E32 That Great Business Show, Eatto food boxes - Jeananne O'Brien, Pat O'Connor, VRAI, VR training, John Phelan, HBAN, become an angel, Audrey Owens, Arnotts, Pitch 21

That Great Business Show

E32 That Great Business Show, Ireland's best business podcast, presented by Conall O Morain

The 'Christmas' (in June) Special

2.30" Former corporate financier turned sandwich maker Jeananne O'Brien of Eatto tells how a trip to San Francisco brought sourdough bread back to Ireland a decade and a half ago, setting her off on a catering career. From one sandwich shop she ended up employing 220 (pre-Covid) in her catering empire that services many top tech companies. Listen carefully and you'll hear how she always said 'yes' to requests for business...then tried to work it all out. She's now started delivering meals to post-natal mums - is that the future? Her 'hire in a heartbeat'? Holly Tucker of Holly & Co, a source of great early-stage business tips.

22.00" One time army officer Pat O'Connor is co-founder of VRAI, a company literally on the cutting edge of VR and AI technologies that they are using to train people doing hazardous work. The idea partly came from an absolutely horrific incident that happened in Syria where Pat was serving with the UN. Now he's using what he's learnt to train offshore wind technicians, RAF pilots and many others whose work is dangerous, with the benefit that they can train in greater numbers, from the safety of a classroom or couch. The company is raising more money to expand into the massive US wind energy market and they're looking for smart investors who can open doors for them. Pat's 'hire in a heartbeat'? American author Daniel Pink, a man who says that humans love to "get better at stuff".

41.00" Have you ever thought of becoming an angel investor but you didn't know how to do it? John Phelan, All-Island Director of HBAN, the Halo Business Angel Network, gives us a masterclass in who, what, where, when and how to become an angel investor. He tells us what's hot and not, how Vietnamese are investing in Ireland and why he's determined to see the Government change the EIIS investment rules to fill a big funding void for very early stage companies. A wise man John in picking his 'hire in a heartbeat' choice because he opted for a duo - Mark Little, ex-RTE and now an entrepreneur, and mega successful Ciaran Connell, founder of Decawave.

1.02.00" Iconic Dublin city centre store, Arnotts, gets a staggering 6 million customers through the door in 'normal times'. A million of those people come during the Christmas rush (it's this week's theme after all) and they want five very different Irish companies, with 'giftable' ideas to join in that (gold) rush. They're offering up-and-running businesses a chance to work with the full Arnotts team, from marketing, PR, buyers, merchandisers and more - invaluable experience for companies that want to scale. Audrey Owens, Director of Innovation and Enterprise at Arnotts explains exactly who they're looking for and how simple it is to enter. But she does say that interest in 'Pitch 21' is already exceeding their expectations so get in quick. Audrey's 'hire in a heartbeat'? Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx.

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