I'd Rather Be...... Camping

For those that love the outdoors, camping is one of life's pure pleasures; sleeping
under the stars, at one with nature, far from the bright lights and endless distractions of urban living.

A hugely popular holiday choice, it is estimated that by 2020, one billion campsite nights will be booked worldwide. With a bewildering choice of sites to pick from, for many avid camping lovers, finding the right campsite to book is far from an easy task.

A Site For Sore Eyes

When it comes to researching hotels, there are an endless amount of websites out there offering to help us make the right choice. If only there was such a website dedicated to campsites.....sigh!

Lucky for us, our featured guest this week on Kickstart Your Business Finán O'Donoghue has created Campsited.com which currently covers over 1,300 sites in Ireland and the UK. A camping enthusiast  himself, Finán started the business to cater for the thousands of families, like his own, that wanted to book the perfect camping holiday without spending hours trawling the internet to find it.

Pitch It And They Will Come

Overall the website is very straightforward and easy to visit but I did suggest to Finán that the pin drops representing the different regions should also reflect the amount of campsites available in that area.

We were delighted to hear that Finán is planning to introduce a 'Campsite of the Week' feature on the site which will bring that all important social interaction which fuels a business like Campsited.com that is built on relationship. Already he has built a strong relationship with campsite owners here in Ireland and now is looking to build relationships with his fellow campers.

A Camping We Will Go

What do you suggest Finán might do to build on those all important relationships through the website?

Listen back to Finán on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you think.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast on The Right Hook on Newstalk every Thursday around 6.25pm and is available for playback immediately afterwards on Newstalk.com.

The Story Of Me

Mothers and fathers around the world know that nothing delights the young child more than a story where they get to play the hero. So much so that, come bedtime, the skilful storyteller often takes a classic tale and weaves into the standard text the story of you, which for the enraptured child becomes the most powerful story of all, the story of me.

Putting A Face To A Name

Smart publishers have taken advantage of advanced printing technologies to personalise storybooks with your child's name, but now one Irish publisher is taking this a step further.

When Eoin Heverin, our featured guest on Kickstart Your Business, was reading a personalised storybook to his niece, he thought 'Wouldn't it be a great idea if the princess in this story also had little Toni Pia's head superimposed on pictures of the heroine?'. Within two years, he set up Tell My Story Book, offering even more personalised storybooks for children.

Are You Sitting Comfortably?

George warmed to the idea immediately, wondering just how far a publisher might take personalisation. For example, could other characters in the book also feature the images of grandparents, uncles etc?

I suggested that Eoin needs to work very hard in a market that's over supplied to establish Tell My Story Book as the leader in this space. He needs to tackle his brand identity in particular, which is currently quite generic and unlikely to stand out in the market and stand up to competitors.

I also suggested that he might personalise testimonials on his website in the same way as he personalises the storybook. A proud grandfather like our George is much more likely to share a testimonial when he's presented, for example, as his saintly namesake boldly slaying the dragon. Nothing advertises a technology better than the practical application of the technology itself.

What's The Story?

What do you suggest Eoin might do to get the whole world telling personalised stories to their children?

Listen back to Eoin on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you think.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast on The Right Hook on Newstalk every Thursday around 6.25pm and is available for playback immediately afterwards on Newstalk.com.

Someone To Watch Over Me

Although falling crime figures often suggest that the world is a safer place, it sometimes doesn't feel that way. When you're alone in a poorly-lit or isolated place, walking the last leg of your journey after the last bus home for example, it's easy to feel threatened and afraid. That group of drunken youths, this man behind who seems to quicken his step as you nervously lengthen your stride, even the darkened corner underneath the broken street-light, all appear to menace you, leaving you feeling very alone and afraid.

More Than A Number

When members of Paul Price's teenage family were in danger whilst out and about, he found that trying to help them over the phone was ineffective and hugely stressful for all concerned. He decided to develop a one-touch phone application that immediately connects you to a trained team who can provide all the support someone in trouble requires.

We featured Paul and Big Red Button on Kickstart Your Business, and learned that in addition to connecting you to someone who can immediately lend a helping hand, the team at Big Red Button can also patch in a call to the police or a family member or friend as appropriate. Even when the danger is real, an assailant is less likely to act when it becomes apparent that their quarry is much less isolated and vulnerable than they first appeared.

In The Company Of Angels

Grandfather George immediately warmed to a service that protects members of family who naturally seek independence but still need to feel safe and protected from harm. He mused that his eldest grandchild soon turns teenage, and suggested that a €9.99 Annual Subscription was a great value gift from a loving grandparent.

I remarked on the very impressive and informative video which Paul has made. This cleverly presents a scenario where someone under threat presses the Big Red Button, and is soon flanked by the protective figures of the Big Red Button team, as well as a family member and a police officer. Faced with this phalanx of guardians, the would-be assailant fades away into the shadows.

