Go Do The Thing

Colin Keogh, engineer, designer and innovator, talks to us about solving problems, why he likes to get stuck into stuff he knows nothing about and what happens when you say yes to everything   Key takeaways [2:45] Ideas, innovation and people are what solves problems [4:35] Expert ignorance: Coming into a project that you know nothing about and applying what you’re good at can result in better solutions [5:00] Use what skills you have, you can always contribute something in someway [6:20] Hammers see everything as nails [7:25] Don't let lack of experience put you off from working in a technical field [8:10] Real life experience can be more valuable than theoretical knowledge [16:10] Just say yes to everything [20:10] You are always only ever one step away from whatever you need [20:40] Try ideas out quickly. Prototype a product early and get it into people's hands as soon as possible [22:10] A major challenge in building a social enterprise is finding a suitable legal structure [26:05] Investors often invest in the person rather than the idea. It's all about building relationships [28:00] Be cautious about taking advice that is offered too freely and unasked for. The advice that is really valuable often comes from people who don't want to give it [29:20] Avoiding common startup mistakes: Make a prototype and get it out quickly, don't spend too long in the thought phase Don't waste time arguing about ownership in the very early stages of an idea [32:45] When you have a startup you can afford to undersell yourself or your business. Plant your own flag [33:40] You need a deadline, don't get stuck just going from grant to grant [34:35] If you are no longer interested in an idea, walk away from it [34:50] Trust your gut   Links to things mentioned in this episode therapidfoundation.com twitter.com/ColinJ_Keogh colinkeogh.eu/

Lewize Crothers, founder of the online platform ExitEntry, chats to us about how not having a tech background shouldn't stop you from starting a tech based business, the importance of listening to your customer and what investors are really looking for. Key takeaways [1:10] Outside interests, teamwork, communication and leadership skills are as important to multinationals as academic results and qualifications when employing graduates [7:30] Its not about the obstacles but how you look at the skills you have [9:50] When you get out of your comfort zone and talk to people, incredible things will happen [10:37] Everything is possible, it’s about having the drive and belief [12:10] Asking the right questions and being a good listener is key [13:40] At the beginning it’s about getting out there, speaking to people and building your network [15:05] Tell the world about your idea because it will become nothing without people  knowing about it [16:40] Everyone has good ideas but it’s all in the execution [18:35] Investors look at the founder and the team more than the idea [19:00] You need to surround yourself with people better than you [19:45] When building your team, find people with the same vision, who will be there long term, add value and have expertise that you don’t [26:40] Lewize's top three tips for startups: Listen to your customers and know who they are Get out of your comfort zone Look at your competition and what they are doing   Links to things mentioned in this episode exitentry.com twitter.com/exitentrygrad facebook.com/exitentrygrad instagram.com/exitentrygrad DCU Ryan Academy Female High Flyers Innovation Academy New Frontiers Web Summit Build Your Dream Network by Kelly Hoey

Jim Hughes, founder and CEO of Innovate, talks to us in our first Founder Friday fireside chat at The Hatch Lab. We chat about surviving recession, creating a positive work culture and planning for growth. Key Takeaways [7:00] A lot was learned from the recession, like how to be efficient and innovative. [9:00] Business strategy is built on four pillars: your financial objectives, value proposition, business processes and how you drive organisational capacity into your business. [11:45] Building relationships is about relating to people and connecting with them. [12:50] Positive work cultures come from the top. It needs honesty on a consistent basis. [14:15] You have to recruit primarily on character and a set of values. Diversity is also hugely important in an organisation. [17:30]  The one thing that determines a business’ success is good management. [21:47] Resilience comes from challenges you've faced in other areas of your life. [22:52] Have a growth mindset - the ability to be able to take on failures, understand where you made the mistake, learn from it and move forward from it. [23:20] If you’re not making mistakes you’re not learning. [23:20] Don’t wait for the perfect situation to make a decision. Make the decision and move on. [25:15] Three pieces of advice for new entrepreneurs: surround yourself with great people, listen to your customer, be true to yourself.   Links to things mentioned in this episode thehatchlab.ie Founder Friday Gorey innovate.ie Innovate on LinkedIn  Innovate on Facebook Innovate on Twitter Innovate on YouTube

