Adding Up To A Fun Way Of Learning

The child at play learns at a rate rarely bettered in the more formal learning environment of classroom and lessons, so the challenge for the teacher is to devise a game that enables the young learner to enter so fully into the spirit of the game that they learn without realising it. Throw an element of healthy competition into the mix, and you can create a game that the child never wants to end.

The Chase Is On

When primary-school teacher Angela McCarthy (our Kickstart Your Business featured guest this week), took a career break to raise her own children, she found herself devising games to help them learn maths in a fun environment. One such game, Chase Across The Square, proved such a hit with her own children that she was prompted to bring this and other games to a wider market.

Less than a year after setting up her business KDM Games, Chase Across The Square, a board game for players from aged 7 upwards, is now available in toy shops across Ireland, and is receiving rave reviews from children and adults alike.

Making One Plus One Equal More Than Me-Too

Shane (Coleman, standing in for George) and Gerard admired Angela's devising of a game that's instantly appealing to players, including many who struggle more than most with numbers, and easy to set up and play. Many of the elements, including the colourful squares, the tokens and the tally sheets, really bring numbers to life and enable players to throw themselves wholeheartedly into the game itself.

However, Gerard suggested that with Angela setting her sights on playing the game of business beyond Ireland (she has a number of other board games in the pipeline), she needs to invest more in the branding of her new company - there's a generic look and feel to it - and introduce a more compelling narrative to her would-be customers and distributors, so that Chase Across The Square and her other board games really jump off the shelf.

Now It's Your Turn!

How do you suggest that Angela makes it all add up to a global success story for KDM Games and Chase Across The Square?

Listen back to Angela on Kickstart Your Business 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.

When I'm not helping to Kickstart Your Business, I work with business-owners of all shapes and sizes to help them build a brand that stands up to the competition and stands out in the marketplace. You can find out more about my work at Islandbridge.

He Sells Seaweed From The Seashore

Sweden has its saunas, Italy its mud-baths, and Turkey its rub-a-dub tub, so why not Ireland our own traditional bathing-place? Well, shore we do, for our ancestors, particularly on the western seaboard, were rather partial to soaking in a seaweed bath, which was prized for its many therapeutic benefits. And although seaweed baths have enjoyed something of a resurgence of late, by and large they're to be enjoyed only as part of a spa package rather than as a regular treatment.

And The Seaweeds That He Sells...

An accountant and business executive trawling the shores of this island for seaweed cuts an unlikely figure, but Richard McManus (our featured guest on this week's Kickstart Your Business) decided to indulge his own passion for seaweed baths by setting up Cara Mara, a home-care package that allows you to create your own revitalising seaweed bath.

Now, for the price of a takeaway, you can have your own Cara Mara luxury seaweed bath package delivered to your home, leaving you free to sink beneath the waves as they lap against the edges of the tub and soak up that briny goodness.

Soft As A Baby's Skin Business

George and Gerard were treated to the sounds of Newstalk's own Henry McKean slipping into his Cara Mara seaweed bath, and agreed that Richard's initiative had the makings of a great business.

Both also agreed that Richard makes the emerging entrepreneur's common mistake of being reluctant to cut to the purchase on his website (which is his primary sales channel); the visitor needs to dive deep into its pages before reaching the 'buy now' button.

Weed All About It!

What do you suggest Richard does to get more people slipping beneath the waves of their own luxury seaweed bath? Listen back to Richard (and Henry) on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you think.

Weed (ahem) love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk 106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.20pm, and is available to listen to on Playback immediately afterwards.

High Spirits In Holy Places

When five whiskey-loving friends, all veterans of different parts of the drinks industry, decided they wanted to break out and set up on their own, creating a distillery was the obvious, though not easy, option.

Not easy because the drinks industry worldwide is dominated by some giants with big fists and deep pockets, the well-known brands that stand shoulder to shoulder against the newcomer on bar-shelves across the world.

Enter A Local Hero

Our featured guest on Kickstart Your Business, Gary McLoughlin of Glendalough Distillery, knew that a full frontal assault was unlikely to suit this new challenger brand.

