S.2 Ep.20 - Wedding Planning with Ciara Crossan

Growing up in a family with a renowned business in Cork meant one thing for Andrew Whitaker - it was inevitable he would join the family business of Johnson & Perrott. The family business has been in operation for over 230 years in multiple industries from hatchery, iron works & the motor industry & passed down through generations. Andrew started in the motor side of the business working in sales & spent time in the sister company of Avis which saw him move to Australia to gain a greater insight to the industry.Coming from a family business led him to take a leap of faith to build his own business & make a difficult decision of leaving Johnson & Perrott. He created Culture Co-Working - a co-working space in Cork’s Marina, but with great success in growth, a new hub opened in the city. He talks about growing up in an establish family business, the difficulties of leaving it to build his own & the challenges brought by Covid-19 & it’s impact on his business which was starting up at the time. We also hear how he got through those challenging times as well as the great support in the Cork business community in helping others when needed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

5 Jan 20231h 3min

We've a magical episode up our sleeve with magician & mentalist Liam Sheehan who is renowned in Ireland & across the globe for his tricks in the trade. It's not everyday you can say you've entertained Michael Jackson, but Liam can. He is famed for entertaining the king of pop during his stay in Cork which is what propelled his career in the industry of magic where today he performs in Ireland & around the world doing corporate & private events. But his career in magic didn't start till later in life. He left school having failed his intercert, but despite having no qualifications he started a job in a factory, where he developed skills in sales & business. After years of working in business, he opened Cork's first BMX shop 'Super Bikes BMX'. After 12 years in business, he sold up & retuned to his former employer working back in sales. But all the while during his business career, he knew he wanted to be an entertainer, something that resonated with him at a young age. On the side, he was learning the tricks of magic from notes from the masters in magic like Houdini & practising at home on fammily. Once he got his first corporate gig, he knew it was time to persevere & pursue magic full time. From there it escalated quickly to working at corporate events, earning a reputation for himself. The rest is history! Liam was kind enough to do some tricks in studio & we were simply amazed visit our Instagram account to see it live! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

29 Des 20221h 4min

Cork sustainable leisurewear OceanR is making waves across the globe creating sustainable products & clothing from ocean waste. The brand founded by Tom Cotter, formerly known as Rashr has been been in the making for 5 years but has grown exponentially on a global basis. From what started initially as active wear, OceanR has become a sustainable clothing brand ambassador for luxury leisure resorts around the world, most notably for Necker Island, owned by businessman Richard Branson. Tom left school not knowing what he wanted to do while dealing with the loss of his best friend, but he eventually found himself working in water sports as an instructor - something his father had always been active in. The economic crash of 2008 saw him move to Australia where he worked in a sailing school. There he learned the ins & outs of business through the friendly mentorship of his Aussie workmates. After a number of years, a return to Ireland was inevitable but met with hardships when his mother passed away soon after his return. She was highly supportive of his dreams to set up his business which over the years grew to what it is today. OceanR is paving the way for sustainability sourcing ocean plastics which are reused as fabric materials, once the clothing has reached an end of life, its returned & the fabric is shredded & reused as stuffing for car seat interiors amongst other things. Ocean R is way ahead of its time when it Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

22 Des 20221h 10min

This week on the podcast, Stephen is joined by popular Cork based content creator Shauna Doyle who joins us to give an insightful look into the world of online content creation. Shauna originally got into content creation while working as a makeup artist at MAC Cosmetics at Brown Thomas where she began uploading make-up tutorials. Through this she began to gain a following online and it wasn't long before she took the leap of faith to pursue online content creation full-time. But everything wasn't smooth sailing to begin with, as she found herself studying in a course she didn't enjoy. This led her to change direction to pursue something different after getting her degree. As she began to get more in content creation she decided to do a Masters in PR & New Media at Munster Technological University where she learned many of the skills she uses in her content creator role.Shauna operates solely by herself, working around the clock as her own personal assistant, doing her own PR, marketing & content creation for clients. This episode is a great insight into the hard work behind the scenes of content creators and the growth of influencer marketing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