However, I suggested that it's not evident from the Play Video button on the Big Red Button website that this really is a must-watch video. This is a common fault with video screen grabs and calls to action on many websites, so Paul is not alone, but his is a video which really does say it all neatly and effectively so it's hugely important that visitors are encouraged to view it.

At The Touch Of A Button

What do you suggest Paul might do to get Big Red Button watching over us and keeping us safe through phones across Ireland?

Listen back to Paul on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you think.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast on The Right Hook on Newstalk every Thursday around 6.25pm and is available for playback immediately afterwards on Newstalk.com.

To Hold You Soft And Near

Surgery of any kind can leave us feeling raw and vulnerable; this is after all an attack on the body, albeit well-intentioned. For the breast cancer survivor, this sense of rawness isn't helped by the limited range of supports available post-surgery. Adapting to the changes that have been made to the dy, with post-surgery sites typically still painful and sensitive, just isn't easy.

An Underwear Hero

When lingerie retailer Ciara Donlon noticed how breast cancer survivors were so poorly served by existing brands, she set out to research what they wanted in a bra in particular, and designed the Theya Healthcare range, pretty, feminine and designed to the highest eco standards.

This week's Kickstart Your Business featured guest consulted directly with over 80 survivors to tailor garments that are made from bamboo (which produces the softest cloth) and feature no tags or seams, all designed to minimise irritation on the tender post-operation skin.

Underwear That Hugs Rather Than Strangles

George was immediately struck by the extraordinary depth of research which Ciara had conducted in order to bring her range to market. I agreed that Ciara's dedication is highly unusual, and had been rewarded with extraordinary loyalty and gratitude from a market that has been largely ignored, if the many testimonials on TheyaHealthcare.com are anything to go by.

I commented that these testimonials, whilst impressive, are often quite lengthy, and suggested that Ciara extract some of the neater expressions of gratitude, and make them available on the homepage in order to encourage prospective customers that they have come to the right place. For example, "I was looking for underwear that hugs rather than strangles" captures brilliantly the immediate benefit Theya offers.

Add Your Words Of Support

Can you suggest how Ciara might continue to grow her Theya Healthcare brand from strength to strength?

Listen back to Ciara on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you think.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast on The Right Hook on Newstalk every Thursday around 6.25pm and is available for playback immediately afterwards on Newstalk.com.

A Pocketful Of Squares

They say great style never goes out of fashion, but it's taken the rise to prominence of slick dresser Conor McGregor, and the popularity of TV programmes such as Peaky Blinders and Mad Men to turn a whole new generation on to the appeal of such fashion items as the traditional waistcoat, three-piece suit and all the trimmings.

Mainstream brands such as Ted Baker, Paul Smith and our own Louis Copeland have played their part too, but the dedicated follower of fashion (and his other half) is likely to want to develop his own distinctive style, and wander away from the high street to find those off-beat accessories that finish an outfit with a flourish.

Hip To Be Square

This week's guest on Kickstart Your Business, William Jenkins, has long been a dedicated follower of fashion. When he and his partner Maeve were exploring potential opportunities in the world of gentleman's attire, they identified the once-popular but now lesser-spotted pocket square (or handkerchief) as a classic accessory that's been largely overlooked by the main fashion retailers.

They've set up their own fashion accessories brand MrJenks.com, and are working closely with traditional craftsmen and designers in Italy to bring a range of 100% silk and uniquely patterned pocket squares to market. Their pocket squares are available to purchase directly from them online, or through a small number of high-end retailers such as Louis Copeland and Henry Jermyn in Dublin.

A range of cuff knots and lapel pins are also coming into the mix, and the pair are determined to become a leading men's fashion accessories' brand in a world crying out for those little flashes of colour and detail that finish off a suit.

Celebrity Squares

Mr. Jenks appealed hugely to George's sense of style; he was quick to remind us that the young George Hook typically sported a silk pocket square back in the day.

I suggested that William and Maeve's challenge is to drive demand whilst establishing themselves as the go-to brand for sharp accessories, no easy task for a start-up. Whilst celebrity endorsements are often an elusive prize, George generously offered to model Mr. Jenks' pocket squares; in Ireland in particular the support of highly-visible figures can go a long way towards building the profile of the ambitious start-up.

Throw Your Hat In The Ring

How do you suggest William and Maeve build their profile and business in this highly competitive market.

Listen back to William on Kickstart Your Business (with thanks to Energia) and tell us what you think? We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast on The Right Hook on Newstalk every Thursday around 6.25pm and is available for playback immediately afterwards on Newstalk.com.

