Down To Business

Have you ever found yourself overwhelmed by e-mails arriving long after you should have finished work or are you in way too many WhatsApp groups at work? Are you Crazy Busy? Thijs Launspach is a teacher in 'The School of Life' in Amsterdam and the author of 'Crazy Busy: Keeping Sane in a Stressful World'. He joins Emmet Oliver to discuss.

With so much talk around construction in Ireland at the moment we thought we might find out a little bit more about the design process that goes into the homes, offices, and commercial buildings we interact with on a daily basis. Joining Emmet Oliver for this week’s Industry Review are three architects: ● John Dorman, Director at Dorman Architects ● Courtney McDonnell of Courtney McDonnell Studios ● Gráinne Dunne of Co-Director Studio Red Architects

Pat Drinan is the founder of Cork-based 'HomeHak', which provides a secure means by which homeowners and tenants can connect with one another. HomeHak offers built-in security with Stripe Identity. Pat joins Emmet Oliver to tell him more.

Perhaps the most famous business encounter the Queen had when she came to Ireland in 2011 was when she visited Cork’s Fabled English Market. One of the people she met that day was Pat O’Connell, a fishmonger of note. Pat joins Emmet Oliver to discuss the experience and reflect on the impact of the Queen's visit to Ireland.

Next week, Down to Business will be bringing you the show from Austin, Texas, and New York as part of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Annual CEO Retreat. Emmet Oliver is joined by Roger Wallace who is the Partner Lead for the Programme at EY to find out what we might expect.

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chair is Andrew Lynas, MD of Lynas Foodservice

Salma Shah runs her own certified coach training programme with clients ranging from 'Reuters' to the UK’s 'Teenage Cancer Trust', and with all that experience, she has just written a new book 'Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging in Coaching: A Practical Guide'. Salma joins Bobby to tell him all about it.

A constant refrain lately is ‘Why is Ireland so expensive?'. Economist Cormac Lucey says much of it can be explained by the 'Big Mac' - he joins Bobby to discuss.

There are few things that sound more appetizing than a sausage sizzling away in a frying pan. They’re a staple of so many households around Ireland, and indeed the world, and so for this week’s ‘Industry Review,’ Bobby thought he’d speak to three sausage specialists to find out about this cherished food staple. Joining Bobby is: - Jane Russell of Jane Russell's Handmade Sausages in Kildare - Barry John Crowe of Barry John Sausages in Cavan - Peter Whelan of The Whole Hoggs in Meath

Bobby was out & about in Sandycove, Co. Dublin, where he met up with Waterford-based entrepreneur Frances O’Reilly, who is the brains behind 'DogDry', a brand new super absorbent dog drying coat for wet dogs.

How legal are drones and should you need a license to own or use one? Joining Bobby to talk more about this is Simon Henry, Business Development Manager at ZenaDrone.

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chair is Aaron Mansworth, MD of Trigon Hotels.

Christmas will come early for one local business this year, as 'Champion Green' - Ireland’s support local initiative - is giving small businesses the chance to win a €50,000 retail opportunity, in partnership with Aviva Life & Pensions. ‘Readymade Retail’ was launched by 'Champion Green', in the Blackrock Village Centre in Dublin and the competition will see a small business with big ambition win a pop-up retail store in the prestigious south Dublin shopping centre, worth over €50,000 for a period of six months. Duncan Graham, Managing Director of Retail Ireland joins Bobby to discuss. Find out more at www.championgreen.ie

Joining Bobby to talk about how your business can improve and reach its goals through everyday actions is leadership mentor & CEO of Black Isle Group, Jeremy Campbell.

There is plenty of talk of a global downturn of late following the pandemic and the war in Ukraine but writing in last Sunday’s Independent, Conor Skehan thinks Ireland has the ability to possibly protect itself from its worst effects. He joined Bobby to discuss.

Music is a universal language that bridges cultural, political, and religious divides and can bring about the very best in us. So, for this week’s industry review, Bobby sought to find out more about the business of teaching music from those in the know. Joining Bobby is: - Craig Wynne, Owner of the Dublin School of Music - Killian Ivory, School Manager from Everest School of Music in Bray - Jen Tully of JTVox

‘Quiet Quitting’ is the concept of no longer going above and beyond, and instead doing what their job description requires of them and only that. Damien McCarthy, CEO of HR Buddy, has had his own experience of ‘quiet quitting’ and he says that it’s not just the employees that are doing it. He joins Bobby to discuss.

