The Entrepreneur Experiment

Nick Keegan, the CEO & co-founder of MailMetrics is your mentor this week. He teaches us how to use venture debt and company acquisitions to supercharge your company growth.  Check out the full podcast here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPRHfAvJGC0  --- Thanks to my Partners - Visit them to support the podcast Growing Further: https://bit.ly/3Lia2tn Iconic Offices: https://bit.ly/3vPQAzF 

In today's Mentor Moment, we are going all the way back to episode 67 with Brody Sweeney. Brody founded the famous O'Brien's Sandwich Bars before going on to found Camile Thai. This week's mentor teaches us how to deal with failure and most importantly how to bounce back. In a brutally honest interview, Brody shared what it meant to lose a global empire at the height of his business fame and how he used that to fuel even bigger success the second time around with Camile Thai. If you are trying to figure out how to bounce back from a loss or setback, this mentor has the answers you need.   Sponsored by Square - Power your Business with Square Visit Square: https://squ.re/3x8oiOo  Location Partner: Iconic Offices  Claim your free office for a day: https://bit.ly/iconicEE23  MentorsWork - Get a free mentor https://bit.ly/eementorswork Music by Andrew Applepie

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Connor Martin, founder of The JAQ Group, home to the viral fragrance brand The Essence Vault, as well as Thomson Carter and Liquid London. From selling wax melts at a Saturday market to building a £60 million e-commerce empire in just five years, Connor’s story is a masterclass in resourcefulness, experimentation, and resilience. He reveals how he turned a £16,000 credit card experiment into one of the UK’s most successful fragrance groups, scaled during COVID by pure instinct, and rebuilt after nearly losing everything in a logistics nightmare. Connor also shares how he applies ruthless efficiency, “fail fast” culture, and first-principles thinking to stay ahead in the hyper-competitive DTC world. If you want the real playbook for bootstrapping, scaling, and surviving e-commerce chaos, this episode is unmissable. Show Notes In this episode, we cover: 💡 How a bottle of CK One sparked a lifelong obsession with fragrance 🧪 The £16,000 credit card gamble that launched The Essence Vault 🚀 Turning a weekend market stall into £800k/month during COVID 🧱 Building from zero marketing experience to £60 million in revenue ⚙️ How failing fast and “implementing before finishing the module” became his superpower 📉 The moment a shipping disaster nearly destroyed the business overnight 🧭 Why Connor runs his company without forecasts — and how it works 📈 Lessons from scaling, burning out, and rebuilding stronger 🎯 How The JAQ Group keeps innovation alive across multiple brands 🌙 His next move: launching a sleep optimisation brand built around his own daily struggles 🧠 Mindset gems on speed, decision-making, and compounding effort “Knowledge is nothing without implementation — and vice versa.” – Connor Martin Links & Resources The Essence Vault: theessencevault.co.uk Thomson Carter: thomsoncarter.com Liquid London: https://liquid.london/ Book Mentioned: Black Box Thinking by Matthew Syed ——  Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly inspiration on Business, Brain and Body, as well as exclusive events, courses and more, straight to your inbox. It's free! https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1  ---  Visit my partners  Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE  Nostra: https://bit.ly/3HHwSMo

