Former model turned entrepreneur Sara Kavanagh talks about building a brand in the competitive beauty business.

When did you first have the idea for MudPie Beauty?
When I left school, I studied and worked as a beauty therapist for many years. I’ve always had a love for the beauty industry. I knew that one day I would love to open my own business and in 2011 I found the perfect location for the business model I had in mind. The location and serene setting went hand in hand with the ideas I had to design and brand the business.
How much time did you spend business planning before you opened?
Too much. Probably a year or more. I was working day and night. 
What makes you stand out from your competitors?
Our brand identity stands out. My goal was to be different from the rest. Our setting and interior is very different to what you would find in most beauty salons. We’ve created a warm and welcoming environment in a cosy and quaint surrounding amidst the hustle and bustle of Dundrum Town Centre. Our staff is also key to our business. They’re highly professional, helpful and happy, and in turn customers see the quality of treatments and respect the advice they give. 
“Determination is key. If you’re not willing to sacrifice your time your business won’t work.”
What are you most proud of since MudPie Beauty opened? 
It has to be winning Retailer of the Year in Dundrum Town Centre for 2016/2017. It is based on reports from secret shoppers. I couldn’t be happier. I still can’t wipe the smile off my face. 
What is the toughest part of running a business? 
The toughest part is the work load. I work constantly but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I thrive on being busy and building the business. 
You’ve leveraged your own personal brand and the

Former model turned entrepreneur Sara Kavanagh talks about building a brand in the competitive beauty business.

When did you first have the idea for MudPie Beauty?
When I left school, I studied and worked as a beauty therapist for many years. I’ve always had a love for the beauty industry. I knew that one day I would love to open my own business and in 2011 I found the perfect location for the business model I had in mind. The location and serene setting went hand in hand with the ideas I had to design and brand the business.
How much time did you spend business planning before you opened?
Too much. Probably a year or more. I was working day and night. 
What makes you stand out from your competitors?
Our brand identity stands out. My goal was to be different from the rest. Our setting and interior is very different to what you would find in most beauty salons. We’ve created a warm and welcoming environment in a cosy and quaint surrounding amidst the hustle and bustle of Dundrum Town Centre. Our staff is also key to our business. They’re highly professional, helpful and happy, and in turn customers see the quality of treatments and respect the advice they give. 
“Determination is key. If you’re not willing to sacrifice your time your business won’t work.”
What are you most proud of since MudPie Beauty opened? 
It has to be winning Retailer of the Year in Dundrum Town Centre for 2016/2017. It is based on reports from secret shoppers. I couldn’t be happier. I still can’t wipe the smile off my face. 
What is the toughest part of running a business? 
The toughest part is the work load. I work constantly but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I thrive on being busy and building the business. 
You’ve leveraged your own personal brand and the

Often described as ‘travel Tinder’ for the over 50s, The Freebird Club wants to start a seniors movement and become the world leader in social travel for the over 50s market. ThinkBusiness spoke with founder Peter Mangan. 

How long have you been up and running?
I have been working on developing The Freebird Club for over two years. However for the first year or so I was still in a full-time job in UCD, so it was a case of moonlighting evenings and weekends – developing the business plan, prototyping and conducting a pilot project. Once we completed a successful live pilot, it was time to leave the day job and embark on this full-time. 
“It makes no sense to me that there are so many of our elders struggling with loneliness and isolation. We want to do something about that.”
Where did the idea come from?
It was inspired by my Dad. I have a holiday home in my native Kerry, which I rent out on various accommodation websites. My father (who is a widower and semi-retired) was doing a lot of the meeting and greeting on my behalf, as I was based in Dublin. This was a positive and enjoyable experience for him, meeting new people. However, when some older guests came to stay, the level of social interaction was significantly greater. He would take them to the local pub or sightseeing; they might have dinner together or perhaps a game of golf. This all happened very naturally. Not only did he get great enjoyment from this, but the reviews from these ‘senior guests’ were exceptional, mentioning this social interaction as a highlight of their trip. In a rapidly ageing society, where the prevalence of loneliness and isolation among older adults is well known, it struck me that the new peer-to-peer ‘sharing economy’, and the Airbnb led boom

Are you working on a business idea? Are you looking for a work space in Cork or Waterford? Then read on.
Bank of Ireland is offering scholarship desks in the much sought-after coworking spaces the Republic of Work, in Cork and Boxworks in Waterford.
The scholarship desks will house startups, researchers, and NGOs as well as people from multinationals looking to set up operations in the region. 
The aim of the scholarships is simple – to give those in need a desk in a vibrant coworking space while they tackle a specific business goal.  
There are some terms and conditions but nothing extraordinary. To apply for the scholarship, you should have a “time bound goal”, and you must follow the rules of the coworking space. Read more and apply here. And best of luck. 
 

