Business Builders

Conor Kearney
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I created Business Builders as a weekly interview series to have honest conversations with business owners, entrepreneurs, and investors about their journeys; their successes, setbacks, and the lessons they’ve learned along the way. As a growing business builder myself, I want to learn directly from my guests and share those insights with you. My goal is to provide listeners with practical takeaways, fresh perspectives, and real inspiration to help you on your own path to building and growing a business. 

  1. 6D AGO

    “You Don’t Need More Hustle, You Need This System” - Willie McMahon, EOS

    🔔🔔 Willie McMahon built, scaled, and sold a 45-person engineering business - then walked away to help other founders do it better. 🔔🔔 Willie is giving away 10 copies of the book Traction on a first come first served basis. If you’re running a company with between 10 - 250 employees, contact Willie to get your free copy: willie.mcmahon@eosworldwide.com Willie McMahon, EOS Implementer and founder of CalX (exited) joins Business Builders to share how he went from a one-man operation to building and exiting a scaling engineering business - and what he learned along the way. Starting with no plan, no funding, and no support network, Willie built a calibration and instrumentation business from scratch. What began as a solo operation grew into a 45-person company, navigating cash flow pressure, hiring challenges, and the realities of bootstrapping - before eventually merging and exiting. But the journey wasn’t smooth. Growth nearly broke the business multiple times. Hiring mistakes, cash constraints, and operational complexity forced hard decisions - including turning down major opportunities that could have destroyed everything. Willie shares how 90-day execution cycles and relentless problem-solving helped them scale - even before formally discovering EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System). The conversation dives into what actually drives business success: people, structure, and clarity. Willie explains why most problems are not what they seem, why founders are often the bottleneck, and how systems - not effort - create scalable companies. He also opens up about the emotional side of building and selling a business: risk, fear, responsibility, and the moment you realise you’re responsible for other people’s livelihoods. Now working with founders through EOS, Willie helps businesses break through growth ceilings, build stronger cultures, and create structure that enables freedom. This is a conversation about entrepreneurship, scaling, leadership, and building a business that actually works. “It's not the person - it's the system around them.” 🎧 In this episode, you’ll learn: How Willie built and scaled a business from 1 to 45 people  Why most businesses hit growth ceilings (and how to break through them)  The reality of bootstrapping and managing cash flow  Why hiring “another you” is a mistake  How to think about risk as a founder  Why short-term (90-day) thinking drives long-term growth  The importance of culture and hiring the right people  How to structure a business for scale  Why most problems are systems problems, not people problems  The emotional reality of selling a business  How EOS helps founders gain clarity, control, and freedom  Why you must grow as a person to grow your business ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 - Cold open  00:55 - Introducing Willie McMahon and EOS  02:00 - What calibration and instrumentation actually is  05:00 - Early career and falling into the industry  08:30 - The moment he decided to start his own business  11:00 - First hires and early hiring mistakes  14:30 - “I didn’t need another me”  16:00 - Bootstrapping and surviving on cash flow  18:00 - 90-day targets and early growth  21:00 - Becoming an employer and responsibility for people  23:00 - Turning down a huge opportunity  26:00 - Fear, risk, and decision-making as a founder  30:00 - Discovering EOS and business frameworks  33:00 - Why founders must grow to scale their business  37:00 - Building culture (and the fictional character hiring test)  42:00 - Merging the business and scaling rapidly  46:00 - Managing operations, hiring, and field teams  53:00 - Marketing tactics that actually worked  57:00 - Growth during COVID and scaling chall