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Ciara Troy, founder of Oishii Sushi, to uncover the 19-year journey of building Ireland’s most recognisable sushi brand. From her first Saturday market in Greystones to supplying nationwide through Lidl, Aldi, Tesco, and Spar, Ciara shares the grit, resilience, and fearless naivety that kept her going through long days, cashflow struggles, and van deliveries at dawn. She opens up about the pivotal lessons learned along the way: from cutting sushi rolls by hand on chopping boards to investing in her first machines, from maxing out family credit cards to securing Enterprise Ireland support, and from nearly burning out to carving out “Mummy Mondays” to balance entrepreneurship with family life. If you’re an aspiring founder or a food entrepreneur wondering how to scale a product from a kitchen table to a nationwide household brand, this episode is packed with raw insights, honest reflections, and the strategies Ciara used to grow Oishii from a tiny market stall to a 75-strong team serving fresh sushi across Ireland. Show Notes In this episode, we cover: 🍣 How a semester in Tokyo inspired Ciara to start Oishii Sushi 🛒 Testing at local markets before breaking into Dublin shops with barcoded trays 🚐 The early years of 4am sushi-making, van deliveries, and scraping by on petrol money 📊 The “trays per man hour” Excel sheet that showed her the path to profitability ⚙️ Tiny improvements—like piping wasabi instead of hand-filling—that transformed efficiency 💳 Surviving cashflow crises, credit card debt, and the importance of family support 👩‍👧‍👦 Introducing “Mummy Mondays” to balance growing a food brand with raising three children 🏭 Scaling from a small kitchen to a purpose-built Dublin 12 facility with 75+ staff 💡 Why COVID was a turning point, forcing Oishii to shift from van sales to centralised distribution 📈 How Oishii went from 30% retail coverage to nationwide partnerships with Ireland’s biggest chains 🌱 Future of food: functional ingredients, protein-rich meals, and balancing wellness with convenience 💬 “Be patient with the results but aggressive with the action.” – Ciara Troy Links & Resources Oishii Sushi Website: https://oishiisushi.ie/ GS1 Ireland – Barcodes for Food Products: https://www.gs1ie.org/ The Spade Enterprise Centre: https://www.spade.ie/ ——  Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly inspiration on Business, Brain and Body, as well as exclusive events, courses and more, straight to your inbox. It's free! https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1  ---  Visit my partners: Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE  Nostra: https://bit.ly/3HHwSMo

In this Mentor Moment, Colin Harmon, founder of 3FE Coffee, reveals why consistency beats occasional brilliance when it comes to building lasting brands. He shares the lesson that changed how he thought about coffee forever: customers don’t need the “best cup ever” - they just need it never to be bad. By raising the floor instead of the ceiling, Colin built trust, scaled his business, and turned 3FE into one of Ireland’s most iconic coffee names. Listen to the full conversation on Episode 400 of The Entrepreneur Experiment. Show Notes Why Colin shifted focus from chasing perfection to building consistency The compliment that redefined his business: “It’s never sh*t” How raising the lowest standard creates long-term trust with customers Why brands should aim to be like Guinness: reliably good, every time The challenge (and opportunity) of standing out in a saturated market Resources & Links 3fe: https://3fe.com/ 3fe on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/3fecoffee ——  Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly inspiration on Business, Brain and Body, as well as exclusive events, courses and more, straight to your inbox. It's free! https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1  ---  Visit my partners  Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE  Nostra: https://bit.ly/3HHwSMo

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Colin Meagle, serial entrepreneur, venture builder, and founder of Continuous Ventures. Colin has built, scaled, and exited multiple businesses: from creative agencies to international tech ventures, and now operates out of Dubai, where he helps founders and corporates spin up disruptive businesses at scale. Colin shares his candid insights on what it really takes to spot opportunities, harness talent, and scale globally. From exiting Irish agencies to launching a venture studio in the Middle East, Colin talks about why saying no is a superpower, how to avoid AI-driven obsolescence, and why Ireland must think bigger if it wants to compete on the global stage. If you’re a founder, investor, or anyone curious about building in fast-changing markets, this episode is packed with hard-won lessons on talent, focus, and disruption. Show Notes – In this episode, we cover: 🌍 Why Colin moved to Dubai and how it reshaped his entrepreneurial vision 🚀 The evolution from running agencies to building a global venture studio 💡 How to spot patterns, talent, and opportunities others miss 🤖 AI disruption: which industries are safe—and which are already gone 🔑 Why saying “no” is one of the most powerful skills for founders 🏗 The difference between building vs. running a company (and why Colin prefers one over the other) 📉 Why traditional VC is contracting and how venture studios are changing the game 🇮🇪 Colin’s honest take on Ireland’s entrepreneurial ecosystem—and what needs to change ⏳ The importance of 60-month windows when building ventures 🧠 Why judgment, creativity, and EQ will define the winners in the AI era “Failure is a currency. You should be failing every single day. That’s how you develop the reflexes to succeed.” – Colin Meagle Links & Resources Continuous Ventures: https://www.linkedin.com/company/continuousventures/about/ Follow Colin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinmeagle/ —— Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly inspiration on Business, Brain and Body, as well as exclusive events, courses and more, straight to your inbox. It's free! https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1 --- Visit my partners Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE Nostra: https://bit.ly/3HHwSMo

