Bonjour To Fun French Stories For Kids

For most people born and raised in Ireland, our first introduction to learning a foreign language was at the age of twelve or thirteen when we looked at subject choices for secondary school.

That is five or six years later than our European counterparts who are introduced to a second (or in some cases a third or fourth language) at the tender age of seven. From a learning perspective, a child's brain at seven or earlier is the perfect sponge for absorbing new languages. And they are happily unselfconscious about practicing pronunciation in front of their peers.

A New Language Made Easy

Teacher and entrepreneur Grainne Ryan Schaeken, introduced us to FrenchBooksForKids.Com on this week's Kickstart Your Business.  Looking at the market, she saw there were no storybooks in French aimed at English speaking kids and so developed Danny Cool, a series of humorous stories in French, featuring an Irish family in leafy Foxrock. Beautifully illustrated, the series is set to have  Irish children exclaiming 'J'adore Danny Cool' when they reach for the books.

More Student, Less Teacher

As Gerard suggested on the show, students are attracted to a particular book, not because they want to learn something new, but because they want to read the story. Bringing out the humour and playfulness of the stories themselves on the website, rather than the learning opportunity behind them, will better attract and engage Grainne's real customers (who will in turn persuade mammy or daddy to put their hand in their pocket).

Over To You

How can Grainne bring the story of Danny Cool to life through her website? Listen back to the show on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you think. 

We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.40pm and is available on Playback.

  

Have Wristband, Will Travel Safely

It's every parent's nightmare. You're out with  one or more small children at the zoo or in a busy supermarket and as you're paying for an item or tying a shoelace, a child goes missing. Rational thought goes out the window and panic threatens to overwhelm you. Until your child is safely back in your care, the supermarket or zoo can feel like the most dangerous place in the world. It's one of the most gut-wrenching feelings any parent can experience and anything that can help alleviate the worry and stress and reunite you safely and quickly with your child would be a godsend.

Identifying A Simple Solution

This week on Kickstart Your Business, we featured a product that will have parents everywhere breathing a sigh of relief. IDme, a safety wristband, was designed and developed by Dee O'Leary, a mother of three whose experience of losing a small child in a local supermarket sparked a great business idea that is fast becoming an essential travel item for small children. The award winning wristband holds essential information that means a good samaritan can quickly help the lost and vulnerable child to reunite with their anxious parents. 

Endless Opportunities

This is one of those business ideas that's so simple, it's a wonder we didn't think of it ourselves! The possibilities are endless for a product that is so fit for purpose and meets an instantly recognisable need in its target market. And that market extends beyond the parents of wandering children and can cater for sports enthusiasts or individuals with medical issues or special needs. As Gerard pointed out on the show, there is also endless opportunity to customise the strap and create a range of designs that will appeal to children and adults alike (much like Swatch did with their watches). 

Over To You

What type of designs could Dee use to customise her product and create individual and eye-catching safety wristbands ? Listen back to the show on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you think. 

We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.40pm and is available on Playback.

  

Three Wheels On My Coffee

For many budding entrepreneurs, renting the space to house a great product is simply beyond their modest budget. Then there's the challenge of choosing the right building in the right location to attract and engage your target customers. And what about all of those lovely customers that are just out of arm's reach because your premises is located a street too far for them to make the journey to buy from you?

If The Mountain Won't Come To Saltpeter

Let Saltpeter come to the mountain! That's exactly what this week's featured Kickstart Your Busines  Saltpeter has set about doing. Founded by freshly-baked entrepreneur Jenny Lyons, Saltpeter is a three-wheeled pop-up shop that sells fabulous coffee and irresistable baked goodies. Rather than waiting for her customers to turn up, Jenny's mobile offer will come to them, enticing them closer with the smell of feshly ground coffee and delicious baked treats. Makes you want to rush to the window and check if Saltpeter is outside!