    1h 36m

  2. MAR 30

    “There Is No Finish Line in Business” | Gowri Subramanian, Aspire Systems

    🔔🔔 Gowri Subramanian built a $200M global software company over 25 years - without venture capital 🔔🔔 Gowri Subramanian, CEO of Aspire Systems, joins Business Builders to share how he built and scaled a global technology services company from zero to $200M in revenue; entirely bootstrapped. What started as a group of seven friends with no clear plan or funding became a 4,500-person software and technology services business working with global enterprises across the US, Europe, and beyond. But the journey was slow and difficult. It took years to find product-market fit, pivot away from a non-scaling business model, and reach profitability. Gowri explains how Aspire evolved from an industrial engineering consultancy into a software product engineering company, a pivot that unlocked growth. Instead of raising venture capital, the company reinvested profits and used debt funding to scale, taking a long-term approach.  Moving from $10M to $100M required one set of capabilities; but, scaling beyond that meant competing with global firms like Accenture, Capgemini, and Infosys. Gowri shares why every stage requires a different company, strategy, and mindset. The conversation also explores AI and its impact on the software industry. Gowri explains why AI threatens traditional time-and-materials models, while also creating opportunities in legacy modernisation, enterprise transformation, and custom software. Beyond strategy, this episode dives into leadership, culture, and long-term thinking. Gowri shares why people and open feedback are critical to scaling, and why he’s focused on building a business for the long term - not for exit - including creating impact through philanthropy in India. This is a conversation about entrepreneurship, scaling, AI disruption, and building something that lasts. “Business is a rat race - there is no finish line.” 🎧 In this episode, you’ll learn: How Gowri built Aspire Systems into a $200M global company  Why the first 7 years of business were the hardest  The importance of pivoting when a business isn’t scaling  How to grow without venture capital  Why scaling from $100M to $200M is so difficult  What changes at each stage of growth  How to compete with global firms like Accenture and Infosys  The real impact of AI on software businesses  Why AI is both a threat and an opportunity  How culture and people drive success  The role of persistence over decades  Why teaching skills creates more impact than charity ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 - Cold open  00:55 - Introducing Gowri Subramanian and Aspire Systems  02:00 - What Aspire Systems does  05:00 - Moving from India to Singapore and Ireland  06:00 - Starting with no plan or funding  09:00 - 7 founders to 3  12:00 - Early business model and pivot  13:30 - Shutting down one business  14:30 - Road to profitability  18:00 - Early ambition  21:30 - Bootstrapping vs VC  22:30 - Growth to $100M  25:30 - Scaling challenges  27:30 - “Business is a rat race”  29:30 - AI and the future  34:30 - Culture and leadership  37:00 - Open feedback  40:00 - Founder mindset  47:30 - Angel investing  50:00 - India’s growth  59:30 - Philanthropy  01:05:00 - Long-term vision Topics covered: Entrepreneurship, scaling a business, bootstrapping, venture capital, AI and business, software industry, technology services, leadership, company culture, global expansion, startups, India economy, product engineering, long-term business building, philanthropy, founders

    1h 9m

  3. MAR 23

    Viva La Vulva! with Laura Dowling, fabÜ

    🔔🔔 Laura Dowling, founder of fabÜ, built a business by talking about topics most people avoid; and it changed everything 🔔🔔 Laura Dowling joins Business Builders to share how she turned women’s health - one of the most overlooked and under-discussed areas in healthcare - into a fast-growing brand, a platform, and a movement. What started as years of frustration working as a pharmacist and seeing women suffer in silence with issues no one was talking about, evolved into a business, a movement, and a platform for education. Laura explains how she spent over a decade developing formulations before launching fabÜ from her couch, without retail backing or a traditional business plan. By building an audience on Instagram and speaking openly about topics many considered taboo, she created demand first - and the business followed. Along the way, she uncovered something deeper: women’s health has been historically misunderstood, under-discussed, and often dismissed. From menopause to intimate health, many women simply aren’t given the language, knowledge, or confidence to understand their own bodies. In this episode, Laura shares how she turned that insight into a brand, a live show, and a bestselling book - all while staying true to her voice and refusing to sanitise the message. She also opens up about failure, launching without a plan, living with ADHD as a founder, and why building a business doesn’t always follow a straight line. This is a conversation about entrepreneurship, identity, and the power of saying the things no one else is willing to say. “People are embarassed  to talk about it - but that’s exactly why it matters.” 🎧 In this episode, you’ll learn: Why Laura started fabÜ and the problem she saw in women’s health  How she built a business without a traditional plan  The realities of launching a product with no retail backing  Why Instagram played a key role in growing her audience  How taboo topics became her biggest advantage  What women’s health issues are still not being talked about  How to build a brand by being unapologetically yourself  The role of ADHD in her entrepreneurial journey  Why founders should trust instinct over “perfect” market research  How purpose and mission can drive long-term business growth ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 - Cold open  00:55 - Introducing Laura Dowling and fabÜ  02:10 - Launching the business from her couch  05:30 - Preventative health vs “sick care”  08:45 - Building an audience on Instagram  14:00 - ADHD and the entrepreneurial mind  21:00 - Why we don’t talk about women’s health  24:45 - The talk that changed everything  27:30 - Turning taboo into a business  30:15 - Breaking stigma and building a brand  35:30 - Growing without a traditional plan  39:15 - Ask for forgiveness, not permission  43:15 - Trusting instinct over market research  53:00 - Hiring, team building and culture  01:00:00 - Asking for help and final advice Topics covered: Entrepreneurship, women’s health, fabÜ, supplements, startup founders, personal branding, Instagram marketing, ADHD and business, health education, building a brand, taboo topics, consumer products.

