massive inflation and shrinking growth levels - things are certainly challenging. But there are options out there for you. Derek McDermott, Managing Director of Bank of Ireland Finance is an expert in assessing and understanding the challenges facing hundreds if not thousands of people around the county right now - he joins Bobby to discuss.

Mary Sadlier-CEO of Coole Swan had joined Bobby for this week's Executive Chair.

With a tourism industry highly impacted by covid restrictions it seems like we now see a better days for hospitality sector in Ireland. Will our hotels suffer another blow from rising costs of living and energy crisis? To ask this Bobby was joined by Carol Barrett, owner of Dunmore House on the shores of Clonakilty Bay, John O'Flynn, Resort General Manager at Fota Island Resort, Fergus O'Halloran, General Manager at The Twelve Hotel Galway and Martin Mangan, General Manager at Carton House, a Fairmont Managed Hotel.

Economist and weekly columnist on economics with the Irish edition of The Sunday Times, Cormac Lucey joined Bobby on the show today to discuss Ireland’s economic prospects for 2023.

Alexandre Mars author of a book Mission Possible. How to build a business for our times, has just been published. He joined Bobby on the show today.

Today on the show Bobby talked to the winners of this year’s EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chair is Leo Sheridan, President & CEO of Advanced Group.

A lot has changed since the start of the year, and as we approach the end of 2022 we here at Down to Business thought it might be an opportune time to find out how the Irish Motor Industry has been faring what with pandemic measures being replaced by rampant inflation and a cost-of-living crisis. Joining Bobby to discuss is: -Rowena Dooley, Dealer Principle at Dooley Motors Carlow -Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General -Denis Murphy, MD & Joint Owner of Blackwater Motors in Cork

Elliot Wise started his first business at the tender age of thirteen and has since gone on to become one of the leading lights in business mentorship and entrepreneurship. He joined Bobby to discuss his journey through business, staying motivated in our professional lives, and helping people reach their goals.

Next week will see the winners announced at this year’s EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards and in the run-up to that we’ve been profiling some of the finalists and looking at some of the issues facing entrepreneurs. This week we’re taking a look at ‘purpose’ and asking the question - "Can you run a business that’s more than just about profit?" Bobby is joined by: - Martin McKay of TextHelp (2022 Finalist) - Fionn Lahart of One Projects (2022 Finalist) - Oonagh O’Hagan – Meagher’s Pharmacy (2021 Finalist)

There have been serious blows to Ireland’s tech sector in recent weeks with job losses at Twitter and stripe to name just two. Yet an Oireachtas committee this week heard that there is still a healthy pipeline of tech investments. To make sense of this and the general headwinds the industry is facing Bobby is joined by Ian Curran of the Irish Times.

‘The Holly Bough’ is something that I can only describe as a sort of "Cork Christmas Annual" and this year sees it is turning an incredible 125 years old. John Dolan who is its editor, joined Bobby to discuss this year's edition and the history of the publication in general.

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chair this week is Billy Kelly, Managing Director at Kelly's Resort Hotel and Spa.

Liam Griffin is known throughout the country as the much admired Wexford senior inter-county manager who brought them to an All-Ireland victory in 1996. He has since seen great success creating one of Ireland's leading hotel groups - The Griffin Group. He stopped by to chat with Bobby to tell him how he's been getting on.

Gavin Glass is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who also produces music. In 2019 he stepped away from Dublin and moved both his home and his business to Curracloe in Wexford. He joined Bobby to discuss the move.

Broadcasting from Green Acres in Wexford this week, we had the opportunity to chat with some local businesses big and small, celebrating what the sunny southeast has to offer for business and leisure. In that vein, Bobby thought he’d speak to some of the businesses and producers in the area to find out a little bit more about what makes Wexford so special. Joining Bobby is: - Eamon Crean, owner of Greenhills Fruit Farm - Siobhan Devereux co-founder of Scúp - Lorraine Waters, Hook Lighthouse General Manager - Patrick O’Connor of Greenacres

Down to Business was coming to you from Green Acres in Wexford this week where amongst many other great guests, Bobby had the chance to catch up with a few local business people of note - namely Vinny Doyle of 'Cry Before Dawn' and Doyle’s Motors & Samantha Kelly aka the 'Tweeting Goddess'.