Related Resource

A list of over 60 coworking spaces in Ireland. 

Selecting toys can sometimes feel like looking for a needle in a haystack. ToyPing aims to be the solution to that struggle.
Ciaran Sheridan, CEO and one of the founders of Galway firm, ToyPing, outlines his vision to revolutionise toy buying by empowering parents “to quickly and confidently make informed toy purchases from the most comprehensive product portfolio, based on their child’s interests, age and stage of development”.
“We’re all familiar with the parental frustration of time and money invested in a toy, which is discarded after only one play. In today’s information overloaded world, customers deserve an individualised toy search service to enable fast discovery and certain purchases that will delight and develop their kids,” said Ciaran.
“If ToyPing became a verb for the term used when someone wants to quickly discover a toy, then we have succeeded. It’s that simple.”
Three simple steps
ToyPing has developed an intuitive user experience, underpinned by a suite of smart search algorithms to instantly give customers a personalised and constantly evolving curated selection from over 1.2 million toys on Amazon. 

In three simple steps, customers are presented with a curated list of up to 18 toys to match their child’s interests, age and price criteria. Clicking on one of the toys will take customers directly to the Amazon website, where they can securely and “confidently” complete their purchase.
“We decided from the outset that we would invest in developing deep learning technology and customer acquisition channels, rather than in owning the stock. We secured an affiliate partnership with Amazon, the best global fulfilment company in the world, and this gave us access to the most comprehensive product range.”
“Toyping plans to launch in the US at the start of  2018, and it has already lined up the Amazon.com US affiliate partnership.”
Deep learning capabilities
The company website launched in May 2017, and it

Have you ever dreamt of opening a yoga business? Here are the main things to consider and five yoga studios that may inspire you. 
Yoga is a spiritual science of self-realisation. It originated in India over five thousand of years ago. 
If you are interested in setting up a yoga business, the five yoga centres below are worth checking out for inspiration and ideas.
If you are running a business and are beginning to feel the pressure and burn, it may be a good idea to start practising yoga. Yoga can have a profound effect on the circulation and the functioning of the inner organs, glands and nerves. It will keep your systems healthy, leading to greater energy, better concentration, happiness and the power to drive on in business and succeed. 

Oslo Beauty
Run by serial entrepreneur Bob Haugh, (with investors including Irish rugby player Rob Kearney and actress Amy Huberman), Oslo Beauty offers yoga classes in several Dublin locations including Mespil Road and Ranelagh. Like some yoga studios, Oslo Beauty provides a range of services such as Pilates, strength and conditioning programs. There are ’drop in’ prices and annual memberships available. 
Yoga Yoga
With six different teachers offering a variety classes, Yoga Yoga is located in two areas of Galway – NRG Fitness in the Clybaun Hotel and Active Fitness Renmore Connaught Hotel – as well as NRG Fitness in Cork. 
Himalaya Yoga Valley
Founded by Indian native Lalit Kumar Himalaya, Yoga Valley is based in the heart of Cork city. Lalit has a vast amount of experience in yoga, having practised for over fifteen years in India, Thailand and Ireland. Himalaya Yoga Valley has built up a large following of yoga practitioners and features classes for beginners to training sessions for yoga teachers. The centre also offers laughter yoga. 
Conlea Yoga Studio
Located in Blackrock, Co. Dublin

Google has opened its Autumn 2017 ‘Adopt a startup’ programme for applications.
What’s in it for startups? They will receive, “hands on mentoring from experienced Google employees over a twelve week period and attend a programme of lectures and workshops at the company’s Dublin HQ, learning strategies to position their company for new growth opportunities,” says Google.
The prizes
At the end of the twelve weeks, participating firms will pitch to a panel of Google executives and industry experts. The winning company will pocket €10,000 of AdWords credit and be eligible for the ‘Google Cloud platform for startups’ programme which comes with $100,000 of Google Cloud credit.
Seven runners-up will also be eligible for the programme, along with  $20,000 of Google Cloud credits while one company will also win six months free hot desking in Dogpatch Labs, Dublin. 
There are 30 places up for grabs. Startups are asked to get their applications in early, before the closing date of August the 9th, 2017.  
What’s Google looking for?
“The types of startups we’re looking for, and the ones who will benefit the most from this programme, are those that are in business for more than one year, currently generating revenue and with a strategy in place for acquiring new customers,” says Paddy Flynn, a director with Google.
Interested startups can apply online here.
Pictured are Paddy Flynn, Google Ireland with Wes Roddy, Collette Doyle, and Luca Boschin, all from LogoGrab, a previous ‘Adopt a startup’ winner.
DOWNLOAD: The ThinkBusiness ‘Business Model Canvas’ – the resource for startups.