A Place At The Table

Although it's a popular claim, one size fits all hardly ever works for everyone. Invariably, that one size that seems to suit everyone else, leaves someone feeling very left out. Not much fun if you're that someone on the outside looking in. For anyone hosting an activity for people of different abilities then, the challenge is to create place where everyone feels equally welcome and involved.

Willing And Able

Our featured guest on Kickstart Your Business, Caríosa Sullivan of AbleTable.ie, introduced a true one size fits all solution that naturally makes a space for people of all abilities to sit around the table and interact easily. When Caríosa's mum and Special Needs Assistant Esther was looking for a table for her classroom, she was unable to find one. One size simply didn't fit all. And so she asked her husband Martin, who's pretty handy, to make one and he created the first Able Table.

The Able Table is designed in such a way that able-bodied and people of varying abilities can eat, work and play side by side without anyone feeling left out. Caríosa and Martin are now manufacturing Able Tables for a growing and eager market in both the mixed abilities and senior sectors where disability of any kind can often mean subtle and not so subtle exclusion from social activities.

Tabling A Discussion

Both Shane Coleman (sitting in for George) and I were immediately won over by Martin's very simple solution to a complex problem, and admired both his ingenuity and can-do attitude, often the hallmarks of the great entrepreneurs.

However, I suggested that they are being too coy in presenting their pricing to potential customers on their website in particular. Now this is a not uncommon challenge facing someone who wants to make a difference, but struggles to put a commercial value on the difference they make. When a prospective customer, whether carer or client, knows the cost of something, then they're much better placed to determine the value of it, and able in turn to make an informed decision around their purchase. Keeping people at arms length from this all-important detail simply doesn't make for good business.

Pull Up A Seat

Why not visit AbleTable.ie and suggest how else Caríosa and Martin can make a place at the table for more and more customers?

Listen back to Caríosa on Kickstart Your Business  (with thanks to Energia) and tell us what you think? We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast on The Right Hook on Newstalk every Thursday around 6.25pm and is available for playback immediately afterwards on Newstalk.com.

How To Make A Happy Camper

Even the most cheerful of festival-goers can become heavy-hearted when faced with the prospect of lugging camping gear from home to festival site. And that final leg of the journey from carpark or bus-stop can kill the buzz of even the happiest of would-be campers. So how to get a weekend's festivities off on the right foot?

For All Intents & Purposes

With a background in sales and customer service, Wendy Riordan, recognised an opportunity when she heard a friend describe how he and his partner fell out whilst hauling their gear from parked car to festival campsite. What if there was a company who could deliver your camping kit to you directly on site? This week's Kickstart Your Business feature Pamper The Camper is Wendy's helping hand to the beleaguered camper.

Seriously Lads, We Deliver To Festivals

Wendy really seems to have thought of everything. Customers book their camping gear and extras (including Ladies & Gents' Pamper Packs filled to the brim with the essentials for a great weekend) through the website, nominate the festival they're attending, and then simply stroll up to the Pamper The Camper pick-up point (and shop) at the festival campsite.

Although George professed his own horror of camping, even he allowed that this is a brilliant idea, and likely to become a great business. I suggested that Wendy has really got her own essentials spot-on: Pamper The Camper is a great name, and she's invested in a eye-catching and memorable visual identity that makes it easy for word-of-mouth to do the rest in terms of spreading the word to would-be happy campers.

Pitch In Yourself

What else can Wendy do to win over the hordes of festival-goers, first here in Ireland and then in the UK and beyond?

Listen back to Wendy on Kickstart Your Business (with thanks to Energia) and tell us what you think? We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast on The Right Hook on Newstalk every Thursday around 6.25pm and is available for playback immediately afterwards on Newstalk.com.

Heads Up On Audio Headgear

More and more, modern life seems to demand a soundtrack. But for many athletes and others who like to listen to music on the go, the headphones and earplugs typically required to wire them for sound as they step to the beat are unwieldy and uncomfortable. It's difficult to get lost in the music when you're tripping through the wires or plugging your ears.

If The Cap Fits

When Padraig Clarke's wife and business partner Sinead found conventional headphones uncomfortable whilst out running, they decided to research and design their own wearable technology solution to the problem. And so, Saorbuga, loosely translated from the Irish as Move Freely, and offering wireless audio headgear, was born.

Padraig, our featured guest on Kickstart Your Business, introduced three types of bluetooth audio headgear: the traditional beanie, the sports beanie and the sports headband. With the market for wearable technologies exploding worldwide, their design seems to tick all the boxes, so there is likely to be a significant opportunity for Saorbuga.

Talking Heads On Listening Heads

George immediately saw how Saorbuga might make his round of golf all the more enjoyable, and we were quick to acknowledge how this audio headgear has applications in all sorts of environments were people on the move want to walk or work handsfree whilst listening to their favourite sounds (or picking up on calls and messages).

