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. 10h ago

    €50m Turnover in 5 Years | Liam Kearney, Revive Group

    THE ROOM | 23 OCTOBER 2026 Theme: Belief Applications are now open for a limited number of places at the first gathering of The Room. Attendance is limited to experienced business owners and investors and is subject to approval. Join me for a private morning of live interviews with Vincent Carton, former CEO of Manor Farm, and Nick Keegan, Founder & CEO of Mail Metrics, exploring the role belief has played in their businesses and lives, followed by audience Q&A. Nothing is recorded. Friday, 23 October | 10am–12pm | Windmill QTR, Dublin Tickets are €285 + VAT. Find out more and book your place: https://www.theroom.salon/event ------------------------ Liam Kearney explains why the most successful businesses are often built in industries nobody talks about, why entrepreneurs should think five and even ten years ahead, and how the lessons he learned from financial collapse, corporate burnout and personal tragedy helped him build Revive Group into one of Ireland's fastest-growing manufacturing companies. Liam Kearney joins Business Builders to share the story of building Revive Group from the ground up, transforming decades of experience in specialist municipal engineering into a global manufacturing and technology business that expects to exceed €50 million in turnover this year, with ambitions to surpass €100 million in the next three years and eventually reach half a billion euro in revenue. Liam reflects on losing a successful business during the financial crisis, being forced to leave Ireland, rebuilding his career in Denmark and ultimately returning home to start again. He explains why corporate life almost destroyed his entrepreneurial spirit, why he deliberately chose an industry that remains resilient during economic downturns, and how Revive is evolving from a traditional manufacturer into a data-driven technology company. The conversation also explores Liam's experiences growing up with dyslexia, being told he'd never achieve anything, and losing both of his parents in separate accidents. He discusses how those experiences shaped his ambition, why he isn't motivated by money, the importance of building world-class teams, and why creating opportunities for people through employability initiatives has become one of the most meaningful aspects of his leadership journey. This is a conversation about entrepreneurship, manufacturing, engineering, leadership, resilience, scaling, industrial technology, data, innovation, globalization, dyslexia, ambition, founder mindset, team building, employability, Irish industry, personal tragedy, business failure, corporate culture and building global businesses from rural Ireland. "My reward is success. Taking something that didn't exist and turning it into a global organization." 🎧 In this episode, you'll learn: • How Liam rebuilt his career after losing a successful business during the financial crisis • Why he left corporate life to become an entrepreneur again • How Revive Group grew into a business approaching €50 million in annual turnover • Why sewer infrastructure became the foundation of a global manufacturing company • Why Liam deliberately chose an industry that can survive any economic downturn • How Revive is transitioning from manufacturing equipment to harvesting and monetizing data • Why the best founders think five and even ten years ahead • How dyslexia shaped Liam's approach to business and leadership • Why Liam believes success has nothing to do with money • How personal tragedy strengthened his determination to build something meaningful ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 - Cold open 00:39 - What is Revive Group? 02:20 - Liam's previous business and the financial crash 04:09 - The story of buying a chicken factory on a train 07:16 - Losing a successful business 08:28 - Rebuilding in Denmark 15:40 - Why corporate life almost broke him 17:59 - Thinking five and ten years ahead 19:28 - Starting Revive Group during Covid 20:42 - Why data is more valuable than the machines 23:04 - Choosing a recession-proof industry 24:12 - Building the Warrior Project 25:34 - Building a world-class leadership team 27:06 - Do CEOs need technical expertise? 30:11 - Why Liam brought the business back to Ireland 32:56 - Building completely off-grid factories 33:19 - The Danish manufacturing model 38:04 - Growing towards €50 million in turnover 40:01 - The biggest challenge: cash 46:10 - Transitioning from manufacturing to data 55:17 - Where ambition comes from 57:49 - Growing up with dyslexia 01:01:14 - Why money doesn't motivate Liam 01:01:50 - Losing both parents in separate accidents 01:05:25 - Leadership, employability and giving back 01:12:01 - The three things Liam is most proud of 01:16:08 - The personal cost of ambition 01:17:14 - Advice for his younger self 01:21:50 - The Enterprise Ireland programme that changed his thinking Topics covered: Entrepreneurship, Liam Kearney, Revive Group, manufacturing, engineering, industrial technology, sewer infrastructure, municipal engineering, leadership, resilience, scaling, business growth, globalization, data, Industry 4.0, entrepreneurship in Ireland, founder mindset, dyslexia, employability, team building, innovation, Denmark, Irish manufacturing, business failure, ambition, leadership development, Enterprise Ireland.

