SharkPod Podcast: Recent Episodes

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

Luke and Mark are back after an 18 month hiatus and this time they are coming at you Live from the Las Vegas Strip.

Luke surprised Mark with a trip to see U2 @Sphere in Las Vegas and they guys recorded their thoughts on Vegas, the American Dream, and all things U2.

All with a selection U2 backing tracks.

Brought you you by Artists Against Apartheid .

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

On this episode Luke and Mark chat to Founder of "6 Figure Accelerator Program" and Co-Founder of Engagency, Adam Walsh. 

Adam has a mission - he wants to help students & 9-5ers create a second income stream through their own semi-automated social media marketing agency"

He has been a digital Nomad for the past few years - spending most of his time in Bulgaria and Spain and visiting is home in Irelands a few times a year. 

The guys cover:

1. How Adam got started in selling on the internet - how he's never had a 'job' and how has always made his own way.

2. How Adam stated out building and marketing twitter pages (building an audience of 3 million+ followers). 

3. How he started and grew his own Marketing agency - and how he chose automation over growth - now working 2.5 hours per week on the 6 figure business. 

4. Why he started mentoring/coaching others via his 6 Figure Accelerator Program.

5. Taxes and why he chooses to live in Bulgaria 

6. How Adam sees the 'social media funnel' and how to capitalise on different platforms audiences.

For more info on Adam: https://www.the6figureaccelerator.com/join-program-now

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

Emmet is co-founder and Chief Investment Officer of MyWallStreet, a Dublin based, leading investment education and execution app (4,000,000 downloads).

Luke and Mark talk to Emmet about how he got started - his love for teaching and what it takes to build an app that will impact a billion people (even if he runs out of heart beats before that happens).

Before you go on with the episode we wanted to point you to a great offer Emmet is giving our listeners - Emmet has launched the 'Horizon' project where he shows members what is in his personal portfolio as well as member only pitches on stocks he believes will beat the market.

'This Thursday, I will pitch one of the most certain potential long-term winners I’ve seen.

This company is founder-led, unheard of by 99.9% of people, covered by only a handful of Wall Street analysts, is capital-efficient, pumps out cash and has an almost unmatched formula for growth.

I’m looking forward to pitching it most especially because I’m looking forward to owning it. '"

Emmet is offering listeners 35% off the regular price this week.

Details here (https://web.mywallst.com/horizon/horizon-summer-sale-2022-250-off?_cio_id=aeba0601ce30ff9a02&utm_campaign=horizon-25%25-sale---go-live-email&utm_content=horizon-25%25-sale---go-live-email-v2&utm_medium=email&utm_source=cio).

Luke and Mark are not affiliates here but believe it is an interesting thing to check out if you are serious about investing.

For feedback: Luke@Shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

This is a follow up episode on episode #107 on "Becoming a key person of influence" launched in March 2022. 

Orla has helped people self publish books in 30+ genres and is now focused on helping people self-publish business books in their area of expertise.

See a cool testimonial here: https://youtu.be/CxX37QcP2Y4

Key takeaways: 

1. Publishing a book gives you legitimacy in your industry. 

2. You can "skip the queue" these days and self publish.

3. People throw away business cards - it's harder to throw away books. 

4. For a book to be successful, there must be real value being delivered. Luckily, you are likely sitting on a wealth of information and experience that people would pay for.  

For more information on how Orla can help you publish: https://orlakellypublishing.com/

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation! 

Want to be excited about the work you do?

Want to have a job with unlimited upside?

Tired of having a fixed income career?

Luke is launching a course on how to break into tech sales and earn your first €100,000

Luke pitches the idea to mark for the first time...

To get invited to the beta - reach-out to Luke@shark.ie 

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

In this episode Luke and Mark breakdown Daniel Priestley's book "Key Person of Influence".

Mark's rating 8/10 fins.

Luke's rating 9/10 fins.

On this episode you'll learn how to become a valuable thought leader in your industry - how to become the go to person and a sought after expert in your filed.

You'll learn the steps in becoming a KPI:

1. The pitch: Who are you and what do you do?

2. Publish: You need to to publish for people to see you as a credible person in the industry - the book tells you how.

3. Product: What you know is valuable - make a product that ideally provides value and if it makes money for the buyer - even better.

4. Profile: How to own what people see when they Google you.

5. Partnerships: How to leverage your position in your industry to maximise your income.

Luke also talks about a new product he's launching aimed at people trying to break into tech sales. 

For feedback: Luke@ Shark.ie

View Details

What is Up SharkNation! 

On this episode the guys chatted to Co-Founder of Pitchedit - Rob Halligan. 

PitchedIt provide tech founders with a platform to validate ideas, raise capital and connect with service providers who can help execute their vision, so they can launch better products, faster.

Rob left his job in SFDC to concentrate on the business full time just one month ago. On the SharkPod we love chatting to entrepreneurs who have just taken the leap - we hope to have a followup episode in a few years to see how Rob's getting on. 

Key Takeaways: 

1. Go all in: A wise man once said that no man can serve two masters. In order for people to invest in your idea - you have to be all in. 

2. Scratch the itch: If you are working for a large company with a great salary and perks it can be easy to deny the urge to strike out on your own... for a while... in the end you're likely to do it anyway so why not now? As Mark Baker always says..."Nature vs Nurture... Nature always wins....". Make your plans - build out a worst case scenario 'come back plan' if the business fails and just f'ing do it!

3. Don't be afraid of complexity: Rob has a job on his hands... anything that has money involved will have regulations... Anything you build where a thriving community is key it will be difficult to build - but these difficulties build moats around your business - creating real barriers to entry for would be competitors. 

For more information on PitchedIt: https://pitchedit.co/

For feedback: Luke@Shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation! 

This is a special cross over episode from the DubSpot Partner Podcast with special guest Nathan Paris - founder of On the Fuze - a company providing white labelling services for HubSpot marketing agencies so they can focus on winning business rather than hiring and scaling for their team. 

Nathan is based in Brisbane Australia, but serves clients all over the world. 

Key takeaways: 

1. For international businesses - time zones matter. Nathan is based in Australia - not a great location to do business with the US - his primary market. So Nathan has hired most of his staff in Medellin, Colombia, in order the serve his customer base in the states more effectively 

2. Do what you are good at - outsource the rest. If you are great at selling and finding deals but have no skill in execution - pay an expert to deliver for you.

3. The world is wide open - hire people in less expensive economies so that you can provide more value to your customers. Nathan built most of his team in South America - not just because of the time zone, but also because he could find better value talent on that continent when compared to Australia.

For more information: https://www.onthefuze.com.au/about-us?hsLang=en-au

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

On this episode Luke and Mark chat to to Lisa O'Reilly - Founder of LOR Property Solutions - about the great opportunities we all have to invest in property in Ireland.

We discuss how Lisa transitioned from a Financial Controller working in the corporate world to launching her own business. 

She now builds property deals for investors to invest into and has raised more than 1 million euro in funding so far. 

Key Takeaways:

1. It's never ever too late to pivot - if you think you are doomed to climb the corporate ladder - think again. Lisa gave up a high level corporate job to chase her passion.

2. Ireland is the land of opportunity when it comes to property investing. You can generate yields like no where else in Europe.

3. Find mentors: Lisa mentioned she travels twice a month to the UK to work with her mentors there. She tells us about how powerful this has been for her journey so far. 

4. Start with your own money and build from there. When you have a track record of success with a couple of deals - the market will want to invest in you.

For more info on Lisa: https://lorpropertysolutions.ie/

For feedback:  Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

Luke and Mark are back and they are breaking down the popular book from controversial Canadian clinical psychologist, psychology professor, and author - Jordan Peterson - "12 Rules for Life". 

Luke and Mark go through each rule laid out in the book and give their take.

Key takeaways:

1. Act like a person who is responsible for helping you. Take responsibility for ensuring your own well being.

2.Ensure that your children will be liked by society - don't let them do things that make you dislike them.

3.Don't do what you hate. 

4.Make sure that your own house is in order before you criticise others. 

5.Present yourself to the world with confidence. Stand tall with your shoulders back.

Always interested to hear your thoughts. Have you read the book? What did you think of it? 

For feedback: Luke@Shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

After a short hiatus Luke and Mark are back. On this episode Luke and Mark talk about their shared love of Irish band - U2.

Listeners had emailed asking us why Mark's art (markbakerart.com) has been so heavily influenced by U2. 

The guys discuss their favourite albums, songs, performances and rants. And why they think the young people are missing out by not getting into the U2 back catalog.

A lighter topic than usual but with some live music clips and a fly on the wall experience for the listener.

For feed back : Luke@Shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

On this episode Luke and Mark break down 2021 and chat about their biggest wins and losses as well as lessons learned along the way.

Key Takeaways:

1. Hindsight is 20-20: The guys reflect on their biggest wins of the year and some of the best decisions they made. At the time it's hard to see how small decisions will impact you. 

2. Be careful how you spend your time - get an ROI: Luke discusses spending a couple of months during the year trading forex. He made money but the income vs time invested didn't make sense and the stress it caused was not worth the small profit.

3. There is no room for pessimism if you want to make money. Optimists are the ones who capitalise on opportunities. 

For Feedback: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

In this episode Luke is starting to worry about his weight gain and sets up a 10 week challenge to get back to his sub 100kg - optimal weight. Final weigh in will be 7th March 2022. 

Luke and Mark chat about the plan, the tools, and the method Luke has used in the past to achieve a 10kg weight loss in under 10 weeks. 

The goal is to achieve body fat reduction and even if Luke doesn't get down to under 100kg - a reduction from 19.9% BF to under 17% will be considered a win. 

You can follow Luke's Progress on the Shark.ie website under the blog section. Where Luke will share all his starting stats, graphs and before and after photos. Luke will also share the training plan if you would like to follow along.

For feedback or to send encouragement: Luke@shark.ie

Full plan for the challenge on our blog: https://www.shark.ie/post/how-to-lose-a-gut-in-10-weeks

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

We made it to 100 episodes! Thanks to all our listeners and guests over the past 2 years, it's been a great experience and we hope to continue to deliver content that helps our audience to "Keep Moving Forward".

On this special episode Luke and Mark sit down with Mark's business partner - Niall O'Kelly,Partner in Darwin Hawkins. 

Mark and Niall started their finance recruitment business, Darwin Hawkins, just over 3 years ago and have built what they believe to be a lasting brand in the space. Niall, like Mark, is a qualified chartered accountant (training in PwC) and it was Niall that first suggested recruitment as a career path for Mark. 

Key takeaways:

1. Entering a tried and tested industry, but do it your way, and do it well. This is perhaps a lesson that is lost on the millennial generation that look up to the Zucks and the Bezos' of the world and think they have to re-invent the wheel to be a success in business. The majority of successful businesses are built on the back of real life experience in an established industry. Niall and Mark learned the business by working at successful recruitment firm, this helped give them the know how and the network to go out on their own. 

2. There is no perfect time to launch your business: Niall and Mark have weathered the initial covid storm and continue to grow the business. Timing is important but action trumps timing. Waiting around for perfect conditions is not the way to move forward. 

3. Burn the boats - go all in: Lots of people start businesses as side hustles with the safety net of a corporate job - Niall and Mark went all in, leaving their secure jobs behind and grinding out the first 6 months in the face of adversity. With no way back - no boats to flee upon they were forced to build a lasting business that is now growing rapidly. 

For more information on Niall: https://www.darwinhawkins.com/about/meet-the-team/

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie.

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

On this episode Luke and Mark chat to Ruaidhri (Rory) Prendergast, Entrepreneur, Coach, and Author - The Game Changer Formula. 

The book is not just a look back on Ruaidhri's entrepreneurial journey, but also his experience sailing across olthe Atlantic Ocean and developing an "Operating System" for living a full and effective life. 

Key takeaways from the Game Changer Formula:

1. The Power Vision: In order to build a map to where you are going in life, you need to have a clear picture about what you want. 

2. Priming yourself for success: The book describes, in detail, how to build a 'mindset manual' that allows you to set intentional focus for the day. 

3. Decide on the vision, then back engineer the actions: If you have a clear vision 15 years from now, all you need to do is back engineer the actions to take every 5 years, every year, every month, every week, every day, and you should be able to achieve your goals.

4. Accountability is key: The book describes the power of accountability and how you should leverage this to achieve your vision for your life.

If you'd like to learn more about Ruaidhri and take advantage of the free training he provides businesses owners and startup founders, you can learn more here: https://roryprendergast.com/learning/.

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

Today on the podcast Luke and Mark chat to Paddy Finn, CEO - VIOTAS. 

VIOTAS was born from a desire and drive to lead the development of smart grid technology and accelerate the use of renewable energy worldwide.

In order for green energy (like wind or solar) to work effectively, there must be a system in place to manage down time and ensure balanced output of energy to the masses. VIOTAS solves for this and also allows their customers to earn income in the process.

Key takeaways: 

1. Starting a company in a competitive landscape is fine as long as you offer a better service. Paddy mentioned there were perhaps 10 competitors already in Ireland when they started the company.

2. It's a big world out there. You should think about how your product or service can serve customers in different territories. 

3. Passion is key to enjoying your work. Paddy talks about the staff at the company feeling like they are solving a problem worth solving, this helps drive them forward during tough times.

4. Relationships are as important as good ideas. Paddy talks about the close ties the firm has with regulators and other state bodies, this helps allow the company to evolve in lock step with the government regulations. 

For more information on VIOTAS: https://viotas.com/about-us/ 

For feedback contact Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is Up SharkNation!

In this episode Luke and Mark break down the Ryan Holiday best seller - The Obstacle is the Way.