Big On Personality

Already Jenny has successfully created a brand with oodles of personality and with her scaleable business model in place, she's gearing up to take over the world, one coffee and treat at a time. Presenting the brand at every opportunity is essential when your premises is a three-wheeler van, and wearing a uniform that reflects the fun personality of Saltpeter will add even greater recognisable appeal to the brand (and no George, Jenny will not be going with your recommedation of a drindl as the perfect uniform!).

Over To You

What other easy ways can Jenny help bring her 'teeny weeny but big on personality' brand to life ? Listen back to the show on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you think. 

We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.40pm and is available on Playback

  

Leading The Way In Group Travel

As anyone who has ever agreed to organise travel for a group of colleagues or friends will tell you, it's no walk in the park. A thankless task at the best of times,  if there are problems with any of the arrangements, you're the one that has to listen to the moans and grumbles and the unspoken assumption that somehow you've made a mess of things.

Take Us To Your Leader

GroupLeader.com, this week's feature on Kickstart You Business may just be the company to put the spring back in our travelling step. Founded by Fergal O'Brien and Bob Haugh, Group Leader was set up as a one-stop on-line shop for group organisers to find and book great travel experiences for their respective groups. With their combined backgrounds in travel, technology and marketing, Fergal and Bob saw how difficult it was for people travelling in groups to arrange accommodation and activities and decided it was time to take the hassle out of and put the fun back into group travel. 

Attracting Us In

As with many modern websites, the Group Leader website hosts a video to provide the visitor with key information about their excellent offer. As Gerard pointed out on the show, there's a step that needs to be taken first in order to attract the visitor and give him or her a compelling reason to click on the video link to find out more. That step is the attraction piece, that initial image or set of images that gives an immediate sense of what's on offer. 

Over To You

What type of imagery might Fergal and his team display on the website to immediatley catch their customer's attention? Listen back to the show on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you think. 

We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.40pm and is available on Playback

  

Once More Into The Breach

"When the battle cry is spoken,
And the voice of war is heard,
The soldiers of the Allies
To battlefields do move."

Every year, hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to War Museums to see war memorabilia on display. Many of these enthusiasts are keen collectors themselves and have an extensive knowledge of the history and artefacts from WW1 and WW2. For many, holding a weapon and feeling the weight of the past heavy in your hand, is to bring history to life in a very real way.

Hands On History

Up to last June, Irish enthusiasts had to travel to France and elsewhere to get their history fix but thanks to this week's featured start-up on Kickstart Your Business, the Irish Military War Museum,  Co. Meath is as far as they need go to get their hands on history.  Founded by beef and dairy farmer William Sullivan, himself a keen collector of war memorabilia, the museum, unlike any in Ireland, allows visitors to hold the original WW1 and WW2 artefacts.

A Uniform Approach

William has put a lot of effort into building attractions like a playground and a petting zoo to keep the small cadets happy while their parents explore military history but as Gerard pointed out, it's vital to make sure all the attractions are aligned to his core product. Attractions like the opportunity to ride an original WW2 tank or visit the replica WW1 trench all promise visitors both young and old a unique and memorable experience.

Over To You

How might William align the supporting attractions around the museum to strengthen his core offer?Listen back to the show on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you think. 

We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.40pm and is available on Playback)

  

Breaking News On Monkey Business

One of my teachers in Primary school had the great idea of bringing in the frame of an old TV from home and, when it was time for our news, we'd stand behind the frame, all important and official, and read our news stories out to the rest of the class.

To this day, I still remember the pleasure we got from this simple exercise and the effort we put into our news stories as a result. When you're having that much fun, the learning comes effortlessly.

What A Scoop!

My old Primary school teacher would be smiling if she'd tuned into Kickstart Your Business this week. Our featured business Newzmonkey is an app and on-line game created by children's writer and entrepreneur Carmel Crawford to improve the editorial, reading and writing skills of budding young journalists.

Players are invited to take on the role of a monkey reporter in the virtual town of Scoopstown and are tasked with following leads to track down a story worth reporting on.