    1h 9m

  4. MAR 16

    From SAAS to Snacks with Jayne Ronayne (OAC Snacks | Talivest)

    My guest today is Jayne Ronayne, Co-Founder and CEO of OAC Snacks, an e-commerce company focusing on high protein snacks that are simple, delicious and made for real life.  Jayne previously founded employee experience platform Talivest, which raised over €3 million in its lifetime (from some very big named investors) and was acquired by the Australian tech company Go1 in 2022. In this chat, Jayne talks about: Why she’s turning her back on the business “holy grail” of SAAS, and getting into the difficult & competitive food industry  Starting and Growing Talivest to a successful exit Why she views being dyslexic as an advantage in business  Burnout, fund raising, and the importance of healthy food in our lives.  Much moreTopics covered: Entrepreneurship, SAAS, software companies, raising venture capital, food startups, OAC Snacks, protein snacks, food manufacturing, consumer brands, startup founders, healthy snack industry, product development, building a food brand.

    1h 6m

  5. MAR 9

    Building Silicon Republic: How Ann O’Dea Built One of Ireland’s Leading Tech Media Companies

    Ann O’Dea joins Business Builders for a wide-ranging conversation about entrepreneurship, technology, artificial intelligence, and building a media business at the dawn of the internet. As co-founder of Silicon Republic, Ann helped launch one of Ireland’s leading technology news platforms at a time when almost nobody was reading news online. Advertisers didn’t believe in digital media, the audience was tiny, and the future of the internet was still uncertain. Instead of waiting for the market to catch up, she built for where the world was going. From cycling floppy disks between newsrooms in the early days of digital publishing, to navigating the 2008 financial crash, media disruption, and the rise of AI and the modern tech industry, Ann explains what it takes to build and sustain a niche media company for more than 25 years. But this episode goes far beyond journalism. Ann reflects on the emotional reality of founding and running a business - worrying about payroll even decades into entrepreneurship, learning the hard lessons of hiring, and the importance of having a co-founder when building a startup. She also shares her views on the future of artificial intelligence, technology, and digital media, and why diversity in STEM is essential if we want the best minds solving the world’s biggest problems. This is a conversation about resilience, curiosity, leadership, and building a business that evolves alongside the technology shaping the modern world. 🎧 In this episode, you’ll learn: Why Ann launched Silicon Republic when almost nobody was onlineWhat it was like building a digital media startup in the early internet eraThe realities of entrepreneurship - even after 25 years in businessWhy having a co-founder can make or break a startupThe difference between chasing clicks and building real audiencesHow the 2008 financial crisis nearly destroyed the businessWhy curiosity is one of the most important traits in journalism and leadershipThe risks and opportunities of AI in media and technologyWhy purpose matters more than money for long-term entrepreneursWhy women in STEM are essential for the future of innovation⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 - The early days of the internet  01:17 - What Silicon Republic actually does as a business  05:22 - The realities of entrepreneurship  12:16 - Why founders should consider having a co-founder  17:53 - Why niche audiences beat clickbait  25:36 - Lessons from the 2008 financial crash  29:32 - Why purpose matters in business  31:46 - Hiring the right people  42:49 - The future of AI and technology  59:32 - Why women in STEM matters Topics covered: Entrepreneurship, startup leadership, Silicon Republic, technology journalism, artificial intelligence, AI and media, digital publishing, founders, building a media company, tech industry trends.