Peter Mangan, founder of The Freebird Club, talks to us about social entrepreneurship, the importance of the double bottom line and creating a global community with a platform offering social travelling and home-stays to mature adults.   Key Takeaways [0:47] By 2025 one third of Europeans will be over the age of 60 [3:27] Starting a business is a creative process [3:50] Initial challenges include getting the right people around you, finding the money to get started and getting the first few customers [12:25] It’s important that investors are also interested in the vision of the company [14:00] It's essential to be adaptable and flexible when things are progressing rapidly [14:50] Planning for growth is important, you need to be able to service the business properly as it grows to keep customers happy [15:45] There are increasing opportunities to get grant funding for social enterprises, which give credibility as well as early stage finance [16:10] The number of investors looking for a double bottom line is growing, having a social impact as well as being profitable is increasingly important [17:00] Top three tips on on starting your own business: Talk to people who know that industry or sector Believe in yourself and have the conviction to do it. Find the supports on the way, it can be a lonely journey   Links to things mentioned in this episode freebirdclub.com The Freebird Club on Facebook The Freebird Club on YouTube The Freebird Club on Twitter European Social Innovation Competition European Social Innovation Tournament Impact Hub Fellowship For Longer Lives

Ronan Lynagh talks to us about handling uncertainty, building resilience and being entrepreneurial in your career in this week's podcast. We chat about growth mindset and how we measure success as well as the evolution of his own career.   Key takeaways [12:05] Having constants outside of work, like hobbies and friends, can help you cope with change, uncertainty and times of transition. [16:45] The benefit of not being too narrow with your focus is being open to opportunities you might not have even thought or known of. [19:00] Ronan’s advice for people who want to change career path: You can be entrepreneurial about your career Expose yourself to your passions and interests in ways that challenge you [22:35] Tips on building resilience: Think about what you expect of yourself Know your own moods and states and how to recognise when you need support Have things that you enjoy doing for yourself and recognise their benefit Its not just about how quickly you get back up but being okay with not being okay Keep things in perspective, don't get too caught in the moment [26:30] Growth mindset - the idea that it’s not about what talent you're born with but the effort you put in and that you can always improve. How we measure and value success. [28:45] Outputs or results can be out of our control in some respects. But you can control your effort you put in and that can’t be taken from you. [30:50] Three pieces of advice on using a growth mindset to help you achieve your goals: Progress over perfection Be kind to yourself Surround yourself with good people with values similar to your own   Links to things mentioned in this episode Young Social Innovators Suas.ie Shine.ie Innovation Academy: Entrepreneurial Educators  Washington Ireland Program Carol Dwyek on growth mindset and the power of yet

Briony Somers of FRANC Magazine talks to us about mixing business with creativity, disrupting crowded markets and how page views are the subprime mortgages of the internet.  We discuss how women as a market are misunderstood, the resurgence of print media and the importance of talking about failure.   Key Takeaways [6:25] There is a deep confusion around businesses targeting women. Fashion is often seen as superficial. [7:50] Fashion is a 1.7 trillion dollar industry worldwide, the second largest sector of consumer spending in the US under groceries. [8:40] The best opportunities are found where people say the market is crowded, yet customers are unhappy. [15:50] Print media is seeing a resurgence as a luxury consumer product in itself. Page views are the sub prime mortgages of the internetClick To Tweet [22:15] Online content can tend to focus on quantity over quality. [23:30] It’s about delivering an experience and connection for people. [30:05] Business and creativity have always gone hand in hand, you get into difficulties when they aren't aligned and come into conflict. [35:00] On maintaining the vision: Ground yourself in the moment and the joy of what your’re doing The feedback you get from customers is very inspiring and hard to walk away from [38:50] Gilded Failure: people talk about failure but skip over it very quickly to a following success. [39:35] Sometimes it’s important to do something for its own sake not just for what you think it’ll give you.   Links to things mentioned in this episode francmagazine.com FRANC on Instagram FRANC on Twitter FRANC on Facebook