However, I suggested that whilst the market opportunity is enormous, Saorbuga faces the challenge of building their brand quickly before the traditional technology giants come out to play. Padraig and Sinead need to focus on the core of their market, find their Bullseye Customer, and work to build a strong customer base in a sizeable niche (e.g. running clubs).

Throw Your Hat In The Ring

What can Padraig and Sinead do to get the world listening to music whilst sporting the latest Saorbuga headgear?

Listen back to Padraig on Kickstart Your Business (with thanks to Energia), and tell us what you think? We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast on The Right Hook on Newstalk every Thursday around 6.25pm, and is available for playback immediately afterwards at Newstalk. com.

Trendster: Talking To My Generation

As adults, we're often quick to dismiss the opinions of teenagers on world affairs as ill-informed and superficial, particularly as seen and heard on social media. Mind you, that's a charge that could be typically levelled at the opinions of young and older alike when aired in those open spaces.

When everyone's a publisher, the role of the editor becomes increasingly important if we're to say something worth hearing. Free speech can too easily become cheap speech, and if words come cheap, they rarely cost a thought. So when most of what we hear from teenagers comes unfiltered to our adult ears, it's easy to conclude that they don't hold thoughtful and well-informed opinions on the things that matter to us all, young and older alike.

Read All About It.

There's no shortage of media targeting young people, but none seem to seek their informed views on issues that matter. Enter a new Editor-in-chief. Although still in school, our featured Kickstart Your Business guest, Harry McCann has been an entrepreneur for the past three years. He was prompted to set up Trendster with his schoolfriend and business partner Jack Cullen, in order to give young people a platform to tell their own stories, comment on the news, and give a thoughtful voice to a generation.

Harry is Editor-in-chief to a team of correspondents across the world from Ireland to the Caribbean island of St. Kitts and beyond. Whilst the new publication is still finding its voice, it's evident from the growing readership here in Ireland and further afield, that there's a real appetite for news for the young people, by the young people.

Airing Harry's Views

As an inveterate opinion-maker and news hound, George was audibly impressed by Harry and Jack's precocious ambition and enterprise as publishers and reporters. And he was quick to acknowledge the challenge facing any youthful entrepreneur of gaining access to the same levels of funding and supports enjoyed by their adult counterparts.

Meanwhile, I was struck by the challenge Harry and Jack face in striking a balance between being both the young head and older head on young shoulders at the same time. Whilst the appeal of Trendster to its target audience is likely to lie in its youthful exuberance and freedom of expression, Trendster the business will need to operate in the adult world when it comes to issues around press standards, accountability etc. These youthful entrepreneurs will need to grow up quickly, but not too quickly that they lose touch with their teenage peers.

Your Turn To Start A Trend

What can Harry and Jack do to get teens everywhere tuning in to Trendster?

Listen back to Harry on Kickstart Your Business (with thanks to Energia), and tell us what you think? We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast on The Right Hook on Newstalk every Thursday around 6.25pm, and is available for playback immediately afterwards at Newstalk. com.

To The Waters And The Wild

After a slow start, the return to nature in what we eat is finally well-established as both a lifestyle choice and a viable market, with all of the major supermarket retailers now featuring a substantial 'free-from' section or aisle. Those of us who care a little or a lot about what we put into our bodies are now better catered for than ever, with the allergic or intolerant less likely to be dismissed as cranks.

However, the revolution in the food we eat hasn't been matched by similar changes in the perfumes and other toiletries we put onto our skin, many of which contain harmful chemicals and additives. Free-from in this case usually means avoiding their use entirely, which means missing out on the extraordinary range of delicious fragrances offered up by Mother Nature.

Come Away O Human Child

This week's featured guest on Kickstart Your Business, Joan Housden, offers Mother Nature a helping hand in bringing some of those natural fragrances into the mainstream. Although her own background is originally in music production, June's interest in natural health and nutrition prompted her to team up with her friend Joan Woods to develop Ireland's only certified organic range of fragrances, Waters + Wild. Made in an ancient stone barn in West Cork, Waters + Wild are a range of scents inspired by the pristine nature and beauty of their location using age-old traditions of perfume making with a 21st century twist.

If I Could Save West Cork In A Bottle

Both Bobby (standing in for George) and I were suitably impressed by the smells and sights of Waters + Wild's fragrances and packaging, agreeing that the fairly minimalist bottling and labelling supported by inspirational images of locations and ingredients worked well.

However, I suggested that June and Joan might go even further in helping potential customers online and elsewhere 'smell' the choice of products through sight when introducing the individual fragrances, which are currently presented without the related imagery. Rose & Oud for example could really be brought to pungent life with the assistance of some of the beautiful pictures that appear elsewhere on the Waters + Wild website.

The Sweet Smell Of Succes

What do you suggest June and Joan do to send the gorgeous fragrances of Waters + Wild wafting across the world to potential customers everywhere?