  2. Aug 10

    From Professional Rugby To Building A €100m+ Business | Shane Leahy, Oxygen8

    Shane Leahy explains why rapid growth can become one of a business's biggest challenges, why great leaders build teams around their own weaknesses, and how the lessons he learned building Oxygen8 into a €100m+ global technology group are now helping him scale humanitarian aid in some of the world's most dangerous conflict zones. Shane Leahy joins Business Builders to share his journey from professional rugby into telecoms and entrepreneurship, eventually helping grow Oxygen8 from a €30 million business into a global technology group generating more than €100 million in turnover, with operations spanning Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Australia, the US and beyond. Shane reflects on the leadership lessons he carried from professional sport into business, why different people require completely different styles of management, and how recognising his own weaknesses helped him build stronger teams around him. He also discusses the challenges created by rapid international growth, a fraud of more than $10 million that forced the group to restructure, the importance of learning from failure, and why putting the right management structures in place became essential as Oxygen8 scaled. The conversation also explores Shane's decision to step back from the day-to-day running of his businesses and establish One for Humanity. Using the same proof-of-concept and scaling principles he learned in business, Shane and his team have helped establish 19 hospital units along the front lines in Ukraine and deliver more than $200 million worth of medicine, while also supporting humanitarian projects in Gaza and elsewhere. This is a conversation about entrepreneurship, leadership, professional sport, scaling, international business, failure, resilience, team building, self-awareness, humanitarian aid, purpose, Ukraine, Gaza, technology, organisational structure, founder mindset, and using business experience to make an impact far beyond business. "You learn a hell of a lot more from your failures than you do from the successes." 🎧 In this episode, you'll learn: • How Shane went from professional rugby into business and telecoms • How Oxygen8 grew from €30 million to more than €100 million in turnover • Why Shane believes great leaders need to manage different people differently • How to identify your weaknesses and build a team that complements them • Why rapid growth can expose weaknesses in a company's structure • How Oxygen8 responded after suffering a fraud of more than $10 million • Why failure can teach you more than success • How Shane applied business principles to humanitarian aid • How One for Humanity helped establish 19 hospital units in Ukraine • Why Shane believes simply showing up for people can make a profound difference ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 - Cold open 01:18 - What is Oxygen8? 04:17 - From professional rugby to business 06:38 - What rugby taught Shane about leadership 08:19 - Building a team around your weaknesses 11:06 - Why failure teaches you more than success 11:58 - The challenges of building a global business 12:19 - The $10 million fraud that changed Oxygen8 14:51 - When rapid growth becomes a problem 16:09 - Expanding across the world 19:14 - The opportunity in mobile payments 20:27 - Setting goals for growth 22:09 - Stepping back from the business 22:57 - Why Shane became involved in Ukraine 25:08 - Scaling One for Humanity 28:19 - Finding a new purpose in life 30:14 - Building frontline hospital units 32:03 - Delivering millions of dollars of medicine every month 32:57 - Taking the humanitarian model into Gaza 37:12 - Learning from failure in humanitarian work 38:34 - What life is like on the Ukrainian front line 41:21 - Why Shane continues to put himself in danger 43:12 - Hope and determination in Ukraine 46:51 - Applying a business mindset to humanitarian aid 54:29 - How the experience changed Shane's perspective on life 56:45 - Ireland's position in an increasingly uncertain world 01:05:38 - "It's the best thing I've ever done" 01:07:08 - The final message from Shane's father Topics covered: Entrepreneurship, Shane Leahy, Oxygen8, leadership, professional rugby, business growth, scaling, international business, telecoms, mobile payments, Africa, team building, organisational culture, management, resilience, failure, founder mindset, self-awareness, business strategy, One for Humanity, humanitarian aid, Ukraine, Gaza, frontline medicine, purpose, technology, Irish business.