Keeping It Real

Carmel intends to create a dynamic newchannel that is accessible to children where they can listen to, share and report on the news. One way to attract and engage budding young reporters is to invite a respected storyteller or newsreporter to contribute news stories to the channel.

As Gerard suggested on the show last night, a renowned writer like Roddy Doyle (or even a news journalist like our George, as he was quick to remind us!), who knows how to write for children without talking down to them, is an ideal example of one such storyteller.

Over To You

What other well known writers or reporters would you suggest could help Carmel bring her offer to life? Listen back to the show on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you think. 

We'd love to hear from you.

(Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.40pm and is available on Playback)

Secret Fashion Fixes

Poor Cinderella! She arrives at the ball looking stunning; hair perfect, gown glittering, handsome prince waiting. What could possibly go wrong? Then the clock strikes midnight and the magic spell is broken. She rushes from the ballroom, losing a glass slipper on the way.

If only her Fairy Godmother had had the foresight to pack a pair of foldable pumps in Cinderella's purse, at least the journey home would have been a bit more comfortable.

You Shall Go To The Ball!

But then Cinderella's Fairy Godmother hadn't known about Secret Fashion Fixes, this week's featured company on Kickstart Your Business. If she did, she could have saved poor Cinder's sore feet. Founded by Dee Fitzgerald, the business combines Dee's passion for marketing with her love of fashion accessories and quick fixes. Secret Fashion Fixes offers a wide range of quirky and innovative accessories to solve everyday fashion and beauty fixes. It's the ultimate on-line bag of tricks. 

Fashioning A Great Story

Before and during the show, Dee regaled George and Gerard with some of the stories behind her tried and tested products, bringing each fashion dilemma to life in just a short sentence or two. It made for great listening and from a savvy business point of view, it made potential customers much more likely to check out Dee's ultimate on-line bag of clicks.

Making more of the story and the role of Fixer in all the messaging throughout the website will ensure the story never ends and will help to differentiate Dee's offer from her competitors.

Over To You

What messaging might Dee display on her website to illustrate the role of the Fixer she plays for her customers? Listen back to the show on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you think. 

We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.40pm and is available on Playback)

Sail Away With Bags Of Style

They say that clothes maketh the man (or woman!) but it's also true to say that the bag perched on our shoulder, clutched in our hand or slung across our back can help tell the world something about who we are and the mark we wish to make on the world.

The shape and style, the range of colours and, most importantly, the materials used to fashion a bag, speak volumes about the wearer.

Sail Away, Sail Away

Mamukko, our featured business on Kickstart Your Business this week was founded by two Hungarian brothers Levante and Attila Magyar. After settling in Kinsale, they decided to build a  unique business inspired by the sea and their family tradition of leather craftsmanship. Fashioning their customised eco-friendly bags from up-cycled  canvas sails organically fused with leather, the brothers have created a product that is truly unique in the market.

The Sea, Oh The Sea

Behind every business is a story and Mamukko  tells us tales of sailing the high seas, riding the waves, arriving at far flung corners of the world. It's this wonderful story that needs to be captured on their website. Kinsale and the story of the sea needs to be writ large in their visual and written messaging. 

Over To You

What messaging might Levante and Attila display on their website to harness the power of the story behind their unique offering? Listen back to the show on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you think. 

We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.40pm and is available on Playback)

Making Pingwaves In Energy Savings

"My tea is nearly ready and the sun has left the sky.
It's time to take the window to see Leerie going by;
For every night at teatime and before you take your seat,
With lantern and with ladder he comes posting up the street".

Robert Louis Stevenson's Poem 'The Lamp Lighter' harks back to a time when street lamps were powered by gas and as evening fell, the arrival of the lamplighter promised to banish the dark. Nowadays of course, light is provided by electricity and communal lamps are often illuminated night and day, wasting valuable energy which in turn increases costs for the consumer. The simple act of turning on the light when needed and off when not, seems lost in our modern age.