15 Des 20221h 7min

A lifelong love of perfume, blended with passion & perseverance paved the way for Nora Irwin to create ARONA in 2017 after following in the footsteps of her cousin who worked in the fragrance industry in the US. This passion for perfume began over 40 years when her cousin would send home bottles of perfume from the US. Amazed by the bottle designs & endless scents, these fragrances had a long lasting impact on Nora who says she developed the skill to name almost any perfume by the scent alone. But plans for a perfumery were on hold all those years while she ran Irwin's shop with her husband providing electrical goods to people in Youghal for over 40 years & going. Throughout the years, the business has experienced the evolution of technology, seeing the introduction of VCR's to mobile phones & advancements in gaming devices - they continued to keep up with the market & continue to do so today. continued to evolve alongside it, selling the some of the first VCR's, mobile phones & gaming devices at the time. All the while Nora's love for fragrance lingered in the background. This episode focuses on the importance of following your dreams while gaining lifelong lessons on keeping up with the growing markets & maintaining a steady business. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

8 Des 202257min

Minister for Reform & Public Expenditure Michael McGrath joins us this week to look at his early life growing up in Cork & what eventually led him to take a seat at Dáil Éireann.Micheal grew up in Passage West & shares fond memories with his family, reminiscing on his working days as a caddy on the golf course alongside his brothers & father. His interest in finance prompted him to study Commerce in UCC, where he qualified as a chartered accountant.He spoke of his early career at KPMG to his role as financial controller at RedFM from its inception before returning to his alma matter UCC with a role in finance. However, his love of politics had a strong hold on him & he eventually took the leap to become a Cork City Councillor in 2005. With a strong desire & determination to pursue politics even further, he became a TD with Fianna Fáil in 2007.During his time in the Dáil, he has seen the financial crash, his party lose their power in Government, the unexpected coalition with Fine Gael & The Green Party where he gained his first ministerial role. He discusses how the parties worked together through the pandemic & continue to do so during challenging times of the cost of living crisis. Tune in to hear how he & the party had to rebuild its credibility following the financial crash, how social media trolls can bring challenges for TD's & his hopes to become Minister for Finance in the coming party reshuffle on the 17th December. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 Des 20221h 10min

For over 50 years, Tony O'Connell has been capturing people across Cork & beyond through the lens of his camera from creating memories at weddings, to up close & personal portraits of Lord Mayor's & Taoiseach's & even the Royal Family on their visit to Cork in 2011. Tony set up his photography shop on Kyle street in 1972 with his wife, the very same month they married. Prior to this, he served in the brotherhood with the Franciscans whom he credits for his values in business today, which is 'to look after one another & help people whenever you can'. His business saw two recessions & a brief closure before reopening & relocating to North Main Street. These stumbling blocks failed to stop him & he has huge gratitude for the sense of community amongst businesses in Cork for helping each other through difficult times. On top of running his business, he has spent over 60 years with Cork City Sports where he started working at from the age of 13 handing out leaflets before becoming Chairman today, fundraising for the event which celebrates its 70th anniversary next year. Now a the age of 76, he has no intentions of slowing down, he continues to photograph businesses & charities helping whenever, while also photographing his love of the Irish landscape. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

24 Nov 202256min

If Cork people are known for anything, it's the instant desire to declare 'I'm from Cork' on first meeting someone & secondly to state you how great Cork is. Our guest is no stranger to this, as Stephen is joined by the Head of Visit Cork Seamus Heaney who has over 30 years experience in the hospitality industry. He oversees both leisure & business tourism for Visit Cork, where he has been promoting the city & county in all its glory since 2016. He first began training in hospitality sector at locations around the country before settling back home where he worked as a hotel manager for over 20 years. In 2000 he set up a catering company providing for greyhound stadia across the country & in 2007 set up Cork Convention Bureau. He has no desire to leave the tourism industry & continues to strive to put Cork on the international map as a prime attraction for business or pleasure...or both! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

17 Nov 20221h