  3. Aug 3

    How To Build A Business That Survives Anything | Pat Byrne, CityJet

    Pat Byrne explains why great businesses fail when leaders stop challenging themselves, why resilience matters more than avoiding failure, and how CityJet evolved from a small challenger airline into one of Europe's leading regional aviation operators. Pat Byrne joins Business Builders to share the story of founding CityJet, transforming it from a startup airline challenging the Dublin–London monopoly into an international aviation business that grew to operate almost 50 aircraft across Europe through innovative wet leasing partnerships with some of the world's largest airlines. Pat reflects on building and selling multiple businesses over a career spanning more than five decades, including Cornmarket and CityJet, recounts how a cold call to Richard Branson led to a partnership with Virgin, and explains why the biggest breakthroughs often come from challenging conventional thinking. He also discusses surviving constant crises in aviation, overcoming failure, building customer relationships instead of transactions, creating high-performing teams, avoiding the dangers of groupthink, and why the most successful founders never stop transforming themselves or their businesses. This is a conversation about entrepreneurship, aviation, leadership, resilience, transformation, business strategy, innovation, customer experience, scaling, organisational culture, founder mindset, sales, marketing, change management, and building businesses that can survive constant uncertainty. "The real risk is not being prepared to take one." 🎧 In this episode, you'll learn: • How Pat built CityJet from a startup into a major European regional airline  • The cold call that led to a partnership with Richard Branson and Virgin  • Why the airline industry is one of the hardest businesses in the world  • How one customer conversation transformed Cornmarket into a market leader  • Why selling is about relationships, not transactions  • How to lead teams through constant uncertainty and crisis  • Why founders become prisoners of consensus—and how to avoid it  • The dangers of groupthink in business  • How Pat approaches failure and bounces back from setbacks  • Why great businesses are built through continuous transformation ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 - Cold open  00:56 - Building CityJet from scratch  04:28 - Why airlines are such difficult businesses  06:37 - Surviving constant crisis as a founder  11:00 - Building Cornmarket from one customer insight  18:16 - Why relationships beat transactions in business  20:01 - Selling Cornmarket and starting again  23:15 - Challenging convention and avoiding groupthink  24:34 - How Pat partnered with Richard Branson  31:24 - The mindset behind making bold decisions  40:09 - Selling CityJet to Air France  43:52 - Why Pat returned to CityJet years later  53:04 - Building a career through transformation  56:33 - Pat's philosophy on failure and resilience  59:11 - Helping businesses transform today  01:11:44 - Final thoughts Topics covered: Entrepreneurship, CityJet, aviation, airlines, Richard Branson, Virgin, Cornmarket, leadership, resilience, business strategy, transformation, sales, customer relationships, marketing, innovation, founder mindset, scaling, organisational culture, failure, risk-taking, change management, consulting, business growth, Irish business.

  4. Jul 27

    How We Scaled From €3M To €20M By Starting Over | Oltian Dervishi, Forte Pespa

    Oltian Dervishi explains why every growing business eventually hits a ceiling, why founders must keep taking risks long after they've found success, and how Forte Pespa transformed itself from a traditional contractor into one of Ireland's fastest-growing offsite manufacturers. Oltian Dervishi joins Business Builders to share the story of building Forte Pespa from a small construction business into Ireland's largest aluminium balcony manufacturer, growing from €3 million to €20 million in turnover after completely reinventing the company and its business model. Oltian reflects on the difficult early years of entrepreneurship, including going nine months without taking a salary, explains why rebuilding the business from scratch became the only way to scale, and shares the lessons that transformed both his leadership and the company's trajectory. He discusses the importance of timing, learning through failure, hiring ahead of growth, building a culture driven by hunger rather than credentials, taking on private equity, and surrounding yourself with people who force you to think much bigger than you thought possible. This is a conversation about entrepreneurship, manufacturing, leadership, innovation, scaling, risk-taking, company culture, hiring, private equity, business strategy, offsite construction, and building a high-growth manufacturing business from Ireland. "You can't teach hunger." 🎧 In this episode, you'll learn: • How Forte Pespa grew from €3 million to €20 million by reinventing its entire business • Why every growing business eventually reaches a ceiling—and how to break through it • The advice from Oltian's father that completely changed how he thinks about risk • Why going nine months without a salary was worth it • How failure became his greatest business teacher • Why ambition matters more than talent • How hiring ahead of growth helped the business scale faster • Why the best founders learn to let go of control • How private equity accelerated Forte Pespa's next stage of growth • Why surrounding yourself with bigger thinkers changes your own ambitions ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 - Cold open 01:18 - What is Forte Pespa? 02:17 - The €3 million ceiling that changed everything 05:42 - Finding the opportunity that started the business 07:13 - Landing the first €1 million contract 08:10 - Surviving without a salary 11:02 - Why timing is everything in business 12:13 - Rebuilding the company from scratch 15:17 - Lessons from Oltian's father 16:21 - Why entrepreneurship beat the 9-to-5 18:02 - Why ambition matters more than talent 19:16 - Learning through failure 22:15 - Hiring before you can afford to 26:07 - Why every team needs spare capacity 27:22 - Reinventing the business to scale 30:16 - Growing from €3 million to €20 million 34:08 - Building a leadership team 36:15 - Creating a winning company culture 37:16 - Why Oltian hires for hunger, not CVs 40:25 - Controlling the entire supply chain 43:00 - Thinking bigger after EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 45:59 - Building a business that's impossible to compete with 48:18 - Why success hasn't changed his mindset 50:10 - Final thoughts Topics covered: Entrepreneurship, business growth, scaling, manufacturing, offsite construction, innovation, leadership, founders, company culture, hiring, ambition, risk-taking, failure, private equity, operations, strategy, engineering, construction, aluminium, supply chain, acquisitions, productivity, Irish business, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year, Forte Pespa.

