Forget the corporate polished front - authenticity wins every time. Conor McHugh , founder of Alchemy Search , shares why building a personal brand has been key to his success in Dubai, how honesty drives relationships, and why you should never pretend to be bigger than you are. 🎙️ For the full episode ( 412 ) of The Entrepreneur Experiment , listen to Conor’s full story on reputation, relationships, and building trust in business. 💡 New here? Hit follow or subscribe for weekly Mentor Moments ...
Nov 28, 2025•7 min
In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment , Gary sits down with Laura Dowling — “The Fabulous Pharmacist” — a pharmacist, founder, educator, entertainer, and one of Ireland’s most recognisable health voices. From 20 years behind the pharmacy counter to running a fast-growing wellness brand stocked in 1,500+ stores, Laura shares the real story behind Fabu Wellness: the failures, the stolen idea, the long nights in labs with breastfeeding babies, the near-quit moments — and the explosive onli...
Nov 27, 2025•1 hr 28 min
How does a schoolteacher from Connemara end up buying his own airline? In this Mentor Moment, Pádraig Ó Céidigh , former owner of Aer Arann, shares how instinct and courage led him to take one of the boldest entrepreneurial leaps in Irish business — remortgaging his home to keep a vital island service alive. 🎙️ Listen to the full conversation in Episode 408 of The Entrepreneur Experiment to hear Pádraig’s full story of risk, resilience, and leadership. 💡 If you haven’t already, hit follow or s...
Nov 21, 2025•7 min
In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment , Gary sits down with Mark Breen , co-founder of Safe Events Global , the Irish team behind some of the world’s most ambitious events - from Dublin Zoo’s Wild Lights to Formula 1 in Qatar and mega-city festival sites across the Middle East. Mark shares the real , behind-the-scenes story of how a student “helping people up at a Frames gig” turned into running safety for shows with half a million attendees , expanding internationally, and building a 2...
Nov 20, 2025•1 hr 26 min
When opportunity knocks, sometimes the smartest move is to just say yes and figure it out later. Richard Fitzgerald, founder of Augustus Media - the company behind Lovin’ Dubai , Lovin’ Saudi and more — reveals how 100 days of relentless work and curiosity helped him build one of the Middle East’s leading media companies from scratch. 🎙️ Hear the full conversation in Episode 407 of The Entrepreneur Experiment to learn more about how Richard turned a leap of faith into a global business success ...
Nov 15, 2025•6 min
In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Ryan Casey, the founder of C11 Recovery — one of Ireland’s fastest-growing performance and recovery brands. From spending his days as an electrician to working with Rory McIlroy, Manchester City, Munster Rugby, and the DP World Tour, Ryan’s journey is a masterclass in turning grit into global growth. In just three years, he’s built a company that began with three plastic tubs and a few compression boots into a multimillion-e...
Nov 13, 2025•1 hr 36 min
From his parents’ house to supplying the world’s top athletes, Greg Bradley’s journey is pure entrepreneurial grit. In this Mentor Moment, the founder of BLK BOX shares how he went from teaching himself manufacturing to building a global fitness equipment brand trusted by Premier League clubs. 🎙️ Go back to Episode 406 of The Entrepreneur Experiment to hear Greg’s full story, including the setbacks, pivots, and mindset shifts that shaped his success. 💡 Like what you hear? Hit follow or subscri...
Nov 08, 2025•10 min•Season 27Ep. 6
In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment , Gary Fox sits down with elite performance coach Dan Lawrence — the man behind some of the world’s top athletes and executives, including boxer Conor Benn. From his roots in London to building a thriving high-performance business in Dubai, Dan reveals what it really takes to operate at the highest level — not just in sport, but in business and life. He shares the frameworks and systems that drive elite results: the four pillars of performance (trai...
Nov 06, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Season 27Ep. 5
Is AI really coming for your job — or is that just the hype talking? Brian O’Rourke, co-founder and CEO of CitySwift , shares his grounded view on the real role of AI, the importance of founder-market fit , and why celebrating your wins along the way matters just as much as chasing the next goal. 🎙️ Catch the full story in Episode 367 of The Entrepreneur Experiment , where Brian dives deeper into building a data-driven company and surviving the startup rollercoaster. 💡 Enjoying this bite-sized...
Nov 02, 2025•9 min
In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment , Gary Fox sits down with Jenny Johnston , CEO and owner of Azure Communications — a print, packaging, and marketing company based in Dublin. Jenny’s story is a masterclass in courage, negotiation, and belief. After joining Azure as CEO, she pulled off a leveraged buyout to acquire the business outright—without putting down her own capital. She shares exactly how she did it, from structuring the deal to getting bank funding and navigating the delica...
