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.