  5. Jul 20

    From CTO to CEO | John Corley, Spanish Point Technologies

    John Corley explains why great products still fail, why ambition matters more than most founders realise, and how Spanish Point Technologies became a global software company powering the music industry. John Corley joins Business Builders to share the story of building Spanish Point Technologies from a small Irish software consultancy into an international technology company employing more than 120 people, generating €27 million in annual revenue, and providing the software behind music royalty systems across the world. John reflects on the costly lessons learned after investing millions into a product that received a standing ovation from Microsoft but ultimately failed commercially, and explains why distribution, market focus and go-to-market strategy matter just as much as building a great product. He also discusses bootstrapping for nearly two decades, transitioning from services to software products, embracing AI to solve real-world problems, preserving company culture during rapid growth, and why founders shouldn't be afraid to think much bigger than they're comfortable admitting. This is a conversation about entrepreneurship, software, AI, leadership, product strategy, scaling, company culture, ambition, bootstrapping, and building a global technology business from Ireland. "Building a great product isn't enough." 🎧 In this episode, you'll learn: • How Spanish Point Technologies grew into a €27 million global software business • Why a standing ovation from Microsoft still wasn't enough to make a product succeed • The difference between building a great product and building a great business • Why bootstrapping helped shape the company's long-term success • How AI is transforming the music industry and royalty payments • Why founders need the confidence to think and communicate more ambitiously • How to scale a business without losing its culture • Why hiring curious people beats hiring experienced people • How John transitioned from CTO to CEO after twenty years • Why some of the most valuable business lessons come from failure ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 - Cold open 01:28 - What is Spanish Point Technologies? 05:03 - Is AI changing software forever? 07:02 - Using AI to transform the music industry 14:12 - How the music software business began 17:11 - Bootstrapping the company from day one 18:50 - Winning Microsoft's Worldwide Partner of the Year 21:42 - Turning down venture capital 22:55 - Building products instead of selling services 24:05 - The €3 million product that failed 26:42 - The lessons that changed the business forever 28:15 - Building software for the global music industry 31:44 - Learning to think bigger as a founder 33:52 - Hiring and developing great people 37:23 - Scaling culture as the company grows 38:49 - Becoming CEO after twenty years as CTO 41:03 - Leadership without changing who you are 43:33 - Learning confidence and public speaking 46:59 - What entrepreneurs have in common 48:28 - Growing the company through ambition 49:29 - Why Spanish Point took private equity investment 52:09 - Starting the business with no investors 55:04 - What's next for Spanish Point Technologies? Topics covered: Entrepreneurship, software, SaaS, AI, artificial intelligence, leadership, scaling, business growth, founders, bootstrapping, software engineering, Microsoft, startups, company culture, hiring, CTO, CEO, product strategy, go-to-market strategy, music industry, music royalties, digital transformation, private equity, Irish business, Spanish Point Technologies.