Oct 30, 2025•1 hr 38 min•Season 27Ep. 2
What does it take to grow from one pharmacy to a nationwide network, and redefine what healthcare means along the way? In this Mentor Moment, Oonagh O’Hagan, founder of Meagher’s Pharmacy , shares how curiosity, courage, and a willingness to step outside your comfort zone can spark incredible innovation. 🎙️ Listen to the full conversation in Episode 374 of The Entrepreneur Experiment for Oonagh’s full founder story and her vision for proactive, people-first healthcare. 💡 If you enjoy these sho...
Oct 25, 2025•6 min•Season 27Ep. 2
In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment , Gary Fox sits down with Dan Murray , co-founder of Heights , the brain health and wellness brand redefining supplements through science and transparency. From building a startup after insomnia and burnout to scaling Heights to over £25 million ARR , Dan’s story is a masterclass in resilience, product integrity, and founder mindset. Dan doesn’t hold back-calling out the biggest scams in wellness, revealing how Heights earned credibility in a satura...
Oct 23, 2025•55 min•Season 27Ep. 1
In this Mentor Moment from episode 403 of The Entrepreneur Experiment , Aimee Connolly shares the behind-the-scenes story of building Sculpted by Aimee: from 19 months of figuring out formulation, logistics, and packaging on her own, to spray-painting roses gold for her first press drop. She opens up about what it really takes to bring an idea to life, the lessons learned along the way, and why embracing what you don’t know is the real superpower of every entrepreneur. 💡 “The difference between...
Oct 18, 2025•8 min
In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment , Gary Fox sits down with Steve Crosbie , former professional rugby player turned founder of Fad Saoil Saunas — one of the pioneers of Ireland’s sauna movement. After years playing for Leinster, Munster, and Connacht, Steve walked away from his dream rugby career at just 26. The transition from athlete to entrepreneur wasn’t easy, but it led him somewhere unexpected: into the cold Irish sea. Out of heartbreak and healing came Fad Saoil Saunas - a bu...
Oct 16, 2025•1 hr 34 min•Season 26Ep. 8
In this Mentor Moment, tech founder Sean Blanchfield, best known for building and scaling Demonware (acquired by Activision, now part of Microsoft), PageFair, and now Jentic, shares his take on the age-old question: are entrepreneurs born or made? From being the “willing geek” in college to helping shape Ireland’s startup ecosystem, Sean reflects on how curiosity, environment, and sheer drive shaped his journey, and why he still looks for that same entrepreneurial spark in every hire. 💡 Hear th...
Oct 12, 2025•6 min
In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment , Gary Fox sits down with Connor Martin , founder of The JAQ Group , home to the viral fragrance brand The Essence Vault , as well as Thomson Carter and Liquid London . From selling wax melts at a Saturday market to building a £60 million e-commerce empire in just five years, Connor’s story is a masterclass in resourcefulness, experimentation, and resilience. He reveals how he turned a £16,000 credit card experiment into one of the UK’s most success...
Oct 09, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 26Ep. 7
In this week’s Mentor Moment, Protex AI founders Dan Hobbs and Ciaran O’Mara share how they maintain an incredibly high bar when hiring, and why resilience, not just skill, is the real marker of top talent. They reveal how take-home exercises, structured culture frameworks, and a transparent interview process help them find and grow people who thrive under pressure. 💡 “If you hire A-players, they’ll hire other A-players. If you hire B-players, they’ll hire C’s and D’s.” 👉 Listen to the full ep...
Oct 05, 2025•6 min
In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment , Gary Fox sits down with Ciara Troy, founder of Oishii Sushi , to uncover the 19-year journey of building Ireland’s most recognisable sushi brand. From her first Saturday market in Greystones to supplying nationwide through Lidl, Aldi, Tesco, and Spar, Ciara shares the grit, resilience, and fearless naivety that kept her going through long days, cashflow struggles, and van deliveries at dawn. She opens up about the pivotal lessons learned along the...
Oct 02, 2025•1 hr 21 min•Season 26Ep. 6
In this Mentor Moment, Colin Harmon, founder of 3FE Coffee, reveals why consistency beats occasional brilliance when it comes to building lasting brands. He shares the lesson that changed how he thought about coffee forever: customers don’t need the “best cup ever” - they just need it never to be bad. By raising the floor instead of the ceiling, Colin built trust, scaled his business, and turned 3FE into one of Ireland’s most iconic coffee names. Listen to the full conversation on Episode 400 of...
Sep 28, 2025•9 min
In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment , Gary Fox sits down with Colin Meagle , serial entrepreneur, venture builder, and founder of Continuous Ventures. Colin has built, scaled, and exited multiple businesses: from creative agencies to international tech ventures, and now operates out of Dubai, where he helps founders and corporates spin up disruptive businesses at scale. Colin shares his candid insights on what it really takes to spot opportunities, harness talent, and scale globally. ...
