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)