'The Obstacle is the Way' is a book about being ruthlessly optimistic and rational in life. We tend to get easily dejected, disappointed, and frustrated by our failures and eventually give up too easily. The author argues that with a simple change in our perspective and attitude, what seems like challenging obstacles to become once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. The book is build on the concepts of stoicism but uses modern examples to illustrate points to the reader.

Key takeaways:

1. The book gives the reader a good grounding in stoicism and allows the reader to reflect on how this philosophy can help them navigate life.

2. Perception is key. How you see obstacles will determine the action you take. Lost your job? How can you see this as an opportunity?

3. Action is Key. You must continue on the path no matter the challenges in your way. It's the staying power that produces the most impressive results in life. You must not get rattled, angry, or upset by setbacks.

4. Amor fati. Love everything that happens to you and meditate on your own mortality. By accepting what is, and putting events into the context of your own mortality you will be able to be proactive rather than reactive.

Luke and Mark give the book an 8/10

For feedback: Luke@Shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

On this episode, Luke and Mark go deep on the business of YouTube with veteran Irish Youtuber and Entrepreneur, Paddy Galloway.

Paddy has built a business around not only growing his own YouTube channels, but also consulting for some of the world's biggest YouTubers like Mr. Beast. 

Paddy shares the basics of the Youtube business and explains why some people succeed but also why most people fail to capture an audience and grow a business on YouTube.

Key takeaways: 

1. Start now - Paddy explains how it could take up to 3 years to figure out your approach to building a YouTube audience

2. You can learn and improve - Paddy helps some of the biggest YouTubers in the world grow their views by the millions. If those experts have something to learn - so do you.

3. Skip getting a 'real job' after collage to satisfy other people. If you have a passion and think you can make a living in it, then go for it. 

4. Guarantee results, if you can: Almost no business will commit to giving you an ROI. If you're like Paddy and can deliver value - commit to it and stand out from the crowd. 

For more on paddy: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClga3ybuyyjpvqsh-cf3DvQ.

For feedback: Luke@Shark.ie

View Details

What is Up SharkNation!

In this episode Luke and Mark chat with Ireland's Premier Caricaturist - Niall O'Loughlin (caricatures.ie).

Widely regarded as one of the ‘best in the business’ and the most well-known caricaturist in Ireland, Niall enjoys sell-out exhibitions and has appeared on numerous Radio and TV shows including the Saturday night and Late Late show and completed commissions for many well known celebrities from both Ireland and abroad.

Mark has known Niall for many years and Niall was a mentor for Mark when Mark was breaking into the art business. They have stayed in touch, had numerous joint exhibitions, and in this episode Luke and Mark talk to Niall about his career path and building a successful art business in Ireland.

Key takeaways: 

1. Improve constantly: Niall mentions repeatedly during the podcast that constant improvement is the best way to stay relevant and growing as an artist and as business person. Warning... Mark and Niall get quite technical! 

2. You'll have to take risks: Niall talks about leaving a steady job to pursue being an Artist full time. Through trial and error he developed a niche in weddings services and this is still the foundation of Niall's business today.

3. Talent is not enough - you need exposure: The Late Late Show is the biggest talk show on Irish TV - after Niall was featured here his business took off. You need to get seen and come up with creative ways to reach new audiences. 

4. Know what pays the bills: Niall enjoys all different kinds of painting but he focuses on caricatures as the core part of his business. 

For more info on Niall: caricatures.ie

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

Today on the SharkPod Luke and Mark chat to Alan Coleman - Founder and CEO of Wolfgang Digital. 

In 2007,  Alan fell in love with AdWords and applied for a job in Google. He believed then, as he does now, that Google was the best marketing opportunity the world had ever seen. So, when he didn’t get the job, he decided “fekkit I’m going to do this for myself”, and he started digital marketing agency Wolfgang Digital on his kitchen table.

Fast forward to 2021 and:

• Wolfgang has been awarded status as Google's No 1 Search Partner and No 1 Shopping Partner in EMEA.

• Wolfgang has won Best Large Integrated Agency in Europe, twice.

• Wolfgang has won Best SEO Agency in the World! 

Key Takeaways:

1. You gotta hustle: The agency lives off its reputation today but in the beginning cold outreach was the only method to get the first customers in the door. 

2. Legitimacy matters - Alan mentions the business took off once they had a real office address included on their website. 

3. Sell ROI: If you can make money for your customers - and prove it - you'll be fine. Focus on this ability first.

4. Look after yourself: Alan moved to a 4 day week to help him enjoy life more and give himself time to explore other interests. One of these became the Wolfgang Reforest Mission - to restore Ireland's devestated natural forestry... And reintroduce Wolves to Ireland! 

For more info on Wolfgang: https://www.wolfgangdigital.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjwzt6LBhBeEiwAbPGOgTcM2ga-5bYd0tl12cW26x3hhOlgPbBf0-7y5hKPKi4L0fxfDgOLzxoCB8gQAvD_BwE

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is SharkNation!

This episode is from a recording of Luke's other podcast " The DubSpot Partner Podcast" where he interviews HubSpot Partners all over Europe. 

HubSpot is a Customer Relationship Management software.  

Luke and Mark were both on this recording and we thought it would be a great fit for the SharkPod listeners as it covers the start up journey as well as how to achieve scale with your business. 

Rich is the founder and MD of Six & Flow a Marketing and Technology agency based in the UK. 

Six & Flow have grown to be one of the most important partners HubSpot has in the region and has grown rapidly since the company started in 2016.

Key takeaways:

1. Work with scaling partners: Rich talks about deciding to become a HubSpot early on, the company's skills, plus the opportunities created around HubSpot helped S&F grow quickly.

2. Don't be afraid to adapt and grow. As the HubSpot platform evolved, S&F had to evolve their skillset in order to deliver on more technical projects for customers.

3. Be authentic: People can tell if you're not being yourself in your communication. Stand out on social by showing off your real personality and build that into your companies brand. 

4. Always look for an alternative choice in business if you're not happy with your options: Rich talks about the usual two paths for businesses that have reached the scale of S&F, acquiring a smaller shop or selling the business a bigger player. Rich thought outside the box and has set up an international alliance with other Elite HubSpot partners to help to scale the business.

For more information on Six & Flow: https://www.sixandflow.com/

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation! 

On this episode, Luke and Mark dig into Frederick Niche's philosophy on becoming the Übermensch.

Niche's practical approach to self improvement should be interesting to any listerer who is striving to be the best version of themselves. 

Luke and Mark cover the three metamorphoses described by Niche in his book Thus spoke Zarathustra. 

Metamorphosis 1: The Camal. The Camel does what society expects and plays by the rules. He does well but becomes resentful over time. 

Metamorphosis 2: The Lion. The Lion rejects cultural norms and rebels against values that society tries to force on him. 

Metamorphosis 3:The Child. The Child represents pure creation and freedom. The last step on the way to being superman. 

For Feedback: Luke@shark.ie 

View Details

What is Up SharkNation!

On this episode Luke and Mark sit down with Artist (and NFT advocate), IrishNFTgal.

What is an NFT? 

Simply put "A non-fungible token (NFT) is a unique digital asset that represents ownership of real-world items like art, video clips, music, and more". 

Niamh breaks down the NFT world for Luke and Mark describing her journey and the future of art sales. 

Key takeaways:

1. It pays to be an early adopter. Bitcoin is currently up 56k% since inception about 10 years ago. NFTs have the power to create new ways of doing business and it's important to understand the latest trends so you can exploit them. 

2. It's easy to get started (https://101blockchains.com/nft-minting/)

3. In 2021 and beyond, international exposure is key. NFTs allow you to sell internationally without the hassle of shipping stock.

4. Being left behind is a real risk. If you are relying on the old ways of selling, while living in the the digital world, it will be hard for you to keep up.

For more information on IrishNFTgal: https://twitter.com/irishnftgal

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

On this episode Luke and Mark catchup with the Samantha Kelly, Social Media Strategist, International Speaker, Author and Trainer, AKA the "Tweeting Goddess".

Samantha is also the founder of Women's Inspire Network (a global network for female entrepreneurs). Samantha is also a Tedx and public speaker and has been building her online presence since she launched her first business -"Funky Goddess" (a gift box company aimed at teenaged girls). 

Key Takeaways:

1. Be a content producer rather than a consumer. We live in the new age of communication. It will be those who communicate in the most effective way, to the most amount of people who will win. Make sure you are building your presence and exposing your business on social channels.

2. Social media is a game that can be learned. Samantha's company teaches individuals and companies to be successful on social. There is no excuse for unengaging content.

3. Thinking global is key to success. We have so much reach because of the internet. Exposing yourself and your business to the wider world should be a priority.

4. Start today. People are hungry for relevant, engaging content. Look at what your competitors are doing and try to build a presence that better engages with your target audience. 

For more information on the Tweeting Goddess: https://www.tweetinggoddess.com/about

For feedback: Luke@Shark.ie

View Details

What is Up SharkNation! 

On this episode Luke and Mark chat to the 3 guys behind Receipt Relay - a tech startup based out of Galway Ireland. 

Receipt Relay is a mobile app developed by three forward thinking young entrepreneurs. Each of them saw the limitations of paper-based receipts in the current world and wanted to build something to solve for the wasteful production of paper based receipts at the EPOS station. 

Joe Hennigan - Co-Founder and CMO, Seán Finnegan - Co-Founder and CEO and Luke Slemon - CTO have been working on the launch of the App since 2019 and have already seen traction with some of the biggest EPOS suppliers around.

Key Takeaways:

1. You have more time than you think. Two of the guys are still in college and still find time to build this business.

2. Zoom out: What could you do with your business if you thought in 20 year terms?

3. If you can make money and help the environment everyone wins.

4. People won't care if you try and fail: Especially if you're young, you'll have time to dust yourself off and try again so you might as well give it a go before you have more responsibilities. 

For more info on Receipt Relay: https://www.receiptrelay.com/about

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is Up SharkNation!

On this episode, Luke and Mark sit down with Viki Baird and Pat O'Brien of Stillgarden Distillery.

Stillgarden is an independent distillery in the heart of Inchicore, Dublin 8 bringing the spirit of prosocial disruption to the world through science, community & nature.

They have also put together an in-person experience for those wanting to get a better understanding of how their spirits are made. 

Key takeaways:

1. It's never too late to change: Pat tells us that he started of his working life as a builder but has found his passion in crafting and distilling spirits that his customers love.

2. Be flexible: The lauch of the business coincided with the most serious pandemic in 100 years. They had to pivot to an ecomm first business and learn to fulfil orders for customers online.

3. People want to buy from a brand they connect with. It's up to you to cultivate that feeling. In the case of Stillgarden, you can go visit them in person, see the impact they are making on the community and test the product where it's made.

4. Packaging in any industry is important but in the drinks industry it's vital to get right. Stillgarden uses the fractal of the chemical make up of the liquid inside the bottle as the label as an homage to their dedication to applying science to spirit creation! 

For more info on Stillgarden see: https://stillgardendistillery.com/about-us/

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

On this episode Luke and Mark chat to marketing veteran and podcaster, Greg Canty - Managing Partner with Fuzion Communications, Producer of Win Happy Podcast.

Greg joined Fuzion in 2003, bringing a strong commercial aspect to the business. He is a qualified accountant who held senior roles within the drinks industry for Heineken and Guinness including posts as General Manager. Greg also had a chain of music stores in a number of locations around Ireland.

Greg works with clients on their Communications Strategies and he develops digital marketing strategies and implementation plans for clients and supports these with the Fuzion digital marketing team. He also provides social media consultancy and support to the Crisis PR team.

Greg is a social media enthusiast, an avid writer and social commentator and is considered to be one of the leading B2B bloggers in Ireland. His regular B2B blog and the Fuzion blog, which he manages, have attracted a large following with many of the submissions featuring in national publications. Greg produces the Win Happy podcast as well as podcasts for a number of clients..

In conjunction with the Fuzion design team, Greg developed the globally successful anti-cyberbullying infographic ‘Safebook’, which led to a Chambers Ireland national CSR award.

Greg's marketing and PR agency has been around for 20 years and on this podcast he provides deep insight into the world of communications as well as the story of how a qualified accountant got into the marketing business.

Key takeaways:

1. Where you start doesn't have to dictate where you end up. If you start out as an accountant, don't feel like you have to follow that path forever.

2. Career variety makes for a good story. Greg has worked in lots of different fields from the music business to drinks distribution.

3. Ad clicks matter in marketing, but so do soft communications. In a world where anyone can have a blog, an article in the newspaper might be even more powerful than PPC, but harder to measure.

4. Embrace change. Greg has seen the value of new technology emerging in the marketing scene and has started his own podcast (Win Happy) to share his thoughts on business and life.

For more information you can see: fuzion.ie or get in touch with Greg here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregcantyfuzionpr/?originalSubdomain=ie

Also if you would like to listen to more of greg you can get his podcast "Win Happy" here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/26Xytze8H9hNN4WegpmRxg

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

On this episode Luke and Mark sit down to chat to Co-Founder/CEO of Noa - Gareth Hickey.

Noa (News Over Audio) is an application that allows users to access audio versions of some of the best news articles from the most respected sources in the world including the FT, the Economist and the Harvard Business Review. 

Gareth started the business after working in equity research and being frustrated with the lack of quality, digestible insights available from mainstream media sources.

With Noa - patrons get the very best articles from the most respected publishers for a fraction of the price of subscribing to all the individual news outlets.

Key takeaways:

1. Pick a big market - Luke and Mark discuss TAM (total addressable market) for the Noa app and the possibilities are endless.