Shine A Light

Shining a light on this modern-day problem is Pingwave Lighting, our featured business on Kickstart Your Business this week. Entrepreneurs Kieran Griffin and Ken Long noticed that many lamps in the communal areas of public buildings and apartment block were illuminated 24/7.  Estimating a significant waste of energy with the consumer picking up the tab, they decided to design and sell SMART LED lighting that would save customers up to 85% in running costs.

Turned On

Kieran and Ken face the challenge of all business owners producing energy saving products; unless the benefits are immediately obvious to the end user, it's hard to catch their attention and even harder to influence them to take action.

Currently their website features a video that captures very effectively the lighting in action and the cost-saving benefits to the consumer. Gerard recommended a similiar approach across the rest of the website with written and visual messaging that attracts and excites, switching the visitor on to the benefits of this great product.

Over To You

What information might Kieran and Ken display on their website to immediately capture the interest of  potential customers ? Listen back to the show on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you think. 

We'd love to hear from you.

(Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.40pm and is available on Playback)

Mumpreneur's The Word

We've come a long way since the 1950's when the only business mothers engaged in was the business of child rearing and housework, leaving their menfolk to head out into the world of commerce, tasked with bringing home the bacon. At first it may seem as though the modern mum can have it all but juggling running a home, raising children and growing a business can leave her overwhelmed and under-achieving.

Mother's Little Helper

Help is at hand. The Mumpreneur Support Network, our featured business this week on Kickstart Your Business, was set up by Mairead Kelly, a business coach and mentor who, through her own practice, discovered that female entrpreneurs face very different challenges than their male counterparts. Her dedicated support network is exclusively for 'mumpreneurs' to help them succeed in balancing the various demands their distinctive role places on them.

Mother Knows Best

As Gerard pointed out on the show last night, it's very easy for the conversation to turn to the challenges of entrepreneurs in general and there is already plenty of expert support for entrepreneurs  available from organisations like Enterprise Ireland.

Mairead needs to position herself clearly as a specialist who understands the specific challenges of her target market. That core message must be communicated explicitly and consistently through her website and other marketing resources.

Over To You

What information might Mairead display on her website to ensure her core message is communicated clearly? Listen back to the show on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you think. 

We'd love to hear from you.

(Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.40pm and is available on Playback)

Start Spreading The Good Nusli

It's not often that Ireland is slow to catch up with the world when it comes to food, but in the case of bircher muesli, a hugely popular breakfast in Alpine communities, we've been depriving ourselves of one of the world's tastiest and natural starts to the the day. Maybe we've just  been waiting for the right person to come along and lead us to breakfast bliss?

Looking To The South East For A Sign

Nusli, our Kickstart Your Business feature this week, was founded by Dermot Hanley, a man in search of a taste he'd first experienced on the Alpine slopes. Dermot, an investment banker in his former life, teamed with a bunch of local artisan producers from Ireland's sunny southeast to create a crunchy, fruity, creamy, tangy snack. The single serve pot is perfect for busy people on the go and whether you're heading to the slopes or to the office,  Nusli will keep you full and fueled for the day ahead.

Running With The Cows

Dermot has done a great job establishing himself as a credible brand with retailers already happy to give Nusli shelf space and a place on their central listings. To help push the success of the product further, Gerard suggested that Dermot play up more of the story behind Nusli in both the packaging and the website. Dermot's own story of his move from running with the wolves on Wallstreet to running with the cows in the South East is a great place to start.

Over To You

What other ways might Dermot play up the story behind the product in his packaging and on his website? Listen back to the show on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you think. 

We'd love to hear from you.

(Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.40pm and is available on Playback)

A Fairytale Business Come True

"Every fairy child may keep
Two strong ponies and ten sheep;
All have houses, each his own
Built of brick or granite stone,
They live on cherries, they run wild -
I'd love to be a fairy's child"

The magic and allure of fairies and fairytales never grows old. Young children everywhere continue to be enthralled with stories about the 'Little People' and the appetite for all things fairylike remains a constant. Part of the magic is knowing that fairies are close-by but we never get to see them. All we can hope to find are the clues they leave behind.