Alex Calder, social media specialist and creator of Between Two Ears, talks to us about safaris, storytelling and how to be sound on social media! We talk about common mistakes brands make, what metrics really matter and how to stand out in the infinite scroll. GDTT is now on Instagram! Come follow us @godothething_podcast as we put into practice the advice in this week's podcast.   Key takeaways  [4:15] Social media is now more important than traditional advertising [4:25] The things to think about as a brand on social media: What's your story, message, tone, and who are you talking to.  [5:05] We scroll 300 ft on our social media feeds every day, up from 8 ft a year ago. How to stop people scrolling to see your content is hard.  [8:00] The most common mistakes companies and brands make: Using the personal pronoun in brand communications, it's very unprofessional Typos - good grammar and perfect spelling are a must Knowing your tone and who you are gives you the parameters to work within [10:00] To have a good Instagram account you need to curate your posts and post beautiful images on your grid. Instagram stories is where you put things like photos of trade shoes. Stories can have massive reach. [12:00] Alex's advice on how to make your Instagram account better: Look at competitors that are doing it well Personal projects can benefit from having an angle or theme Employ a professional photographer to make content if you need to Do filter your images and use the same filters all the time for visual consistency [14:40] On what metrics should you be measuring, it's not about followers but about engagement. [16:10] Micro-influencers often have more engagement than bigger accounts and advertisers often prefer them. [17.55] Alex's top tips: Have a story, know your messages, know your tone of voice and who your brand is. Micro-blogging on Instagram works well using long captions. Nurture and create a community. Respond to meaningful comments. Respond to problems, if someone goes public with a problem bring them off the public space and use direct message, email or phone to resolve it.  The more you post the better the algorithms will treat your content. Post once a day or every second day for Facebook and Instagram, Twitter you can do a bit more. Be judicious, don’t just throw anything up. Most of all, be sound!! Be a nice person online.   Links to things mentioned in this episode Alex on Instagram Alex on Twitter  Between Two Ears on Instagram Between Two Ears on Facebook VSCO cam Go Do The Thing on Instagram

Jake MccGwire, Kevin Murray, and Zachary Diebold from TicketChain, a digital ticketing platform, talk to us about the start-up ecosystem in Ireland, how to expand your network and make new connections, and why the perfect time to launch a start-up is when you’ve just left college.   Key takeaways [5:17]  It’s important to know that you have to adapt as you understand the market better [8:17] Advice on reaching out to people: use direct message on LinkedIn, providing you have a valid reason for wanting to meet them and asking for their advice most people are very helpful and will give you 15 mins of their time Every meeting you go to is a possible second or third connection made. It’s all about making those small warm connections. [10:09] You need to carefully prioritise the things you can achieve in a certain amount of time. You have no one sitting over your shoulder telling you what to do next. Being open to changing your idea is really crucialClick To Tweet [22:15] If someone who has no idea about your product can understand your pitch then it’s good, if not then you need to look at it again. [26:35] It’s great to have the support of startup programs but also important to keep focusing on the customer, your market and your product [27:44] There is never a better time to try a startup than when you’ve just graduated, there is nothing to lose. [29:08] Top 3 pieces of advice: Talk to as many people as possible and find out if your idea is actually any good, including potential customers and people in the industry, not just friends and family.  You need to be open to changing the idea once you get the feedback and new information. Having a team is hugely important. Many VCs will only ever invest in a startup if it has a team of at least two people. Having a team fills skill gaps, shares the workload and pressure, and gives you a bigger network. People invest in teamsClick To Tweet   Links to things mentioned TicketChain.ie info@ticketchain.ie TicketChain on Twitter TicketChain on LinkedIn LaunchBox New Frontiers NDRC Google Adopt a Startup Startup Grind