Listen back to June on Kickstart Your Business (with thanks to Energia), and tell us what you think? We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast on The Right Hook on Newstalk every Thursday around 6.25pm, and is available for playback immediately afterwards at Newstalk. com.

Winning Hearts & Minders

Whilst recovery from a heart attack often begins in the hospital, it doesn't have to end there. However, across the world, recovery from and management of chronic conditions can be painfully slow as overburdened health professionals and the systems that support them struggle to deal with the numbers of patients coming through the hospital service.

Wouldn't it be great if the patient could self-manage their recovery through a bespoke programme that bridged the gap between enthusiastic amateur and the health professional?

Her Heart's In The Right Place

That's just what this week's Kickstart Your Business guest, physiotherapist Avril Copeland, thought as she worked with patients in Dublin's Beaumont Hospital. She turned thought into action by developing TickerFit, a cloud-based app that links with smartphone and other wearable technologies to provide health professionals with all of the information they need to support patients in their recovery.

Avril is targeting large health organisations such as the HSE in Ireland, NHS in the UK and private hospitals across the world.

TickerFit For Purpose

Shane (standing in for George) immediately warmed to this innovative application, and wondered how Avril might go about realising her ambitions to see TickerFit adopted by health organisations the world over.

I suggested that Avril needs to ensure that her best customer for TickerFit, the ideal patient who will get the most value from her innovation, doesn't get lost in worldwide web of technology investor who can quickly lose sight of the heart of the matter when it comes to building value in a business.

As it happens, Avril's dad is the legendary Dublin tailor, Louis Copeland, and Avril would do well to reflect his focus on the customer, that same focus that prompted her to set up the business in the first place.

Set Our Hearts Beating Faster

What can Avril do to win hearts and minders the world over?

Listen back to Avril on Kickstart Your Business (with thanks to Energia), and tell us what you think? We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast on The Right Hook on Newstalk every Thursday around 6.25pm, and is available for playback immediately afterwards at Newstalk. com.

Flipping Food-Ordering On Its Head

The world of fast food moves fast, but not quickly enough for the many of us whose hunger pangs are frustrated by the often elaborate means of ordering it for delivery or collection. Very much a first-world problem, I know, but try telling that to the growing numbers of people who see ordering in as an essential part of the daily routine after a busy day's work.

And whilst fast food itself has moved on from the traditional chipper or Chinese takeaway, with many leading restaurants now offering a take-home menu, ordering in still involves either the phone call to the restaurant or the online system that obliges the hungry customer to jump through a series of hoops before placing their order.

So Frustrated, He Flipped

Our featured guest on Kickstart Your Business, Conor McCarthy, was one such hungry and frustrated diner. With a background in software development, Conor first considered developing an online food ordering system back in 2007, but didn't feel he could bring anything new to the dinner party back then. Seven years later, and appalled by the poor customer experience delivered by other food-ordering apps, he decided to develop Flipdish, a two-tap app for the hungry diner.

His revolutionary app, cuts out many of the unnecessary steps to dining heaven, resulting in food ordering that's almost two and a half times faster than competitors.

Winning The Hunger Games

Whilst George professed himself to be a sceptic when it comes to fast food (he's the man, remember, who turned down the McDonald's franchise opportunity because "the Irish will never take to burgers"), he did appreciate that for the growing numbers of people who want fast food fast, Conor's speedy app is likely to be just what the hungry diner ordered.

Meanwhile, I applauded those features which Conor has included, many of them intuitive but still absent from so many other apps, such as localising your choice of restaurant or dish, which make ordering such a pleasure. Technology often promises to deliver better customer service, but the customer experience is frequently the opposite. An app that genuinely makes things easier is something of a rarity.

Fast Forward To Success

How do you suggest Conor might win the hunger games for diners in Ireland, the UK and beyond?

Listen back to Conor on Kickstart Your Business (with thanks to Energia), and tell us what you think? We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast on The Right Hook on Newstalk every Thursday around 6.25pm, and is available for playback immediately afterwards at Newstalk. com.

Have Book, Will Time Travel

My recollection of the subjects I learned at school is patchy at best, but those hazy memories are of a series of lessons in stand-alone subjects, which bore little or no relation to one another.

Even those teachers who taught more than a single subject seldom linked the events of one to the other, with the result that I left school with a number of separate parts rather than any real body of knowledge. Whilst I knew from the writings of an English poet that no man is an island, my impressions were of solitary experts - poets, geographers and mathematicians - rather than of any great continent of human development. Facts in history were largely presented as separate from facts in science and the arts, and any connection between them seemed purely accidental.

And yet recent commemoration of the events of 1916 have reminded me that the world of human action and thought is greatly intertwined, with the writers, thinkers, rebels and soldiers of that period all parts of a greater worldwide whole.

