Ronan O’Brien never wanted a job with a salary. At 14 he was making more money than his teachers. Now he runs a growing empire. 
Did you always want to be an entrepreneur?
I’ve never had a full-time job working for anyone else and I worked for myself since I was 14 usually earning more than my teachers. I did manage to keep up the education on the side. I don’t think people want to be entrepreneurs per se, that’s just a tag given to people who choose not to take a salary job. I think entrepreneurs want to change the world in their own little way and control their destiny.

Where did it all begin for Zatori?
We started with TheCostumeShop.ie. At the time I was a professional DJ and there was a huge Halloween event I was playing at. I had been talking with a friend about trying to find a company to partner with to encourage the punters to buy costumes from – but there wasn’t anywhere in Ireland. So jokingly, I said I should start my own. Within four weeks, I had a basic e-commerce shop up and running and we were making sales. After Halloween I was relieved the rush was over, only to get a call from the National Concert Hall a week later asking if we were going to be advertising Christmas costumes, with an attached list of the items they needed. So then I realised it had potential.
Zatori, your holding company, has a number of business brands. How do you divide your time between each different brand?
A lot of my work is project based. If we are launching a new brand or targeting a new area, there is a lot of time required to build that company. We try to build a great team around us, then

An action-packed Startup Weekend will take place in Gorey, Co. Wexford from February 23rd to 25th. 
Entrepreneurs and creative minds will take over The Hatch Lab in Gorey for a Techstars Startup Weekend. The weekend is all about giving startups the resources they need to build and launch a scalable company.
Tickets are available on Eventbrite. Book now. 
Why Gorey?
Following the opening of The Hatch Lab, a new tech incubation space in Gorey, this Startup Weekend will further cement the town as a great place for budding entrepreneurs to build their dreams. The goal of the weekend is to create an environment where passionate people can come together to get things done; to learn, network, bridge the gap between trades, expose potential weaknesses in their business models and see actual results. 
What is Startup Weekend?
Startup Weekend is a 54-hour event, where attendees pitch ideas, form teams and start companies. The weekend is community focused and provides a place for entrepreneurs to find co-founders, mentors and the momentum needed for their ideas.
Startup Weekend is designed as an inclusive event that brings all sorts of people together including aspiring and experienced entrepreneurs, developers, designers, non-technical talent (i.e. business, sales, finance, legal), students, and professionals looking to switch careers or build new skills. Book now. 
The event is supported by Bank of Ireland and Wexford County Council. Further information and a list of judges and mentors can be found here. 
Article by Sandra Wycech.

Related Resource

Startup Weekend in Achill. 

One of the best events for would-be entrepreneurs takes place in Ballymaloe, Co. Cork in March this year. 
The CorkBIC Entrepreneur Experience takes place for 24 hours from 2 pm on Friday, March 2 until 2 pm Saturday, March 3 in Ballymaloe, Co. Cork.
What makes this event unique?
The Entrepreneur Experience® is an unrivalled chance for 24 emerging entrepreneurs to gain access and advice from 24 of Ireland’s most successful business leaders over 24 hours.
The Entrepreneur Experience® isn’t like other events; this is real. 24 of Ireland’s leading entrepreneurs giving of their time to help the next generation of entrepreneurs.
This experience is a unique opportunity for three distinct groups of entrepreneurs:

Early stage startups – entrepreneurs with a new idea, business plan and strategy roadmap but not yet ready for investment.
Entrepreneurs with an investor ready proposition.
Entrepreneurs with an established business that are looking to scale (ideally a company with ten plus employees and €1m+ turnover a year with the potential to grow rapidly in the coming years).

Apply now
For more information and to apply go to entrepreneurexperience.ie. Applications are open until January 19, 2018.
To get a real feel for this event check out the video from last year.

The year was 2016. Conor Lyden, a student, went to buy tickets for a Premier League match. What happened next was the reason he set up his award-winning business. 
 
Why was the company set up?
I set up the company back in the summer of 2016 when I was accepted into the Ignite Graduate Business Innovation Program in UCC. I always had an entrepreneurial side and this business stemmed from my frustration at the lack of options available to me when I wanted to buy tickets to watch Liverpool games in the UK. I had been scammed a couple of times and I felt there were no suitable solutions for people when they’re buying or selling anything online with people they don’t know, not just tickets.
“Payment apps lack buyer and seller protection.”
What need is the Trustap meeting?
Trustap is a transaction platform that acts as a safety net for customers when they want to buy or sell online with strangers. Trustap works like a personal escrow account. In each transaction, the funds are held during the delivery process, and then once the item has been delivered and the buyer is satisfied or the 24-hour complaints period has elapsed, the funds are released to the seller. This process provides value to customers by eliminating the trust aspect that is currently needed for online transactions with strangers and thus eliminates the chances of the users being scammed and suffering any financial losses.
What is the company’s USP?
Current person-to-person payment systems are meant to be personal, which means that you use the apps exclusively to transfer money back and forth with people you know and trust, such as your friends and family members. It isn’t meant to be used to conduct business with people you don’t know, even if you’re just selling your old bike or extra