2. Business development for the win: Partnerships allow you to leverage other business's customers and can be an engine for growth - Gareth discusses how partnerships with airports could be a great way for them to grow the business.

3. Track the metrics that matter: there is little point in growing your userbase if the cost of acquisition is more that the LTV (lifetime value of a customer).

4. If you want to work with big companies - patience is key. Account based selling takes time - even if you have a great value proposition - the big players will move slower than you think they should.

For more information on Noa: newsoveraudio.com

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

On this episode, Luke and Mark chat to film maker and co-founder of Cartoon Saloon -Tomm Moore. 

Kilkenny-based Cartoon Saloon is a five-time Academy Award®, Golden Globe®, BAFTA and Emmy nominated animation studio formed by Paul Young, Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey. From award-winning shorts to feature films and TV series, Cartoon Saloon has carved a special place in the international Animation industry. The studio is best known for its animated feature films The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, The Breadwinner and Wolfwalkers. 

Tomm describes how he got involved with animation and how the company has grown over the last 22 years, employing hundreds of staff locally. 

Key Takeaways:

1. In the age of the internet, you can build a business anywhere. Kilkenny - a small city in the middle of Ireland can be the base for a business that conquers an industry. You don't have to go to London or NYC anymore.

1. Don't expect overnight success - sometimes it's time in the game that pays off. Be patient and make great work - the rest should fall in to place over time.

2. If you have an artistic child - encourage them as much as possible -  they could grow up to be an Academy Award nominee, like Tomm.

3. Focus on your strengths and hire for gaps. Tomm mentioned that they have brought in a very experienced MD to help maintain and grow the business, so the creators can get on with creating. 

4. If you're passionate about something, it is possible to build a business and life around that. You don't have to settle for a career you don't like just because it pays well.

For more information on Tomm and Cartoon Saloon: https://www.cartoonsaloon.ie/

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

On this Episode Luke and Mark chat to Gary Grimes about his business (Simplí Business Finance) and how SMEs should think about raising non-bank finance in Ireland. 

Founded by Gary Grimes in 2020, originally the company's name was GDG Business Finance but just this month have rebranded/renamed to Simplí Business Finance. They are an SME Finance consultancy firm, who specialises in building tailored funding solutions for Irish companies depending on their financial need. Simplí is one of Irelands fastest growing business finance intermediaries and also and an award-winning business having picked up “ Best SME Finance Consultancy Company 2021” at the Irish Enterprise Awards hosted by EU Business News.

Gary who leads the team in Simplí had over 15 years of experience in the finance industry and has worked with countless numbers of SMEs in all sectors raising finance. Gary is part of a prestigious group of individuals who are accredited thought leaders in their fields of work by the All Ireland Business Foundation. He was the first in Ireland to be accredited as a Thought Leader by the foundation in the area of SME and Commercial Finance.

The conversation dives into Gary's entrepreneurial journey, as well as how working for an Irish startup gave him the appetite to go out on his own. 

Key takeaways:

1. It's never a perfect time to start your business (Gary was expecting a child and the pandemic was just about to kick off). You might as well get going sooner - rather than later.

2. What could you do with your business if you had access to more capital? Through alternative financing - businesses have the opportunity to leverage huge pools of capital and should see alt finance as a growth vehicle. 

3. See opportunity in market deficiencies. Ireland is behind when it come to alternative financing of businesses. Can you fill the gap?

4. Businesses with multiple streams of income are more robust. Look to build this into your business strategy from the start. 

5. The Irish market is small - build your business so it can be a success in different territories. The world's a big place.

For more on Gary and his business: https://www.simplifinance.ie/

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

Keep Moving Forward

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

On this episode, Luke and Mark sit down with CEO of Black Mirage (a cyber security firm in the US) to chat about how you can protect yourself form potential attacks.

The guys also get the inside scoop on the hacker world, how it works, who is involved and what's at stake. 

Carson's firm helps businesses protect themselves from bad actors by staging attacks to reveal weaknesses. 

The key takeaways:

1. Cyber attacks can affect everyone online so you had better figure out how to protect yourself. 

2. Hacking groups can be well organised, like military units.

3. There are certain unwritten rules about hacking - infrastructure is supposed to be off limits

4. There is a great business opportunity in the space if you can build (or hire) the required skills.

For more info on Black Mirage:https://www.blackmirage.sh/

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

This is not financial advice - it is meant for education purposes only

Luke and Mark talk about 'getting your money right' and building an investment strategy to make the most of the income you're generating.

Luke acts as a guide and breaks down the simple steps a 35 year old would need to take to generate an investment pot of €1m+ in 20 years.

Key takeaways:

1. Everyone should do the math on the €1m investment pot, and what it takes to get there - Luke and Mark describe the the platforms and assets you might use to build and manage your portfolio.

2. As with all income - it's not how much you make but how much you get to keep that matters. So the guys discuss possible tax strategies and how someone might choose investments that won't attract unnecessary taxes.

3. You need a long term mindset - "time in the market beats timing the market'.

4. There are alternatives to ETFs to give a portfolio broad market exposure. Investment trust might be a way for some investors to build their fortune.

5. There are great resources out there - For portfolio ideas see http://www.lazyportfolioetf.com/. Books recommended on the podcast include Unshakable - Tony Robbins. Master the Trade - John Carter and Principles - Ray Dalio.

For Feedback: Luke@shark.ie

KEEP MOVING FORWARD!

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

On this episode Luke and Mark sit down with Journalist, Podcaster, and Entrepreneur - Peter McCormack from the "What Bitcoin Did" podcast.

Peter's podcast has reached over 1,000,000 downloads per month and he has also been sharing earning stats on his income report on his website where he shows how he built his podcast income to well over $200k per month.

The guys cover a huge amount of topics on the podcast but here are the key takeaways:

1. Bitcoin is a paradigm shift in finance - banks are in trouble - governments are in trouble - it may be the biggest disrupter of our time. 

2. Bitcoin means different things to different people. Some people see it as an opportunity to break away from central governments - some people see it as a store of value with built in scarcity, others a way to buy drugs online (Peter tells us about how he got into Bitcoin while trying to buy drugs through the infamous Silkroad back in 2012).

3. If you're passionate about something - give it a go. Peter started podcasting only a few years ago and now he flys all over the world interviewing Presidents of countries and well known tech personalities like the Winklevoss twins.

4. Time wealth is more important than money. Peter talks about his job in the city and the fancy cars but also the long hours and endless commutes. Peter gives Luke and Mark a snapshot of a day in the life for Peter now, which involves doing what he wants most of the time! 

To learn more about Peter and listen to his podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7lS3lnf7taMiptieVXnB3Z?si=20a775b08938439c

For Feedback: Luke@shark.ie

Keep Moving Forward

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

This week Luke and Mark sit down with Cathal Noone - Founder and Managing Director of RandDtaxcredits.ie.

Cathal has built a software platform to help companies claim back tax here in Ireland and beyond. 

R&D tax credits are big business in Ireland - while working as a Director in a Big 4 accounting firm PWC, Cathal helped his companies claim back a total of almost €1,000,000,000 in tax. 

Cathal was frustrated with the in efficiencies he saw in the process and built a webapp to automate a lot of the process and cut costs for clients by up to 50%.

Key Takeaways:

1. Build a business with an undeniable benifit for your customers ("sign up with us - save 50%").

2. Business development is key in the early stage of new ventures - building partnerships and looking for innovate ways to bring your product to market have to be central parts of your strategy. 

3. A STEM education can give you a process driven mindset and transferable skills - setting you up for success in later life.

4. Don't be afraid to compete with incumbents in the market (like the Big 4, in this case). They will often take years to change and you can carve out your piece of the market before they have time to act.

5. Automation is coming for the accounting business.

If you would like to learn more about the R&D Tax Credits or Cathal's platform you can see more info here: https://www.randdtaxcredits.ie/home

Or reach out to Cathal directly here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathalnoone/

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

Keep Moving Forward! 

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

On this episode of the SharkPod, Luke and Mark break down the popular book "Principles" by Ray Dalio. 

Dalio ran the biggest hedge fund in the world (Bridgewater) for decades and now, after retiring from running the day to day, he spends his time sharing his learnings through books, podcasts, and his YouTube channel.

The focus of 2021 for Luke was to "get his money right" and start to build a real investment strategy. Luke came across Dalio's investment advice while reading Tony Robins' book "Money: Master the Game" where Ray share's with the world his investment strategy.

Key Takeaways:

1. You need a goal, a mission, a vision to go after. One of Dalio's principles is "Do what you set out to do". He believes that following a dream helps to create a successful life. 

2. Everything is a machine. Dalio's sees the whole universe, the economy, the company and the individual as interlocking machines. This take allows him to design investment strategies and company designs to create his desired outcomes.

3. Embrace reality and deal with it. Dalio sees himself as a hyper realist and claims that in order to become successful, you must not worry about what should be and only what is.

4. There is a 5 step process to produce successful results. This simple step by step approach has allowed Dalio to build a very successful career - the guys listen in to Ray explain the steps to the listeners.

Luke and Mark would recommend this book to any entrepreneur or business person. It's a real treasure trove of advice.

Link to book:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Principles-Life-Work-Ray-Dalio/dp/

For Feedback: Luke@Shark.ie"

View Details

What is up SharkNation! 

Andy Mackin is the CEO of Mackin Group, an international company that provides both health and safety consulting and talent solutions for companies all over the world. 

Andy started the business after a 21 year career in the Irish Navy. 

The company has huge ambition and is aiming to generate €75 million per year in revenue by 2025, and €110 million by 2030! Andy shares his vision of ringing the bell at the New York Stock Exchange when the company goes public! 

Key takeways:

1. Andy was almost 40 years old when he started the business - it's never too late to pivot to a new career.

2. He found that scale was achieved quickest by going global. Andy talks about opening offices in 18 states in the US, as well as offices in the far east and Africa. 

3. Relationships compound over time and it's extremely important to maintain these relationships as you scale. 

4. Stay open minded - the Talent side of the business grew from a suggestion from an existing customer and is now a huge part of the Group. 

5. Get up early - sleep quicker... :) 

For more info on Andy and the business: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mackinconsultancy/?originalSubdomain=ie

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

On this episode, Luke and Mark chat to Entrepreneur and former contestant from BBC's 'The Apprentice' - Pamela Laird. Pamela is the founder and CEO of the Moxi Loves, a beauty product business that provides innovative, waterless, and sustainable products.

Moxi Loves is stocked by some of the the biggest retail operations (Boots, Pennys and national pharmacy chains) in Ireland and the UK and will soon be available in Australia also. 

The guys dig into Pamela's experience competing on 'The Apprentice' in the UK and also her appearance on the 'Dragon's Den' here in Ireland.

Key Takeaways:

1. Distribution is key but not the most difficult part of the FMCG business. Pamela speaks about how important the product is as well as the packing and over all branding in being stocked by leading retail companies.

2. Working with a distribution company will help you get your product into retail chains but you will need to build up your own capacity for sales and marketing in order to keep momentum. There are risks involved with using distributers as they can become very important to your business, thus giving them a lot of negotiating power. 

3. Build your brand to sell - Pamela tries to allow the Moxi Loves brand to be independent from her personal brand. In this way she is building a business with performance not tied directly to her, allowing investors or buyers to evaluate the business on its own merits.

4. The UK is a great source for investment for Irish Entrepreneurs. Getting involved with UK based shows (like The Apprentice) can help you build your profile there. 

5. Momentum is the hardest thing about this business. New products, new markets, and finding new customers who are loyal to your brand in the long term is difficult when competing with some of the biggest companies in the world.

For more information on Moxi Loves: https://moxiloves.com/

For Feedback: Luke@shark.ie

Keep Moving Forward!

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

This week on the podcast Luke and Mark sit down with property Entrepreneur and Podcaster Gavin J Gallagher. Gavin is a property developer that built up a fortune during the Celtic Tiger, only to lose it all after the property crash of 2008.

Gavin not only shares his story about how he got involved in property and how he build a €65 million portfolio in just a few short years, but also the subsequent fall to a negative net worth after 2008.

Gavin tells the guys about what it was like during the the Celtic Tiger era in Ireland and how a winning streak in the property market led him to over-leverage his position while chasing his dream of getting to a €100M in assets.

After years of dealing with the banks after the financial crisis, Gavin became interested in sharing his story and the lessons he's learned along the way with the the next generation of 'would-be' property entrepreneurs.

Key takeaways:

1. Whatever you do in property - mindset will be a major factor in how you perform in the long term.

2. Investing in property gives you leverage. You can amplify your gains (and your losses) by using debt to fund your property vision. This is what makes it an attractive area to build a business.

3. Creativity is an important element of investing in property successfully. If you can see the potential in a project that others can't, you will be able to the acquire property and increase its value with your creativity, leaving others behind.

4. Hubris is a real risk once you become successful. Becoming addicted to the affluent lifestyle can cloud your vision of risk and lead to overextension.

5. If you are going to invest in property, pay someone to help that knows what they are doing.

If you are interested in learning more about Gavin you can listen to his podcast "Behind the Facade" here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1Nc4DcZiTGK85SVOdo3245?si=fd5530e6f8d34311

You can also follow him on Youtube here :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5L1ZJriImk

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

On this episode, Luke and Mark chat to Daragh Jordan and Erik Jentetics - Founders Grafton Digital.

Sometimes the podcast recordings take place at very interesting times in the growth curve of a business. Daragh and Erik are just 20 years old and are taking their company to the USA to chase growth opportunities. 

Luke and Mark had grown up with the vision of moving to the States and starting businesses there and it is great to hear these young guys acting on a similar vision.