The Book That Binds

Our featured guest on Kickstart Your Business was Alison Hackett, a teacher with a background in maths and physics, who has always been fascinated with the role played by the sciences in the development of the world, and the links between the activities of one with another in the lives of men.

She developed The Visual Time Traveller project in order to present key milestones in world history over the past 500 years in a way that would appeal to viewers in a whole number of ways, what she describes as a mix of eye candy and brain food.

This extraordinary body of work offers five year windows on the world of the time via a series of images that include details of 12 events of the period. The Visual Time Traveller is a book, an exhibition, a series of talks and a whole lot more.

A World Of Wonder

Both Shane - standing in for George - and Gerard were awestruck at Alison's achievement, an extraordinary compendium of eye-catching pictures and ear-catching words that provides a fascinating insight into how the worlds within worlds collide in the most unexpected ways through the activities of people who appear on the surface to have little in common.

Gerard suggested that this is a big, big idea that needs focus in order to bring it to a successful commercial conclusion. In particular, Alison needs to determine quickly who are her best customers for The Visual Time Traveller, so that she can begin to realise the value she has created through her investment in research, design, creation and production of a truly unique product.

Balancing The Books

How do you suggest Alison might go about getting the whole world buying into The Visual Time Traveller?

Listen back to Alison on Kickstart Your Business (with thanks to Energia), and tell us what you think? We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast on The Right Hook on Newstalk every Thursday around 6.25pm, and is available for playback immediately afterwards at Newstalk. com.

Waited On Hand And Foot

Although modern life doesn't make quite the same demands on the body in terms of physical labour as before, hands and feet remain busy body parts, getting through a great deal of work and play each day. And yet these vital parts are largely neglected in terms of regular upkeep and maintenance, particularly by the male of the species, who's often harder on them than his female counterpart and slower to give them the care and attention they deserve.

At least that's the case in this part of the world, where metrosexual man has been slow to put in more than a fleeting appearance.

Just The Mani And Pedi Cure

Elsewhere however, men and women alike have been a little quicker on the uptake than our neglected and neglectful Irish male.

This week on Kickstart Your Business, we feature Gosha Marek, a Polish native, who is determined to take the footsore and careworn in hand courtesy of her Noir Hand & Foot Spa offering in Dublin's South Anne Street.

Walking On Air

Gosha treated both George and I to a pedicure before our feature, and we both reported walking on air afterwards as a result.

George waxed lyrical about the luxurious surroundings of Noir, and noted that Gosha's treatment went far beyond the much more superficial pedicures he's received elsewhere.

Meanwhile, I reminded listeners that Gosha's start-up is a hark back to many more traditional businesses in its strong service offering. Her challenge is to help neglectful men like George and I form the good habit of having a manicure and pedicure on a regular basis. Creating a base of returning clients means that Gosha can concentrate more on delivering a top class service and less on drumming up new customers.

Now You Help Us Nail It

What do you suggest Gosha might do to win over more and more hands and feet to care for at Noir Nails?

Listen back to Gosha on Kickstart Your Business (with thanks to Energia), and tell us what you think? We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast on The Right Hook on Newstalk every Thursday around 6.25pm, and is available for playback immediately afterwards at Newstalk. com.

Growing The Missing Pieces

Although the human body demonstrates remarkable powers of regeneration, it still falls short of the extraordinary feats of self-repair which many other creatures possess. A snake sheds its skin only to rapidly reproduce another, the deer discards then regrows its antlers for the new season, whilst the starfish miraculously replaces as many as four of its five limbs so long as its central nerve ring survives intact.

And whilst mechanical and electrical engineers have managed to produce quite extraordinary prosthetic limbs and other body parts, the fact remains that for many people the loss of a critical piece of the body results in greatly-diminished ability.

Another Piece Of The Puzzle

Jemma Redmond's curiosity about her own medical condition prompted her to study nanobioscience and the possibilities of regeneration at UCD, where she attempted to grow pieces of human fingers for her thesis. This in turn prompted her to develop a hybrid bioprinter capable of creating sample human tissue suitable for drug testing (which may in turn see an end to using animals for this purpose).

Jemma, our featured guest on this week's Kickstart Your Business, set up Ouro-Botics in order to develop partnerships that will put one of her hybrid bioprinters into every university and hospital in the world.

Talking 'Bout Regeneration

Whilst George initially professed ignorance of the Our-Botics subject matter, he quickly warmed to the topic when Jemma eloquently explained 'the science bit' and how to put it to work to make a difference and make some money too (this is a business after all).