Ciara Sheahan and Ian Walsh from Seymour 360 Photography talk to us this week about the power of VR technology, from disrupting the property market to changing the lives of kids with autism. We talk about the challenges of being first to market, dealing with the slow no and the importance of listening in business. Key takeaways [3:00] Began with presenting properties for sale using 360 degree photography which developed into using it for venues such as pubs and restaurants, for weddings and other events.   [7:20] The challenges of being ahead of the curve include having to educate your customers about the technology and what it can do. Have to be an evangelist. [11:25] You have to believe in your own insanity.  [17:15] To get through the dark days, do one small positive thing every day. Celebrate the little victories. [20:35] VR and 360 photos saves memories and moments in time, will allow us to be with our loved ones and relive memories long after they are gone. [27:40] VR gives insight into and help sufferers of alzheimer's disease and dementia. It is also being used to help autistic children feel calmer.  [38:55] Ciara's three tips: Believe in yourself, be realistic, think about the person on the other end of the phone or table. It’s not about you..it’s about how you can help them thrive. Address your product in terms of their needs. Everything in life is a saleClick To Tweet [39:55] The key word in business is “listen”. If you’re talking you can’t listen. He who holds the silence holds the powerClick To Tweet Dont be afraid to ask for the order or to charge for the order. Dont undervalue your proposition   Links to things mentioned in this episode Seymour 360 Photography Seymour 360 Photography on Facebook  Seymour 360 Photography on YouTube New Frontiers

Neil Curran, improv teacher and performer, and Anna Wilson, improv performer, join me to discuss how improvisation skills could help you nail your next pitch and unleash the potential of your team. And the good news is, you were already doing it as a kid!  We talk about banning the “but” word, team making vs team breaking and embracing your mistakes.   Key takeaways [1:53] Improv is usually associated with comedy but really it is something we all are born doing but tend to lose as adults. It is how we react and how we listen. Its about spontaneity, how we respond in the moment. [3:27] Improv skills are life skills. As children we just want to play, kids don’t have the constraints we put on ourselves as adults. Fear of punishment shuts down playfulness and creativity. [5:39] 'Mistakes are just a new way of doing things' - Jill BernardClick To Tweet [7:55] How Anna came to improv. Discovered it's not about being funny and witty but about being supportive of your partner on stage. [11:34] Team building days usually mean being sent to a competitive environment or activity - not necessarily the right approach to build a strong collaborative team. An effective team is people working together. [17:37] As a techie, Anna came from a “no but” approach to working on ideas but through improv has changed to a "yes and" approach. You build on ideas rather than tearing them down. [22:41] 'The edge of your comfort zone is where the magic happens when it comes to learning'Click To Tweet [28:04] Within the corporate environment, improv is a tool to help you achieve what you want. Used in sales training, for communication skills, negotiation and conflict resolution. [37:53] Mindfulness through improv as an alternative to sitting in a quiet room, breathing in and out. [43:29] Improv teaches you to care less about what you think other people think of you [44:14] Neil on confidence when speaking in public: Perception is reality, fake it til you make it and over time you will turn it into real confidence [47:50] Neil and Anna's top 5 tips on public speaking and presentations: Your audience is already on your side. You’re already the expert Find what you're passionate about in your topic. That is what will sell it to your audience and make it engaging Understand what the audience needs If you're having fun, your audience will have fun [56:00] Neil's biggest tip: Do something that scares you every day!Click To Tweet [57:19] Anna's biggest tip: If you want to do it, you have to do it!Click To Tweet   Links to things mentioned lowerthetone.com @improvneil Speechless Live @yesitsanna Zenprov