Bobby was out and about at Rosslare Europort, one of the beating hearts of Irish trade and transport. There he spoke to Glenn Carr, Director of Commercial Business Units at Iarnród Éireann, Port Authority for Rosslare Europort to find out about what has been happening at the port and what the future might hold.

Kevin Dundon is instantly recognizable from the many successful cookery shows he has fronted and who has also had a 25-year love affair with Dunbrody House in Wexford. Kevin joined Bobby in Green Acres in Wexford to chat about how he is getting on.

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chair this week is Sean McKeown, Director of Fota Wildlife Park.

It seems that Irish Banks are all upgrading their forecasts due to rising ECB rates and in tandem with that the government sold a further 5% in AIB this week. If this keeps up there may soon be a call for the government to do away with pay caps and bonuses. To make sense of this and some other business stories from the week, Bobby is joined by Joe Brennan, Market’s Correspondent with the Irish Times.

Many of us have to decide the path we take in our professional lives soon after we leave school. But for professional sportspeople, that fork in the road comes much later. So, to talk about the challenges of finding their way after leaving the world of professional sport, Bobby is joined by: - Mick Dowling, Former Olympic Boxer - Marcus Horan, former Ireland, and Munster Rugby player - Cliona Foley, Freelance sportswriter & presenter of OTB's Off The Bench Podcast

Continuing this week we’re profiling some of this year’s finalists in the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in the run-up to the Awards night on November 30th and look at some of the issues facing entrepreneurs. This week Bobby was keen on looking at the entrepreneurial experience itself and how sometimes it can be a lonely road and certainly not for the faint-hearted. Bobby is joined by: - Caroline Dunlea of Core Optimisation - Louis Copeland of Louis Copeland and Sons - Johnny Walker of HaloCare & Jinga Life

Bobby was out & about at Art Source in the RDS, Ireland's premier art fair, featuring hundreds of Irish and International artists and galleries. There he spoke to organisers and artists alike to find out all about it.

Whether it's a statement piece or just something that you can wear out on a daily basis, fashion underpins so much of how we express to people who we are. It’s an industry that has exploded in recent years with more and more quality being made available to people of all walks of life and so with that in mind, Bobby wanted to find out a little bit about how the Irish fashion sector is faring. Joining Bobby is: - Silvana Landa McAdam, Co-Founder and CEO at LANDA Handbags - Fashion designer, Heidi Higgins - Caoimhe Murphy of Caoimhe Murphy Design

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chair this week is Séamus Clancy, CEO at Repak.

Michele Wucker is a senior advisor to Preventable Surprises, a 'think-do' tank that seeks to address systemic risks before they escalate into economic implosions. She joins Bobby to talk about her new book 'The Gray Rhino: How to Recognize and Act on the Obvious Dangers We Ignore'.

Starting this week we’re going to profile some of this year’s finalists in the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in the run-up to the awards night on November 30th and look at some of the issues facing entrepreneurs. This week Bobby is joined by Helen Cahill from InvoiceFair and Justin Lawless of Intact Solutions.

Ballymaloe House is known the world over for its use of the freshest ingredients and its sustainable ethos. Bobby took a trip to east Cork to find out how things have been since things reopened following a challenging few years.

Necessity can be the mother of invention when it comes to a good business idea and Mary and Sophie Leahy, a mother-daughter duo, have one such story. Mary suffers from arthritis but still loves a glass of wine so using traditional corkscrews became a big problem. Sophie tried to find her an easy-to-use alternative and was shocked to find nothing on the market, so decided to create something to fill the gap and 'The Wine Opener' was born. They join Bobby to tell him more.

The language of finance has often been seen as a barrier, causing many to feel too intimidated to even begin to try and understand it. So how can we demystify the aspects of finance that we have never been able to grasp? Luckily Si Hussain, co-author of ‘The Finance Book: Understand the Numbers Even If You're Not a Finance Professional’ was on hand to chat with Bobby and clear up some of the more misunderstood terms we find in the financial world.