Gerard meanwhile admired Jemma's achievements, notwithstanding her naturally self-deprecating approach, and suggested that whilst her website did a good job of introducing the bioprinters as an item for sale, she is missing an opportunity to tell the story of the impact which her work is likely to have on the world. In addition to the hope that she and other medical pioneers offer to those of us suffering from the variety of medical conditions that can be addressed only when the body can be helped to regenerate, putting an end to animal testing is no mean feat.

Say Your Piece

What do you suggest that Jemma might do to realise her aim of having a hybrid bioprinter in every hospital and university in the world?

Listen back to Jemma on Kickstart Your Business (with thanks to Energia), and tell us what you think? We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast on The Right Hook on Newstalk every Thursday around 6.25pm, and is available for playback immediately afterwards at Newstalk. com.

Airing Clean Laundr.ie In Public

The hard-pressed but neatly dressed professional appreciates more than most the value of a laundry service. Having freshly-pressed clothing hanging neatly in the wardrobe at the ready,  means they need never appear in public looking anything less than their best.

But that same busy lifestyle that demands they be smartly turned-out can make it difficult to find the time to drop off and collect the laundry, leaving the dirty clothes pile up at home and the freshly-cleaned clothes hang around the cleaners. Meanwhile, the wardrobe grows bare.

First Up, Best Dressed

This week's Kickstart Your Business featured Evan Gray of Laundr.ie a new service that seems to be the answer to the hard-pressed professional's plea. Whilst Evan's background is in finance, he spotted an on-demand dry-cleaning service when he was travelling, and thought it would work very well in Ireland, with people always looking to save time and hassle.

His well thought out and smartly presented service can be easily accessed on website and app, and is delivered by appointment to home or office anytime between 9am and 10pm in the greater Dublin area. And for Evan, it's Dublin first, and then the world.

Suits You, Sir!

As a busy professional who spends much of his time in the public eye, George instantly appreciated the convenience of Evan's neatly-designed and delivered at-your-service service.

Meanwhile, I admired both the clever name and use of the .ie suffix (although this might limit Evan's travel plans) and the ease of access on both the Laundr.ie website and app.

However, I wonder if Evan is doing all he can to use the product to advertise the service? When I'm out and about in Dublin, I see little evidence of Evan's busy fleet of drivers picking up and dropping off the laundry. Remember the best advert for a product is often the product itself.

Now Keep It Clean!

What do you suggest that Evan might do to clean up in his new laundry business, first here in Ireland, and then across the world?

Listen back to Evan on Kickstart Your Business (with thanks to Energia), and tell us what you think? We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast on The Right Hook on Newstalk every Thursday around 6.25pm, and is available for playback immediately afterwards at Newstalk. com.

Someone To WatchOver Me

For the anxious parent of a wandering child, out of sight and earshot can quickly mean out of mind with worry. And whilst the world just might be a safer place these days, it often doesn't feel that way, with all the apparent dangers, real and imagined that might befall the vulnerable child.

So what's a parent to do? Deny their child the freedom of the neighbourhood or park, or worry sick each time they set off solo on an adventure?

No Worries, Help Is On Hand

Fiona O'Connor, our featured guest on Kickstart Your Business, is part of a family with both young children and a vulnerable grandparent, any of whom are prone to wander. She and her siblings tried a number of locator-devices without success, and then decided to develop WatchOvers,  a simple device - two-way phone and support app in a watch - that lets children and the elderly enjoy their independence, whilst always being within easy reach of the family.

The Wandering Star

So what did George and I make of Fiona's WatchOvers business?

George wistfully recalled his own days as an errant father and wished his own children had enjoyed the protection of this ingenious device. His memories of arriving late to the school gate to pick up his own son will have struck a chord with many listeners, including myself.

For my part, I admired the very effective image that Fiona has selected to illustrate how WatchOvers works (picture above left), but suggested that she, like many salespeople, is too reluctant to ask for the sale. The eager buyer is obliged to scroll down past a lot of background detail before being able to click to buy; this can be easily addressed by including a Buy Now button at both top and foot of any description.

A Two Way Conversation

What do you suggest that Fiona might do to make sure that help is on hand for anxious families everywhere?

Listen back to Fiona on Kickstart Your Business (with thanks to Energia), and tell us what you think? We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast on The Right Hook on Newstalk every Thursday around 6.25pm, and is available for playback immediately afterwards at Newstalk. com.

What To Wear Under Cover

Briefly put, many males are reluctant to shop for the bare necessities of clothing, those essential items that are glimpsed rather than seen by all except their nearest and dearest. Even the more hygienic are prone to the threadbare look when it comes to the 'socks, jocks and tees' department of their wardrobe.

And somewhere in his mind, the Irish male of the species hears his mammy's voice worrying over the state of his underwear if he were to be rushed off unexpectedly to hospital. Yes indeed, what would the neighbours think?