Key takeaways:

1. It's never too soon to start. Daragh and Erik started the business 3 years ago when they were just 17. 

2. When you start early you have a lot of time to pivot. The guys have already pivoted away from social media marketing to focus on their core business of app and web development. 

3. There is nothing stopping you from doing business with the world's biggest economy. 

4. You can take bigger risks when you are young because you have a lot time to make up for mistakes made. 

5. Try to work in an industry where you get access to the 'back - end' of businesses, you'll quickly learn which businesses are profitable and which ones to avoid when starting your own business.

You can learn more about the guys here: https://graftondigital.com/.

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

Keep Moving Forward!

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

This week Luke and Mark sit down with serial entrepreneur, Ronan Cunningham to talk about leveraging innovation to start businesses.

Ronan started off his career in Law, but after being let go he found himself participating in a course in UCD focused on applying innovation to business problems. Ronan took an idea from the course and spun it into his first business. FootTee - a football based golf game. The business took off from the start and it has led Ronan to build other 'experience' businesses including his latest venture, Zero Latency - a virtual reality business - based in Dublin.

Key takeaways:

1. You don't have to start a business in a field you already work in, Ronan was new t the experience business but took action after extensive research.

2. It's never too late to pivot. Ronan talks about how people get on a certain track in life and feel like the only way to succeed is to continue on the path you are on. He uses the legal profession as an example. Ronan's career is proof that this is not have to be the case.

3.Double down on what works. Ronan laments not expanding faster on his first business once he found product-market fit.

1. Leverage other people's great ideas if possible. Ronan's new venture is a franchise from an Australian based company. By working with them, he is leveraging their R&D dollars and applying a winning model to the Irish market.

For more information on Zero Latency: Zerolatencyvr.ie

For Feedback: Luke@Shark.ie

Keep Moving Forward!

View Details

What is Up SharkNation!

In this episode Luke and Mark learn about Bitcoin and crypto investing from Kryptalk's Shane Talty. Shane has been investing in Bitcoin for years and runs a YouTube channel where he provides updates and insights on all things bitcoin.

Luke and Mark are looking to become investors in crypto but want to get a good grounding in the subject before they dive in. Shane provides his take on Bitcoin investing as well as his story of how he got involved.

Key Take aways:

1. Cryptocurrencies are volatile and investors should learn all they can about them before investing.

2. Like other investments, a long term view is helpful to manage emotions during down cycles. 

3. There are a lot of exchanges out there but Coinbase have made it very easy to start investing, and because they are a publicly traded company they feel more safe than other exchanges.

4. There are trading strategies out there for "scalping" alternative coins in speculative trades but these strategies require special knowledge and don't suit the long term investor.

5. There may be a future where crypto currency is the defacto way to pay for things, but this is a long way off.

1. When Luke and Mark start investing they will be 'dollar cost averaging' - meaning they will be buying when the market moves up, down, or sideways, constantly. In this way they should be able to smooth out their return over time and avoid trying to "time the market.

If you would like to watch Shane in action his Youtube channel is here:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9d0CqTAyAvOiOn4-UGUg1A

Book mentioned as a good resource to learn about Bitcoin: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bitcoin-Standard-Decentralized-Alternative-Central/dp/1119473861

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

This week, Luke and Mark chat to waste tech entrepreneur John O'Connor on his growing waste management business (Kollect.ie) and how he is building a business that affects every household and business in Ireland.

The guys talk about alternative business financing strategies and how Kollect launched an IPO in Sweden's Nasdaq branded stock exchange. They talk about the benefits of going public so early and how it made them grow up as a business and focus.

Key takeaways:

1. Entrepreneurial success is not usually a straight line exercise: John talks about starting businesses in different industries - night clubs, gyms and even a Subway franchise, before he found the industry that worked for him.

2. A mix of skills is the key to effectiveness in a management team: John describes the three founders of Kollect and how they leverage their individual strengths to propel the business forward.

3. Grow up ASAP: The best thing about going public early on is John and the management team was forced to build a grown up business with a board, structures and controls. They are now set up to scale. They would have had to do this at some time in the future, but by doing this early they can get on with the task of growing the business.

4. Do something you are passionate about: There are so many problems to fix. Picking an industry that annoys you and making it better is a great way to generate opportunities for yourself. John has been scratching his own itch throughout his business journey and this has led him to building a disruptive business in an industry ripe for evolution.

You can learn more about John and Kollect here: kollect.ie

For Feedback you can reach out to the lads here: Luke@Shark.ie

Keep Moving Forward!

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

The sneaker/runner industry is a part of modern pop-culture.

Luke and Mark chat to an entrepreneur from a different generation. Someone who is at the very beginning of their entrepreneurial journey. Kevin started Sneaker Cleaner at the age of 17 and now 3 years later, he has a retail location in the heart of Dublin's most desirable shopping districts.

Sneaker Cleaner will also be featured in Ireland's high end retail store, Brown Thomas, as a product offering for their customers.

The guys chat about all things business and really dig into the mindset of the next generation of entrepreneurs in Ireland.

Key takeaways:

1. Find a mentor - Kevin mentions at least 3 business people who have been helping him in business and who have built successful businesses in the past (all three have appeared on the SharkPod).

2. Find a way to add value to your mentor's business - in Kevin's case, he used his audio/visual skills to help successful entrepreneurs with their business and gained invaluable experience as a result.

3. Collaborate big - try to find partners to help you grow. Kevin talks about partnering with some of the biggest product in the industry.

4. Pick a business with different angles to facilitate expansion: Kevin talks about different ways he might grow the business. From cleaning products to auctioning and mail order, there are all kinds of creative ways to make money in the Sneakers business and this is an element to keep in mind when you are starting your business.

Kevin's website: https://www.sneakercleaner.ie/

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

Keep Moving Forward

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

This is a bonus episode of the SharkPod that features the founder of Bitesize Irish, Eoin Ó Conchúir.

Bitesize Irish is a community that is aimed at helping people all over the world develop their Irish language ability. Their tagline is "Gaelige Gach Lá" (Irish everyday)

Luke chatted to Eoin Ó Conchúir about all things language learning including Luke's journey with the learning the language starting at age 30.

This includes the tools and tactics used by Luke to get a handle on the fundamentals of the language. 

Eoin has his own podcast with over 100 episodes: https://open.spotify.com/show/75kbMRRV1mWcI6HFcFazJv?si=vGGQuYC-RH2Vr3ACyFw77A

And you can learn more about the work Eoin does at: https://www.bitesize.irish/

For feedback: Luke@Shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

On this episode Luke and Mark sit down with Kevin O'Loughlin, CEO of Nostra (IT Outsourcing business based in Lucan, Ireland) to chat about the company's rise and how the business has thrived through Covid times.

Key Take aways:

1. If you want to build a €20,000,000 business you need to think long term. 

2. Thinking of your business as a 30 year play changes how you make decisions and gives you clarity.

3. Dublin is one of the best places in the world to HQ your business - Kevin believes that Dublin has everything you need to succeed.

4. Employing people brings you joy and seeing your employees develop their careers at the company you built is very satisfying.

5. Recurring revenue gives you the benefits of the law of compounding and it is something to consider when designing your business.

6. The most promising niche in the IT outsourcing industry is in Security.

If you want to learn more about Nostra and want to explore career opportunities there, you can find out more information here: https://nostra.ie/nostra-careers

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

KEEP MOVING FORWARD!

View Details

"What is up SharkNation!

On today's episode, the guys break down "How to Get Rich" according to Naval Ravikant. 

Naval is an Investor/entrepreneur based in the Silicon Vally ecosystem. 

He is the founder of AngelList, a platform that brings investors and entrepreneurs together.

He is known as a philosopher on all things business and produced a "tweet storm" about how to get rich. He then released a 3h+ interview where he explains his prescriptions. 

Luke and Mark take what they think are the best and most actionable points from this interview and break it down for the SharkPod listeners.  

Key Takeaways:

1. Accept business responsibility under your own name. Naval suggests that most people are hiding in the crowd. This is hard wired into the human brain as to fail in front of the tribe produced dire consequences. These day however the risks of danger are low and society rewards those who are the owners of initiatives

2. Play long-term games with long-term people. Naval prescribes looking for industries you can build long term relationships in. This will lead to compound effects in networking and will ensure that everyone involved knows that they should treat you well because they are likely to need you in the future. 

3. Learn to sell, learn to build. Luke and Mark discuss Naval's suggestion that those that can do both are unstoppable and investors are really looking for a mix of the two traits in founders when making investments. 

4. There is no actual skill called business. Naval takes the position that business skills can not be taught by watching. Luke and Mark discuss education and if they would be recommending university to their children. 

5. Leverage. Naval talks about how to use leverage to get rich. Luke and Mark discuss leverage in the internet age and how to develop business ideas at scale. 

If you would like to learn more about the How to Get Rich approach of Naval you can check out his full podcast here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-TZqOsVCNM&t=3415s.

For feedback: Luke@Shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

Today the guys cover a very important topic with their special guest Barbara Sheahan, Founder and MD of HealthCare Compare (hcc.ie) - the place to go when you need to figure out how to protect yourself and your family. 

Luke and Mark talk about entrepreneurship with Barbara but the conversation really turns into a clinic on all things health insurance.

Key takeaways:

1. If you are in Ireland - get in early. The government penalises people who takeout insurance later in life.

2. Get a pro to help you out. During the pod Luke and Mark learn a lot about how the different plans work and how finding the right plan for you and your family can be a tricky undertaking. 

3. Follow your passion. We talk about how Barbara has always wanted to create a successful business within the Health Insurance industry.

4. Health Insurance is opaque. There are plans that are not advertised on the insurers websites and these could be the best fit for you.

This is another episode that is more like a workshop, like the investing pods the guys did back in January 2021, this is another element in designing your lifestyle that you should take charge of. 

For more information on HealthCare Compare: hcc.ie

To connect with Barbara : linkedin.com/in/barbara-sheahan-89076872/

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

Keep Moving Forward!

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

Today Luke and Mark chat to one of Ireland's most successful arts of the past 2 decades - Eoin O'Connor (https://eoinoconnor.com), Artist/entrepreneur.

You are probably familiar with Eoin's work if you are living in Ireland as his paintings have been licensed by some of Ireland's most important retail chains.

Luke and Mark chat to Eoin about his rise in the Irish art world and how he always had sustainability in mind when it came to earning a living through his art.

This should be required listening for anyone serious about turning 'pro' as an Artist as it lays out the steps taken for Eoin's success, as well as a repeatable model other aspiring artists can follow.

Key takeaways:

1. Start out to be a professional. Eoin stated to sell his work as early as possible, going 'door to door' to retail outlets to get noticed.

2. Think distribution. Where can your work we sold most effectively? In Eoin's case, this was national retail chains in Ireland.

3. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there. Eoin describes setting up for the first time at the Art showcase in the RDS and feeling nervous when he seen the other exhibitors. After selling out all of his paintings, he grew in confidence.

4. Scale up. Eoin mentions his studio - his gallery and his business development relationships with national retails in Ireland. He mentions his hired staff that help him deliver on a huge amount of daily orders.

5. Get online. Selling direct to consumer cuts out the middleman and allows you to bank a bigger margin. Eoin leverages Shopify and Facebook ads to reach is international audience and manages orders through his full time team.

For more information on Eoin see:https://eoinoconnor.com/

Eoin's insta:https://www.instagram.com/eoinoconnorartist/

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

This week on the SharkPod Luke and Mark sit down with Rónán Ó Dálaigh - Founder and CEO of Thriftify.

Thrifitify helps charities get the most out of donated goods by providing an online platform for them to sell directly to the public.

By bringing technology to the industry, Thriftify hopes to ensure that the retailer gets the best price for their donated items while the public gets the chance to shop sustainably from the comfort of their home.

Biggest takeaways:

1. Entrepreneurship can be done in a way that makes the world a better place.

2. Some of the biggest opportunities in business are in sustainability. As people become more concerned about climate change, equality and equity, there will be opportunities to build companies with these principles in mind.

3. Even if the generation of maximum profits for the company is not the only goal, you can still raise funding if you need it to scale. During the pod they discuss how Rónán had to adjust his vision of the company only slightly in order to raise the capital they needed to expand.

4. Build something with passion. When it comes to building a business, being passionate about the the problem you are solving will drive you to put in the work necessary to make the project succeed. Instead of jumping on the latest business fad, find a problem you are passionate about solving and see where it leads.

5. Sustainability as competitive advantage. In the future, as regulations change, those companies that are sustainable by choice and strategy will have a distinct competitive advantage.

You can follow Rónán on insta: https://www.instagram.com/ronanodalaigh/

Thriftify: thriftify.ie

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

Keep Moving Forward!

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

On this episode of the SharkPod - Luke and Mark meet with Paul Devaney of Irish 7 Summits.

The 7 summits challenge involves climbing the highest mountain peak on all 7 continents. 

Paul and his group of amateur mountaineers have managed to climb 6 of 7, with only one remaining - Mount Everest. 

During the chat they cover:

1. How Paul, having no background in mountaineering growing up, got involved with such arduous challenge. 

2. How Paul started to tick off the various climbs and a discussion on which ones were the most challenging and where someone should start if they would like to take in this challenge for themselves.

3. They discuss what is involved in getting ready for these expeditions and the sacrifices that need to be made when chasing this goal.

4. They talk about Paul's first attempt at climbing Everest and how that ended in disaster (avalanche).

5. How his second attempt at climbing Everest also ended in disaster (earthquake) and the rescue that he was involved in during the aftermath.