 The Irish startup became the first Irish company to feature on Instagram’s live news feed. ThinkBusiness spoke with founder Ailbhe Keane about her journey in business.
 
How did you come up with the name for your business?
I named the brand Izzy Wheels after my inspiration, my little sister Izzy. We chose the tagline ‘If you can’t stand up, stand out.’ We believe our tagline perfectly represents what we do.
What is Izzy Wheel’s biggest achievement to date?
We were approached by INSIDER art a few weeks ago and they made a video about us. The video received two million views in the first 24 hours and 11 million views in one week. As a result, most of our sales are now coming from the USA.
What’s the most important thing you have learnt so far in business?
How to balance your time wisely has been the biggest lesson for me so far. As a founder you are constantly on the go. It’s so important to take a step back from everything and make some time for yourself.
Izzy Wheels was developed out of a college project, how did this help you when you developed the company?
I came up with Izzy Wheels when I was in my final year of visual communications in the National College of Art and Design. I was inspired by a brief which asked you to empower the lives of people living with a long term lifestyle related health condition. Immediately, I thought of my sister Izzy. Izzy was born with spina bifida and is paralysed from her waist down. I had always wanted to create something that allowed my sister to personalise her wheelchair, so that it could reflect her personality.
I spent a full year exploring, brainstorming, prototyping and coming up with different creative solutions to transform my sister’s

 Ireland’s startup industry has continually grown each year, and that trend remains the same first the first half of 2017.
Almost 1900 new startups were established every month for the first six months of 2017, indicating a 6% increase on figures for the same period in 2016.
With the exception of June, company startups were up every month compared to 2016 – including by nearly 20% in January, according to the research carried out by business and credit risk analyst Vision-net.ie.
The professional services sector proved to be the most popular sector for company startups, with almost one in five new companies operating in this area.
This was followed by finance, which saw an 18% rise in startups and social and personal services, which was up by 50%. Other sectors that performed well during this period include construction, real estate and agriculture.
Dublin also retained its status are Ireland’s economic hub with almost half of all new startups in this period being established in the capital. Cork, Galway and Limerick also performed well, whereas Cavan was the only county not to record a single startup in the first half of 2017.
Commenting on the findings, Vision-net.ie managing director, Christine Cullen, said: “It is very encouraging to see continued growth in company startups over a sustained six-month period and, importantly, in a diverse number of industries including finance and construction. This indicates that Ireland’s economic growth is continuing at a steady pace.”
“We cannot discount the effects of Brexit. Many Irish industries rely heavily, often exclusively, on the UK for trade. As British businesses and consumers feel the pinch of higher living costs and a weaker sterling, many Irish businesses will find their revenue streams disrupted, whether they are food and drink exporters in Dublin or hoteliers in Kerry. If this continues, the consequences for our economy will be

New to social media, or want to make better use of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media sites for your business?  Here are some tools and online resources that you will find useful.  
First things first, the good news is that they’re all free. For some of the tools, you need to upgrade to paid accounts to get the most value out of them. The majority of these tools have apps which are worth downloading to your smartphone. The tools and resources are listed in A-Z style, not in order of priority. 

1. Buffer

https://bufferapp.com/
Buffer allows you to manage and share content across several social media accounts and to stagger your posts throughout the day. Buffer’s scheduling  features are sophisticated, allowing you to target the right audience with the right content.

2. Hootsuite

https://hootsuite.com/
Hootsuite is one of the most popular social media management tools on the market. It can help you track conversations and measure campaign results. Hootsuite has a number of key features such as managing several social media accounts, as well as getting some decent analytics. 

Klout

https://klout.com/
Klout is one of the best known tools for measuring influence on Twitter and other social media channels.  It currently tracks over 500 million social media accounts worldwide. It also makes suggestions for content that is of interest to your audience. It’s free and also has premium accounts for businesses.

4. LikeAlyzer

http://www.likealyzer.com/
LikeAlyzer analyses Facebook pages and in return gives suggestions as to how they can be improved. It’s particularly popular among businesses that are new to social media. It allows them to check how they compare with other similar businesses and by industry standards.

5. Mashable

http://mashable.com/social-media/
Mashable is one of the best resources on the Web for digital marketing. It’s how many marketers and other professionals keep up to date with the fast-paced world of social media. It publishes starter guides, tips, resources, news and much more on its dedicated social media section.

6.