Sales management, skills training, the importance of customer engagement & writing are the focal point of this weeks episode with founder of Golden Apple Training & author Eleanor O'Kelly-Lynch. A career in sales was never on Eleanor's agenda, initially teaching & writing were her goals. She began teaching at the RTC in skills training (now MTU) but her passion for radio led her to taking on a role in marketing & customer service at the pirate radio station ERI seeing the...

We're back with a brand new series & to kick start the series we're joined with the CEO of The Kilkenny Group Evelyn Moynihan. The Kilkenny Group in over 50 years in operation, it has become an emporium for the finest of Irish craft and design building a strong ethos in supporting local Irish artists, craftspeople, jewellers & designers. Evelyn took over as CEO of the company in 2021 after holding executive roles in the marketing & branding department. She has an extensive...

With the Irish Podcast Awards coming up, which we're nominated for the Bullseye Award, we thought to bring you a special throwback episode to share some of the useful tips from our guests. As you know, Stephen finishes each episode with two questions for our guests on building a brand. The first is what tip would they give to a business & the second is what tip they would give to an individual. So tune in to hear some of the wise words! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...

With the Irish Podcast Awards coming up, which we're nominated for the Bullseye Award, we thought to bring you a special throwback episode to share some of the useful tips from our guests. As you know, Stephen finishes each episode with two questions for our guests on building a brand. The first is what tip would they give to a business & the second is what tip they would give to an individual. So tune in to hear some of the wise words! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...

It's the season finale of the 24 Stories Podcast & there's no better way to celebrate episode 24, than to bring you something special! The tables have turned & Stephen is in the questioning chair with producer behind the scenes Elaine asking the questions on what exactly inspired him to start the podcast to highlight the success of local Cork businesses & get an inside scoop to their careers & how they built their brands. We reflect on what stories on stories that resonated...

Problem solving, team building & creating a proactiver business are the topics of this week as Stephen is joined by occupational psychologist Martin Brenan of Proactive Management. Martin has over 40 years experience in HR & training and started his business in 1987 & from the get go targeted big global corporations from Pepsi Cola, to Telus & Pfizer. He has developed, delivered and validated training interventions for national & international clients, in areas such as...

We have our youngest entrepreneur on this show this week. At just 17 years old Emma Coffey was inspired to start her very own athleisure brand Final Bend. The idea came from her love of athletics where she was a successful pole vaulter, however an injury led to early retirement, but allowed her to pursue Final Bend while keeping a connection to the athletics community. Keeping in mind, this was while she was still in school! What started off as a side project has grown from strength to...

The mastermind behind the secret recipe of one of Cork's most infamous spiced beefs Tom Durcan joins us this week. From trading as a butcher as a young boy to setting up shop at Cork's English Market where he has had over 40 years in business. Tom Durcan Meats has built it's brand on the success of it's product & what Tom says is down to doing the right thing & not cutting corners. Tom's meats have reached the shelves of shops on a national level, the plates of many restaurants &...

Crowley's Opticians has a long & rich history in Cork where it's called 26 Grand Parade home for over 100 years. Conor Crowley & Paul McSherry join Stephen today to talk about the success of this homegrown business. The store was originally called Rundel's where Conor's father had worked before taking over in 1970 & changing the name Crowley's which we know & love today. Conor is a skilled optometrist & in the early days of the trade he would hand craft glasses for...

Ever thought about a career change but couldn't follow through? Maybe you're seeking a promotion but don't have the courage to go for it! Well this week's guest Julie McCall is the woman for you. Julie is a positive psychology coach & trainer with years of experience in the business world helping CEO's, managers & employees overcome obstacles in their careers & helping them be "the best they can be". Ever heard of walking coaching sessions or meetings? Well Bill Gates is famous...

It's all about branding & promotion this week with Michelle Johnson of ASA Marketing, a family inherited business for almost 40 years. Growing up, Michelle was surrounded by marketing & branding when her father worked in marketing for Ford for 20 years before setting up ASA Marketing with his wife Judith in 1984 helping clients promote their business through brand engagement with Ford being one of their clients. Today Michelle & her sister Caroline are at the helms continuing the...

From starting a career as a bricklayer at 16, to eventually building a gym & well known brand, Luke Dennehy founded Dennehy's Fitness with his father in the early days of the recession - probably one of the most difficult times to even consider starting a business. But the brave moved proved to be successful, as they have branched to over 4 locations cross Cork. But his time in business has come with great challenges along the way, especially when his busiest gym in Douglas Village was...

It's a colourful episode as we're joined by well known local commercial designer & digital illustrator Jason O'Gorman who has over 25 years of experience in graphic & motion design. Over the span of his career he has seen the evolution of design from the early days of printing to the new digital era. He founded Dynamite Studio in 2013 & with big brands both nationally and internationally. His passion is creating captivating visual communications that inspire, engage and positively...