Opening Magical Doors

Our featured business this week The Irish Fairy Door Company brings children and fairies one step closer to meeting one another. Dreamt up at her kitchen table just over a year ago, Niamh Sherwin Barry and her childhood friend Aoife Lawler had a brilliant idea but no start-up cash. Along came a fairy godmother (in the shape of Niamh's mum) who offered them a magic jar full of gold coins she'd been saving since giving up the cigarettes. Girls, you shall go to the ball! 

And go to the ball they have. Now employing nineteen people at their base in Clondalkin, they've found new homes all around the world for thousands of Irish fairies. It's a magical start-up story.

With A Fairy Hand in Hand

Niamh and Aoife have done a brilliant job marketing their product through the power of great storytelling. Their brand understands intuitively that customers are not buying a piece of wood or even a prettily painted door; they are buying the magic behind it. As the name suggests, these fairies are Irish and Gerard pointed out on the show last night that the story and magic will be even more potent if the girls bring to the fore the uniquely Irish element of the story in their messaging. 

Over To You

What other ways might Niamh and Aoife harness the provenance of the Irish Fairy on their website? Listen back to the show on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you think. 

We'd love to hear from you.

(Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.40pm and is available on Playback)

Cloudy With The Chance Of A Signal

"Sorry, what did you just say.....I didn't catch that, you're breaking up, the signal is very bad here"

"Check out this hilarious ice bucket video...oh can't, no coverage here..."

Sound all too familiar? We've all, at some time or other, experienced the frustration of poor mobile coverage. It's the bane of the mobile phone user and a large part of the frustration lies in not knowing where the poor coverage is and how, if possible, to avoid it.

Signalling Success

This week's featured business Netfreqs may well be the answer to our prayers.  Founder Ben McCahill, who has twenty years experience working with mobile operators saw an opportunity, when big data arrived and phones got smarter, to tackle the problem of poor mobile coverage by using the phone itself to measure and report on the customer experience.

Netfreqs reports primarily to the operators, on where and when mobile networks should be upgraded, using cloud-based analytics and real-time benchmarks.

Ireland Needs More...

Netfreqs is a business-to-business offer with the cost being carried by the mobile operators who are always happy to pay for a finger on the pulse of what customers want. Ben is currently in multiple trails with a number of operators at the moment and is hoping to hear very good news soon.

However, if Ben wants the mobile phone user to download the Freq App (at Freq.ie ), he needs to first capture their imagination.  Using the example of the campaign 'Ireland Deserves Sun' from some years ago, Gerard suggested Ben could get the public on board with an 'Ireland Deserves More Mobile Coverage-type' campaign.

Over To You

What other ways might Ben capture the imagination of the public and get them on-board? Listen back to the show on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you think. 

We'd love to hear from you.

(Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.40pm and is available on Playback)

Keeping On Top Of The Game

Elite sport is a serious business and requires as much attention and focus off the pitch as it does on. For sports managers and coaches, helping their athletes avoid injury is a key element of their job, especially in the high pressure environment of professional sport where an injury can mean losing, or worse, the abrupt end to a promising career.

Currently sports managers from all disciplines collect a vast amount of data on the athletes under their care but the time spent at the desk analsying the data means less time working with the athletes, preparing them to perform.

Kitted Out For Success

This week's featured business Kitman Labs is a new athlete management software designed to help sports managers make more of the data they hold. Co-founded by Stephen Smith, a rehabilitation coach with the Leinster Rugby team, Kitman Labs' new technologies are designed to aid elite sports organisations reduce injuries amongst their athletes and get them ready to perform.

Software That's Simple To Use

Too often software developers forget one simple fact when designing their system. Software needs to be easy and simple to use. Otherwise the product will end up creating more rather than less work for the already time constrained customer.

Kitman Labs needs to demonstrate very quickly to their customers that their product can be used intuitively and easily by any of the sports management team that will need to imput and analyse the data.