Enterprise Ireland says it invested €31 million in Irish startups in 2017 and has launched a new regional Competitive Start Fund. 
Last year, 181 highly promising new firms, 55% of which are based outside of Dublin, were supported by Enterprise Ireland’s High Potential StartUp (HSPU) and Competitive Start Funds (CSFs).
At the annual Startup Showcase event in Croke Park, attended by over 600 people, EI announced a new €500,000 Competitive Start Fund for regionally based startups.
“In 2018 we will be putting a spotlight on companies in the MarineTech and DeepTech sectors.”
“Last year, we supported 181 high-quality startups. 55% of these companies are in regions outside of Dublin, in line with our strategic objective of driving growth at a regional level. Over one third were female-led startups,” says Joe Healy, manager, HPSU Division, Enterprise Ireland.
“In 2018 we will be putting a spotlight on companies in the MarineTech and DeepTech sectors. Our Competitive Start Fund for regionally based startups will open for applications on February 27, and I encourage any early-stage businesses and entrepreneurs based outside of Dublin to apply by 13 March,” says Healy.
An action plan
“The Action Plan for Jobs is clear in its focus on regional development and growth, and I am happy to see that more than half of the startups supported by Enterprise Ireland last year are outside of Dublin,” says Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys TD.
Startups supported by Enterprise Ireland in 2017 include:

90 new High Potential Startups (HPSU) – startup businesses with the potential to create ten jobs and €1million in sales within three to four years of starting up.
91 new Competitive Start Funds (CSF), which inject critical early-stage funding into new businesses.
67 investments were in female-led startups amounting to 35% of all start-up investments.
Over half (55%) of startups supported during 2017 are based in regions outside

World Business Angel Investment Forum chairman and angel investor Baybars Altuntas explains the fundamental principles of angel investing.
Experienced angel investors have a set of principles that they apply to every aspect of their work. If entrepreneurs hope to find an angel who will take their businesses to the next level, it is worth understanding these principles.
More than a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’
Investors tend to avoid as simple as ‘yes’ or ‘no’ approaches to investment, preferring instead to consider every aspect of the proposal that’s been presented to them. Some elements come into play when concluding, such as an entrepreneur’s personality and background, and how compatible they are with their the investor and their approaches. For this reason, it is important to consider more than just the business itself, and think about how you want to present yourself as a person, a colleague and a business professional. What does your appearance, lifestyle or previous achievements say about you and how you are going to spend the investor’s money?
“While banks and other lenders look solely at the numbers, angel investors invest in passion, strong work ethic and personality.”
Risky business
Securing investment does not necessarily guarantee success in business. In fact, only one in ten scale-up firms that angels invest in go on to be financially successful. Not only should entrepreneurs be realistic about this statistic, but they should also understand how it influences the decisions of a prospective investor. Success is not a given, so you need to ensure your business plans, projections and preparations are thoroughly thought out, realistic and achievable. Investors are always considering their return on investment, so it’s crucial that you demonstrate why your business is worth them taking the risk.
More than just a paycheck
Although there are some angel investors who prefer to remain distanced from any ventures they

Caroline Allen worked in graphic design, accountancy and business innovation, before changing career to create The Ireland Way after developing a passion for hiking.
What journey did you take to arrive at where you are now?
Walking the Camino de Santiago in 2013 got me interested in hiking and provided the inspiration for The Ireland Way hiking trail, which I have spent the past three years working on. The guidebook, A Guide to Hiking the Ireland Way, was published in June 2017 and is now selling internationally. Currently, I am working on marketing and developing the Ireland Way brand and products.
Why are you doing what you are doing?
The Camino de Santiago was such an amazing experience for me that I thought Ireland should have one. The number of pilgrims walking the Camino de Santiago has increased an average of 11% every year over the past ten years showing a growing interest in long-distance walking trails.

What’s your USP?
The USP of the Ireland Way is that it goes coast-to-coast the length of the island of Ireland. At over 900 kilometres long, it provides a challenge, an adventure and a journey. Moreover, it enables people to experience the heart of Ireland by meandering through towns, villages, farmland and mountains as well as interacting with local people. Walkers and cyclists can explore Ireland’s wonderful myths and legends, castles and ancient megalithic sites which are dotted all along the trail.
“Moreover, it enables people to experience the heart of Ireland by meandering through towns, villages, farmland and mountains as well as interacting with local people.”
How did you finance your journey?
So far I have financed the project myself but will apply for funding in the coming year to reach foreign markets and attract more walkers and cyclists to the trail. The Ireland Way passport launched recently with which walkers and

Share Navigator is an Irish Fintech startup that teaches people how to invest in the stock markets and understand the risks.