6. They talk about going back to Everest, Paul's final peak of the 7 summit challenge, and how he will prepare when he goes back.

And much more.

For more information on the 7 summits check out:https://irishsevensummits.com/stats-seven-summits/

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

Keep Moving Forward!

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

This week Luke and Mark sit down with David Kindlon CEO and co-founder of Eppione and Screenin.me to chat about the changing ways companies are rewarding staff in 2021 and beyond.

Eppione provides software to manage all HR needs including benefit management for employees.

The way we all work is in flux at the moment. Nobody knows what's around the corner, but we do know that we are living and working in a new environment post 2020. Managing distributed teams will become a competitive advantage and products like Epionne with help you manage this new and complicated landscape.

Main takeaways:

1. Benefits as a competitive advantage. How do you retain staff without working in an office? How can you build loyalty and a team mindset working remotely?

2. Building a successful startup in Ireland requires an international mindset. Eppione's two co-founders are based in NYC and London.

3. There is real value in the office environment for some roles. You lose a lot of the shared experience that a lot of companies have invested heavily in. We speak about ways to replace this.

4. We speak about the future of employee benefits and how companies will have to adjust if they are going to compete.

And much more...

If you would like to reach David or learn more about Eppione (https://eppione.com/contact/)

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/eppione/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkindlon/ Twitter: @Eppione

@Dkindlon

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Eppione/ For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is Up SharkNation!

This week Luke and Mark chat to Entrepreneur and Business Mentor Joe Costello.

Joe Costello is a global expert in high performance, both on a personal and professional level. As a successful business mentor in Ireland and international speaker, Joseph devotes his life to helping others ‘waken up’ and live enriched, fulfilled lives by thinking into results, one thought at a time.

Joe Started off working for the local counsel in Ireland but became depressed and over time became self destructive.

After turning his life around and building several million euro business', Joe is dedicated to helping other realise their potential through coaching.

Biggest takeaways:

1. It is possible to come back from a low point in life with the right intention and the right guidance.

2. There is real power in visualising the future you are trying to create. Joe's life reflects that and his mentees testimonials reflect this also.

3. If you are going to think, you might as well think big. Joe has planning permission pending for a residential development for more than 1100 apartments in West Dublin.

4. If you are directionless, there are people out there who can help and it is possible to be impacted by coaches/mentors without meeting them personally.

5. When you change the inside narrative, you can change the outside world.

And much more

For more information on Joe: https://josephcostellomentor.com/

Joe's Insta: https://www.instagram.com/josephcostellomentor/

For feedback: Luke@shark.com.

View Details

What is Up SharkNation!

Today Luke and Mark sit down with Chris McGale, Author of "Million Dollar Irishman", to chat about his amazing life story, from orphan and boxing champion to star financial player in Merrill Lynch. 

Biggest takeaways from this episode:

1. It doesn't matter where you start in life or the hand you are dealt, a mixture of determination and luck will often determine where you end up.

2. Work in an industry that has tremendous upside. Chris says financial services is still a great industry to earn big money.

3. Gamble if you have an information edge, if you know more about horses than anyone else but if you don't back yourself, the knowledge is useless. 

4. Take action, don't just read about a subject. Chris got his first job in investment banking because he was trading shares before it was poplar, the bosses in UIB were surprised Chris had real experience before he even started.

5. Look for an "angle". Chris built his book of clients in London from Ireland, and this proved to be a real advantage.

6. Aim for big wins, "I wouldn't pick up the phone for less than $1,000,000" was something Chris talks about in his book. Don't waste your time chasing small outcomes. Every day counts.

Chris' book is out now, here is a link to the audio version: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/The-Million-Dollar-Irishman-Audiobook/B08YFGVNJG?qid=1615797062&sr=1-1&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1&pf_rd_p=c6e316b8-14da-418d-8f91-b3cad83c5183&pf_rd_r=TST421SX23K5HSV2SKKF

If you would like to learn more about Chris you can read more about him here:https://www.milliondollaririshman.com/

For feedback:Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is Up SharkNation!

This week the guys sit down in with Tom Dalton - Owner - TD Performance.

TD Performance has been leading the way in workplace wellness in Ireland, creating evidence-based employee wellness programs for multiple companies across a number of industries. 

The guys discuss:

1. How Tom got started in the industry and how the atmosphere in Ireland at the time was not conducive to growth which led him to look to the UK for guidance and networking opportunities.

2. They chat about the opportunity for wellness solutions at big firms and how they can utilise their benefits packages around wellness as a competitive advantage.

3. They talk about the difficulties in the industry that COVID-19 presented and the importance of being able to knock on doors and use sales skills to keep moving forward. 

4. How TD fitness has pivoted in the ZOOM era of fitness and grown it's customer base during this challenging time. 

And much more...

You can find Tom at https://tdperformance.ie/#contact

Or @td_performance on insta. 

For feedback: Luke@Shark.ie

View Details

What is Up SharkNation!

This week on the SharkPod Luke and Mark continue their investing education and sit down to chat to Joe Doyle, Business Mentor and Property Investor (https://joedoyle.ie/).

Joe tells his incredible story of how he is building a €100m property portfolio (€12m at the moment).

With coaching programs and mentorship, Joe also helps tradesmen in Ireland get paid what they're worth. 

You'll learn:

1. How Joe got started at 18 as a property investor. 

2. How the property crash of 2008 set him back but gave him an education you couldn't buy.

3. Making a comeback. From negotiating with banks to re-building his portfolio.

4. How Joe uses visualisation to help achieve his goals. 

5. How Joe met Grant Cardone and the story of getting to the 10x Growth Conference (great story).

And much More.

You can follow Joe on Insta: @joedoyleentrepreneur

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

This week on the SharkPod, Luke and Mark sit down with the CEO of delivery giant DPD (https://dpd.ie/About-DPD/The-Company) to chat about an incredible year in the parcel delivery industry.

DPD Ireland have been around under different names for about 35 years but during the Global Pandemic they have grown massively and it's a company that has probably delivered something to almost everyone in country in the past year.

They cover:

1. Des's journey to becoming the CEO at DPD. Including what he learned working for Fedex in the 90's about efficiency and professionalism.

2. How DPD were planning for a down turn in business due to the pandemic but quickly had to pivot to meet demand.

3. Des tells us about hiring 800 people in the last year and the difficulty in maintaining quality of service when you are growing that quickly.

4. Des gives the guys a peak under the hood of the business to see how the industry works from Sales to when a package gets delivered to your door. 

5. How delivering 235,000 parcels in a day is managed and DPD's plans for the next few years.

and much more...

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

This week on the podcast, Luke and Mark sit down with Conor Lynch - Founder - SelfMakers, to chat about his new venture.

Conor is a Digital Business Designer, Educator, Self Maker and Connector. He has started ventures in a wide range of industries (from t-shirts to Digital Marketing) and has recently launched his education company - SelfMakers - after selling his Digital Marketing Agency Connector (connector.ie) in April of last year. 

The guys cover:

1. The background of Conor's new venture and why he is passionate about solo-preneurs getting their ideas off the ground.

2. Conor's t-shirt business "ConMan" that he started in Australia while travelling. 

3. What is takes to start and run a successful Digital Marketing Agency and how 'outside the box' thinking allowed Conor's business to punch above their weight and land large international client's 

4. How education is often years behind the current trends in business and how you can use this to your advantage building courses to fill the gap.

and much more!

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is Up SharkNation!

If any of you have attended a Bingo Loco event in any of the many countries they operate in, you'll know the level of creativity and execution that goes into the events they put on.

Luke and Mark caught up with Will Meara, Co-Founder of Bingo Loco, to chat business, travel and getting out of your comfort zone.

Will, currently in Mexico, is an adventurer, entrepreneur and a heck of a story teller.

They cover:

1 . How Will got into the nightlife industry in Dublin during college and how he was frustrated with the usual offerings from the nightclubs there.

1. The genesis story of Bingo Loco and how it has grown as a global business during a pandemic.

2. Travelling in Pakistan and how he ended up on the frontlines of the ISIS conflict, hanging out with the Kurds, as well as the career implications that followed.

3. Travelling in North Korea and his impressions of the country based on his personal experience.

4. They also take a lot of time to talk about how to design a life that you are loving living, whether thats nudist hostels in Mexico or pursuing Psychedelic journey's.

And much more:

You can follow Will's Insta here: https://www.instagram.com/willmeara.loco/

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

KEEP MOVING FORWARD

View Details

What Is Up SharkNation!

Luke and Mark sat down with Norman Crowley, CEO - Crowley Carbon (revenue in the hundreds of millions) to talk about how he built a business from the foothills of Co. Wicklow that manages the energy of the worlds biggest buildings. 

They cover:

1. Building and selling his gaming business for $500m and how they missed out on a billion dollar payday.

2. Selling a WiFi business to Rupert Murdock for $80m. 

3. Tackling climate change by solving financial problems for businesses. 

4. Building a grown-up business where all of the sales objections are removed from the outset. Making the deal a 'No brainer for your clients'. 

5. Building the world's next big electric car company, right here in Co.Wicklow. His venture called AVA (an acronym from the Latin Ad Vitam Aeternam - Forever, for eternity, for life). AVA’s plan is to build a “hyperclassic” - a new family of electric cars, with very high performance, but with styling inspired by some of the greats of motoring’s past! 

And much more...

If you'd like to learn more about Norman check out Crowley Carbon: https://www.crowleycarbon.com

And AVA: https://www.studioava.com

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is Up SharkNation!

It's seemed strange to have a podcast based in Greystones on business and lifestyle design and not have Stephen from the Happy Pear on! 

Stephen and his brother Dave have build a great business in their home town of Greystones, they have build international notoriety with their message of positive eating/living and have appeared on some of the biggest podcasts in the world. 

The guys dig into the life and business of Stephen and cover:

1. Stephen's own food/business journey, and how moving to Canada and detaching from his life in Ireland led to long term mindset changes on which he built his business.

2. How him and his brother got started with a 100k loan for their first shop.

3. How designing the community around them was the most important thing from the beginning and being able to enjoy what they do everyday was paramount to the success of their business.

4. The realities of business and how they have learned to design their business in a simpler way to suit the life they wanted to lead.

5. Always keeping things fresh and chasing new dreams and ideas for the business. 

and much more...

If you have feedback on this pod you can give us feedback on: Luke@shark.ie

KEEP MOVING FORWARD!

View Details

What is Up SharkNation!

To celebrate International Hug Day, the guys sit down with Marian Carroll, CEO (volunteer) - Ronald McDonald house, Dublin. They chat about the important work the charity does and and how they provide a lifeline for parents with seriously ill children so that they can spend as much time with their child as possible.

Although RMDH is a charity, it faced the same challenges that faced many businesses over the Covid - 19 lockdowns.

Social distancing and the curtailment of live events has led to a 50% decrease in donations and a rethink on how they fundraise for the cause.

They Cover:

1. The House - and the services it provides

2. How Marian got started and how the project has grown

3. Challenges running a not for profit

4. Steps they have taken to modernise their fund raising approach

5. And what the future looks like for the house and how you can help!

If you would like to help raise funds for this great cause you can learn how on the link here: https://rmhc.ie/get-involved/fundraise/

If you would like to send a Hug (Barróg) bunny to someone and support the work RMHC are doing. Please click the below link.

https://rmhc.ie/what-we-do/shop/Barr%C3%B3g-p180176057

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

Luke and Mark continue on their journey of "Getting Their Money Right" in 2021 by sitting down with Owen O'Malley - CEO of The Investment Club Network.

Owen's company has been around for 20 years and has helped establish 1000+ investment clubs in 50+ countries.

They Cover:

1. How Tony Robbins helped Owen get started in investing and how trading in the early 90s was a lot different than it is today.

2. How investment clubs work and how they can help newbies dip their toe in the water.

3. How investment clubs are great places to mix with like minded people.

4. The reasons why to invest and some tips on how to get started.

And much more!

Some helpful links below:

Owen on podcasts:

http://www.ticn.ie/podcasts/

6 intro videos for investing:

www.tinyurl.com/introowen (34 secs)

www.tinyurl.com/100231M (2 mins)

www.tinyurl.com/movethemoney www.tinyurl.com/interestoninterest www.tinyurl.com/calloptions www.tinyurl.com/coronabounce

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is Up SharkNation! 

2021 is here and it's time to get your priorities for the year in order!

Luke and mark spend this episode going through the different goal setting frameworks and discuss their own goals and aspirations for 2021.

They go through 3 different frameworks:

1. RPM - Toney Robbins 

You can get a great breakdown  of the method the guys discuss here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_yV3KBzxx4

1. Tim Ferris' Dream lining:

This is a method of not only mapping your goals, but also costing them.

Luke poses the key questions in this method to Mark

Read: https://tim.blog/lifestyle-costing/ for more information on this method

3 Luke Curry Lifestyle Design

Luke couldn't find  a framework thst  was right for him so he mapped out his goals his own framework. The categories  where he concentrated where -

i ) Body/Mind

ii) Community 

iii) Family Man

iv) Business/Financial

There are a million frameworks out there! Pick one that works for you and get going!

Keep Moving Forward!

Feedback: luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

2020 had a big impact on Luke and Mark. Now, during the last week of the year, Luke and Mark look back on the year with a positive lens. 

They cover:

1. Achieving goals during the pandemic

2. Changes they have made in the way they work and how they are leveraging the new work from home revolution.

3. The new opportunities arising from the new distributed work force.

4. How the guys will be "risking-up" projects in 2021 to ensure they are going as big as possible.

5. The guys go through some of their highlights of the SharkPod in 2020 and talk about some of the guests that made the biggest on them.