This week’s Mentor Moment dives into how Nadia Adan built her brand through bold, disruptive content, and why testing, learning, and finding a repeatable format is the secret to scaling on social media. Michael Corcoran shares why standing out often means doing the opposite of everyone else, and how brand storytelling, even with its raw ups and downs, is what truly connects with audiences. 🎧 To hear the full conversation, search for Episode 396 of The Entrepreneur Experiment. 🎟 Early bird tickets for EE Live @ The Sugar Club — November 30th: https://luma.com/6bwymzzt?fbclid=PAVE... —— Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly inspiration on Business, Brain and Body, as well as exclusive events, courses and more, straight to your inbox. It's free! https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1 --- Visit my partners Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE Nostra: https://bit.ly/3HHwSMo (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?even...)

In this solo episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox takes us behind the scenes of the very first Entrepreneur Experiment Retreat — a transformative five-day experience in Marbella, Spain that brought together a select group of founders to focus on their body, brain, and business. Gary shares how a spontaneous idea in 2024 turned into a fully-fledged founder retreat, what went into designing the experience, and why moments of stillness, movement, and shared learning can create huge momentum in business and life. From sunrise workouts and deep-dive masterclasses to shared dinners and accountability sessions, this is a blueprint for any founder looking to reset, realign, and reimagine what’s possible. If you’ve ever thought about joining a founder retreat, running one yourself, or simply carving out space to think — this one’s for you. Show Notes In this solo episode, Gary covers: 🔁 Why “done is better than perfect” sparked the idea for the retreat 🌅 The three pillars of the retreat: Reset, One Problem, Vision 🤯 What even 24 hours in a new environment can do for your next 24 months 🧠 The "Hot Seat" method for solving founder problems (without excuses) 📍How Barry Napier (Cubic) set the tone with a €500M lesson in roadmaps ⚡️ Why accountability, peer learning, and curated energy matter 📈 The importance of becoming the face of your business 📌 Why your retreat starts when you get home — not when it ends 🥂 Behind-the-scenes moments from Padel tournaments to seaside visualisation exercises “Knowledge without action is useless. The retreat was about turning what we’ve all learned into real-world traction.” – Gary Fox Resources & Mentions 🎟 Early bird tickets for EE Live @ The Sugar Club — November 30th: 👉 The Entrepreneur Experiment Sugar Club Event Tickets (Nov 30th) Barry Napier – CEO of Cubic 📍Finca Naundrup, Marbella – Retreat location 🧠 Visualisation Challenge – Write a letter from your future self —— Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly inspiration on Business, Brain and Body, as well as exclusive events, courses and more, straight to your inbox. It's free! https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1 --- Visit my partners Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE Nostra: https://bit.ly/3HHwSMo

This Mentor Moment with Mary Sadlier (from Episode 398) dives into why digital is the great equaliser for entrepreneurs. Mary shares the art of getting products on and off shelves, why persistence matters, and the hard truth that nobody’s coming — unless you ask the right questions. A powerful reminder that value creation and resourcefulness win in business. —— Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly inspiration on Business, Brain and Body, as well as exclusive events, courses and more, straight to your inbox. It's free! https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1 --- Visit my partners Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE Nostra: https://bit.ly/3HHwSMo