Instead, he and his partners looked nearby to St. Kevin of Glendalough for inspiration, and now produce a wide range of spirits, including poitin, in what they term Ireland's first craft distillery.

New Habits For A Lifetime

George and Gerard toasted Gary's courage and initiative in setting up a new distillery from scratch, and admired the newly-produced video telling the story of St. Kevin and Glendalough that sets the scene for their take on this ancient spirit.

Whilst the video is a powerful shot of storytelling, Gerard suggested that the website version might be a little too long for a first time visitor, who is more likely to be won over first by the more arresting images that are displayed to great effect elsewhere on the site.

Not Just The Drink Talking

What do you suggest Gary does to get more people from around the world enjoying Glendalough's high spirits from holy places? Listen back to Gary 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 Newstalk 106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.20pm, and is available to listen to on Playback immediately afterwards.

Freshly Pressed For The Hard Pressed

Whilst many of us would like to kickstart each day with freshly-pressed fruit and vegetable juices, few of us have either the time or organisation to make it happen on a regular basis. Sometimes, even having the right amount of the right ingredients at the right time is a chore too far, and we find ourselves gulping down something ready or more readily-made, but rarely better-made instead. Unhealthy options abound, and it's hard to resist the lure of the quick-fix.

Sprouting Up All Over

Enter Jack Kirwan, as featured on Kickstart Your Business this week, who (with brother Theo) has been cold-pressing fresh Sprout & Co juices and smoothies for thirsty customers all over Dublin from his base at Avoca Handweavers in Rathcoole, and keeping them supplied with a ready, healthy option through a network of retailers and businesses that buy into his fresh food and drink philosophy.

And now Sprout is getting even fresher by opening up its first retail outlet on Dublin's Dawson Street, where they offer a wider range of food and drink from local growers and producers through their seasonal menus.

Inch By Inch, Row By Row

Jack's infectious enthusiasm charmed both Gerard and George, and translates very nicely to both Sprout's website and new premises.

However, Gerard suggested that the sense of exuberant growth might be carried a little too far in a website that is visually very busy and crammed with too much information for the typical visitor who has come to browse and be inspired rather than informed.

Fresh Off The Press

What do you suggest Jack & Theo do to get more customers enjoying their freshly-pressed goodness? Listen back to Jack 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 Newstalk 106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.20pm, and is available to listen to on Playback immediately afterwards.

Hands-Free Bundles Of Joy

Hands-free technologies continue to be hugely popular in both the home and the workplace as we struggle to manage a life that's spent increasingly on the move. Many of these latest gizmos are designed to ensure that 21st century man or woman can multi-task at greater and greater speed, moving to the rhythm of modern life without ever skipping a beat.

Look Mum, No Hands!

As a new mother, Kim McPartling (our featured guest on Kickstart Your Business) was keen to carry her baby using a traditional sling (one of the earliest hands-free technologies in the world), but found she could only purchase one online. Seeing a gap in the Irish market, Kim decided to set up shop selling a wide range of ergonomic slings, from the traditional to the curving edge at her store in Dun Laoghaire or through her online arcade. And so the bouncing baby Knee To Knee Slings business emerged.

Knee To Knee Reaction

Both George and Gerard were immediately tickled by the idea of a traditional technology reversing the modern trend of keeping babies at arms length and further, and the neat support of hands-free but heart to heart parenting.

However, whilst the name Knee To Knee has a certain intriguing charm, neither could connect it to the baby slings on offer. Kim explained that the knee to knee reference is to the ergonomic configuration of baby in the sling, prompting Gerard to suggest that this connection needs to be introduced much more immediately in her promotional material, particularly the website, if the name is to work harder to introduce her business to newcomers.

It's A Wrap!

What do you suggest Kim does to get more mums and dads slinging to their little one's heart's content? Listen back to Kim on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you suggest.

We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk 106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.20pm, and is available to listen to on Playback immediately afterwards.

Pubble: Customer Questions Asked & Answered

Although there's a growing range of technologies allowing people talk more easily to one another using any number of devices,  getting in touch with vendors through a typical website can feel pretty one-sided, what the French term a 'deaf conversation'.