Thanks to all our guests listeners in 2020!   

For feedback email: Luke@Shark.ie

View Details

What is Up SharkNation!

John McGrane is Director General of The British Irish Chamber of Commerce, a private sector organisation which he co-founded in 2011 to represent businesses with interests in the two islands and their economies.

He is a retired financial services professional having completed a 40 year career with the Royal Bank of Scotland / Ulster Bank Group in Ireland.

Who better to chat opportunities and challenges arising from Brexit?

The guys cover:

1. The British Irish Chamber of Commerce - what is it? and why is is so important?

2. How Brexit will impact certain sectors more and what those involved in those sector should do to protect themselves.

3. John's new venture Kmend, which aims to use AI to help business people network digitally in meaningful ways.

and much more!

If you would like to send the guys feedback please reach-out to Luke@shark.ie

KEEP MOVING FORWARD!

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

This week Luke and Mark sit down with veteran broadcaster Conall Ó Móráin to discuss his career, and his new Podcast venture "That Great Business Show" which he co-hosts with former Ireland rugby international captain - Jamie Heaslip.

Conall has a long career in media and it was great for Luke and Mark to sit-down with a real pro to discuss how the media landscape is evolving. 

They cover:

1. Conall's first media venture in collage where he started a gossip magazine.

2. Getting started at Ireland's National Broadcaster RTE (7 years) and how his first live interview went - and what he learned

3. His career on the Sunday Business Show on Today FM (13 years) and how that has influenced his latest venture

4. Business, podcast and media ideas he is currently working on and where he believes the industry is heading in the next 5 years.

5. His advice for young aspirating broadcasters...

And much more!  

You can download his new podcast: here: https://open.spotify.com/show/2xeFCdR1xX7LmPIBVYjKzB?si=mjwDbqCoT0WPafohzJfQMw

If you feel like supporting the podcast and like audio books, sign up for your free Audible account below! 

Audible link here:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Free-Trial-Digital-Membership/dp/B00OPA2XFG?tag=sharkpod-21. 

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

Luke and Mark share their experience with going through their "Koch-tober challenge"

Luke and Mark decided to skip the usual sober October, but wanted to run a self improvement challenge anyway. After listening to Richard Koch (Strategy Guru and Author of The 80/20 Principal) on Tim Ferris' Podcast, Luke and Mark decided they would read 4 of his best selling books in October and discuss what they learned and how they would apply the lessons learned to their lives and careers.

They Read:

1. The 80/20 Principal: How to get more output with less input in life and in business.

2. The Star Principal: How to work for, start or invest in businesses that out perform the market. (Great read for anyone who wants to get the best ROI on their career and investments)

3. Extraordinary Success and How to Achieve it: This gives a roadmap for success and illustrates the steps along the way with real life examples across many disciplines

4. Super Connect: How to harness the power of networks, Luke and Mark advice skipping this one as there is not much you didn't already know about networking in it.

After reading the books Luke and Mark agree on the importance of the 80/20 Principle in particular. This should be in every strategist's tool box and it is a 'must read' in the guys opinion.

If you feel like supporting the podcast and like audio books, sign up for your free Audible account below!

Audible link here:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Free-Trial-Digital-Membership/dp/B00OPA2XFG?tag=sharkpod-21.

For feedback you can reach us on: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

This podcast is dedicated to all the listeners out there who are trying to design a life they love. For those who wish to take back the power and self-determine of their future.

We are told we need to work until we are 65 and that our reward will be a financial freedom for a few years before the twilight of our lives kicks in.

What if you could retire in 5-10 years, no matter how old you are now?

What if you had a plan to escape the 9-5 as soon as possible and start living your life on your own terms?

The FIRE (Financial Freedom, Retire Early) movement may be what you have been looking for.

Michael is on a mission to retire 5 years 10 months from now, at the ripe old age for 43. You can do this too.

In the podcast we cover:

1. FIRE - What is it?

2. How to build a strategy for early retirement and how anyone can do it.

3. The power of having a plan and reasons why society is set up to ensure you need to work until your 60s.

4. Pensions in Ireland and how to build a pot of tax deferred money you can access as early as when you are 50.

5. Simple steps to get started on your Financial Freedom journey

After the show Luke used this calculator (https://playingwithfire.co/retirementcalculator/) to figure out when he can retire. He is aiming for 41 years old. You should use this calculator this too...

If you feel like supporting the podcast and like audio books, sign up for your free Audible account below!

Audible link here:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Free-Trial-Digital-Membership/dp/B00OPA2XFG?tag=sharkpod-21.

If you would like to hear more from Michael you should listen to his podcast "The Irish FIRE Podcast" Link below.

(https://open.spotify.com/show/1aEfstr3BcC3Q1IITvtyxq?si=y3OgrMWjRU2_lW-slinmmQ)

For feedback you can reach us on: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

This week the guys sit down with Serial Entrepreneur Fabio Molle.

Fabio is the Founder of Functional Tennis, an Instagram community of well over a quarter million followers. He co-founded the iconic "Funky Christmas Jumpers" and has built and sold an ecommerce business within a year.

They cover:

1. How Funky Christmas Jumpers got started, how they used Gorilla Marketing and celebrities to promote the business and how successful the venture was in the early days.

2. How online advertising was giving them a 9x ROI in those early years but how this eroded away over time.

3. How Fabio found Chinese manufacturers and how much easier it would have been if he were to launch that today with all the services Alibaba offers.

4. Building and selling a silk pillowcase business within one year.

5. Building a insta following of 280k people and marketing products to his audience.

and much more...

If you feel like supporting the podcast and like audio books, sign up for your free Audible account below!

Audible link here:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Free-Trial-Digital-Membership/dp/B00OPA2XFG?tag=sharkpod-21.

For feedback you can reach us on: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

This week Luke and Mark sit down with Lisa Quinlan, Owner of The Rolling Donut (https://www.therollingdonut.ie/). The guys break down what it's like for a public facing business heading into lockdown 2.0, here in Dublin.

They cover:

1. The family story behind The Rolling Donut and the famed original store on O'Connell Street in Dublin.

2. How world travel led Lisa to join the family business and modernise the product line.

3. They chat about early failures along the way before Lisa got the formula right and started expanding rapidly.

4. They chat about the processes and operations involved in producing consumable products at scale.

5. The importance of online sales and how Lisa set this element up for success.

6. Her 'screw it let's do it' attitude on new ventures and how she decided to open cafe/restaurant with little experience and still managed to make it work.

And much more...

If you feel like supporting the podcast and like audio books, sign up for your free Audible account below!

Audible link here:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Free-Trial-Digital-Membership/dp/B00OPA2XFG?tag=sharkpod-21.

For feedback you can reach us on: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

This week Luke and Mark sit down with this Real Estate Entrepreneur turned full time Artist - John Fitzgerald (https://johnfitzgeraldart.ie/).

John is perhaps Ireland's best known and successful equine Artists.

This one will speak to any of our listeners who are looking to transition into making a business out of their passion and design a creative life that also financially viable.

We cover:

1. John's first career move into sales after college. Ireland was starting to boom and Real Estate is where fortunes were being made.

2. How John went into business with his family and set up their own Real Estate agency.

3. The ups and downs of owning and running a business through the boom and bust cycles of the Irish property market.

4. John's realisation that a lifestyle designed around creating art was the path to fulfilment. He tells a story about his first big painting sale and how it effected him.

5. John tells a very personal story as to why he committed to the art career full time, what drove him to make that decision and how his business skills honed in his Real Estate career stood to him in the art business.

And much more...

If you feel like supporting the podcast and like audio books, sign up for your free Audible account below!

Audible link here:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Free-Trial-Digital-Membership/dp/B00OPA2XFG?tag=sharkpod-21.

For feedback you can reach us on: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

This week Luke and Mark sit down with James Cluskey - Founder of High Calibre Collective (https://hccollective.co/about-us/).

James is a former tennis professional and former tennis coach of Sir Richard Branson.

We cover:

1. Step by step how to become a professional tennis player (and his personal journey)

2. Being a college athlete in the US (LSU) and what it was like being courted by colleges from places like Malibu -CA.

3. What it's like when you achieve your goals of becoming a professional athlete and what it's like transitioning to a regular career.

4. Meeting Richard Branson, travelling to Necker Island and coaching Branson in tennis.

5. What James learned working close to Branson and what he took away from the experience.

6. James's start up adventure - The High Calibre Collective. How it aims to give more choice to employees when it comes to how they use their wellness benefits.

And lots more....

If you feel like supporting the podcast and like audio books, sign up for your free Audible account below!

Audible link here:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Free-Trial-Digital-Membership/dp/B00OPA2XFG?tag=sharkpod-21.

For feedback you can reach us on: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

This week, Luke and Mark sat down with serial entrepreneur Garret Flower. Founder of Krüst Bakery and Cafés, Parkpnp (like airbandb for your car parking space), and ParkOffice - a rapidly expansing SaaS Business helping corporates manage their parking needs.

They cover:

1. Starting business straight out of college, working with SharkPod Alum Devan Hughes.

2. How he set up Krüst with his partner delivering pastries cate to cafe first and how they grow that into a multifaceted business in B2B as well as B2C, and how he grew their team to around 45 employees while still in his 20s.

3. We talk about the importance of a technical cofounder and how he went from baked goods to tech entrepreneurship after a chance encounter.

4. How his latest venture (ParkOffice) is growing during the pandemic and his plans for the future of the company.

And lots more!

If you want to get to know Garret Flower better, subscribe to his youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/Garretflowe

If you feel like supporting the podcast and like audio books, sign up for your free Audible account below!

Audible link here:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Free-Trial-Digital-Membership/dp/B00OPA2XFG?tag=sharkpod-21.

For feedback you can reach us on: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is Up SharkNation!

Recently the guys have spoken to a few startup founders that had gone through the NDRC accelerator program.

NDRC has to date built and invested in more than 250 companies, which have secured a total of more than €152m in follow-on investment.

The guys got a chance to sit down with David Scanlon (@dscanlon) (Venture Investment Leader) to dig into what investors are looking for when they are being pitched new business opportunity.

We cover:

1. What the NDRC is and how it helps entrepreneurs

2. The value of validating a business and what investors are looking for.

3. Some exciting startups that Ireland has produced recently to watch out for.

4. Differences between investing in Ireland vs the Middle east when it comes to startups and business culture.

5. Defining a venture capital friendly startup and who should be seeking funding.

And much more!

If you feel like supporting the podcast and like audio books, sign up for your free Audible account below!

Audible link here:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Free-Trial-Digital-Membership/dp/B00OPA2XFG?tag=sharkpod-21.

For feedback you can reach us on: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is Up SharkNation!

Neil Lesher is the Founder and CEO of LeshTronix Drone Systems. He has invented a drone device for your phone (The PhoneQuad).

Serial Entrepreneur, Neil has developed and sold multiple Retail (Brick & Mortar) businesses as well as having decades of I.T. experience in the Investment Banking sector. His professional background as a Sr. Market Data Business Analyst encompasses Market Data software/Hardware, Real-Time Data Feed products, cost analysis, Trade Desk support, Exchange & vendor relations, audits, compliance initiatives and enterprise wide project management expertise.

If you'd like to check out thee product design you can see it here: WWW.MYPHONEQUAD.COM

We cover:

1. The concept, where the idea came from

2. Getting the PhoneQuad off the ground, so to speak.

3. How his interests in flight as a child led him to the design of this product.

4. Doing business in America and the American attitude towards entrepreneurship.

5. A deep dive on the future of drone technology for society.

6. And of course the lightening round.

If you feel like supporting the podcast and like audio books, sign up for your free Audible account below!

Audible link here:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Free-Trial-Digital-Membership/dp/B00OPA2XFG?tag=sharkpod-21.

For feedback you can reach us on: Luke@shark.ie

Keep Moving Forward!

View Details

What is Up SharkNation! 

Luke and Mark are skipping Sober-October this year, there just isn't a lot of drinking going on in their lives this year, but they wanted to take October to try better themselves anyway.

Mark thought about it and pitched KOCH-TOBER to Luke...

Here's the Plan/Challenge:

1. Read Four books by Business Strategy Guru Richard Koch.

2. The Star Principle

-The 80/20 Principle 

• Unreasonable Success and How to achieve it

• Super-Connect - Harnessing the power of Networks

• Strict 4 Hour Body diet for the whole month.

• 80/20 Analysis of 2 areas of life and implementation of results.

• Body fat reduction of 2% as measured by Renpho scales.

They'll do a break down of KOCH-TOBER at the end of the month in a full episode. 

KEEP MOVING FORWARD!

View Details

What is Up SharkNation!

If you are looking to start your own eComm business this episode is for you.

Dan is the co-founder of Ambr Eyewear, a company selling primarily through their online store (ambreyewear.com), as well as, through Ireland's premier department store Brown Thomas.

Dan started the business out of his apartment with his co-founder and they have grown the brand both in Ireland and the US over the last few years.

We cover:

1. Leading with your core strengths when starting a business. Dan leveraged his skill set built during his time working for digital marketing agencies to figure out what to sell online (his story on idea gen included).

2. Sourcing, this is an issue for any ecommerce startup. We talk about getting the product supplier right and steps they took in finding the right manufacturing partner.

3. Tactics for getting noticed online and the importance of SEO.

4. Dan's thoughts on advertising online and how to get the most our of your budget.

5. Some of the tech used in running a successful ecommerce business.

If you feel like supporting the podcast and like audio books, sign up for your free Audible account below!

Audible link here:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Free-Trial-Digital-Membership/dp/B00OPA2XFG?tag=sharkpod-21.