Over To You

How can Stephen and the team at Kitman Labs show on their website that their software is easy to use? Listen back to the show on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you think. 

We'd love to hear from you.

(Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.40pm and is available on Playback at Kickstart Your Business).

Juice Your Way To A Healthier You

"I give myself very good advice but I very seldom follow it." said Alice in Wonderland. When it comes to good eating habits, most of us are very aware of the importance of establishing a healthy, regular eating routine but it's another thing to go to the trouble of sourcing and preparing great food and then taking the time out of our busy day to eat at leisurely pace, ensuring the optimum release of nutrients. It's all great in theory, but in practice, we fall very quickly back to old eating habits.

A Solution That's Juice Right!

Featured on the show this week is GreenValu, a new business co-founded by John Price and Ciaran Farrell. John was introduced to the concept of juicing organic fruit and vegetables shortly after he was diagnosed with prostrate cancer and lymphovascular invasion and so set about developing a range of juicers that are easy to use, clean and affordable. The GreenValu masticating juicer range extract healthy juice full of flavour, freshness, antioxidants and enzymes from fruit, vegetables and wheatgrass.

Educating The Customer

With so many juicers available to their target customers already, the challenge for John and Ciaran is to demonstrate early to potential customers, the difference in their offer. As John explained to George and Gerard on the show, their juicer masticates the food slowly, ensuring no loss of nutrients, unlike the more common centrifugal juicers on the market. And even more importantly, as part of their unique customer service, Green Valu offer Healthy Living & Juicing Workshops to ensure customers learn all they need to know about the how and why of healthy eating. As Gerard pointed out, it is this level of expertise that will set GreenValu apart from the competition.

Over To You

How can John and Ciaran ensure the difference in their offer is immediately obvious to their target customers? Listen back to the show on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you think. 

We'd love to hear from you.

(Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.40pm and is available on Playback at Kickstart Your Business)

Advertising That's Streets Ahead

Over the years, outdoor advertising has played a major role in promoting Irish businesses and products but for many small local businesses, the cost of advertising on a large billboard or bus shelter is prohibitive and will not result in the necessary return on  investment.

Then we have the problem of litter which, for any local community, business or residential, provides a year-round challenge of keeping streets clean and attractive.

Bin There, Seen That?

This week's Kickstart Your Business feature Renegade.ie  tackles both these problems with their high quality attractive bins that feature low cost advertising spaces to local businesses. Founded by Rick O'Brien and Liam Gore, with backgrounds in graphic design and engineering respectively, Renegade is a media company offering 'clean street' advertising in high profile local areas where footfall is at a premium.

Think Big

As Gerard pointed out on the show, any street furniture that adds to the overall attractiveness of the locale is more likely to be valued and used regularly. Recommending that Rick and Liam 'think big' for their business and start to look at the national opportunities for their product, he cited the Tidy Towns competition as an example of how to catch the nation's imagination when it comes to thinking about our local area.

He also suggested the importance of ensuring that the bins themselves are attractive and eye-catching, and there is quality and consistency in the production of the featured advertisements. 

Over To You

How can Rick and Liam take more advantage of the national opportunities for their product? Listen back to the show on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you think. 

We'd love to hear from you.

(Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.40pm and is available on Playback at  Kickstart Your Business)

Make It Your Business To Konnect

Nowhere is the old adage 'It's not what you know, it's who you know that matters' more relevant than in the world of business. Plugging ourselves into a relevant network and engaging with the process effectively can be the difference between success and failure. 

One such network may be our collge alumni. Whilst Irish universities and colleges are only beginning to wake up to the power of a well maintained alumni network, colleges Stateside have long harnessed these hugely significant connections. From an administration point of view however, many of these alumni networks, both here and abroad, are still maintained using a cut and paste system of excel sheets and mailing lists.