  6. Jul 13

    How An Irish Entrepreneur Cracked The American Market | Dermot O’Shea, Taoglas

    Dermot O’Shea explains why sales beats fundraising, why America rewards ambitious founders, and how he built Taoglas into a $100 million global technology company. Dermot O’Shea joins Business Builders to share the remarkable story of building Taoglas from a two-person startup into a global leader in antenna technology, employing more than 350 people across ten international locations and generating over $100 million in annual revenue. After starting the business with little more than determination, supportive families and a relentless focus on sales and cashflow, Dermot explains why he ignored the startup obsession with fundraising and instead concentrated on winning customers. He reflects on breaking into the American market, why the US business culture helped accelerate Taoglas’ growth, and why resilience has been the defining characteristic of his entrepreneurial journey. Dermot also discusses building a high-performance culture, hiring people who believe in your vision, dealing with toxic employees, trusting your instincts as a leader, transitioning to private equity ownership, and why purpose - not money - is what continues to drive him more than twenty years into the business. This is a conversation about entrepreneurship, sales, resilience, leadership, company culture, global expansion, private equity, purpose, and building a business that lasts. “We were focused on selling. Everyone else was focused on fundraising.” 🎧 In this episode, you’ll learn: • How Dermot built Taoglas into a $100 million global technology business  • Why sales and cashflow mattered more than fundraising in the early years  • How an Irish company successfully expanded into the American market  • The biggest differences between doing business in Europe and the US  • Why resilience is one of an entrepreneur’s greatest competitive advantages  • How to build trust with customers and win long sales cycles  • Why company culture becomes more important as your business grows  • How to identify and deal with toxic employees  • What Dermot learned from partnering with private equity  • Why purpose becomes more important than money over time ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 - Cold open  01:06 - What is Taoglas?  04:42 - How Taoglas was founded in Taiwan  09:54 - Winning the first customers  14:16 - Starting with no salary and no funding  17:12 - Growing from $1M to $100M  18:21 - When nobody believed the business would succeed  20:52 - Why sales beats fundraising  22:22 - Why great sales is built on trust  25:23 - Expanding into America  28:29 - Europe vs America: two very different business cultures  35:22 - The mindset America taught Dermot  41:41 - Growing from two people to 350 employees  43:47 - Why toxic employees can destroy a company  49:42 - Resilience as a founder’s greatest strength  53:00 - Working less and leading differently  55:09 - Money, purpose and private equity  01:03:00 - Why Dermot may never retire Topics covered: Entrepreneurship, sales, business growth, scaling, leadership, resilience, company culture, startups, founders, cashflow, fundraising, global expansion, American business, European business, private equity, acquisitions, manufacturing, technology, Taoglas, antenna technology, B2B sales, customer trust, CEO mindset, hiring, business strategy, Irish business.

  7. Jul 6

    Your Business Can’t Outgrow The Leader You’re Willing To Become | Brendan Mcgurgan, Simple Scaling