With a background in online business, John Dineen of Pubble.io, our featured guest on this week's Kickstart Your Business, was frustrated with how poorly people communicated through websites, typically through the contact forms and email formats that haven't changed in 20 years. He and his colleagues decided to design communication platforms using the latest technologies - chat, WhatsApp, SMS etc - and so Pubble (the anglicisation of the Irish Pobal, meaning community or public) was born.

 Easy To Ask, Easy To Answer

George and Gerard particularly liked the very memorable Easy To Ask, Easy To Answer tagline that John and his team have developed for their business as it captures so well what Pubble does that typical website forms cannot.

However, Gerard suggested that John isn't making the most of their product on the Pubble.io website itself, where the Pubble bubble is bottom right of their screen rather than front and centre inviting an immediate interaction with the curious visitor. With the best advertisement for any product being the product itself, this is a simple opportunity to get people using Pubble and appreciating what it might do for their business and their customers.

Now We Ask, You Answer

What do you suggest John does to get more companies using Pubble to improve their relationships with customers? Listen back to John on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you suggest.

We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk 106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.20pm, and is available to listen to on Playback immediately afterwards.

Here Comes The Shebeen, The Wanderly, Wanderly...

Here in Ireland, those of us of a certain age have fond memories of O'Brien, Judge, Godmother and Crow, climbing aboard their Wanderly Wagon off on their adventures across the length and breadth of Ireland.

That the show itself was inspired by a childhood holiday on four wheels, or that it struck such a rich chord with Ireland's young TV-watchers, should be no surprise, as the mobile home throughout the ages has always seemed to be a vehicle for the greatest adventures.

Four Wheels On My Shebeen

Cabinet-maker John Walsh, our featured guest on this week's Kickstart Your Business, has always been in awe of the magic that pervades old traditional haunts, as well as the fond owner of a vintage caravan.

And so he and his team set out to capture that elusive spirit in their own little Shebeen, a classic Irish pub-caravan, that brings that magic to wherever its needed. Your very own wanderly pub if you wish, to hire or buy.

And now, after the trial version, there's the clatter of tiny little wheels as John creates more Shebeens in a range of traditional pub styles to meet demand.

Bringing The Adventure Home

Both Gerard and Shane Coleman (who was stepping in for George) were delighted with the simple brilliance of John's creation.

However, Gerard suggested that he needs to convey that very simplicity much more immediately both through his logo (which should include some visual reference to the pub on wheels'), and through photography on his website. At present, the homepage leads with a very strong video, but visitors need to be sold first on the idea before finding out more.

What's Your Spin On This Pub On Wheels?

What do you suggest John does to get more people hiring and buying his Shebeen? Listen back to John on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you suggest.

We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk 106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.20pm, and is available to listen to on Playback immediately afterwards.

Leaving Wheat-Based Pasta Behind

Whilst comedian Sean Locke delivers a hilarious send-up of those who suffer wheat intolerance, let me confirm that as someone who endures cramps, headaches and sleepless nights after eating wheat, the condition is no laughing matter. Although, I did enjoy the send-up.

Avoiding wheat-based products such as bread and pasta adds to the discomfort of the condition and whether I'm shopping in the supermarket or eating out, selecting wheat-free foods can leave me feeling like a nuisance, Sean Locke's precious picky eater.

Eats, Wheats & Leaves

When Italian chef Nico Olivieri became wheat-intolerant and unable to enjoy the pasta that was a staple of family meals, he and his wife Sabine Hobbel (our featured guest on this week's Kickstart Your Business) decided to make a non-wheat pasta from buckwheat and chickpea, what they describe as 'Pasta With Benefits'.

With a growing number of people intolerant to wheat (I'm just one of tens of thousands in Ireland alone) many mainstream food options are off-limits (just try selecting some favourite foods - certain crisps, sauces etc alongside the obvious wheat-based ones - to see what I mean). On that basis alone, you'd have to think there is a very healthy market and profit-margin available to Nico and Sabine through their Leaves Pure Foods business.

The Bland Leading The Brand

Whilst Gerard and Shane Coleman (standing in for George) were very impressed with Nico and Sabine's resourceful and tasty alternative to wheat-based pasta, Gerard suggested that the Pasta With Benefits' packaging is a little underwhelming right now: overly technical and selling nutritiousness first, then deliciousness.