A Powerful Konnection

Our featured business this week KonnectAgain, was founded by Jayne Ronayne who, on a work placement with Ernst & Young, saw first hand the power of enterprise and a network of peers. She decided to develop a software solution to help colleges and universities solve the challenge of maintaining their large and ever growing network of alumni. The software helps alumni relations officers to manage, engage and support their alumni and provides a platform for universities and colleges to unlock the potential of their alumni networks.

No More A Novice

In the start-up phase of any business,  owners are looking to influence the investment community and playing the bright eyed and bushy tailed novice often works to the businesses advantage. However, as Gerard suggested, once the business is attracting paying customers, it's time to drop the novice tag and start looking and acting like an established and successful business. Jayne is launching a second phase of her website in the Autumn and intends to lose all the current messaging around start-ups in favour of their fast growing business credentials.

Over To You

How can Jayne show on her website that this is a serious business that's here to stay? Listen back to the show on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you think. 

We'd love to hear from you.

(Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk106 in Ireland every Thursday & is available on Playback on Kickstart Your Business)

Bye Bye Bad Boys, Hello Happiness

There are two pivotal 'Girlfriends discussing bad boys' scenes in the brilliant film 'When Harry Met Sally'. Both involve Sally's best friend Marie who is dating a married man. The dialogue in both scenes goes something like this;

Marie-" He just spent X on his wife. I don't think he's ever going to leave her. The point is he's never going to leave her."
Sally-"So what's new? You've known this for two years."
Marie- "You're right, you're right. I know you're right."

Both scenes illustrate the painful truth for many women; it's not enough to know you are in a relationship with a bad boy. You have to do something about it. You've got to be the one who makes the behavioural changes.

All Systems Go

This week's featured business Badboybreakthrough.com was set up by Lorna Poole who found herself dating one bad boy too many and hit rock bottom in her personal life as a result. Determined to develop a system that would enable her to break this damaging behaviour and armed with a coaching qualification and her own hard earned experience, Lorna set up in business earlier this year, helping others to break with the bad.

Making It Her Business

The idea of developing a system to support behavioural changes is nothing new but it takes a lot more than a great sytem to build a great business. What Lorna has done is develop a brilliant tagline and a website that attracts and pulls in visitor with a free ebook and a line-up of bad boy profiles that we all can recognise.

Once on the site, the visitor can be converted to a paying customer with an on-line assessment and four coaching packages designed to help a girl break from the bad and get with the good.

Over To You

What other steps can Lorna take to build the business? Listen back to the show on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you think.

We'd love to hear from you.

(Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.40pm)

I Have Called You By Your Name And You Are Mine

A guest post from Anne Tannam, Brand Manager at Islandbridge:

Recently my youngest daughter Sian, just turned eighteen, was queuing for a drink at the Longitude Music Festival. Armed with name and photo identification, she asked for her beer of choice. The barman took her identification and studied it very carefully for what seemed like a long time. My daughter was ready to hotly defend her real age when the barman looked up at her, smiled and said 'Do you know we have a bottle of Coke here with your name on it?'

Yes, I'm Talking To You

That story, along with the empty Coke bottle proudly bearing her name, came home with Sian and it once again illustrated the power of a great brand to reach out to its customers and make them feel special. No matter what age we are or how sophisticated and grown up we become, when someone calls us by our name, we feel special, known, understood. And more likely and willing to engage with the person or company who takes the time and trouble to learn it.

Of course, with an unusual name like 'Sian' that teachers and peers have been misspelling and mispronouncing since she was very small, Sian's excitement at seeing her name right there and spelt correctly may not be a typical response but I suspect that for most of us, seeing our name boldly displayed across a bottle of Coke will at least bring a smile to our lips. And more importantly, from a marketing perspective, more likely to dig into our pockets and buy the drink.

Share The Love With....

Like all powerful brands, it's not enough to simply reach out to individuals. A great and enduring brand must also help create its own tribe, loyal and true to the brand and each other. So what Coke have done is not just put people's names on their bottles; they've created a reason for people to talk to one another, given people a reason to buy a Coke for each other. My daughter and her friends have all bought coke bottles bearing the names of siblings, parents and friends. Whatever shop they enter, they quickly scan the coke bottles to see if there is a familiar name looking out at them.