Sep 25, 2025•1 hr 41 min•Season 26Ep. 5
This week’s Mentor Moment dives into how Nadia Adan built her brand through bold, disruptive content, and why testing, learning, and finding a repeatable format is the secret to scaling on social media. Michael Corcoran shares why standing out often means doing the opposite of everyone else, and how brand storytelling, even with its raw ups and downs, is what truly connects with audiences. 🎧 To hear the full conversation, search for Episode 396 of The Entrepreneur Experiment . 🎟 Early bird tic...
Sep 20, 2025•6 min
In this solo episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment , Gary Fox takes us behind the scenes of the very first Entrepreneur Experiment Retreat — a transformative five-day experience in Marbella, Spain that brought together a select group of founders to focus on their body, brain, and business . Gary shares how a spontaneous idea in 2024 turned into a fully-fledged founder retreat, what went into designing the experience, and why moments of stillness, movement, and shared learning can create huge mo...
Sep 18, 2025•29 min•Season 26Ep. 4
This Mentor Moment with Mary Sadlier (from Episode 398) dives into why digital is the great equaliser for entrepreneurs. Mary shares the art of getting products on and off shelves, why persistence matters, and the hard truth that nobody’s coming — unless you ask the right questions. A powerful reminder that value creation and resourcefulness win in business. —— Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly inspiration on Business, Brain and Body, as well as exclusive events, courses and more, straight ...
Sep 13, 2025•6 min
In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment , Gary Fox sits down with Paul Buckley — the fiercely honest and deeply reflective founder behind C2O Group. From nearly going pro in golf to blowing his savings in a poker room, to scaling and selling one of Australia’s fastest-growing engineering companies, Paul shares his rollercoaster journey through ambition, burnout, and bold reinvention. You’ll hear how Paul built EPS Group Australia from the ground up, scaled it to $84M in revenue in just th...
Sep 11, 2025•1 hr 30 min•Season 26Ep. 2
In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment , Gary Fox sits down with Rory, the 22-year-old founder of Shirt in a Box , the mystery jersey startup on track to hit €10 million in revenue. What began as a lockdown side hustle selling vintage shirts has exploded into a full-blown e-commerce machine — with 200,000 shirts sold, 2,500 US subscribers, and viral moments like a surprise shoutout from Gary Neville on the UK’s biggest football podcast, The Overlap . Rory breaks down how that single mome...
Sep 04, 2025•1 hr 20 min
When everyone else is chasing trends, mentalist and hypnotist Keith Barry goes the opposite direction. In this Mentor Moment, Keith reveals how leaning into long-form content—when everyone else was focused on short-form Reels—helped him go viral and land major event bookings. He also shares how he uses platforms like LinkedIn in unconventional ways to connect with decision-makers and why valuing yourself, your energy, and your unique approach is key to standing out. 🎧 This bite-sized insight is...
Aug 30, 2025•7 min•Season 26Ep. 2
In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment , Gary sits down with Alan Andrews, the unapologetically honest founder behind Old Barracks Roastery and Guji Coffee Bar. Known for his bold social content and Ireland’s most controversial coffee shop (no kids allowed, dogs welcome, €15 cups of coffee), Alan lifts the lid on the real cost of starting and scaling a successful hospitality business. He breaks down the myths that plague the coffee industry — from delusional €10K startup budgets to the g...
Aug 28, 2025•1 hr 52 min•Season 26Ep. 1
In this Mentor Moment, Gary Fox speaks with Sahil Bloom — investor, writer, and creator — about how his definition of success has transformed. Once focused purely on financial outcomes, Sahil now measures success through time, people, purpose, and health , seeing money as a natural byproduct rather than the goal. He also shares a refreshing take on imposter syndrome , reframing it as a sign of growth and a tax on personal progress, and explains why asking “Why not me?” is the mindset shift every...
Aug 17, 2025•9 min
In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment , Gary Fox sits down with one of Ireland’s most recognisable business voices, Bobby Kerr — founder of Perk, former CEO and Chairman of Insomnia, investor, broadcaster, and champion of Irish enterprise. Bobby shares his remarkable journey from starting his first business at 39 — remortgaging his house with a newborn at home — to building Insomnia into over 800 locations across Ireland through smart partnerships, relentless drive, and a willingness to...
Aug 14, 2025•56 min
In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Áine Kerr, the award-winning journalist, serial entrepreneur behind startups including Storyful (acquired by News Corp), and Kinzen (acquired by Spotify). From teaching in Dublin classrooms to building Storyful alongside Mark Little, leading global journalism partnerships at Facebook, and launching her second successful startup, Áine shares the lessons she’s learned from a “squiggly career” defined by reinvention, resilience...
Aug 07, 2025•55 min