    1h 6m

  6. MAR 2

    John Teeling: The Man Who Helped Revive Irish Whiskey

    John Teeling joins Business Builders for a candid, wide-ranging conversation about risk, resilience, and the 20-year bet that helped revive Irish whiskey.  When John entered the industry in the 1980s, Irish whiskey had fallen to under 2% of the global market. Consolidated into a struggling monopoly and written off by many, it looked like a declining category.  Instead of walking away, he built.  From buying a shuttered chemical plant in Dundalk and installing second-hand pot stills, to navigating bank loan recalls, political pressure, and years without meaningful profit, John explains what it really took to build Cooley Distillery; and why the payoff took nearly two decades.  But this episode goes far beyond whiskey.  John shares lessons from decades in mining, resources, and investing, where high risk doesn’t mean high reward, but high probability of loss. He breaks down the difference between risk and uncertainty, why “the Euro is an orphan,” and why unsophisticated investors should never be in speculative markets.  This is a conversation about long-term conviction, imposter syndrome, stubborn belief, and building businesses that outlast downturns.  At 80 years old, John reflects on endurance, energy, family, legacy, and what it really means to take responsibility when you persuade others to back your vision. 🎧 In this episode, you’ll learn: - Why Irish whiskey collapsed - and how it came back - What it takes to break a monopoly - The difference between risk and uncertainty - Why high risk usually means high loss - How to build a distillery from scratch - What investors get wrong about speculative markets - The psychological cost of entrepreneurship - Why you don’t need to love the product to build the business - How patience compounds over decades - What most founders misunderstand about conviction ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 - Why banks shouldn’t accept uncertainty  01:23 - Growing up in Dublin and early responsibility  17:06 - The £1 million target by 40  24:18 - “A euro is an orphan”  33:10 - How mining companies are really funded  46:30 - The failed takeover of Irish Distillers  58:15 - Buying a plant “for bottles”  01:00:14 - “I sold women’s knickers…”  01:02:17 - 20 years before real profit  01:08:18 - “The value of a half-built hole is zero”  01:13:16 - Energy, longevity and playing rugby at 60

    1h 23m

  7. FEB 23

    The business of saving lives – Evelyn Kelly on how Orphan Drugs actually reach patients

    Evelyn Kelly joins Business Builders for a powerful conversation about rare disease medicine, scaling a global consultancy, and what it really means to build a business with purpose. From starting at her kitchen table in 2017 with no formal plan, to growing Orphan Drug Consulting from €250,000 to €5 million in just four years, Evelyn shares how she built a specialist pharma consultancy that has helped over 70 companies launch medicines in more than 100 countries. But this isn’t just a growth story. Evelyn works in the world of orphan drugs — treatments for rare diseases, many of which affect children. With over 7,000 rare diseases globally and fewer than 10% having approved treatments, she explains the regulatory, commercial and supply chain realities behind getting life-saving medicines to patients. The conversation explores what most people never see: clinical trial constraints, reimbursement battles across Europe, US pricing pressure, post-Brexit complexity, and the volatility currently hitting the biotech investment market. Alongside the technical depth, Evelyn reflects on leadership — absorbing hard feedback, building processes that allow scale, being responsible for other people’s livelihoods, and why managing risk isn’t about fear, but about stability. This episode is a grounded, high-level look at the intersection of purpose and process — and what it takes to build a resilient business in one of the most complex industries in the world. 🎧 In this episode, you’ll learn: – What orphan drugs actually are — and why they matter  – How rare disease medicines get from lab to patient  – Why Europe is becoming less viable for pharma launches  – The real commercial realities behind life-saving drugs  – How to scale from €250k to €5m without losing control  – Why process matters more than headcount  – The leadership lessons from absorbing difficult feedback  – How to manage risk without limiting growth  – Why branding and integrity go hand in hand  – What volatility in the US means for global pharma ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – “We got that medicine to a child”  01:07 – What orphan drugs actually are  07:01 – Cystic fibrosis and Ireland’s unique prevalence  18:12 – Starting at the kitchen table in 2017  20:20 – Scaling from €250k to €5m  21:38 – Why process is the key to growth  26:59 – The BBC story that made it real  31:16 – Integrity vs selling what clients ask for  34:36 – Learning leadership the hard way  38:39 – Leadership for Growth and putting a board in place  52:26 – Why pharma investment has slowed  55:07 – Rolling with the curveball  58:07 – Avoiding burnout as an entrepreneur 🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.  👇 Full episode link in the comments.