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Paul Buckley — the fiercely honest and deeply reflective founder behind C2O Group. From nearly going pro in golf to blowing his savings in a poker room, to scaling and selling one of Australia’s fastest-growing engineering companies, Paul shares his rollercoaster journey through ambition, burnout, and bold reinvention. You’ll hear how Paul built EPS Group Australia from the ground up, scaled it to $84M in revenue in just three years, and exited in a major acquisition — only to find himself mentally and emotionally depleted in the aftermath. What followed was a two-year reset, a $14M relaunch, and a second act that’s bigger, sharper, and backed by one of the world’s leading private equity funds. If you're a founder who's exited (or wants to), this episode is your blueprint for navigating what comes next — the highs, the regrets, and the resilience it takes to start again. 🧠 Show Notes In this episode, we cover: 💡 Starting with Nothing: From selling Christmas trees out of a van in Cork to leading billion-dollar infrastructure projects across Australia 🏌️‍♂️ Sliding Doors: What it felt like to lose to Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry — and walk away from golf for good 💸 From Broke to Boardroom: Blowing $30k in 7 weeks... then managing 30+ workers on a $3.5B desalination project in Victoria 🚀 Scaling Fast: How Paul co-founded EPS Group Australia and scaled it from $0 to $84M turnover within 3 years 🧨 Burnout After the Exit: The emotional toll of selling his company and staying on through a high-pressure earnout 🧱 Rebuilding From Scratch: How Paul raised $14M to acquire two businesses in the US and Australia — and build C2O Group 2.0 🧭 What He’d Do Differently: The tax incentives, legal lessons, and partnerships he wishes he'd understood the first time around 👨‍👧‍👦 On Legacy: Why he won’t hand the business to his kids — and what succession means to him now “It brought me to the lowest point in my life by far… I was totally broken, barely able to stand up. It probably took me 12 months — probably 24 — to get my feet back underneath me properly.” — Paul Buckley Links & Resources C2O Group: https://c2ogroup.com/ Follow Paul Buckley on LinkedIn —— Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly inspiration on Business, Brain and Body, as well as exclusive events, courses and more, straight to your inbox. It's free! https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1 --- Visit my partners Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE Nostra: https://bit.ly/3HHwSMo

When everyone else is chasing trends, mentalist and hypnotist Keith Barry goes the opposite direction. In this Mentor Moment, Keith reveals how leaning into long-form content—when everyone else was focused on short-form Reels—helped him go viral and land major event bookings. He also shares how he uses platforms like LinkedIn in unconventional ways to connect with decision-makers and why valuing yourself, your energy, and your unique approach is key to standing out. 🎧 This bite-sized insight is taken from Episode 397 of The Entrepreneur Experiment Podcast, where Keith shares his full journey and business lessons. If you want to hear more from Keith, listen back to the full episode now. ———— Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly inspiration on Business, Brain and Body, as well as exclusive events, courses and more, straight to your inbox. It's free! https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1 --- Visit my partners Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE Nostra: https://bit.ly/3HHwSMo (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?even...)

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary sits down with Alan Andrews, the unapologetically honest founder behind Old Barracks Roastery and Guji Coffee Bar. Known for his bold social content and Ireland’s most controversial coffee shop (no kids allowed, dogs welcome, €15 cups of coffee), Alan lifts the lid on the real cost of starting and scaling a successful hospitality business. He breaks down the myths that plague the coffee industry — from delusional €10K startup budgets to the glorification of hustle culture — and explains why €100K is the minimum buy-in for building a sustainable, profitable coffee business. Alan also shares the deeply personal reasons behind his adults-only policy, how he prioritises family without sacrificing growth, and why honesty (not trends) should drive your brand strategy. This episode is a masterclass in branding, business modelling, and living by your values — one cup at a time. Show Notes: In this episode, we cover: ☕ The Real Costs of Starting a Coffee Shop Why €10K won’t cut it, and what you actually need to spend How Alan built a coffee bar in Limerick for €100K — and what that buys you The weekly turnover benchmark every shop needs to survive: €10K 📈 Sustainability in Hospitality Are you building a job or a business? The industry’s problem with low-barrier entry and poor planning Why coffee deserves the same pricing architecture as wine or steak 🔥 Polarising Branding & Standing Out The €15 coffee that sparked national debate Adults-only cafes: creating intentional spaces for deep connection Why Alan doesn't care if everyone likes him — and how it’s his superpower 🎯 Transparent Social Media Marketing Alan’s viral TikToks on coffee costs and customer misconceptions How to win on social in 2025: go real, go niche, get honest "The customer isn’t always right — sometimes they’re just not your customer." 👨‍👧 Entrepreneurship & Fatherhood The hidden reason Alan created a kid-free cafe How divorce and co-parenting shaped his time philosophy The ultimate goal: build a business that doesn’t cost you your family 💬 “You didn’t even buy yourself a job — you bought yourself a trap. You’re working 14 hours a day, making no money, and calling it entrepreneurship.” Links & Resources: Visit Old Barracks Roastery (Birdhill): https://oldbarracks.ie/ Follow Alan on TikTok: @oldbarracksroastery Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly inspiration on Business, Brain and Body, as well as exclusive events, courses and more, straight to your inbox. It's free! https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1 --- Visit my partners Enterprise Ireland: https://bit.ly/EIreland Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE Nostra: https://bit.ly/3HHwSMo