Sabine reassured him that a redesign of the packaging is in the works (we should see it in shops before the new year) and agreed that they're probably providing too much information at present, appealing to the heart rather than the gut.

A Leaf Out Of Your Business Playbook

What do you suggest Nico and Sabine do to attract more customers ready to enjoy Pasta With Benefits? Listen back to Sabine on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you suggest.

We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk 106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.20pm, and is available to listen to on Playback immediately afterwards.

Just What The Doctor Ordered

The filling of routine or standard prescriptions is a tedious and time-consuming service that seems to add little value to either patient or doctor. Not to mention the inconvenience for many in trying to arrange a visit to the surgery during office hours.

A right pain you could say, and one that's not easily cured.

What's Up, Tech?

Software engineer Oisin Kim, our featured entrepreneur on this week's Kickstart Your Business, helped a doctor friend to computerise their paper-based GP Clinic system. He saw an opportunity to 'take the pain out of prescriptions' and a whole range of other medical services by bringing together video, messaging and postal technologies in his WebDoctor platform.

An App A Day...

George and Gerard applauded Oisin's innovative approach to tackling the shortcomings in the traditional General Practice system, and whilst Oisin naturally sees opportunities to introduce specialists, Gerard recommended that he focus all his efforts first on WebDoctor.ie becoming the go-to doctor for patients requiring the mainstream medical services provided by the typical GP.

Whilst there will always be a place for hands-on consultation, there are so many maladies and treatments that can be handled better at arm's length, and Oisin would be best advised to work alongside rather than try to replace the traditional clinic.

What's Your Diagnosis?

What do you suggest Oisin and his team do to build a business that's in rude financial health? Listen back to Oisin on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you suggest.

We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk 106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.20pm, and is available to listen to on Playback immediately afterwards.

On Course For Marketing Success

The keen golfer has long been the ideal customer for premium brands eager to capitalise on a shopping list that usually features a wide range of high-end products and services, such as accommodation, food and drink, equipment, clothing, transport and more. The marketing whole-in-one so to speak!

Meanwhile, the profile of the typical golfer is changing, as they become more mobile in every sense of the word, with more and more of them opting to play at different courses rather than tie themselves to the one club for life.

More Than One Club In The Bag

Our featured entrepreneur on this week's Kickstart Your Business, John Aherne of GolfGraffix, himself a keen golfer, gamer and self-taught software developer, has long been intrigued by the marketing opportunities available through the use of graphics to help golfers visualise and plan their next game of golf.

He's developed GolfGraffix to offer golf-course owners and designers a number of software packages that help them to market their courses more effectively to customers, whilst providing promotional opportunities to the premium brands watching closely from the edge of the fairway.

Into The Big Wide Open

Keen golfer George and brand-builder Gerard agreed that with over 32,000 golf courses worldwide, John has succeeded in creating a business with huge potential.

At the same time, Gerard agreed with John that is important to maintain focus on the more strategic opportunities that present themselves, rather than shoot off in a number of directions at once. One hole at a time, you might say.

And even more important to recognise that GolfGraffix is no longer a software development company, but a media player, and to develop a business strategy and behaviour to match.

Drive For Show, Putt For Dough?

What do you think John and his team need do to play the course and stay the course? Listen back to John on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you suggest.

We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk 106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.20pm, and is available to listen to on Playback immediately afterwards.

Ah Sweet! Introducing The Good Gut Gremlin Treat

It seems very few treats don't come with some form of health-warning, and a whole lot of guilty feelings, attached. For the health-conscious shopper then, a visit to the supermarket can be something of a joyless experience, a walk amongst the forbidden fruits of an increasingly industrial production machine that packs more and more additives and irritants into the foods that we eat.

The Healthiest Sweet Treat In The World?

Our featured guest on Kickstart Your Business, clinical nutritionist Conor Saunders, has long been fascinated with the whole area of gut health. His studies and experience suggested that traditional fermented foods are the best for intestinal well-being, and so he began to explore how to turn kefir, a fermented dairy drink popular in Asia in particular, into a delicious treat. The result is Kefi, which Conor describes as a 'Lovin' Ice Cream'.