Stephen Cox is a registered stockbroker with an MBA in finance and is the founder of Share Navigator, based in DCU’s Invent building. His business teaches people how to make their investments “go the extra mile” with real-time ‘practice investing’ in the financial markets.
What was the initial concept of Share Navigator, and what’s the endgame?
Share Navigator was initially set up to teach people how to invest sensibly in equities, and to show them how to use options as a way of managing risk. As the business evolves, we are adding a low-cost online brokerage service.
The kickstart
The big challenge for any startup is finding finance and capital to grow the business, and big marketing budgets are not a reality at this stage.
We have to be smart about how to move forward, so we will continue to build our user base with education, and then add the online brokerage service. We also have other projects that we are working on, which involve insurance policies for investors on their stock positions.
“We’re developing software to remove all the terminology and jargon.”
Before you start, you should understand the risks
Very few people understand what risk looks like when they’re investing.
We see a lot of people come through our doors labelling themselves as a low-risk investor, and when you take a look at their portfolio, they may only have three stocks in it – with half a million in those three stocks. This is typical. People don’t understand the concept of risk management, and this is the kind of behaviour people are reverting to, even after the economic crash. What we say in our training is that diversification works and investing in just one or two stocks

Chartered accountant Johnny Harte looks at some little pockets of funding available to businesses and startups in Ireland.
How do you plan to fund your business? From experience, funding rarely comes from just one source, and over the course of several years, many businesses will go through various levels of funding. Listed below are some of the options you may not be aware of but should be considering.
Local Enterprise Offices (LEO)
LEOs are a great place to start and have a variety of financial supports available through the 31 offices across the country. Everything from feasibility grants to helping you research market demand and sustainability of your potential product or service (up to €20,000), through to priming grants and business expansion grants. The only issue with the LEO grants is that the grants only cover approximately 50% of the costs which can be a challenge for many early-stage businesses.
Microfinance Ireland
Microfinance Ireland is a not-for-profit lender established by the government to provide additional lending to startups and SMEs with loans ranging from €2,000 up to €25,000 that can be used for working capital, marketing costs and to fund the set-up of business, the purchase of stock, equipment, machinery and business vehicles.
“Some of the hottest startups in Ireland today started in accelerator programmes.”
Accelerator programmes and incubators
Accelerator programmes and incubators offer entrepreneurs the time and space to explore their idea, challenge their assumptions and surround themselves with like-minded people. There are some exceptional accelerator programmes in Ireland these days, some of which are ranked among the best in the world and there are at least 20 programmes running throughout Ireland. Two worth noting are the NDRC LaunchPad (which invests up to €20,000 in digital companies for an equity stake and now have programmes in Dublin, Galway and Waterford) and YieldLab (€100,000 investment into early-stage agrifood

Bank of Ireland will support the development of a new undergraduate certificate in innovation and entrepreneurship at Trinity.

Trinity College Dublin and Bank of Ireland have created a new partnership at the Trinity Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hub.
Bank of Ireland will now support the development of a new undergraduate certificate in innovation and entrepreneurship.
Furthermore, the existing programmes such as LaunchBox, the Trinity student business incubator, will be expanded. New programmes such as expert-led sprints and hackathons will also be developed in partnership with the bank’s Enterprise and Innovation team.
“We see innovation as being critically important – for our company, for our customers, and for the country as a whole,” says Francesca McDonagh, CEO, Bank of Ireland (pictured with Dr Prendergast). “It gives me great pleasure to deepen our relationship with Trinity – a college associated with original thought and innovation for many centuries. We look forward to working with Trinity College on a variety of I&E Hub programmes to help the ambitions of Ireland’s future leaders and innovators.”
“It’s another great opportunity for students to understand what it’s like to start a business.”
All Trinity students, researchers, and graduates will be able to take part in the innovation, entrepreneurial and idea development programmes at the Trinity Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hub.
“Promoting entrepreneurship as an engine for economic growth, and for social and cultural development is a key strategy for the university,” says Dr Patrick Prendergast, Provost of Trinity. “We must ensure that we derive value from our leading research and equip our students with the ability to drive innovation and thrive in a world of constant change.”
What do the students think?
Paul Allen, president of the university’s Entrepreneur Society, says the new undergraduate certificate in innovation and entrepreneurship gives students from all undergraduate disciplines the chance to test themselves and their ideas and build new businesses.
“Previously