For feedback you can reach us on: Luke@shark.ie

Keep Moving Forward!

View Details

What is Up SharkNation!

This week Luke and Mark chat to Co-Founder and CTO of one of Ireland's most promising Startups - WorkVivo based in Cork.

"Workvivo provides a social experience that creates a true sense of community, culture alignment and employee recognition".

They cover:

1. How the two founders got started and and how their experience of working in CoreHR led them to want to start their own venture.

2. Building the user base and reaching free cash flow before looking for investors.

3. How they received backing form ZOOM founder Eric Yuan.

4. How WorkVivo fits perfectly into the future of work by helping employees feel more engaged with the company mission, culture and values.

5. How failing in the music tech space led to valuable lessons learned, and how the niche he was trying to address in his last startup is still up for grabs.

6. The guys talk about the pros and cons of the startup environment in Ireland.

7. They also get tangential and go off on what YouTube channels they are into, music, business Ideas etc.

And much more...

If you feel like supporting the podcast and like audio books, sign up for your free Audible account below!

Audible link here:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Free-Trial-Digital-Membership/dp/B00OPA2XFG?tag=sharkpod-21.

For feedback you can reach us on: Luke@shark.ie

Keep Moving Forward!

View Details

What is Up SharkNation!

This week, Luke and Mark chat to Founder and CEO of Animis Labs - a software platform that helps modern sales teams collaborate on, and close more deals.

We cover:

1. Danny's background and his time in the Dell sales org.

2. How his experience designing training for Sales people in Dell helped to form the basis for his idea.

3. Great advice he received on where to start and how to minimise risk at the beginning of his venture.

4. His time in the NDRC accelerator program and how that helped Danny focus and get the business off the ground.

5. They talk about how modern sales teams should work together and how Animis is trying to standardise his approach.

And much more...

If you feel like supporting the podcast and like audio books, sign up for you r free Audible account below!

Audible link here:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Free-Trial-Digital-Membership/dp/B00OPA2XFG?tag=sharkpod-21.

For feedback you can reach us on: Luke@shark.ie

Keep Moving Forward!

View Details

What is Up SharkNation!

This week Luke and Mark continue chat to the Co-Founder of Qwilr - Mark Tanner (@marketanner)- a sales proposal software solution that Luke first came across while working at Hubspot.

Qwilr is Based in Sydney Australia and Mark joined us from there.

Qwilr is modernising the bottom of funnel for sales teams by providing them with the tools they need to close more new business and delight their prospects with proposals that make sense for their business.

Qwir have raised about $9 million in Series A finding and have acquired 1000s of customers so far.

We cover:

1. Idea generation: How serendipity helped Mark and his partner get started.

2. Scaling up: How they started to sign their first customers and the importance of cashflow in the SaaS industry.

3. What's wrong with the other sales tools out there and how Qwilr helps sales teams close more deals

4. Raising money - funding the Dream

5. How to manage a distributed workforce and looking beyond boarders for sales and talent.

and much more!

This episode is brought to you by Audible.

Claim your free Audio book in the link below!

Audible link here:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Free-Trial-Digital-Membership/dp/B00OPA2XFG?tag=sharkpod-21.

For feedback you can reach us on: Luke@shark.ie

Keep Moving Forward!

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

Today the guys sit down with Hannah Kathleen, Entrepreneur, Fashion Blogger, International Speaker and property investor.

We cover:

1. How Hannah Kathleen started fashion blogging at the age of 13.

2. How an illness forced her to cut her education short but led to amazing business opportunities as she got started on her career immediately after leaving school.

3. How personal branding is something everyone should be focused on.

4. How her international speaking career started, and how she over came insecurities to become a confident pro speaker.

5. How Hannah Kathleen ended up hanging out with Sir Richard Branson on necker island ...twice!

And much more!

This episode is brought to you by Audible.

Claim your free Audio book in the link below!

Audible link here:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Free-Trial-Digital-Membership/dp/B00OPA2XFG?tag=sharkpod-21.

For feedback you can reach us on: Luke@shark.ie

Keep Moving Forward!

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

Just a quick followup on Luke's 4 month Ironman challenge!

The actual event was cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions in Nice, so Luke and Aleks decided to go ahead with the race anyway and do the "SharkMan 70.3 - Greystones  Edition" instead.

In this bonus, Luke and Aleks discuss finishing the race and the journey that Luke took to get into 'Iron Shape'. 

They give you all the stats on the training as well as an invite for next year to join the guys for the SharkMan 70.3 second edition in Greystones 2021!

For feedback you can reach the guys on Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is Up SharkNation!

Today Luke and Mark chat to Eric, CEO of Foxter.

Foxter provide CRM and MarTech Services in Spain from their headquarters in Barcelona.

Luke works with Eric on a daily basis to make sure Hubspot customers are successful in Spain.

We cover:

1. Eric's early days being a Spanish student in Ireland, being impressed with out grass pitches if not our level of soccer ability.

2. Setting up his first business in Spain (vending machines with healthy operations.

3. We talk about how after selling this business to a larger competitor, he transitioned into tech and how he cut his teeth in his first tech jobs.

4. We talk about the founding of Foxter and the vision they have for their customers.

5. Gratitude over money, the importance of being grateful for the life you have. And much more! Like every week, we are brought to you by audible.

Claim your free book below! Audible Link here for your free audio book! :

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Free-Trial-Digital-Membership/dp/B00OPA2XFG?tag=sharkpod-21.

For feedback you can reach us on: Luke@shark.ie

Keep Moving Forward!

View Details

What is Up SharkNation!

This week Luke and Mark dig into a book that was hugely influential on their life and career - The 4-hour work Week - by Tim Ferriss.

They cover:

1. Defining the life you want and how much that would cost in monthly income.

2. How to make your life goals actionable through the process of "Dreamlining"

3. Fear-setting rather than goal setting

4. The 80/20 rule

5. 3 steps to income automation

6. Liberation - how to escape the rat race.

... And much more!

You can get this great book on Audible below but we recommend getting the real one on amazon - best 14 euro you'll ever spend!

Audible Link here for your free audio book! : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Free-Trial-Digital-Membership/dp/B00OPA2XFG?tag=sharkpod-21.

For feedback you can reach us on:

Luke@shark.ie

Keep Moving Forward!

View Details

What is Up SharkNation!

This week, Luke and Mark chat to the Founder of Mad Egg, a chain of delicious restaurants in Dublin - Conor Sheridan.

Conor is also the founder of tech startup Skueeze that helps restaurants manage profitability and will be aiming to be in 1000 locations by 2021.

We cover:

1. How Conor went from a career in financial services to opening his first restaurant.

2. How his financial modeling skills helped set up the business for success.

3. How they built the brand of Mad Egg and how they ensure the experience of customers is always improving.

4. How Conor's experience managing the chain of restaurants has led him to develop Skueeze (a SaaS product).

5. How to develop a new tech start up, what is needed - who do you need on your team and how to get the ball rolling on a new idea.

As always we are brought to you by Audible.

Audible Link here for your free audio book! : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Free-Trial-Digital-Membership/dp/B00OPA2XFG?tag=sharkpod-21.

For feedback you can reach us on:

Luke@shark.ie

Keep Moving Forward!

View Details

What Is Up Shark Nation!

Today Luke sits downs with serial Entrepreneur Conor Duggan.

Conor has just launched his new wine subscription business and we wanted to get him on now to take a snapshot of someone in the trenches of starting a new business.

They cover:

1. College experience: Is it worth it?

2. Running a desert delivery business and the struggles of scalability

3. Running an events business and juggling multiple start ups at once.

4. They discuss franchising technology and his experience with Slikr, an Australian franchise he brought to Ireland.

5. They discuss the opportunity for his new venture and how he plans to roll it out in the UK as well as Ireland.

Bonus: Conor was kind enough to provide a 10% off voucher exclusively for our listeners: Sharkpod10

Order some wine! Have fun responsibly.

Audible Link here for your free audio book! : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Free-Trial-Digital-Membership/dp/B00OPA2XFG?tag=sharkpod-21.

For feedback you can reach us on:

Luke@shark.ie

Keep Moving Forward!

View Details

What Is Up Shark Nation!

Thanks to everyone who Entered our recent Instagram competition - "Win a Mark Barker Print"

We wanted to show the live picking of the winner so everyone knows it was fair!

Who will it be?

Audible Link here for your free audio book! : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Free-Trial-Digital-Membership/dp/B00OPA2XFG?tag=sharkpod-21.

For feedback you can reach us on:

Luke@shark.ie

Keep Moving Forward!

View Details

What is Up Shark Nation!

This week we sat down with Co-founder and director of Renatus Capital Partners- Mark Flood.

Renatus is a Private Equity Fund, founded 5 years ago and is focused on the SME sector in Ireland.

In this episode we cover:

1. How coming form a Horse farming background helped shaped his early views on business.

2. How he became MD of the Racing post after being involved in the £170M take over there.

3. How he started Renatus Capital Partners and how they raised their first €11 million from investors. (We also touch on a recent round of funding for an additional €35 Million)

4. We discuss their first investments. Specifically their first (Boojum) and second (Simtech Aviation).

5. We also talk a lot about the entrepreneurial spirit of the Irish people and how different forms of capital are necessary at different stages of the business.

This podcast is brought to you by Audible. Sign up for your free audio book through our link below - cancel anytime and keep your book!

Link here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Free-Trial-Digital-Membership/dp/B00OPA2XFG?tag=sharkpod-21.

For feedback you can reach us on: Luke@shark.ie

Keep Moving Forward!

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

This week Luke and Mark Break down Schwarzenegger's Rules for success. Loads of value from his speeches for those aspiring to do more!

We cover:

1. Having a vision

2. Time management - getting the most out of your day

3. There is no plan B...Burn the boats

4. How to deal with naysayers

5. Fear of failure, and how to overcome this fear This podcast is brought to you by Audible. Sign up for your free audio book through our link below - cancel anytime and keep your book!

Link here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Free-Trial-Digital-Membership/dp/B00OPA2XFG?tag=sharkpod-21.

For feedback you can reach us on:

Luke@shark.ie

Keep Moving Forward!

View Details

What is Up SharkNation!

This we week we sit down to chat to CEO and founder of Oathello - Jennifer Hourihane about her journey from a promising career in law to building a software company aiming to modernise the legal industry and help them work more effectively while making the whole process greener.

We cover:

1. How Jennifer started her career as a solicitor and what that was like working in that industry.

2. Where the idea came from for her software business.

3. How she got her idea off the ground.

4. How Jennifer got a prototype of her app built and the importance of finding a technical co-founder.

5. We spoke about her experience at Barclays TechStars startup program and how living in London for 18 months added to the success of the business.

6. We talk about the size of the opportunity in the legal industry for tech disruption.

Thanks to Jennifer for joining us!

This podcast is brought to you by Audible.

Sign up for your free audio book through our link below - cancel anytime and keep your book! Link here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Free-Trial-Digital-Membership/dp/B00OPA2XFG?tag=sharkpod-21.

For feedback you can reach us on: Luke@shark.ie

Keep Moving Forward!

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

For episode 27 we reached out to online advertising expert Ogie Hollywood from Google to help us learn more about expanding ecommerce businesses using paid ads.

Along the way we touched on important topics around mental health and how to better manage your mental health in an increasingly pressurised world.

We cover:

1. How a clerical error led to Ogie being excluded from University in Ireland.

2. Ogie's harrowing journey through struggles with mental health while studying at IT.

3. Ogie's come back and taking positive steps in order to get his life back on track (exercise, food, lifestyle change).

4. We talk about what it takes to be successful with PPC

5. Ogie let's us know about some of the UK's biggest brands that he has worked with and what they are doing to succeed on line.

If you feel like listening to a great book and you want to support the SharkPod you can sign up for a free audio book through our link here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Free-Trial-Digital-Membership/dp/B00OPA2XFG?tag=Sharkpod-21

Cancel anytime and keep your book!

For feed back, drop us a line on Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

This week we sat down with You-Tuber and Entrepreneur Thomas Arnold (@thomasarnoldfilms).

Thomas is best known for vlogging about his college experience in UCD to his 15k+ subscribers but we were also interested in how he is turning his passion of film making into a career by making professional videos for companies like Microsoft.

In this episode we cover:

1. How he got started making YouTube videos almost 10 years ago (when he was just 14).

2. How he set up a business around what he loved - film making.

3. How he build his business on reputation rather than outreach.

4. How he made €30k while in his final year in collage.

5. How to build a YouTube channel that is monetized.

6. Advice for creatives just about to leave college.

and much more!

This podcast is brought to you by Audible - click here (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Free-Trial-Digital-Membership/dp/B00OPA2XFG?tag=sharkpod-1) for your one month free try, cancel anytime any time and keep the free book!

For feedback drop us a line on Luke@shark.ie

KEEP MOVING FORWARD!

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

This week were lucky to sit down with one of the originals of the Irish tech scene.

Brian Caulfield is an entrepreneur, ex-CEO, Board Member of a huge amount of companies and a Venture Capitalist.

He was at the forefront of the technology startup scene in Ireland back in the 80's and was the leader of one of the first companies to raise VC money in Ireland in the mid-90s.

We cover:

1. How Brian got into tech in the 80's - getting into one of the first computer engineering classes in Trinity.

2. Starting his first software business in the doldrums of 1980's Irish economy.

3. Raising VC capital for the first time.

4. The best kind of people to work with and how to find them.

5. How he got into VC.

6. The industries he would start his business if he were starting again.

7. The when, the how and why of VC funding

8. What the future looks like for Irish tech startups.

And a lot more....