In this Mentor Moment, Gary Fox speaks with Sahil Bloom — investor, writer, and creator — about how his definition of success has transformed. Once focused purely on financial outcomes, Sahil now measures success through time, people, purpose, and health, seeing money as a natural byproduct rather than the goal. He also shares a refreshing take on imposter syndrome, reframing it as a sign of growth and a tax on personal progress, and explains why asking “Why not me?” is the mindset shift every founder needs when stepping into bigger rooms. This is a short but powerful conversation packed with perspective shifts to help you redefine success on your own terms. To listen to the full episode, go to episode number 401. ----- Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly inspiration on Business, Brain and Body, as well as exclusive events, courses and more, straight to your inbox. It's free! https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1 --- Visit my partners: Enterprise Ireland: https://bit.ly/EIreland Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE Nostra: https://bit.ly/3HHwSMo

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with one of Ireland’s most recognisable business voices, Bobby Kerr — founder of Perk, former CEO and Chairman of Insomnia, investor, broadcaster, and champion of Irish enterprise. Bobby shares his remarkable journey from starting his first business at 39 — remortgaging his house with a newborn at home — to building Insomnia into over 800 locations across Ireland through smart partnerships, relentless drive, and a willingness to bet on himself. He reveals the lessons learned from navigating the arrival of Starbucks, the power of merging with competitors to scale, and why focusing on multiple revenue streams saved the business more than once. Bobby also opens up about selling in 2018 after a cancer diagnosis, the freedom he’s designed for himself since, and the businesses exciting him today, from Bread 41 to Irish tourism. Whether you’re an early-stage founder or a seasoned entrepreneur, Bobby’s story is a masterclass in vision, resilience, and knowing when to play the long game. Show Notes In this episode, we cover: ☕ How Bobby spotted Ireland’s coffee culture shift before it happened 🏪 The first Perk café on Grafton Street — and why a turnover-based rent deal was a game-changer 📉 Surviving Starbucks opening next door (and why it helped sales) 🤝 The three-way merger that became Insomnia — and why owning 30% of something bigger was better than 100% of his own 📈 Growing from 5 cafés to 200+ shops and 600 convenience store locations 💡 Creating three revenue streams: high street, concessions, and convenience retail 🛑 The importance of multiple revenue streams to de-risk a business ⚡ Why Bobby sold in 2018 after recovering from cancer 🍞 Why Bread 41 is his “most exciting” current project 🌍 Opportunities in Irish tourism and the bakery market 🎯 What he looks for when backing founders (and why it’s “the jockey, not the horse”) 📚 Bobby’s top book recommendations, daily habits, and best investment advice Links & Resources Bread 41 – Award-winning Irish bakery: https://bread41.ie/ Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing The Spider Covenant by Brian Klein ----- Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly inspiration on Business, Brain and Body, as well as exclusive events, courses and more, straight to your inbox. It's free! https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1 --- Visit my partners Enterprise Ireland: https://bit.ly/EIreland Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE Nostra: https://bit.ly/3HHwSMo

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Áine Kerr, the award-winning journalist, serial entrepreneur behind startups including Storyful (acquired by News Corp), and Kinzen (acquired by Spotify). From teaching in Dublin classrooms to building Storyful alongside Mark Little, leading global journalism partnerships at Facebook, and launching her second successful startup, Áine shares the lessons she’s learned from a “squiggly career” defined by reinvention, resilience, and purpose. Áine reveals the realities of startup life, why suffering and recommitment are part of the journey, and how she built extraordinary teams that continue to shape the future of technology and media. Whether you're a first-time founder or a seasoned entrepreneur, this episode is a masterclass in perseverance, finding your “why,” and creating impact-driven businesses. Show Notes In this episode, we cover: 🔥 How Áine transitioned from teacher to journalist to tech entrepreneur 🚀 The early days of Storyful and the lessons from its sale to News Corp 💡 Why she started Kinzen and how it was acquired by Spotify 📈 The importance of radical transparency, resilience, and “recommitting to the suffering” of startup life 🤝 How to build high-performing teams that outgrow even the founder 🌍 Ireland’s entrepreneurial tipping point and why local ecosystems matter 🧠 The power of asking the right questions and leading without ego 🎯 Why duality (fear and courage) is key to any founder’s journey 💬 “If you have radical clarity on your why, people will back you; even if you have to do half a dozen resets and pivots.” – Áine Kerr Links & Resources Áine Kerr on LinkedIn Kinzen Rethink Ireland Gaisce – The President’s Award The Shona Project Dogpatch Labs AwakenHub ----- Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly inspiration on Business, Brain and Body, as well as exclusive events, courses and more, straight to your inbox. It's free! https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1 --- Visit my partners Enterprise Ireland: https://bit.ly/EIreland Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE Nostra: https://bit.ly/3HHwSMo