Over To You

Very few businesses have the budget to put customer's names on their products (nor does it always make business sense) but there are many other ways to build your brand and make your customers feel acknowledged and understood.

• Have a look at the messages currently on your website. Are the messages primarily about how great and wonderful your business is or are they about the problems your customer faces and how you can help them?
• Whether by email, phone or face to face, make sure you address your customer in a personable and genuine manner. Does your customer always get your full and undivided attention?
• Through forums, blogs or simply a call for feedback, invite your customers to share their experiences and stories with you and each other. How easy do you make it for customers to spread the good news?

What other ways can you show your customers that you know and understand them? Please leave a comment. We'd love to hear from you.

The Power Of Glove

There's nothing your average Irish woman likes more than looking tanned and radiant after a spot of sunbathing. However, with the real threat of skin cancer from sun beds and over exposure to the sun, many of us have turned to the healthier option of a self- tan: 'Fake it, don't bake it'.

When applied evenly, a self- tan can look as natural and beautiful as the real thing but unfortunately for many women, they end up with blotchy or streaky colour that screams tacky and cheap, no matter how expensive the cream or lotion.

Glove Is All You Need

This week's Kickstart Your Business feature, Glove Your Body is a tanning mitt that promises a quick and even application of colour. Business owner Valerie Brown, with a background in hair and beauty, designed the revolutionary self-tanning application mitt that gives a professional and flawless streak-free finish when used to apply mousse, lotions or liquid tanning bronzers. Machine washable and suitable for left or right handed users, the mitt comes with its own travel bag.

Hand In Glove 

Many start-up businesses see themselves in competition with their stockists, pushing for the customer to only buy from their website.  As Gerard pointed out on the show last night, Valerie is bucking that trend and is more than happy to promote her stockists.

Treated as strategic partners, they are more likely to promote Glove Your Body on the shop floor and with more than a hundred and twenty pharmacies nationwide already stocking the mitt, it's a rap case of sharing the glove!

Over To You

Can you think of other ways Valerie can promote her revolutionary glove? (apart from George promising to use it after his holidays in October!) Listen back to the show on Kickstart Your Business and tell us what you think.

We'd love to hear from you.

(Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook every Thursday on Newstalk106 in Ireland at 6.40pm)

The Right Ingredients For Success

Let's face it; who doesn't want to snack healthily and enjoy the benefits of sustained high energy levels during the day? The problem of course, is that for most of us, substitute the word 'healthy' with 'boring' or 'tasteless' and that's closer to the reality of many of the health snacks we studiusly avoid on our supermarket run, preferring instead to load up on sugary treats that satisfy our taste buds, but not our energy needs. Up to now, it seemed we could have one or the other; tasty or healthy, but not both. But all that is about to change, thanks to this week's Kickstart Your Business feature.

Wyld About Great Nutrition

Wyldsson.com was founded by Dave McGeady who wanted to make clean, healthy food that tastes great, using only the very best of ingredients from all around the world. Delicious and healthy, the range includes snack tubes, muesli, oats, oils, butters and speciality flours that are also gluten and dairy free. Endorsed by an impressive range of elite athletes, the offer is also targeted at the weekend warrior who is looking for nutritious and high energy snacks to help them make the most of their active day.

Food For Thought

Dave has already demonstrated a refreshing willingness to reach out to elite athletes across a wide range of sports. Gerard remarked that successful athletes in particular are typically only too happy to share the secrets of their success with others, particularly in the context of media interviews etc.

Gerard suggested that he now go a step further and develop a systematic approach to 'prompted word of mouth' marketing, and ensure that each of those athletes continues to be primed with the type of information that they can easily relay to those in their own circle of influence.

Over To You

How do you suggest that Dave build further on his explosive start. Listen back to the show on Kickstart Your Business and tell us what you think.

We'd love to hear from you.

(Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.40pm)