When it comes to forecasting your business Noella Carroll has the answers and this week we look into the world of SME's, how they can plan, forecast, finance and grow your business. After 25 years working in finance for multi national organisations such as Logitech, Gilead & EMC Noella returned to the SME sector in 2019 when she founded Pinnaklo with an aim to help businesses succeed with their growth. Pinnaklo is designed around the concept that people need to be the pinnacle of the...

We are delighted to have Paula Cogan the President of Cork Chamber and CEO of Cognate Health as the guest on this weeks 24 Stories Podcast. Paula talks to Stephen about her long established career in business from starting off in the hospitality & tourism industry to eventually transferring into the health sector. Paula worked on well known tourism projects with the Cork County Council before beginning a lengthy career in hotel hospitality which led to a senior executive role at The Doyle...

We're kicking off the new year with a long time friend, local legend, DJ, radio presenter, music promoter, journalist, youth worker & businessman Stevie G. The list goes on! Stephen & Stevie's friendship goes way back to the early days of the infamous Sir Henry's where Stevie became a household DJ at the legendary venue bringing Hip Hop, RnB & Soul to the clubs of Cork & all over the country. He has been a sole trader since day one bringing his passion for music to the...

Cork City FC legend John Caulfield joins Stephen this week sharing amazing stories from the pitch. He's had huge success both as a player & manager for Cork City FC & was part of the team that won the 1992–93 Premier Division, the 1997–98 FAI Cup, three League of Ireland Cups and eleven Munster Senior Cups. Not to forget he holds a club record for the most appearances with 455 under his belt. On top of that he shares a goal record of 129 with Pat Morley. Following his retirement from...

You know it's Christmas in Ireland when you turn on your radio & there it is...Christmas FM - one of Ireland's most loved radio stations that makes the airwaves once every year. Since it first aired in 2008, it has gained millions of listeners both here in Ireland & with the Irish diaspora tuning in from abroad. Not to forget the millions of euro raised for charity. Stephen sat down with founder Walter Hegarty during one of the 24 Story conferences to see how it all began. Tune into...

The week we take to the stage with Trevor Ryan of the Montfort College of Performing Arts, who has almost 40 years on stage. Oh no he doesnt! Oh yes he does! Trevor’s love for the arts began at 12 years of age when he joined the Montfort College of Performing Arts. But his career path took a different turn when he began working in a bank before making a new change taking on a role at Shandon Travel introducing new J1 adventures for students across Ireland. However, his love for theatre always...

Public Relations is all about your message, your audience & the channels. Who are the people you need to speak to & where would you like to see it appear? That's the daily task of this week's guest Ann-Marie O'Sullivan who has been working in PR for over 30 years. She founded AM O'Sullivan PR after taking over the reins of her father's former PR company. Ann-Marie & her team specialise in strategic communications with a particular focus on crisis and issue management which saw her...

We're onto a new chapter this week. With almost 40 years in business, we take a deep dive into the world of print, design & publishing with Frank Kelly of Lettertec. There's no doubt the art of printing has evolved over the decades, but Frank is a master of the trade. He's seen the changes & challenges from the introduction of computers, kindles & digital printing but he has always adapted & remained innovative. He set up shop in Carrigtwohil in 1983 & has gone on to...

There's a saying "every piece of jewellery tells a story" & this week we tell the story of of one of Cork's finest jewellers with Audrey Lehane from Azure Jewellers. Audrey discovered a passion for the art of jewellery design while working in the fashion capital of the world in Paris, during which time she was working for Beamish. It was here she developed great connections with French jewellers & decided to build a hobby into a business. She set up Azure Jewellers in 2014 designing...

Calling all coffee connoisseurs this week as Rob Horgan founder of Velo coffee joins Stephen in studio. It's a perfect blend of discovering his first ventures with cafe Velo, to branding out and building Velo coffee roasters after just two years. This lead him to brew some of Cork's favourite coffees. But his daily grind doesn't stop there, Velo Coffee Roasters has reached the shelves of global grocery stores such as ALDI and the Velo website sees deliveries to homes worldwide. So sit back,...

This week we dive deep into the world of market research with Colette Quinn of Real Insights, looking at the role it plays in driving growth within a business. Colette has over 20 years experience at home & abroad as a market researcher working with global brands, such as Coca Cola, Unilever and Gillette. She has managed big research projects as Market Research Manager with Vodafone Ireland, Head of Consumer Insight at Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland Ltd and with companies of all sizes...

Sports strategist Maeve Buckley joins Stephen in studio where they dive deep into her role in the world of sport having worked on major sporting events such as the Ryder Cup as all as some of the biggest sporting organisations across the globe from Barcelona to Real Madrid, FIFA to UEFA and the FAI to name a few. Her career has seen many highs, from the time she orchestrated Cristiano Ronaldo's first ever game with Real Madrid against Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght Stadium with tickets selling...