Our Gut Reaction

George and Gerard enjoyed the taste of Kefi, a less sweet take on the traditional dairy treat, and agreed that Conor appears to have created a refreshment that's healthy for us all, and can be enjoyed by a whole range of people who usually have to steer clear of sweet treats (think those suffering from diabetes, lactose and gluten intolerances).

However, Gerard suggested that Conor needs to leave the 'science bit' in the laboratory, and make much more of the natural and memorable phrases he's coined, such as 'the good gut gremlins', and which are much more likely to get a more immediate good gut reaction from adults and children alike.

We Scream, You Scream

What else can Conor and his team do to get everyone enjoying the healthiest sweet treat in the world? Listen back to Conor on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you suggest.

We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk 106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.15pm, and is available to listen to on Playback immediately afterwards.

In Tent On Success

Only the most committed outdoor types haven't been put off the whole camping experience by the too-hot or too cold airless sleeping environment that is the traditional tent. It's oh-so difficult to enjoy the great outdoors when the small indoors is so uncomfortable.

The Great Indoors Outdoors

A keen camper all his life, this week's Kickstart Your Business feature, Derek O'Sullivan of Thermo Tent, endured rather than enjoyed the under-canvas aspect of his camping trips, so decided to design an even more enjoyable camping experience by developing ' the thermo tent', a tent that insulates against both climate & noise.

From Base Camp To Summit

 George and Gerard applauded Derek's invention and ambition but suggested that he might consider climbing one peak at a time, rather than trying to scale the opportunities represented in the leisure camping, glamping and emergency shelter markets all at once.

In particular, Gerard recommended teaming up with festival event managers and the like to pitch the Thermo Tent to their customers. In this way, Derek is likely to be able to protect his relationship with the customer and keep his own profit margins competitive.

Pitch Your Ideas

What else can Derek and his team do to get the world sleeping under his Thermo Tent? Listen back to Derek on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you suggest.

We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk 106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.15pm, and is available to listen to on Playback immediately afterwards.

We Talk Tuk Tuk

Much of the thrill of visiting Asian cities such as Bangkok comes from sampling their bustling street-life aboard the ubiquitous tuk tuk taxis, which boldly go where other more unwieldy vehicles grind to a standstill.  Ever wondered what it might be like to sample Dublin's streets broad and narrow from the seat of this iconic transport?

Transported From Bangkok To Dublin

With a background in environment and heritage, archaeologist-turned-entrepreneur Thomas Carolan set up Tuk Tuk Dublin, this week's Kickstart Your Business feature, so that native Dubliners and visitors alike could explore the city's great and small outdoors from the best seats in town. Already, the distinctive electric vehicles are becoming a regular feature of the sight-seeing routes of old Dublin town.

Tech Tech Opportunities?

Both Gerard and George admired the boldness of Tuk Tuk Dublin's foray onto the streets, but suggested that Thomas needs to identify ways to keep the vehicle's gainfully deployed both in high and low tourist seasons.

In particular, Gerard suggested that many of Tuk Tuk Dublin's target customers are likely to be found working for many of the tech companies (both global and start-up) that have a need to ferry colleagues and clients throughout the city. Imagine for a moment how much colour and buzz a Dublin Tuk Tuk might add to the delegate experience at an event such as Dublin's now-iconic Web Summit.

Your Take On Tuk Tuk Dublin?

What else can Thomas and his team do to get the wheels of Tuk Tuk Dublin ticking over even faster? Listen back to Thomas on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you suggest.

We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk 106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.15pm, and is available to listen to on Playback immediately afterwards.

Have Dog, Will Travel

For the pet-owner planning a road-trip, it's a question of two legs good, six legs even better. But the appeal of travelling with faithful companion alongside soon fades when faced with the difficulties of planning an itinerary that guarantees the pet-friendly elements that make for a great travel experience. Although many accommodation and attraction providers promise a pet-friendly experience, the reality is often a huge disappointment.

One Man & His Dog-Friendly Idea

When this week's Kickstart Your Business featured guest, Gerry Molloy of WoofAdvisor, heard his pet-loving siblings complaining about how unsatisfactory it was to try and plan a trip away with man's best friend, he sniffed an opportunity to make pet-travel much more fun, and to build a great business besides.