With Halloween just around the corner, we thought it would be the perfect time to get the thoughts of those in the business of all things ghosts, goblins, witches, and even pumpkins. Joining Bobby to discuss the business of Halloween is: Ronan O'Brien of The Costume Shop.ie. Caroline Whelan, Creator of Galway Patch. Karl O’Connor, Owner and Creative Director of The Nightmare Realm.

Earlier this week, the ECB announced a 0.75% increase in interest rate, the third increase this year. But will this move actually help tackle inflation and what does it mean for you and your wallet? Cliff Taylor from the Irish Times joins Bobby to discuss.

We know that the hospitality sector faced huge challenges during the pandemic and now that normality has largely returned to the sector, they now face the ever-present spectre of rising inflation. But what does this mean for menu prices and hotel room rates? Bobby is joined now by Gerardo Lario Rizo, Head of Hospitality Sector with Bank of Ireland to discuss.

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chair is Paddy Campbell of Bewleys Oriental Cafes & Campbell Catering.

Joining Emmet Oliver in the Executive Chair is Aidan & Hilary O’Shea of Otonomee.

When Carmel McConnell started delivering bags of food to a small number of schools in Great Britain, little could she have anticipated just how much her life was about to change. Carmel is the founder and ex-CEO of Magic Breakfast, and the author of the book: "Change Activist: Make Big Things Happen Fast”. She joins Emmet Oliver to discuss.

Musical trends come and go, record formats change, and once-hot bands are soon to be forgotten. But for many music fans, one thing remains the same - they choose record stores as a reliable source of new music releases. With the recent revival of vinyl we ask if the mood-music is changing in the record store business. Joining Emmet Oliver for this week's installment of Industry Review is: - Maurice Daly, Supply Manager at Zhivago Records - Ben O’Neill, Owner of Siopa Ceol in Dungarvan - Eoife Clarke, Operations Supervisor at Golden Disc

The World Federation of Advertising connects the world's biggest brand owners in more than 60 markets, bringing together tens of thousands of brands at local level. Together, they create a global network that offers a unique source of leadership, expertise, and inspiration. Every year there is a dedicated conference for all of the National Association Councils (NAC’s) around the world and this year Stephan Loerke, CEO of the World Federation of Advertisers is leading the conference right here in Dublin. He joins Emmet Oliver to discuss.

Liz Truss’ resignation has caused chaos across the pond with the Tories struggling to unify its members. With a general election looming, what could this mean for the UK? Emmet Oliver is joined by political scientist, Sir John Curtice to discuss.

Neil Delamare is Ireland's most recognizable comedians and Dave Moore is one half of one of the country's most popular radio show "Dermot and Dave". Together they had launched their podcast ‘Why Would You Tell Me That’. They joined Bobby on the show to discuss.

They might not be able to make your worries or high energy bills disappear, but certainly they can bring more entertainment to your life. If you’re bored with dull corporate events or want two newlyweds' families to break the ice at the wedding, consider hiring a magician. So, time to put the cards on the table and ask what the secret trick is behind magicians' industry in Ireland. Joining Bobby for this week's Industry Review are three magicians: Yvan Zimmerman - magician and co-owner of Party Wizz, and online booking platform for entertainers, Paul “Rua” Gleeson - magician and Genie Mackers - magician and co-owner of JD Magician.

Joining Bobby for this week edition of an Executive Chair is Teresa Arbuckle, the CEO of Beko for UK and Ireland.

Andy O’Donoghue is our Tech Guru and he joined Bobby to talk about why Elon Musk is actually a proper Entrepeneur who makes things right.

Bobby visited Irelands' Favorite Roast Competition this week and he tried to find out how to make country's most beloved dish and who does it best. The competition, in association with Knorr, celebrates the best of roast dinners prepared and served to customers by venues right across the country.

Jim Steel the author of ‘Unashamedly Superhuman’ joined Bobby today to discuss about how to be better at everything.