Shane Ryan of healthy food startup, Feed, talks about tenacity, creating a mental health toolbox, and how giving back can be good for the bottom line.   Key takeaways [1:42] Shane started young, planning businesses at the age of 10 and selling things from stalls on match day. [5:15] Gave up his career in hospitality, having managed some of the top hotels in the world. Saw how healthy food affected his well being as well as a shift in people's attitudes to food, with healthy food coming to the fore. [9:40] Spent nine months writing an elaborate business plan that on reflection was totally unnecessary which resulted in missed opportunities. [10:55] Came up with the first idea of 'a restaurant in the cloud' delivering healthy lunches. Learned a lot through that process even if it didn’t work out. [15:27] Had a lot of positive press, looked like a great success but the reality was that the business was crumbling. Affected his mental health. [19:25] Decided to leave the business. Moved back home, focused on himself and his mental health. What ever you do with your career is not as important as you making sure you’re in a good place and have the internal tools to deal with things. [22:20] Wasn’t giving up on his idea. He knew there was an opportunity around healthy food. Came up with meal pots, ready meals that were incredibly healthy, good for you and well branded. [24:50] Taking the leap for the second time round. A lot more confident. Learned from previous mistakes. [28:05] Shane's toolbox for mental health: Eating right, exercise and fitness. Finding things that you know clear your head and make you feel good. Having interests outside of your business so you can switch off. Mindfulness. [35:35] Every time you buy a pot, Feed donates the cost of a meal to child thorough the charity Mary’s Meals. Mary's meals feed 1.2 million children every day in places like Malawi and Aleppo. The meals are provided through schools so that they not only get fed but also get an education. You can still be a for profit company and make good margins and be very commercial while also having a socially conscious element at your core. [39:20] The future is bright for Feed. Scaling up 4 fold and jumping from 25 to 90 listings in next few weeks. Having gone through the process of iteration with the previous business his product was exactly what the buyers wanted. [41:35] Shane's three main pieces of advice: Don’t do it on your own. Have a co-founder if you can Just do it. Whatever you do it’s better than doing nothing. Progress is better than stagnation. The next step is the best stepClick To Tweet Don’t get into food! Food is great but comes with challenges. If you do, look to extend your shelf life.   Links to things mentioned in this episode Feed's Website: eatfeed.ie Feed on Twitter Feed on Facebook Feed on Instagram Supervalu Food Academy  Mary's Meals Innovation Academy, UCD

Pamela Newenham, one of the three founders of GirlCrew, tells us how a secret Facebook group for women to make friends has turned into a platform with over 100,000 members across the world. We discuss the power of networking, meeting Mark Zuckerberg and their move to Silicon Valley. The GirlCrew App Hootenanny is happening from the 17th - 20th August, with 19 events over 4 days, including tech talks, brunch, parties and speakers including Microsoft's MD Cathriona Hallahan and much more! Find out more by clicking here   Key takeaways [1:56] How not being able to find people to go on a girls night out dancing resulted in hacking Tinder and forming a secret Facebook group. How founders Elva Carri, Aine Mulloy and Pamela Newenham came together. [4:34] Pamela's journey from being a journalist interviewing entrepreneurs to becoming one.  [7:05] How having defined roles means they work well together as a team. They have specific areas they specialise in and there is no overlap which helps to keep things harmonious.  [9:40] The challenges they came across including having no experience in tech or coding and wanted to bring out an app. Having no experience hiring was also challenging, it was harder than they thought to hire developer. [12:25] High points have included being selected, from 220 entrants, to represent Europe at the SXSW festival in Texas. GirlCrew was filmed by Facebook as one of their success stories. They met Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg. Yes, he was wearing a grey t-shirt! [17:30] Pamela's advice around growing and scaling a company would be to talk to people who have already done it. Trust your own gut instinct when you get conflicting advice. If you’re a tech startup, go to Silicon Valley [19:04] What helps make Silicon Valley a great place to do business and grow is that everyone is keen to help, to put you in touch with people and introduce you. Although soon moving there, GirlCrew will always keep a development team in Ireland. [22:40] Everything is about networking and talking to people. Real connections are made offline whether friendships or professional networks. Girlcrew are all about meeting people offline and making real friendships.  Get out of the buildingClick To Tweet [23:43] Launch of new app. Pop up shop starting Thurday 17th in Temple Bar, Dublin. GirlCrew are having an 'App Hootenanny' with 19 events over 4 days [25:45] Advice to people thinking of starting a business: 'Jump in, just do it!'Click To Tweet   Links to things mentioned in this episode GirlCrew.com Girlcrew App Hootenanny GirlCrew on Facebook, GirlCrew on Twitter GirlCrew on Instagram SXSW Festival Enterprise Ireland Teamer