Underneath It All

Well mammy, those next-door neighbours or anyone getting up close and personal with the nation's wannabe gentlemen need judge no more, for help is at hand in the form of this week's guest on Kickstart Your Business.

With a family background in men's fashion (Galvin For Men), Rob Galvin noted that men were often slow to shop for quality underwear essentials. A recent graduate of UCD's Innovation Academy, he decided to set up www.Stor.Supply, an online service supplying regular consignments of underwear to reluctant shoppers.

Reluctant gentlemen shoppers, and those who love them, can sign up for a subscription that sees those simple, bare necessities delivered undercover of some elegant packaging once a month or every three months. Sure Mammy wishes she'd thought of it herself.

Boxing Clever

George and Gerard both enjoyed Rob's undercover assignment, with George vowing to change his boxers more often as a result.

In particular, Gerard admired the way in which Rob has cleverly included the nearest and dearest as key target customers for his growing business. Pinpointing the ideal customer and those who buy for them in this way is inspired, and should keep Rob focussed on what matters in his business.

The Whole Package

What do you suggest that Rob might do to get the whole world of men happily wearing only the finest underwear essentials. Not to mention the joy he brings to their nearest and dearest.

Listen back to Rob on Kickstart Your Business (with thanks to Energia), and tell us what you think? We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast on The Right Hook on Newstalk every Thursday around 6.25pm, and is available for playback immediately afterwards at Newstalk. com .

Jam Packed With Quirky Goodness

There is much evidence, even in mainstream retailing, to suggest that customers are looking for something out of the ordinary when they make their weekly shop.

Although the traditional staples still feature large on the supermarket shelf, growing numbers of highly-original takes on these original foods have jostled their way onto those same shelves. Once left to shout their wares from the stalls of farmer's markets and craft-shops, these bold upstarts now stand proudly side by side with foodstuffs that can seem frankly dull by comparison.

What To Do In A Jam

When Olive Germaine, and husband Pat, became redundant from work within one week of each other, they decided to return to the kitchen and cook up some high quality chutneys, relishes and preserves, and go to market under the quirky name, The Birds And The Teas.

Their produce proved so delicious that when our George tasted some at his local supermarket, he was immediately prompted to invite Olive to feature on Kickstart Your Business on The Right Hook.

Relishing The Prospect

George was already a fan, but Gerard was also won over by both the tasty jams and the playful invitation to table in the name and packaging.

The Birds And The Teas evokes a tea-party in wonderland, and this is reflected in many of the names Olive and Pat have given to their unusual combinations: Last Mango In Paris Chutney, Rhubarb Rhumba Preserve to give just a taster of two of the many more on offer.

The Preserve Of Experts

What would you do to get the whole world jamming along with Olive and Pat?

Listen back to Olive's Kickstart Your Business feature and let us know what you think. We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business broadcasts at 6.20pm every Thursday on Newstalk's The Right Hook, and is available on playback immediately following the show.

Queezy Does It

Throwing up, whether as a result of car or sea-sickness, pregnancy or a tummy bug, is never a pleasant experience. But that same experience is made even more stomach-churning (for both the one throwing up and the one catching), when the receptacle for all of that nastiness is as makeshift as a hastily-grabbed paper bin, shopping bag or handbag. What they both wouldn't do for a thoughtfully designed queasy bag, to help safely catch and dispose of the unpleasantness.

The Catcher On The Fly

When Carrie Doorley, our featured guest on Kickstart Your Business,  found herself playing catch-up for her first child Liam who suffered from travel sickness, she looked in vain for sick bags in several shops and pharmacies near her home. To her surprise, none offered anything more suitable than clear plastic bags, and so she decided to design and produce her own.

And so, in the absence of designer sick bags, Queezy Bags were designed and born. Featuring a number of innovative features such as an easy hold rim, discreet patterning and a slot to twist the bag and seal in the smell, Queezy Bags are a real catch.

Retching For The Stars

Both George, who brought up in graphic detail his own sea-sick adventures, and Gerard were immediately impressed with Carrie's innovative solution to a problem that can afflict someone almost any time or any place.

Think cars, boats, planes but don't stop there; include hospitals, night-clubs and anywhere a toddler or a mum-to-be frequents. As Carrie memorably puts it in her tagline: Life Is Busy, Don't Hold Back.

Both also admired Carrie's clever name, Queezy Bags, which really says it all, but Gerard suggested that the overall packaging is unremarkable and doesn't give her product and new brand the stand-out it requires to establish real elbow room on the shelves and shop-floors of pharmacists and retailers everywhere.

Glad You Brought That Up

What else do you suggest that Carrie does to capitalise on this yawning gap in a worldwide market?

Listen back to Carrie's Kickstart Your Business feature and let us know what you think. We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business broadcasts at 6.20pm every Thursday on Newstalk's The Right Hook, and is available on playback immediately following the show.