02: I Have a Degree in Losing Money

John Corcoran from Davenham Switchgear has seen his share of financial highs and lows. He shares some brutal truths. Sami Kokkomäki from switch manufacturer Katko talks about why you would need to shut the power off and fast.

In our second episode we hear the gritty truth about running a business during boom and bust

• Jumping from a safe job to your own business
• How to clear an overdraft fast
• One thing to consider before borrowing five million
• Getting paid on time
• When expansion is good and when it is not

John Corcoran is MD of Davenham Switchgear, the largest panel builder in the Republic of Ireland. It’s providing power solutions for all those data centres you see sprouting up across the country. The wholly-owned Irish company is based in Clondalkin and celebrates its 40th birthday next year. 50% of its output is now exported to destinations like the Middle East and Tokyo. John’s led the troops through some extremely tough times having initially founded the company from the ashes of a previous firm, to raising the phoenix from the flames of the recession.
Davenham Switchgear

Sami Kokkomäki is sales director for Katko’s European and American division. The Finnish company is an isolator and switches manufacturer and what Sami doesn’t know about switches isn’t worth knowing. All that and he speaks four languages.
Sami on Linkedin

The Switched On podcast is produced by dustpod.ie for Demesne Electrical