    1 hr

  8. FEB 16

    Michelle Walshe: The Summer That Nearly Broke Our €50M Business

    Michelle Walsh joins Business Builders for a grounded, honest conversation about scaling a family business, navigating relentless growth, and learning the hard lessons that only come from being in the arena. From unexpectedly stepping into a food manufacturing business straight off a flight home, to helping grow RibWorld from €7 million to nearly €50 million in turnover, Michelle shares what it really takes to lead through expansion, crisis, and eventual exit. Over nine intense years, she helped build a 250-person operation supplying major supermarkets across Ireland, the UK, and Germany — all while learning first-hand how easy it is to lose control when growth outpaces structure. Rather than glamorising scale, Michelle reflects on the summer that nearly broke the business — when booming demand exposed weak controls, poor management information, and the cost of avoiding the “hard stuff.” That experience reshaped how she thinks about leadership, information, delegation, and strategic planning. The conversation moves through succession in family businesses, the emotional complexity of selling a company built over generations, the stress of private equity due diligence during Covid, and the personal toll of running a high-pressure operation in a volatile industry. Now working with founder-led and family businesses, Michelle brings that lived experience into advisory — helping business owners step out of operational firefighting, build real management teams, and regain control of the numbers that actually drive profit. This episode is a practical and deeply human look at what scaling really demands — and why facing the hard decisions early can save you years of pain later. 🎧 In this episode, you’ll learn: – Why rapid growth can quietly destroy profitability  – The hidden risk of not having real management information  – How founders become the bottleneck in their own business  – Why building a management team is harder than scaling revenue  – The emotional and financial realities of selling a family business  – What private equity due diligence actually looks like  – Why gross margin by customer matters more than revenue  – The danger of overconfidence in leadership  – How to step out of day-to-day firefighting and think strategically  – The importance of facing the “hard stuff” before it becomes a crisis ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – The summer that changed everything  02:10 – Michelle’s advisory work with family businesses  09:30 – Growing RibWorld from €7m to €50m  13:15 – Moving factories and scaling under pressure  29:00 – Losing control during peak demand  31:00 – Installing systems that track profit daily  32:20 – Why founders default to operational firefighting  38:50 – What do you actually want from your business?  46:06 – Why the family decided to sell  49:30 – The emotional aftermath of the sale  52:17 – Private equity, Covid, and extreme due diligence  56:34 – Why meat is a brutally competitive industry  1:14:05 – The two biggest problems in SMEs  1:19:21 – Michelle’s biggest personal leadership lesson 🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.  👇 Full episode link in the comments.

    1h 24m
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About

I created Business Builders as a weekly interview series to have honest conversations with business owners, entrepreneurs, and investors about their journeys; their successes, setbacks, and the lessons they’ve learned along the way. As a growing business builder myself, I want to learn directly from my guests and share those insights with you. My goal is to provide listeners with practical takeaways, fresh perspectives, and real inspiration to help you on your own path to building and growing a business. 

Information

  • Creator
    Conor Kearney
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    132
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Business Builders
  • Show Website
    Business Builders

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