Now That's One Cool Customer!

With the recent good weather here at Islandbridge Central, we've been removing our jackets and cardigans to reveal brightly coloured summer tops beneath. But whether sitting in the clammy office or out walking, the heat can lead to the appearance of the dreaded underarm sweat stains on our tops. Not the look we were going for.

Hurriedly putting the jacket or cardigan back on will only add to the perspiration levels and putting tissues under the arms works for about one minute before they crumble, or worse, fall out. Short of standing beside an open fridge for the rest of the day, what's a girl to do?

Don't Sweat It!

Jane McTernan joined us on Kickstart Your Business to tell us about her new product Mondss, a natural, discreet and secure solution to underarm stains. A classic case of perspiration leading to inspiration, Jane decided to solve the problem of underarm staining by developing a simple product that adheres to the skin, locks in odour, absorbs and prevents the unwanted perspiration marks from staining clothes. Currently retailing on-line, and in a small group of retailers, Jane hopes her product will become an essential item in a woman's arsenal of accessories.

Keeping Cool, Calm & Collected

Whilst both Shane and Gerard admired Jane's cool business idea, a simple response to a universal problem, Gerard suggested that Jane needs to work quickly to protect her brilliant business idea.

As the product itself can be easily copied, Jane's best option is to quickly build a loyal customer base in a niche market, one where underarm wear can make a dramatic difference to a confident and flawless performance. As she's already enjoyed great success with TV presenters and competitive dancers, one of these sectors might make for a natural focal point. Once she's established her leadership role in such a sector, she can then make the move to lead the much larger market.

Over To You

What else can Jane do to establish and maintain her competitive edge? 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 6.20pm and is available on Playback immediately afterwards.

Something's Cooking In The Kitchen

Ireland is rightly known for its superb artisan food products but for many budding entrepreneurs wanting to set up a small food business & develop a new product or range, kitting out a commercial kitchen is simply too big an outlay.

Kicking the mammy out of her kitchen and taking over the family cooker and worktops while the poor children starve is apparently not an option either! So what's a budding food business owner to do?

Ready Steady Cook

Our Kickstart Your Business feature Kitchen Incubators Kerry set up to give food producers somewhere to develop new food products. When Eileen and Ray McClure decided to kickstart their own food business, they were unable to rent a commercial kitchen. They knew from their previous life in Chicago that an incubation kitchen for hire would solve their difficulty, and decided to bridge that gap in the market first.

Kitchen Incubators Kerry gives food businesses the opportunity to rent a commercial kitchen for a few hours, for a day or even seven days a week. This allows the budding entrepreneur flexibility as their business grows and the mammy can breathe a sigh of relief that her kitchen is safe once more.

Hot From The Oven

Whilst Gerard and George admired Eileen's can-do attitude in bridging that gap, they suggested that she is undervaluing her offer, and missing out on the premium available to her for the added value she brings to the incubator kitchen: the knowledge and experience she has gained in getting a new food business researched, developed and to market. In other words, she's charging too little!

Over To You

What other ingredients can Eileen introduce into the mix to help her grow her business and grow the value in her 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 6.20pm and is available on Playback immediately afterwards.

Attention-Grabbing Study Aid (You've Got Text)

It's always been hard to encourage our teenage children to study for exams, but since the advent of the mobile phone and its attraction as an always-on and always-demanding diversion, that challenge just got harder.

How can you expect your child to open a book and study when there's texts to read and answer? What sort of a heartless parent are you?

If You Can't Beat Them.....

Our Kickstart Your Business feature SMStutor (a text-based service created by Frank McNamara) is a classic case of 'If you can't beat them, join them' problem-solving. Frank, a well known pianist and composer, is also the father of two teenage children and it was in that role he discovered his budding entrepreneurial skills.

Seeing how difficult it was to get the two Leaving Cert students to open a book because they seemed more fixated on their phones, he developed SMS Tutor, a learning system delivered by text to mobile phones.

Meet The Parents

Whilst Gerard admired the way in which Frank had neatly handled the challenge of serving two customers (student and parent) in one neat solution, he suggested that his promotional material might better demonstrate his understanding of the particular challenges faced by a parent worried about their child's study habits.

In the mid-term, this simple addition might ensure that SMSTutor establishes a strong position in the market and a loyal following, and doesn't lose out to others who might easily mimic Frank's innovation.

Over To You

What other ways can Frank embed his new service as an essential study-aid? 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 6.20pm and is available on Playback immediately afterwards.