Standing Out From The Crowd

"I was there'. That's a phrase we hear time and time again from fans of music and sport all around the world. It's one of the many pleasures of attending an exciting event or festival, knowing we were in that crowd on that day, part of the unmissable experience.

So how can fans capture that feeling and share it with friends and family on social media? And for the sponsors of the event, how can they bring their customers closer in a way that reflects the tribal nature of their brand?

A Huge Hug For All Of You

How powerful it would be if someone could take a picture of the crowd that it would enable someone who was in the crowd to zoom into the photo, tag themselves and send their image to family and friends via social media. Everyone likes to stand out from the crowd in some way and be, even briefly, the centre of attention.

And that's exactly what our featured guest on Kickstart Your Business Mike Sikorski is doing through his business Huggity . Big brands commission Huggity to deliver a service using amazing technology that enables fans to zoom in on their own image whilst enabling the brand to 'tag' the content with their own branded messages.

Close Up And Personal

Mike enables brands to customise the individual fan experience, allowing them to engage with fans and potential customers in a personal and unforgettable way. 'I was there' becomes 'We were there together'.

As Gerard said during the show, with the modern user and fan's endless appetite for reliving the moment and sharing those images on social media, Huggity is addressing this need in a very effective way.

The Next Big Hug

What events do you suggest Mike might target over the coming year?

Listen back to Mike on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you think.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast on The Right Hook on Newstalk every Thursday around 6.25pm and is available for playback immediately afterwards on Newstalk.com.

I'd Rather Be...... Camping

For those that love the outdoors, camping is one of life's pure pleasures; sleeping
under the stars, at one with nature, far from the bright lights and endless distractions of urban living.

A hugely popular holiday choice, it is estimated that by 2020, one billion campsite nights will be booked worldwide. With a bewildering choice of sites to pick from, for many avid camping lovers, finding the right campsite to book is far from an easy task.

A Site For Sore Eyes

When it comes to researching hotels, there are an endless amount of websites out there offering to help us make the right choice. If only there was such a website dedicated to campsites.....sigh!

Lucky for us, our featured guest this week on Kickstart Your Business Finán O'Donoghue has created Campsited.com which currently covers over 1,300 sites in Ireland and the UK. A camping enthusiast  himself, Finán started the business to cater for the thousands of families, like his own, that wanted to book the perfect camping holiday without spending hours trawling the internet to find it.

Pitch It And They Will Come

Overall the website is very straightforward and easy to visit but I did suggest to Finán that the pin drops representing the different regions should also reflect the amount of campsites available in that area.

We were delighted to hear that Finán is planning to introduce a 'Campsite of the Week' feature on the site which will bring that all important social interaction which fuels a business like Campsited.com that is built on relationship. Already he has built a strong relationship with campsite owners here in Ireland and now is looking to build relationships with his fellow campers.

A Camping We Will Go

What do you suggest Finán might do to build on those all important relationships through the website?

Listen back to Finán on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you think.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast on The Right Hook on Newstalk every Thursday around 6.25pm and is available for playback immediately afterwards on Newstalk.com.

The Story Of Me

Mothers and fathers around the world know that nothing delights the young child more than a story where they get to play the hero. So much so that, come bedtime, the skilful storyteller often takes a classic tale and weaves into the standard text the story of you, which for the enraptured child becomes the most powerful story of all, the story of me.

Putting A Face To A Name

Smart publishers have taken advantage of advanced printing technologies to personalise storybooks with your child's name, but now one Irish publisher is taking this a step further.

When Eoin Heverin, our featured guest on Kickstart Your Business, was reading a personalised storybook to his niece, he thought 'Wouldn't it be a great idea if the princess in this story also had little Toni Pia's head superimposed on pictures of the heroine?'. Within two years, he set up Tell My Story Book, offering even more personalised storybooks for children.

Are You Sitting Comfortably?

George warmed to the idea immediately, wondering just how far a publisher might take personalisation. For example, could other characters in the book also feature the images of grandparents, uncles etc?

I suggested that Eoin needs to work very hard in a market that's over supplied to establish Tell My Story Book as the leader in this space. He needs to tackle his brand identity in particular, which is currently quite generic and unlikely to stand out in the market and stand up to competitors.

I also suggested that he might personalise testimonials on his website in the same way as he personalises the storybook. A proud grandfather like our George is much more likely to share a testimonial when he's presented, for example, as his saintly namesake boldly slaying the dragon. Nothing advertises a technology better than the practical application of the technology itself.

What's The Story?

What do you suggest Eoin might do to get the whole world telling personalised stories to their children?

Listen back to Eoin on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you think.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast on The Right Hook on Newstalk every Thursday around 6.25pm and is available for playback immediately afterwards on Newstalk.com.

Someone To Watch Over Me

Although falling crime figures often suggest that the world is a safer place, it sometimes doesn't feel that way. When you're alone in a poorly-lit or isolated place, walking the last leg of your journey after the last bus home for example, it's easy to feel threatened and afraid. That group of drunken youths, this man behind who seems to quicken his step as you nervously lengthen your stride, even the darkened corner underneath the broken street-light, all appear to menace you, leaving you feeling very alone and afraid.

More Than A Number

When members of Paul Price's teenage family were in danger whilst out and about, he found that trying to help them over the phone was ineffective and hugely stressful for all concerned. He decided to develop a one-touch phone application that immediately connects you to a trained team who can provide all the support someone in trouble requires.

We featured Paul and Big Red Button on Kickstart Your Business, and learned that in addition to connecting you to someone who can immediately lend a helping hand, the team at Big Red Button can also patch in a call to the police or a family member or friend as appropriate. Even when the danger is real, an assailant is less likely to act when it becomes apparent that their quarry is much less isolated and vulnerable than they first appeared.

In The Company Of Angels

Grandfather George immediately warmed to a service that protects members of family who naturally seek independence but still need to feel safe and protected from harm. He mused that his eldest grandchild soon turns teenage, and suggested that a €9.99 Annual Subscription was a great value gift from a loving grandparent.

I remarked on the very impressive and informative video which Paul has made. This cleverly presents a scenario where someone under threat presses the Big Red Button, and is soon flanked by the protective figures of the Big Red Button team, as well as a family member and a police officer. Faced with this phalanx of guardians, the would-be assailant fades away into the shadows.

However, I suggested that it's not evident from the Play Video button on the Big Red Button website that this really is a must-watch video. This is a common fault with video screen grabs and calls to action on many websites, so Paul is not alone, but his is a video which really does say it all neatly and effectively so it's hugely important that visitors are encouraged to view it.

At The Touch Of A Button

What do you suggest Paul might do to get Big Red Button watching over us and keeping us safe through phones across Ireland?

Listen back to Paul on Kickstart Your Business and let us know what you think.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast on The Right Hook on Newstalk every Thursday around 6.25pm and is available for playback immediately afterwards on Newstalk.com.