He set up WoofAdvisor to include all of the information needed to plan the perfect road-trip with your pooch, much of it to be provided by other pet-lovers, keen to share the good news (and the cautionary tales) with their fellow travellers on the road.

Barking Mad About A Great Idea

Both Gerard and stand-in host Fergus Finlay applauded Gerry's pet project, with Gerard noting that whilst many online initiatives claim to create community (whilst really only enabling those with a common interest to congregate in some way), WoofAdvisor has the potential to capitalise on the true spirit of kinship that exists between one pet owner and another (and one pet with another for that matter!).

Give Us A Helpful Paw

What more can Gerry do to turn one man and his dog into one million and one? Listen back to Gerry on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you suggest.

We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk 106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.15pm, and is available to listen to on Playback immediately afterwards.

The Picture Perfect Business

As a child outgrows the playroom, and wall and fridge-door space is at a premium in the busy home, doting parents and grandparents alike are often reluctant to throw away the artworks created by their little ones.

But what to do with the piles of paper that gather dust and end up in drawers or attics where they languish unseen and unappreciated?

Now Picture This

Our Kickstart Your Business feature, doting parent and professional graphic designer Obi Nwana of ArtFables, identified an opportunity to establish a niche business by turning your children's original artwork into custom-designed coffee table books, to take pride of place in your family home, and display and preserve those precious paintings and drawings for future generations.

Balancing The Books

George and Gerard admired both the simplicity of Obi's idea, and the elegant way he offers it via his well-designed and accessible website. However, they agreed that rather than try to cater to a range of budgets by offering three ways to have the artwork bound (coil, perfect back and hard cover), Obi should concentrate on the premium end of the market (and put real distance between his offering and the DIY model that might be available to parents courtesy of a main-street or online printer).

Crayons At The Ready

What more can Obi do to turn parents and grandparents into more effective art-collectors? Listen back to Obi on Kickstart Your Business with ArtFables and let us know what you suggest.

We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk 106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.15pm, and is available to listen to on Playback immediately afterwards.

Fund Cog Makes The World Go Round

Turnover is high, and you're turning a nice profit, thank you very much, but somehow or other it isn't adding up on your bank balance. Even worse, you're squeezed for cash and the task of balancing the demands of creditors with slow payments from customers threatens to put you out of business. They say money makes the world go round, and if that's true, then the want of money can stop your world spinning fairly abruptly.

The Moneyspinning Accountant

This nightmare scenario prompted this week's Kickstart Your Business featured guest Garret Carragher to dream up a new service, Fund Cog, which aims to get the wheels of finance turning round again. As a management accountant working in the Irish multinational space, Garret saw the importance of cash flow as the lifeblood of the business.

He also saw that many SMEs struggled to link the various financial systems that supply money into and out of the business, resulting in some of them going to the wall. And so he determined to put that right, by setting up a service that seamlessly integrates with your financial software and manages both credit control and funding for your business.

Man & The Machine

Both George and Gerard reckoned Fund Cog to be a great idea, but Gerard wondered if Garret needed to do more to address a typical customer concern around the sometimes delicate relationship between a business and its customers, particularly when it comes to collecting money. But Garret reminded us that Fund Cog combines an effective online system with a team of expert financial controllers who can judge the best balance of actions required to make sure you get paid.

What Do You Reckon?

What more can Garret do to make his man and the machine service more attractive to both business owners and their accountants and bookkeepers? Listen back to Garret on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you suggest.

We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk 106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.15pm, and is available to listen to on Playback immediately afterwards.

The Ultimate Team Players

When an athlete suffers a catastrophic injury whilst playing their favourite sport, their team-mates, family and friends are typically quick to race into action to raise funds to cover the costs of treatment and ongoing medical and care bills (often running into the millions). The difficulty is that no matter how generous and well-intentioned the community is, many of those embarking on such ambitious fund-raising are doing so for the first time, and will often struggle to come to terms with the requirements of raising vast sums of money very quickly.