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Fran Quilty, co-founder and CEO of Conjura, the analytics platform powering the world’s fastest-growing e-commerce brands. From spinning out Wayflyer to building one of Ireland’s most exciting SaaS companies, Fran shares the unfiltered reality of transitioning from a services business to a scalable product, raising venture capital, and staying ahead in a rapidly evolving e-commerce landscape. Fran breaks down how AI is fundamentally changing the way brands operate, why marketplaces like Amazon, TikTok, and Walmart are driving revenue shifts, and the lessons he learned building two companies simultaneously. If you want to understand where e-commerce is headed, and how data and automation will define the next decade - this is an episode you can’t miss. In this episode, we cover: 📈 How Fran and his co-founder spun Conjura out of consulting and discovered the e-commerce goldmine 🚀 The split that created Wayflyer—and how it became one of Ireland’s biggest startup success stories 🔄 Lessons from moving from services to SaaS: why focus beats feature creep 🛒 E-commerce in 2025: the rise of marketplaces, social selling, and channel fragmentation 🤖 The AI revolution in analytics—why agent-based AI will change how brands operate 💡 The 80/20 rule for e-commerce: why 20% of your products drive 90% of your profit 🇪🇺 Why Europe is the fastest-growing e-commerce market right now ⚡ Fran’s advice for founders building in fast-moving industries 💬 “AI won’t just give you insights—it will execute for you. That’s the future.” – Fran Quilty Links & Resources: Follow Fran Quilty on LinkedIn Conjura: https://www.conjura.com ----- Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly inspiration on Business, Brain and Body, as well as exclusive events, courses and more, straight to your inbox. It's free! https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1  --- Visit my partners Enterprise Ireland: https://bit.ly/EIreland Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE Nostra: https://bit.ly/3HHwSMo

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox is joined by Ross and David, the powerhouse duo behind Outmin, a game-changing AI bookkeeping platform. What starts as a conversation about longevity, biohacking, and raw vegetable breakfasts quickly evolves into a masterclass in building a deep-tech startup from scratch. From rejecting vanity metrics and confronting brutal truths in fundraising, to rebuilding the accounting infrastructure and quietly revolutionising an unsexy space, Ross and David reveal how Outmin went from an idea to a VC-backed company with 350+ customers across Ireland and the UK. With €4 million in fresh funding and a bold roadmap for the future, they’re not just talking about AI - they’re redefining what it actually takes to automate one of the most painful parts of running a business. This is a must-listen for founders, operators, and anyone curious about what building a truly differentiated startup looks like in the age of AI. Show Notes In this episode, we cover: 🧠 Ross’s “Cheat Death” document: longevity, raw vegetables & bioavailable supplements 💥 Why Outmin rebuilt the general ledger from scratch 🧮 Automating the “toothbrush task” of bookkeeping 🔍 How their dataset became their competitive advantage 📊 Why the AI wave is really a “plumbing” revolution 📈 Fundraising lessons from €0 to €4M 🧪 The importance of testing over storytelling in early-stage startups 💡 How they used public data to book 100+ customer discovery calls 📉 Why tech startups are harder to automate than hospitality 👥 The underrated power of building for 100 people who love you 💬 “If I could inject how I feel every day into someone else—they’d never go back.” – Ross Links & Resources Outmin: https://outmin.io Enterprise Ireland HPSU Program: https://www.enterprise-ireland.com/en/innovative-hpsu-fund The Data Collective VC analysis: https://dcvc.com Singularity University: https://su.org —-- Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly inspiration on Business, Brain and Body, as well as exclusive events, courses and more, straight to your inbox. It's free! https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1 --- Visit my partners Enterprise Ireland: https://bit.ly/EIreland Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE Nostra: https://bit.ly/3HHwSMo