Bobby took a trip out to Bar 1661 - Winner of the Bar of the Year Awards 2022. There he chatted to the owner, Dave Mulligan, about what makes his establishment so unique and tried some of their wares.

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chair is Justin Lawless, CEO of Intact Software.

Down to Business has long been a supporter of Focus Ireland’s 'Shine a Light Night' which sees businesses and companies all over Ireland sleep out in solidarity with Ireland’s homeless population. One person who knows a lot about the work of Focus Ireland is Kelly Ann who is a 'Lived Experience Ambassador' for Focus Ireland - she joined Bobby to discuss her experience. Focus Ireland's 'Shine a Light Night', supported by Bord Gáis Energy, will take place on Friday 14 October 2022. https://www.focusireland.ie/shinealight/

It has never been a better time for food lovers in Ireland. Not only are there countless bricks-and-mortar restaurants serving up some of the finest food in the world, but there has also been an explosion in the popularity of Food Trucks that now dot our street corners. To find out what it’s like running one of these businesses Bobby is joined by: Scott Holder of Los Chicanos Jacob Long of Griolladh Julia Hemingway of Julia’s Lobster Truck

Bobby was Out & About at Mondello Park at the Carole Nash Historic Festival, which was back for 2022. There he took in the sights and sounds of the vintage and classic motorbikes & cars on display. He also chatted to Ian Beatty, Operations & Sporting Director of Mondello Park as well as BMW Ireland's Managing Director, Kevin Davidson.

Next weekend Bobby will be putting his culinary skills to the test by cooking lobster at the 2022 Dalkey Lobster Festival with Lorraine Keane on hand to judge Bobby's technique and presentation skills. Bobby was joined by Lorraine and Romain Tessier, aka 'The Arty Baker', who will also display his skills at the festival to discuss.

Writing in today's Irish Independent, Charlie Weston said that many people now fear a new property bubble has built up and will burst. Charlie joined Bobby to discuss.

Every single entrepreneur, no matter where they come from or how big they become, has been at the point in their journey where they ask themselves “Where do I start?” Matt Clifford, co-founder, and CEO of Entrepreneur First and co-author of ‘How to Be a Founder: How Entrepreneurs Can Identify, Fund and Launch their Best Ideas’ has joined Bobby on the show.

Bobby went out there on the stunning Loop Head Peninsula visiting a novel business that epitomizes the spirit of endeavour and following your dreams. From Milan to Clare with a South American twist, Bobby visited The Flying Alpacas, a small farm that offers families the chance to get up close and personal with Alpacas and much more.

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chair is Geraldine Ruane, CEO of the RDS.

When you think of tattoos you might think of them as being a statement of your artistic side - a representation of who you are - but they also put food on the tables of many people around the country. To discuss the way attitudes around tattoos and how perceptions of the industry in general have shifted over the last few years Bobby was joined by Dolores Murray of Wildcat Ink, Kevin McNamara of Dublin Ink and Aisling Mahon of Aisling Mahon Tattoo in Co Kildare.

The upcoming budget is set to see a landmark tax package with many expecting to benefit from the implementation of measures looking to tackle the issue of rampant inflation. To discuss the plans and what we might expect from budget 2023, I'm delighted to be joined now by renowned economist, Moore McDowell.

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chair is Colin Cunningham, Managing Director of Cellnex Ireland.

Bobby took a trip out to Cool Hand Coffee Roasters, the takeaway coffee shop that enables customers to hand-roast their chosen beans in-store!

We have some of the most abundant seafood stocks in the waters around Ireland but do we cherish and promote the beautiful bounty that surrounds us to the same degree as our Spanish, French or Italian counterparts do? For this week’s Industry Review Bobby is joined by three people looking to make that happen. - John Shine of Killybegs Catch Ltd & Shines Seafood - Liam Quinlan of Quinlan Seafoods in Kerry - Denis Good of The Good Fish Company

Economist, Colm McCarthy joined Bobby to chat about the complexities involved in addressing our carbon emission output, the increased pressures on the agriculture sector, and what will need to be done if we are to reach our goals by 2030.