Omer Keser, founder of curasy.com, talks about understanding your customer, creating company culture and how it took almost losing his life to give him the courage to leave a successful career in Google to start his own business. Key Takeaways [1:40] Where the idea for Curasy.com came from, realising that there was a problem that he could address, helping independent luxury designers to reach their customers. [2:45] The most important thing is clarity of purpose. However clarity can also come through taking action. [4:25] How Omer deals with self doubt and keeping the vision. He recommends entrepreneurs really understand what they want to get out of their life.  [5:50] The hurdles Omer has encountered, including financial and hiring challenges. [6:37] How he got the financial resources together. Advice on saving beforehand, giving yourself a year's runway. Funding from start up accelerator programmes like NDRC, an early stage startup accelerator. [7:35] The value of mentoring and networking and the credibility being in the programme gives you. What unique value do you offer?Click To Tweet [12:40] Letting go of your original ideas, letting it change. The people who are succeeding are open to adapting as they understand their customer better. [13:45] Not falling in love with your “baby” too soon in case there is a better solution to the problem you’re trying to solve [15:40] The moment that made Omer take the chance and pursue his idea. Almost losing his life and the realisation that you have to do it. Life is too short. [14:35] Get out of the building and talk to people  Identify a problem that is worth solvingClick To Tweet Are you trying to build a vitamin or a painkiller? Click To Tweet [17:40] Being in business reveals your personal weaknesses and strengths. He discovered new parts to himself, new weaknesses and new strengths. [19:55] Once caught, the entrepreneurial bug, will always stay with you whether as an entrepreneur or intrapreneur in a corporate environment. [20:40] How the company replicates the culture of the founder. It’s important to understand that early on and build a strong culture early on in the business. [21:30] Knowing when to ask for help. [22:50] "Life is too short, just go and do it. What matters is the journey you go through."   Links to things mentioned in this episode curasy.com Twitter @omerkeser facebook.com/curasy instagram.com/curasy/ NDRC Guinness Enterprise Centre Innovation Academy

Entrepreneur, Sharon Keegan, and author, Dan O'Neill, reflect on taking the leap, picking yourself up after failure and not holding yourself back in this mini Innovation Academy alumni reunion! Key Takeaways [2:00] Reflections on the Innovation Academy post-graduate course on Innovation, Enterprise and Entrepreneurship [7:20] Don't be afraid of failure, it's all part of the process. Coming up with an idea, trying it and it not working. Dealing with negative thoughts and feeling disheartened. Recovering from that and moving forward.  [9:09] Balancing entrepreneurship with having children [13:35] Self publishing through “Create Space” from Amazon and what’s involved in that [14:30] "Don’t have to be the wolf of wall street or a certain personality type to be an entrepreneur”  Dan's tips to himself looking back - small goals and small steps help you achieve your bigger goals [18:56] Going Dragon’s Den with the Seed fund challenge - Selling bananas! [21:54] Play to your strengths [22:25] You’re the only person stopping yourselfClick To Tweet Put one foot in front of another and take the first step, or it’ll never happenClick To Tweet [25:07] There will always be people who don’t like your idea [27:00]Find what your passion is, make the decision, take one step and then the next. It'll all come together [28:10] Just startClick To Tweet [29:49] It'll never go anywhere if it’s just an idea in your head   Links to things mentioned in this episode UCD Innovation Academy Dan's Book "The Arc of History: Politics in the O'Bama Years" Create Space Amazon self publishing Sharon Keegan instagram Peachylean.com Peachylean facebook Guinness Enterprise Centre Wind-Up Merchantz comedy sketch videos