The Greatest Team Ever

When his cousin Stuart Mangan suffered a catastrophic injury whilst playing rugby, Eamonn Sayers, our featured guest on Kickstart Your Business this week, was inspired to join the fundraising efforts of family and friends. Eamonn's experience of the difficulties, almost impossibilities, faced by eager fundraisers to raise enormous sums of money in a very short period of time prompted him to develop World Sports Team, an online platform enabling sports fans everywhere to support the fallen athletes in their own communities by participating in a global network.

The Game Of Our Lives

Whilst George and Gerard applauded this extraordinary initiative, Gerard suggested that whilst the call to join the World Sports Team is compelling, it's not clear to the online fan 'what game we're playing', what's involved in being a member of the team, and how one more person signing up changes anything.

Given that people relate best to people rather than ideals, he suggested that Eamonn introduce more of the sports personalities who are supporting the initiative to explain why they're joining the World Sports Team and how they hope to make a difference.

The Ball Is In Your Court

What more can Eamonn do to build the greatest team the world has ever seen and support players with catastrophic injuries? Listen back to Eamonn on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you suggest.

We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk 106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.15pm, and is available to listen to on Playback immediately afterwards.

Spilling The Cool Beans On Tasty Business

Back in the day, beanz in Ireland meant either those baked in tomato sauce from the company who promised us 57 varieties but only appeared to offer one (that always puzzled the young Gerard), or their homegrown equivalent served up by the lovable bachelor twins, Beany & Barney. But whatever way you dressed them up, baked beans struggled to jump up from the bottom of the food chain.

Not so surprising then that in the Tannam household at least, beans on toast was seen as something of a poor man's choice, something to keep the wolf from the door until the larder was stocked with real food again.

The Beaning Of Life (or The Life Of Beans!)

Now thanks to the efforts of our Kickstart Your Business guest, Isolde Johnson, beanz meanz something entirely different and much more adventurous. Isolde and her business partner Sarah O'Connor, have set up Cool Beans, a food company that introduces an even more nutritious, tastier bean to the Irish market. With flavours including original tomato, smokey and chilli, Cool Beans' meal in a pot are reinventing beans for a whole new generation. 

Eeny, Beany, Miney, More

Gerard and George applauded the eye-catching, immediate design of the Cool Beans packaging, which really does a great job in jumping off the shelf in the cool fridge at Supervalus across Ireland.

Gerard also remarked on how Cool Beans seem to have natural appeal to fitness enthusiasts who are particularly fulsome in their praise of this ready steady go meal. Smart brands typically find a core niche from which to grow their market, and fitness enthusiasts would seem to fit the bill for Sarah and Isolde.

Over To You

What more can Isolde and Sarah do to become the bean-all and end-all of the ready-meal market? Listen back to Isolde on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you suggest.

We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk 106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.15pm, and is available to listen to on Playback immediately afterwards.

Pleased To QMeeto

No-one is more concerned about having the right person in the right place at the right time every time than the meeting planner, who must often juggle everyone's schedule as well as their own in order to deliver a successful event.

Although there are many tools available to the organiser, the emphasis in a great number of the software tools on the market is on sales, the proverbial 'bums on seats'. But what if not just any bum or just any seat will do?

Meeting Needs

Our featured guest on Kickstart Your Business, Maurice Murphy of QMeeto, had grappled with this problem on behalf of clients (many of them in the healthcare sector) for many years and found none of the tools available to him or his clients were fit for purpose.

Maurice decided to develop his own software, one that took the complexity out of managing the itineraries of as many as hundreds of people, and provided a simple and intuitive platform for meeting planners.

Gathering Momentum

Gerard admired the smart visuals that Maurice has deployed in order to illustrate what QMeeto does and how it works (the image on the left is one such example) and the intuitive way in which the QMeeto website operates.

However, given the importance of referrals in the meetings market, he also suggests that Maurice may be missing opportunities in the way he has populated his own LinkedIn profile (which should mirror and support his QMeeto offering wherever possible). For example, why use the title CEO (which isn't especially helpful to potential clients looking for his help)? Instead, Meeting Software Specialist or similar will point others towards his profile (and onward to his website).

Over To You

What more can Maurice do to meet the needs of event planners? Listen back to Maurice and QMeeto on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you suggest.