We are brought to you be Audible. Click here and sign up for your free audio book (cancel anytime and keep your book!)

Feed back: Luke@shark.ie

KEEP MOVING FORWARD!

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

Today we have very a special guest - Co-Founder of Tribetactics - Kareem Mostafa.

Kareem runs his own content repurposing business and works with companies to serialize their content so maximise the marketing potential of their creative work.

We cover:

1. Leaving a secure job in Hubspot to strike out on his own

2. The potential in video marketing for every business

3. How to start with video marketing

4. Tactics on how to make great content that people want to watch like Netflix

5. We talk about the best books on marketing, creativity and business, as well as Kareem's ambitions for the business and the future of content marketing.

We are brought to you by Audible: Get your Free Audio Book today - cancel any time

For feedback: Luke@shark.ie

Keep Moving Forward!

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

Today the guys are joined by Graham Kenny (Principal at Kenny Solicitors) who shares his incredible story.

We cover:

1. Starting off in Law as an apprentice to one of Ireland's best known lawyers.

2. Passing the New York bar exam while living in a squat in manhattan.

3. Building the Celtic Tiger dream and being involved with the highest profile cases in Ireland (Moriarty tribunal, Anglo Irish..)

4. The fall from having the flashy cars and lifestyle to negotiating with banks after the crash.

5. We also cover, buying skyscrapers in America, buying Cork football club, getting scammed by guys living in a castle in London and much much more.

Here at the SharkPod we love Audible! Sign up here for your free audio book, cancel anytime.

Feedback as always - Luke@shark.ie

Follow Graham @grahampkenny on insta, its a great follow!

Keep Moving Forward!

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

This episode is brought to you by Audible.

Support the Podcast by signing up and get one audio book absolutely free!

Sign up >>> Here

Today we have one of Ireland's biggest names in the tech startup scene.

Devan Hughes founded Buymie in 2014 and it has grown to become one of Ireland's fastest growing startups.

We cover:

1. Coming up with the idea for a grocery delivery app

2. The economics involved in the industry including the huge opportunities that exist

3. How Devan went about sourcing funding

4. Why he chose this lifestyle over continuing with his previous career

5. How much money you really need to retire

...and much more.

If you would like to give us feedback you can reach us on Luke@shark.ie

If you liked the content share with a friend and help us build our tribe!

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

Things are tough out there. This was recorded on May 10 when Ireland was still in lockdown and the news cycle was super negative.

Luke and Mark are raging against the negativity. In this extra long podcast, the guys discuss the HUGE opportunities that will exist in business during and after the pandemic.

They talk about business ideas and discuss different types of business model to suit any amount of capital.

The guys talk about the list of businesses below as well as their own ideas on how to build a business in the future. Drones, medical testing, delivery businesses, how to solve the housing crisis in Ireland and more.

List of businesses discussed:

https://www.outboundview.com/

https://www.bettercloud.com/partners/

https://brex.com/startups/

https://healthy.io/

https://www.helcim.com/us/

https://outtalent.com/

https://rentthebackyard.com/

https://www.paintzen.com/

The message is clear... the future is yours - but you have to take it! People looking to be handed pay-checks for qualifications will be left behind...

Keep Moving Forward!

Luke@shark.ie for feedback.

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

Today the Guys sit down with one of Ireland's up and coming tech founders -Shane Monahan. 

After playing professional rugby in Ireland and the UK, Shane had the idea to build Ireland's next start-up unicorn. 

Limor is a social audio platform for voice creators to engage with their audience more directly and reimagines the relationship with podcasters and their listeners.

The guys cover:

1. Where the idea came from and the road to get the product built

2. How his experience in professional rugby gave him the drive to be independent

3. How big this business could be now that it has backing from investor Square1

4. Limor 2.0 and how the next phase will address monetization. 

5. What's the future of social audio and how Limor will be the first true player in this space

If you would like to checkout Limor out you can DL the app from the usual outlets.

If you would like to follow Shane you can find him @shanemonahandesigns.

The website is Limor.ie

Keep moving forward!

Feedback: Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is Up SharkNation!

Today the guys sit down with one of Ireland's best known and best loved artists - Al Maser. 

Maser has made a huge contribution to the Irish graffiti and street art scene in Dublin And elsewhere over the last 20 years. If you are unaware of Maser you have definitely seen his work around Dublin city or seen his work connected with some of Ireland's most important cultural movements over the past decade (Repeal the 8h and the Covid lockdown).

The guy dig into 

1. How Maser found his tribe in the graffiti scene of the early 2000s

2. Making the art life commercially viable

3. What drives him to create artwork that is so attached to what's happening today in Irish society

4. His relationship with Damian Dempsey and the inspiration for the "Greed is the Knife" piece that was situated on the docklands in Dublin. 

5. What he thinks about the finite nature of his work and how he feels when one of his murals is removed. 

6. His new venture 'FlowState' which is taking his artwork into people's homes and Yoga studios in a useable way. 

You can find Maser's work at http://maserart.com/ of follow him on insta @maserart.

If you like the show, subscribe, share with a friend or leave a comment! 

Keep Moving Forward!

Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is Up SharkNation!

This week Luke takes on a new challenge and signs up for the IronMan 70.3 in Nice live on the podcast!

Luke cannot take on the challenge without guidance - so he has enrolled the help of his Friend and IronMan 70.3 veteran - Aleks (Coach Aleks).

In this episode Luke and Mark pick Alek's brain on how to complete the challenge and what drives his to complete in endurance races. 

The guys talk:

1. Training strategy 

2. Mark pushes the guys on the 'why' behind doing something like this

3. They talk about the nutrition and metal aspects of completing the race

The guys end with the commitment to deliver updates to the listeners on Luke's progress

20 weeks until IronMan 70.3 in Nice!

Follow Luke and Alex on Strava where all workouts will be recorded. 

If you want read-only access to Luke's training plan - Email Luke@shark.ie

Keep Moving Forward!

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

Today the guys sit down with Celebrity Chef, Entrepreneur (Itsa, Joe's Coffee, Alchemy Juice co. and others) and Author (Ketogenic Kitchen), Domini Kemp.

The guys do a deep dive on Domini's experience and cover:

1. How she got started and how a NYC Puerto Rican bagel exporter's tax problems became her opportunity.

2. Finding the company's confidence through the recession and austerity in the early 10s.

3. The food hall movement and lost opportunities for the Dublin Food scene.

4. Her 2013 cancer diagnosis and the nutrition revelation that it sparked for her.

5. How her research led her to co-author the Ketogenic Kitchen.

6. Fasting and the benefits of keeping a low glucose profile.

7. Tech to help you track you glucose.

Packed a whole lot into one hour!

If you have any feedback for the lads you can reach them at Luke@shark.ie.

If you are as fascinated as the guys were with Domini and her story you can follow heron the socials @dominikemp on insta and twiter.

Amazon Link to The Ketogenic Kitchen.

Keep Moving Forward!

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

Today Luke and Mark ZOOM in with one of Ireland's the original Podcasters Graham Merrigan. 

Graham has been in the Podcast game for years with his wildly popular "What's the Story" podcast that he co-hosts with Danny Murray. His multi-award winning podcast has over two hundred episodes and they have interview everyone from Christy Moore to George Forman and Dimond Dallas Page.

In this podcast we cover:

1. How to leverage social media to engage with potential guests

2. How to use your basketball skills to score a role on Ireland's leading soap opera "Fair City"

3. How the 'Crisp World Cup' allowed the What's the Story podcast to reach a larger audience (and how this was copied by others in media).

4. Disability Activism 

5. A lightning round of questions delivered, as always by Mark Baker. 

If you have any feedback or just want to Drop the lads a line you can reach the podcast at Luke@shark.ie

Keep Moving Forward!

View Details

What is Up SharkNation!

Today Luke and Mark sit own for a virtual chat with serial entrepreneur Jamie White.

Jamie has been starting and selling businesses since he was in college and he takes us on a journey through the high lights (and some low lights) of his fascinating career.

In this episode we cover:

1. Starting an events company in Collage, hosting parties all over the country and bringing some of the biggest DJ acts to Ireland.

2. Starting a media publishing company and building a content website that generated 2,000,000 weekly visitors. 

3. How his expertise led him to start his his own digital media marketing agency (Leading Social) and some tactics he used to get that off the ground.

4. What he is doing now after selling his last company and how he is trying to give back to the Startup Community. 

You can reach Jamie at Jamiewhite.com @jamiewhite on insta.

Keep Moving Forward!

Luke@shark.ie

View Details

What is Up SharkNation!

Today we are trying something completely different. With the the world in lock-in mode due to the virus outbreak, the guys decided to switch it up in this episode and Luke and Mark ponder the life lessons of Hollywood legend Matthew McConaughey. 

The guys react to sections directly ripped from the commencement speech of. the man himself at the University of Huston, where he describes. his 13 rules for life.

Luke and Mark are big fan's of Matthew's work for sure but also his philosophy of "Just. Keep. Linvin'." Mark even own's a hat with them slogan that he wore to the show (see youtube to see this).

The guys cover:

1. Rules on fear

2. Having no roof on goals

3. Personal standards

4. Happiness vs Joy

5. Defining success 

6. The importance of a 'walk about' and intersection

7. Don't leave crumbs 

We hope you our take on Mathew's lessons and if you have any feedback please let us know: Luke@Shark.ie. 

View Details

What is up SharkNation! 

This week we invited Steven Farrell to the podcast. Steven is a speaker, Artist, Cancer Surviver, Podcaster and NLP Mind couch.

We did a deep dive on:

1. Steven's journey of becoming a professional artist and some of the thing he had to overcome to make that happen.

2. How he became a professional speaker, spreading his message of positivity and tool kits for creating the life you want. 

3. How we are all creative being and some of us have simply forgotten this. 

4. How he dealt with not only cancer, but complications that followed.

5. How his healthy life style choices (CrossFit, Cycling, healthy eating) before he got sick, helped him to recover much faster than had he'd been in poor shape beforehand. 

We touch on so many subjects in this one but the Call-to-Action on this one is for the listeners to bring back creativity into their lives if they can, living a creative life is living a more interesting life! 

You can connect with Steven below: 

https://www.stevenfarrell.ie/

Instagram: @steven_farrell11

Keep Moving Forward!

View Details

What is Up SharkNation! 

"The richest people in the world look for and build networks, everyone else looks for work. Marinate on that for a minute." - Robert T. Kiyosaki

Today we focus on networking and with Dublin's foremost expert on the subject - Rob Cullen. 

Rob works with business people to help them maximise and grow their personal networks. He and the chamber run around 110 events per year with the goal of creating a spaces for business people to meet and do business together. 

We cover: 

1. The importance of networking for business people and how it can be a mistake to reply solely on your natural network of people you have always known. 

2. The do's and don'ts of networking and how to make the most out of events you attend.

3. How to handle business cards and follow up best practices.

4. Networking is about helping, not selling.

Rob also has an inspirational healthy journey where him and his wife have lost 13st together over the last few years. 

With that in mind we dig into the lifestyle design aspect of healthy eating and what Rob did to loose the weight and keep it off.

If you have feedback you can reach out to us at luke@shark.ie. 

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

This week we take the show on the road once again, recording on location at the Dublin Barista School (https://dublinbaristaschool.ie/) with the company founder, James McCormack.

In this wide ranging we cover:

1. The importance of company culture and growing a loyal team.

2. The benefits (and draw backs) of setting up a business without a lot of capital.

3. James's experience of running multiple businesses at the same time and how accounting should be at the core of any business.

4. We go into who James is as a person and what drives him, we speak about how personal development has been at the centre of a life revolution he has experienced over the last few years.

5. We finish with a discussion on the power of net working and mastermind groups. And how although they are important in a quid pro quo context, they are also important for morale and helpful when you are looking to tap into tribe mentality.

We hope you enjoy!

If you want to support the podcast as well spread the word on the SharkPod tribe you can grab a SharkPod Tee from the amazon link below.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=sharkpod&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

View Details

What is Up SharkNation!

Today, we sat down with Professional Poker player Sam Baneham. We wanted to explore an alternative to the 9-5 lifestyle and really dig into what it is like to rely on your poker playing skills for survival. 

We cover:

1. Choosing poker over a more conventional path.

2. The role of probability on poker and in life.

3. Poker etiquette and how to get started.

4. How professional poker works, cash vs tournaments games

5. Keeping balanced - spirituality and mental management.

Although me and Mark are not going to go 'all-in' on a career in poker, this would be a great episode to share with those people in your life who are looking to make the move into taking Poker seriously.

Keep Moving Forward!

SharkPod Tees available on amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=sharkpod&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

View Details

What is up SharkNation!

Today we a branching out to the more creative business area: Photography.

Niall Scully (https://www.niallscullyphotography.com/) is a professional photographer who runs his own business specialising in wedding photography.

We cover his story from humble beginnings through the post secondary school trials and tribulations to becoming one of Ireland's premier Wedding Photographers.

We cover:

1. Defining what you want to do with your career (through figuring out what you don't want to do).

2. Mentorship and apprenticing (learning from the Pros...for free).

3. How to make lemonade out of the lemons life gives you (being let go may lead to a great opportunity for change).

4. What it takes to make it as a professional photographer

5. The business side of the creative life: marketing, tax, scheduling and doing the math on your business.

If you have any enquires for Niall drop him a line @niallscully on Instagram.

If you have any feedback or you are one of our international listeners and want to pop on to the podcast sometime give us a shout on luke@shark.ie.

Hope you enjoy!

SharkNation tees here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=sharkpod&ref=nb_sb_noss_1