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

Crowley's Opticians has a long & rich history in Cork where it's called 26 Grand Parade home for over 100 years. Conor Crowley & Paul McSherry join Stephen today to talk about the success of this homegrown business. The store was originally called Rundel's where Conor's father had worked before taking over in 1970 & changing the name Crowley's which we know & love today. Conor is a skilled optometrist & in the early days of the trade he would hand craft glasses for client's in the workshop with very limited designs available. Today the advancement technology has created a huge expansion in the business with science advancements in lenses & more fashionable frame designs. Crowley's success, legacy & brand is very important to Conor & he has brought in a huge team to ensure the ethos of the business remains after his retirement & that's where Paul & the rest of the team have come in to ensure this. Crowley's has even branch outside of Cork with a new store in Newbridge with a plan to fly the Crowley flag (with Cork colours) high above stores across Ireland. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

24 Feb 202255min

Ever thought about a career change but couldn't follow through? Maybe you're seeking a promotion but don't have the courage to go for it! Well this week's guest Julie McCall is the woman for you. Julie is the founder of Alive Coaching, a positive psychology coach & trainer with years of experience in the business world helping CEO's, managers & employees overcome obstacles in their careers & helping them be "the best they can be". Ever heard of walking coaching sessions or meetings? Well Bill Gates is famous for coming up with his best ideas while walking & Julie has incorporated this method into her coaching - yes that's right, walking coaching sessions to keep the body & mind active & engaged. Every client is different, but she uses proven coaching techniques & models to the needs and requirements of each individual to help them achieve their goals. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

17 Feb 202252min

It's all about branding & promotion this week with Michelle Johnson of ASA Brands, a family inherited business for almost 40 years. Growing up, Michelle was surrounded by marketing & branding when her father worked in marketing for Ford for 20 years before setting up ASA Brands with his wife Judith in 1984 helping clients promote their business through brand engagement with Ford being one of their clients. Today Michelle & her sister Caroline are at the helms continuing the business ethos, exploring new avenues with innovative ideas to get brands recognised & connected to their employers & consumers. 24 Stories is all about how businesses build their brands, so tune in on how ASA Brands was but how it helps other brands do the same. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 Feb 202248min

From starting a career as a bricklayer at 16, to eventually building a gym & well known brand, Luke Dennehy founded Dennehy's Fitness & Health with his father in the early days of the recession - probably one of the most difficult times to even consider starting a business. But the brave moved proved to be successful, as they have branched to over 4 locations cross Cork. But his time in business has come with great challenges along the way, especially when his busiest gym in Douglas Village was victim to the devastating fire in 2019 & just before the big re-open Dennehy's was hit yet again with the closure due to the pandemic. However as Luke puts it - "if you don't have obstacles you're not progressing" & that mentality has worked i his favour with the opening of 4th gym in the newly developed Penrose Wharf, could there be a 5th gym in the future? Tune in to find out! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3 Feb 202255min

It's a colourful episode as we're joined by well known local commercial designer & digital illustrator Jason O'Gorman who has over 25 years of experience in graphic & motion design. Over the span of his career he has seen the evolution of design from the early days of printing to the new digital era. He founded Dynamite Studio in 2013 & with big brands both nationally and internationally. His passion is creating captivating visual communications that inspire, engage and positively impact people. Aside from working with clients, he expresses his won designs under JOG Cork where creates witty illustrations for the craic with Cork at the forefront of his pieces blending the culture, slang, landmarks & landscapes with quirky pop culture characters. Tune in to hear how he balances between clients & his own creative artwork. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

27 Jan 202258min

When it comes to forecasting your business Noella Carroll has the answers and this week we look into the world of SME's, how they can plan, forecast, finance and grow your business.After 25 years working in finance for multi national organisations such as Logitech, Gilead & EMC Noella returned to the SME sector in 2019 when she founded Pinnaklo with an aim to help businesses succeed with their growth. Pinnaklo is designed around the concept that people need to be the pinnacle of the organisation, they need to be cared for, motivated and looked after.Noella inherited an entrepreneurial mindset from her parents. Her mother opened a hairdressers in Bandon in the 60's while her father was a grocer in Millstreet who introduced the first whipped ice-cream machine to the town! Unfortunately after her father's passing, her family moved to Cork city where her mother continued the family business ways and opened a shop serving the local community. So taking care of business is instilled in Noella.On top of running her own business, she is also a proud member of Cork Chamber and Network Cork and lends her knowledge as a business mentor with LEO Cork City. There's great learning for this episode, no matter where you are in your business, Noella has a tip or two! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

20 Jan 202257min

We are delighted to have President of Cork Chamber and CEO of Cognate Health Paula Cogan looks back on her long established career in business from starting off in the hospitality & tourism industry to eventually transferring into the health sector. Paula worked on well known tourism projects with the Cork County Council before beginning a lengthy career in hotel hospitality which led to a senior executive role at The Doyle Collection Group as Director of Sales and Marketing for their Irish and international chain of hotel from her time at Jury’s hotel in Cork and what it was like to reopen it as The River Lee hotel. After over 20 years in hospitality she made the move to the health sector as CEO of Cognate Health which is a leader in Occupational Health Physicians providing services to businesses across the country. Paula gives an insight to life at Cork Chamber over a tough two years for business and her hope to resume face to face networking in 2022. This episode is a great insight to building a brand, maintaining a presence & being innovative in challenging times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

13 Jan 20221h 7min

We're kicking off the new year with a long time friend, local legend, DJ, radio presenter, music promoter, journalist, youth worker & businessman Stevie G. The list goes on! Stephen & Stevie's friendship goes way back to the early days of the infamous Sir Henry's where Stevie became a household DJ at the legendary venue bringing Hip Hop, RnB & Soul to the clubs of Cork & all over the country. He has been a sole trader since day one bringing his passion for music to the forefront in everything he does. He's pursued many avenues from writing his own music column for the Evening Echo and he was regular contributor to the U.K.'s Blues and Soul, the longest running black music magazine in the world. On top of that he presents Black on Red at Cork's RedFM which celebrates it's 20th birthday this year! Stevie has brought many big names to Cork over the years from Kanye West & 50 Cent & has opened for Hip Hop royalty such as Jay-Z & Destiny's Child. If that wasn't enough he hosts gigs for younger generations & is working on many youth projects in Cork through music & podcasting. We could go on, but tune in now! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

6 Jan 20221h 3min