We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk 106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.15pm, and is available to listen to on Playback immediately afterwards.

Mulch Appreciated

In order to keep everything in the garden rosy, the keen horticulturalist - whether professional or domestic - needs a good supply of compost, bark and soil, and a means of disposing of the green waste, such as grass cuttings, pruned branches etc, generated through their work.

Two unrelated requirements you might think, until you consider the part a green recycling facility might play in neatly filling the gap between supplies and demands.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Since the closure of Ireland's only green recycling facility at St. Anne's Park in Raheny some years ago, professional landscaper John McGuinness (our featured entrepreneur on this week's Kickstart Your Business) had struggled to resolve the problem of disposing of the green waste generated through his endeavours.

But a fertile mind soon produces some green solutions. And so John decided to make gardens grow even better by setting up Mulch, Ireland and the UK's first indoor green recycling centre, where gardeners can dispose of their green waste and pick up a fresh supply of compost, bark or soil in one easy trip. And Mulch can collect or deliver too, if preferred. Waste not, want not, you might say.

Inch By Inch, Row By Row

With plans to open another facility in Dublin, and one each in Cork and Galway, before turning his attention to the UK, John's seed of a great idea looks likely to bear great fruit indeed for both the business and for keen gardeners across these green isles.

Gerard applauded John's carefully laid plans, and noted how he had achieved the deceptively difficult task of creating a simple business model, supported by well designed promotional resources that keep everything simple and easy to buy into. The Mulch.ie website is a great example of this approach.

Over To You

What more can John do to make his smart gardening offer grow? Listen back to John and Mulch on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you suggest.

We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk 106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.15pm, and is available to listen to on Playback immediately afterwards.

Inside Track On The Sport Of Kings

For sheer colour and drama, you'd be hard pushed to find an experience that beats a day at the races. All human life is there, alongside some rather compelling equine characters, and a first time visitor is likely to leave after the last thrilling finish feeling as exhilarated and as exhausted as though they've run each race on the card from start to finish.

A Stable Relationship

But entrepreneur Rob Relihan of Racing Tours Ireland (our Kickstart Your Business feature this week), has thrown something even more attractive into the parade ring. His racing tours include a visit to a leading stable, where one of Ireland's top trainers gives the inside track on what it takes to school and prepare a champion racehorse, whilst introducing some of their star pupils. Straight from the horse's mouth if you like!

Horse Racing Of A Very Different Colour

Gerard and George loved Rob's initiative in adding this simple, but highly effective, element into his racing tours, but Gerard suggested that Rob currently isn't making enough of this privileged access to the power behind the throne in this sport of kings. His best customers are likely to be those who know little or nothing about the world he's inhabited since he was a small boy, so he needs to make a great deal more of the inside track he offers through his unique connections.

Over To You

What more can Rob do to create a market for his very special offer? Listen back to Racing Tours Ireland on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you suggest.

We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast live on The Right Hook on Newstalk 106 in Ireland every Thursday at 6.15pm, and is available to listen to on Playback immediately afterwards.

Straight To The Pointy

Most of us would prefer to give our money to local shops but simply haven't the time to physcially locate the products we want in individual stores.

Locating a product easily and quickly is one of the key advantages of buying from massive on-line retailers like Amazon and eBay and in today's busy world, too often that's our first port of call when looking for a particular item.

On The Right Page

This week on Kickstart Your Business, we featured Pointy, a revolutionary system that enables shop-owners to point and click at a physical item on a shelf and see it uploaded into a searchable directory for local shoppers. Created by Mark Cummins and Charles Bibby, retailers purchase the small electronic device that enables them to click and point at inventory, and upload it to their Pointy page where it is available for buyers to search and find.

Supporting Irish

Supported by a strong website that explains to the shopkeeper clearly how the product works, this Irish designed and manufactured product has much to offer.

As Gerard pointed out on the show last night, the team could make much more of the benefit of this product to both the local shopkeeper and the Irish economy. A win/win for everyone.

Over To You

How can Mark and the team at Pointy make more of the benefits of their product to the Irish economy ? Listen back to Pointy 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 6.15pm and is available on Playback immediately afterwards.