In this Mentor Moment from Episode 372, David O’Meara, CEO of Greenman Group, unpacks the surprising reality of post-COVID retail: traditional supermarkets aren’t just surviving—they’re evolving. While many predicted the death of brick-and-mortar retail with the rise of e-commerce, David explains why food retail continues to thrive, especially in Germany where shopping habits, cost-conscious consumers, and smart infrastructure keep people coming back in person. He also touches on the bigger picture: how sustainability is shaping the future of retail real estate. From carbon capture tech to smarter building design, Greenman is betting on supermarkets not just as shops, but as future-proof community assets. This clip is a must-listen for anyone in retail, property, or future-focused business strategy. —- Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly inspiration on Business, Brain and Body, as well as exclusive events, courses and more, straight to your inbox. It's free! https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1 --- Visit my partners Enterprise Ireland: https://bit.ly/EIreland Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE Nostra: https://bit.ly/3HHwSMo

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Cait and Cillian, the powerhouse duo behind Luxury Exchange - the Irish-born fashion resale platform that’s redefining pre-loved luxury. From humble beginnings selling designer pieces on Instagram between her shifts at Brown Thomas, Cat grew her side project into a business projected to do over €4 million in turnover this year. Joined by her fiancé and co-founder Cillian, the pair share a raw and inspiring look at what it really takes to scale a customer-first business - from running daily Instagram Lives to bootstrapping every aspect of growth with zero external funding. They open up about the early mistakes (hello, 10% commission), pivotal turning points like their first €6k live sale from a holiday home in Waterville, and the relentless work ethic that powers their mission today. If you're an aspiring entrepreneur or operator wondering how to build a cult brand through trust, taste, and total obsession with your customer, this one’s for you. ----- Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly inspiration on Business, Brain and Body, as well as exclusive events, courses and more, straight to your inbox. It's free! https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1 --- Visit my partners Enterprise Ireland: https://bit.ly/EIreland Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE Nostra: https://bit.ly/3HHwSMo

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Timo Boldt, the visionary founder and CEO of Gousto, the UK’s leading homegrown meal-kit company. From humble beginnings hand-delivering recipe boxes and knocking on doors, to building a data-powered food business that serves millions of dinners annually, Timo shares his 13-year journey of grit, resilience, and customer obsession. He opens up about the early grind, raising capital without a single VC contact, harnessing AI to scale operations, and his mission to make healthy eating effortless. Whether you’re a startup founder, food enthusiast, or curious about building a complex, capital-intensive company, this episode is packed with real-world lessons on leadership, discipline, and creating meaningful impact. Show Notes In this episode, we cover: 🔥 How Timo went from cooking in his tiny flat to delivering millions of dinners annually 🚀 The scrappy early days—handing out flyers, door-to-door sales, hand-packing boxes 💡 Why customer obsession and continuous improvement power Gousto’s growth flywheel 📈 How Gousto uses AI in everything from logistics to recipe creation and personalisation 💰 The realities of scaling a capital-intensive food business (hundreds of millions raised) 🌱 Timo’s vision of Gousto as a future preventative healthcare platform ⚡ The underrated power of personal discipline: mindset, gratefulness, and fitness 💬 “The grass is greenest where you water it. Take care of yourself, obsess about the customer, build the best team you can—and great things will happen.” — Timo Boldt Links & Resources Gousto (now in Ireland)— Try the UK’s leading homegrown meal-kit service: https://www.gousto.co.uk/  Timo Boldt on LinkedIn — Follow Timo’s journey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timo-boldt/  Book: Die With Zero by Bill Perkins ----- Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly inspiration on Business, Brain and Body, as well as exclusive events, courses and more, straight to your inbox. It's free! https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1  --- Visit my partners Enterprise Ireland: https://bit.ly/EIreland  Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE  Nostra: https://bit.ly/3HHwSMo