Seán Greif talks to us about how his experience living with a tribe in the Amazon rainforest inspired him to create an innovative approach to teaching the Irish language to kids. His award-winning startup, Moontour, combines his passion for the Irish language with adventure learning for an Irish class like no other. (In case you were wondering, "Is maith liom cáca milis” means "I like cake"!) Key Takeaways [1:49] The problem and Moontour's solution [6:14] The advantage of having the flexibility to test and try things out quickly. Test something as cheaply as possible and learn from it.  [8:14] The challenges faced along the way, including forming a team and creating a culture in line with the vision [10:39] Building a team and supporting them to enable them to deliver [12:00] What he would like to have known at the start, about handling uncertainty and the unknowns [13:16] Winning the European Language Label Award  [14:33] Advice for would-be entrepreneurs, how you can test your market  [15:39] Developing an online teaching model   Tweetables Go for it and try it out on a small scale..then scale up from thereClick To Tweet Minimize initial investment to test the watersClick To Tweet   Links to things mentioned in this episode Moontour.ie Moontour on facebook Moontour on YouTube Moontour on Twitter Moontour on Google+ European Language Label Awards

Lisa Ruttledge and Peter Harte tell us about their digestive health app, FoodMarble, which brings hospital technology to your mobile phone to solve a problem affecting 1 in 8 people. We talk about the highs and lows of startup life, how to maintain the vision and the importance of building a team around you.   Key Takeaways [2:10] How FoodMarble came about and what problem it's solving [6:20] Forming the team [10:25]  "I got a taste of what the start up life was like and just found it a bit addictive. I experienced the highest highs and lowest lows in my life but it felt very real and that I was completely engaged with what I was doing, possibly for the first time ever" [15:05] What some of the lowest lows were like, how Lisa recovered from them, turned it around and what she learned. "That passion and excitement gets a battering. When you take that first step things are really hard to do. Being prepared for that and knowing that you’re tough enough to take those hits" [24:20] The important of building a team around you and how it increases your enjoyment, shares the load and helps you cope with the challenges [26:00] Maintaining the long term vision and excitement [27:30] The importance of talking out your worries, how social media doesn’t always reflect what people or startups are really going through. [33:05] How you shouldn't be be afraid to share your idea. How the idea is just the very start. [35:45] The highs they've enjoyed "To see people all around the world in a couple of hours pre-ordering the device, I couldn’t get over it… all the work was coming to fruition" “Seeing potential users who have been suffering with those problems...and them saying this would change my life” “The highs that come from the feeling of being part of something that is bigger than just you” [47:30] Lisa and Peter's advice for would-be entrepreneurs “Nothing worth doing is easy” “Just do it and be ok with whatever the worst is that might happen” Tweetables There’s no better time than nowClick To Tweet 'Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.' - Robert Louis StevensonClick To Tweet You need to be creative like an artist but disciplined like a soliderClick To Tweet   Links to things mentioned in this episode Website https://foodmarble.com/ Social: https://www.facebook.com/foodmarble https://twitter.com/foodmarble https://www.instagram.com/foodmarble/ HAX Hardware accelerator

In our inaugural episode, Gary O'Toole and Andrew Turner talk to us about turning their passion for 5-a-side football and the problems they had with finding players into a successful mobile app. They went from tiling and teaching to tech startup and are here to tell us how they did it and how you can too.   Key Takeaways [01:45] How they got the idea and the problems they want to solve [02:46] What to do if you want to develop an app without having coding knowledge yourself [03:38] On making the transition to entrepreneur "I tiled during the day and read business books at night" [06:45] Dealing with the lows and how to keep the faith "we love proving people wrong"  "take every little win you can"   [13:00] The importance of recognising and celebrating the victories and wins [16:55] Focus on sales, marketing and the actual product, not just funding, when starting out [18:05] Find the right mentors [19:30] The advice they have for anyone wanting to become an entrepreneur [20:20] On worries about competition "don't worry about competition, it's healthy, it means there's a market, and there's a lot you can learn from it" Tweetables 'Make sure you're solving a problem' Click To Tweet 'If you don't have customers, you're nothing'Click To Tweet Links to things mentioned in this episode Enterprise Ireland New Frontiers Programme Email: support@kickaboutapp.com Website: https://www.kickaboutapp.com/ Facebook: facebook.com/thekickaboutapp/ Instagram: instagram.com/thekickaboutapp Twitter: twitter.com/kickabout_app