    🔔🔔 Brendan McGurgan explains why your business can’t outgrow the leader you’re willing to become; and why scaling starts with self growth first 🔔🔔 Brendan McGurgan joins Business Builders to share the lessons from scaling CDE Global from a 15-person engineering company into a global market leader operating across six continents, before founding Simple Scaling to help ambitious business owners grow with purpose. After spending nearly two decades leading one of Northern Ireland’s biggest business success stories, Brendan now coaches founders on the mindset, systems and leadership required to build companies that can scale beyond their dependence on the owner. He explains why most founders become the bottleneck in their own business, why delegation is a leadership skill rather than a management tactic, and why your business will only ever grow as far as you do. Brendan also reflects on navigating the global financial crisis, building a culture that thrives through adversity, creating a compelling vision that people genuinely want to follow, and why success should never come at the expense of your health, relationships or sense of purpose. This is a conversation about leadership, scaling, mindset, culture, delegation, purpose, and building a business that creates lasting impact. “Leaders will only ever scale to the ceiling of their own belief system.” 🎧 In this episode, you’ll learn:  • How Brendan helped scale CDE Global from 15 people to a global business  • The mindset shifts every founder must make to keep growing  • Why founders become trapped working in their business instead of on it • The power of delegation, systems and eliminating low-value work • How to build a culture that thrives through uncertainty and change • What the global financial crisis taught Brendan about leadership • Why vision is one of a leader’s most important responsibilities • How to inspire people by connecting business goals to personal goals • Why every stage of growth creates new challenges • How to scale without sacrificing your health, relationships or wellbeing • Why purpose-driven businesses create greater long-term impact ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – Cold open  01:57 – What is Simple Scaling?  04:27 – Why founders become trapped in their own business  08:09 – Delegation, systems and your zone of genius  10:25 – The mindset that stops founders scaling  13:13 – Why leadership starts with changing yourself  17:28 – Scaling CDE Global from 15 people to a global business  21:22 – Leading through the global financial crisis  27:08 – The principles behind successful scaling  30:05 – How to inspire people with a compelling vision  36:17 – Creating long-term business vision  44:05 – Where founders get stuck  49:39 – Every level has a new devil  51:33 – Balancing business with family life  01:00:27 – Why Brendan founded Simple Scaling  01:10:02 – Why you have an obligation to scale  01:12:16 – Where to learn more Topics covered: Scaling, business growth, leadership, founder mindset, entrepreneurship, SMEs, delegation, business systems, company culture, vision, purpose, leadership development, personal growth, scaling businesses, coaching, change management, resilience, business strategy, founder bottlenecks, Northern Ireland business, CDE Global, Simple Scaling, scale-ups, high-performance teams, business leadership

  8. Jun 29

    How to Build a Business That Survives Every Crisis | Charlie Hamilton, Canadia Flooring

    🔔🔔 Charlie Hamilton explains how he led a business through the financial crash and Covid; and why the best leaders never stop dealing with reality 🔔🔔 Charlie Hamilton joins Business Builders to share the story of Canadia Flooring, one of Ireland’s leading flooring suppliers, and the leadership lessons he’s learned from three decades of building the business. Starting as an accountant before joining the company in its earliest days, Charlie worked his way from sales to Managing Director before eventually completing a management buyout and becoming owner. Along the way, he led the business through the global financial crisis, expanded into the UK when the Irish market collapsed, and later navigated the uncertainty of Covid. Charlie explains why he believes the most dangerous thing a leader can do is ignore reality, why surrounding yourself with experienced people matters, and how building the right team has been the foundation of Canadia Flooring’s success. He also reflects on the management buyout process, the importance of independent boards for SMEs, finding work you genuinely enjoy, and why entrepreneurship is often about spotting opportunities that others don’t see. This is a conversation about leadership, resilience, long-term thinking, business growth, and building a company that lasts. “The real danger is that you don’t deal in reality, and you don’t deal with the facts that are in front of you.” 🎧 In this episode, you’ll learn: • How Charlie grew from accountant to owner of Canadia Flooring  • The lessons from leading through the financial crisis and Covid  • Why expanding into the UK transformed the business  • The reality of completing a management buyout (MBO)  • Why good advice is worth paying for  • How an independent board helped grow the company  • Why entrepreneurs see opportunities differently  • How to build a resilient leadership team  • Why listening to customers is a competitive advantage  • The importance of planning years ahead, not just months  • Why doing work you genuinely enjoy changes everything  • What the next decade looks like for Canadia Flooring ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 - Cold open  01:03 - Introducing Charlie Hamilton and Canadia Flooring  02:41 - The story behind Canadia Flooring  09:25 - Building a nationwide business  11:22 - From accountant to flooring  13:16 - Becoming Managing Director before the financial crash  14:35 - Surviving the recession by expanding into the UK  16:09 - Finding work you genuinely love  18:12 - The confidence to lead  22:24 - Leading through crisis  25:06 - Why EO and great advisors matter  27:25 - Why every SME should consider a board  29:39 - Listening to customers  35:30 - Completing the management buyout  42:39 - Becoming an entrepreneur  44:40 - The future of Canadia Flooring  48:46 - 30 years in business  49:41 - Where to learn more Topics covered: Entrepreneurship, leadership, management buyouts, MBO, business growth, SMEs, Irish business, family business, recession, financial crisis, Covid, resilience, leadership mindset, boards, governance, strategy, customer experience, sales, scaling a business, construction, flooring, importing, entrepreneurship in Ireland, Canadia Flooring, business ownership, founder mindset

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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
    150
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Business Builders
  • Show Website
    Business Builders

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