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)