Bobby was joined by Michelle Auerbach, author of 'Resilience: The Life-Saving Skill of Story'. Together they discuss the book and its aim to help people in any field and any walk of life to become better storytellers, helping them to unleash the power to teach, learn, change, and empower ourselves and the people around us.

Bobby spoke to Ryan O’Neill, Managing Director of Double R Media to chat about his business, 'Retro Drive-In' back in the summer of 2021 while businesses were grappling with the unprecedented disruption of the pandemic Thankfully they’ve made it out the other end and are expanding their offering with Retro+. Bobby spoke to Ryan to find out more.

Joining Bobby is comedian, and actor, Pat Shortt. Together they discuss Pat working with his daughter, Faye; the business side of putting on shows; as well as how certain roles help with his sense of creativity.

There was one holiday option that got a lot more attention from “staycationers” last year due to the pandemic - Glamping. So for this week’s Industry Review, Bobby thought he'd check in to see how this sector is doing now that things are back open again. Joining Bobby is: · Wendy Riordan, Owner of Pitched Perfect · Dick Ridge, Owner, and founder of Pod Umna Village · John Brennan, Managing Director of Dromquinna Manor resort in Co Kerry

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chair this week is David Warrick, Vice President of Overhaul.

Bobby popped into Willie Duggan Lighting in Kilkenny to chat about all things lighting related. Together they discuss the unique challenges that commercial and residential lighting projects present, and the creative process behind lighting design in general.

There were a raft of bank results out this week with AIB still smarting from their U-turn on cashless branches. Bobby is joined by Joe Brennan, Markets Correspondent for the Irish Times to take a look at the state of the banks.

Mimi Nicklin, author of 'Softening the Edge: Empathy: How Humanity's Oldest Leadership Trait is Changing our World' joins Bobby to discuss the changing world of work, and how business leaders can adapt to make a more empathetic environment for all going forward.

Bobby spoke to Mark “Cokes” Colclough a few weeks ago when he was attempting to become the oldest person to swim the English Channel all for a very good cause. We check in with Mark to see how he got on.

Bobby is joined by legendary performers, Foster & Allen, where together they discuss managing without the ability to tour during the pandemic, getting back on the road, and rubbing shoulders with the likes of Adam and the Ants, Bob Geldoff and more!

Known to many of a certain vintage as Biddy Byrne from 'Glenroe', but to the rest of us, an actress with many, many more strings to her bow, Westmeath’s favourite daughter, Mary McEvoy, joins Bobby to chat about living the good life on her animal sanctuary & farm and becoming a certified Pilates Instructor.

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chair is Regina Bushell, Founder & MD of Grovelands Childcare.

Joining Bobby is Richie O’Hara, Founder & Director of ‘Baysports’, Miriam Mulrennan, Arts Officer with Westmeath County Council and former manager of Athlone Arts & Tourism & Katherine Kiveney- Founder of Hen.ie and Stag.ie to discuss their businesses as well as the state of the arts sector in the midlands region.

Athlone is home to some very old businesses in the country with Ireland’s oldest department store and also oldest pub. Joining Bobby is Rosie Boles of Burgess of Athlone & Declan Delaney, Manager of Seán’s Bar to talk about the businesses and the history behind them.

Bobby took a cruise up the River Shannon into the heartland of the country with Pearse Connell of Hidden Heartlands Tours where they took in the beauty of the area and chatted about the touring business in general. Bobby also stopped into the Wineport Lodge Hotel to chat to Ray Byrne where they recently celebrated 30 years in busniess.

Bobby is joined by Fianna Fáil TD for Longford/Westmeath Robert Troy who is also the Minister of State with responsibility for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation at the Department of Enterprise, Trade, and Employment. Together they discuss AIB scrapping their plan to remove cash services in 70 branches and what role the Post Office might play in the years to some when it comes to managing personal finances.

Bobby is joined by Michael Hassett, owner of Cork-based 'Hassett's Bakery' who has just secured a deal worth €6m to supply Lidl with a chilled cake and dessert range, available in 175 Lidl stores across Ireland.