EE451 - Mentor Moment - Hiring Only A-Players with Dan Hobbs & Ciaran O’Mara, Protex AI

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 business that began with one barrel sauna at the 40 Foot and grew into a nationwide wellness brand. Steve shares how he rebuilt his identity, how sport shaped his approach to business, and why starting small (and freezing cold) can sometimes lead to the warmest success. If you’ve ever wondered what happens after the dream ends, this story proves that endings can be the start of something extraordinary. Show Notes In this episode, we cover: 🏉 The journey from professional rugby to retirement at 26 💔 How losing his identity in sport sparked a period of rediscovery 🌊 The idea that became Fad Saoil Saunas — and how it all began at the 40 Foot 💡 The lessons sport teaches that translate directly to entrepreneurship 📈 How timing, community, and consistency helped spark Ireland’s sauna boom 🧠 Rebuilding confidence, purpose, and self-belief after walking away from a dream career 💬 “Although my rugby was at its peak, a lot of other parts of my life were on the floor.” – Steve Crosbie Links & Resources Fad Saoil Saunas Website: https://fadsaoilsaunas.com/ Follow Steve Crosbie: https://www.instagram.com/stevecrosbie101/?hl=en Follow Fad Saoil on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fadsaoilsaunas/?hl=en —— Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly inspiration on Business, Brain and Body, as well as exclusive events, courses and more, straight to your inbox. It's free! https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1  ---  Visit my partners  Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE   Nostra: https://bit.ly/3HHwSMo

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 the full conversation in Episode 404 of The Entrepreneur Experiment Podcast. ——  Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly inspiration on Business, Brain and Body, as well as exclusive events, courses and more, straight to your inbox. It's free! https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1  ---  Visit my partners  Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE  Nostra: https://bit.ly/3HHwSMo

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 successful fragrance groups, scaled during COVID by pure instinct, and rebuilt after nearly losing everything in a logistics nightmare. Connor also shares how he applies ruthless efficiency, “fail fast” culture, and first-principles thinking to stay ahead in the hyper-competitive DTC world. If you want the real playbook for bootstrapping, scaling, and surviving e-commerce chaos, this episode is unmissable. Show Notes In this episode, we cover: 💡 How a bottle of CK One sparked a lifelong obsession with fragrance 🧪 The £16,000 credit card gamble that launched The Essence Vault 🚀 Turning a weekend market stall into £800k/month during COVID 🧱 Building from zero marketing experience to £60 million in revenue ⚙️ How failing fast and “implementing before finishing the module” became his superpower 📉 The moment a shipping disaster nearly destroyed the business overnight 🧭 Why Connor runs his company without forecasts — and how it works 📈 Lessons from scaling, burning out, and rebuilding stronger 🎯 How The JAQ Group keeps innovation alive across multiple brands 🌙 His next move: launching a sleep optimisation brand built around his own daily struggles 🧠 Mindset gems on speed, decision-making, and compounding effort “Knowledge is nothing without implementation — and vice versa.” – Connor Martin Links & Resources The Essence Vault: theessencevault.co.uk Thomson Carter: thomsoncarter.com Liquid London: https://liquid.london/ Book Mentioned: Black Box Thinking by Matthew Syed ——  Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly inspiration on Business, Brain and Body, as well as exclusive events, courses and more, straight to your inbox. It's free! https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1  ---  Visit my partners  Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE  Nostra: https://bit.ly/3HHwSMo

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 episode (#402) for the complete conversation on building world-class teams, scaling culture, and the lessons behind Protex AI’s rapid growth. ——  Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly inspiration on Business, Brain and Body, as well as exclusive events, courses and more, straight to your inbox. It's free! https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1  ---  Visit my partners:  Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE  Nostra: https://bit.ly/3HHwSMo

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 way: from cutting sushi rolls by hand on chopping boards to investing in her first machines, from maxing out family credit cards to securing Enterprise Ireland support, and from nearly burning out to carving out “Mummy Mondays” to balance entrepreneurship with family life. If you’re an aspiring founder or a food entrepreneur wondering how to scale a product from a kitchen table to a nationwide household brand, this episode is packed with raw insights, honest reflections, and the strategies Ciara used to grow Oishii from a tiny market stall to a 75-strong team serving fresh sushi across Ireland. Show Notes In this episode, we cover: 🍣 How a semester in Tokyo inspired Ciara to start Oishii Sushi 🛒 Testing at local markets before breaking into Dublin shops with barcoded trays 🚐 The early years of 4am sushi-making, van deliveries, and scraping by on petrol money 📊 The “trays per man hour” Excel sheet that showed her the path to profitability ⚙️ Tiny improvements—like piping wasabi instead of hand-filling—that transformed efficiency 💳 Surviving cashflow crises, credit card debt, and the importance of family support 👩‍👧‍👦 Introducing “Mummy Mondays” to balance growing a food brand with raising three children 🏭 Scaling from a small kitchen to a purpose-built Dublin 12 facility with 75+ staff 💡 Why COVID was a turning point, forcing Oishii to shift from van sales to centralised distribution 📈 How Oishii went from 30% retail coverage to nationwide partnerships with Ireland’s biggest chains 🌱 Future of food: functional ingredients, protein-rich meals, and balancing wellness with convenience 💬 “Be patient with the results but aggressive with the action.” – Ciara Troy Links & Resources Oishii Sushi Website: https://oishiisushi.ie/ GS1 Ireland – Barcodes for Food Products: https://www.gs1ie.org/ The Spade Enterprise Centre: https://www.spade.ie/ ——  Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly inspiration on Business, Brain and Body, as well as exclusive events, courses and more, straight to your inbox. It's free! https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1  ---  Visit my partners: Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE  Nostra: https://bit.ly/3HHwSMo

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 The Entrepreneur Experiment. Show Notes Why Colin shifted focus from chasing perfection to building consistency The compliment that redefined his business: “It’s never sh*t” How raising the lowest standard creates long-term trust with customers Why brands should aim to be like Guinness: reliably good, every time The challenge (and opportunity) of standing out in a saturated market Resources & Links 3fe: https://3fe.com/ 3fe on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/3fecoffee ——  Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly inspiration on Business, Brain and Body, as well as exclusive events, courses and more, straight to your inbox. It's free! https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1  ---  Visit my partners  Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE  Nostra: https://bit.ly/3HHwSMo

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. From exiting Irish agencies to launching a venture studio in the Middle East, Colin talks about why saying no is a superpower, how to avoid AI-driven obsolescence, and why Ireland must think bigger if it wants to compete on the global stage. If you’re a founder, investor, or anyone curious about building in fast-changing markets, this episode is packed with hard-won lessons on talent, focus, and disruption. Show Notes – In this episode, we cover: 🌍 Why Colin moved to Dubai and how it reshaped his entrepreneurial vision 🚀 The evolution from running agencies to building a global venture studio 💡 How to spot patterns, talent, and opportunities others miss 🤖 AI disruption: which industries are safe—and which are already gone 🔑 Why saying “no” is one of the most powerful skills for founders 🏗 The difference between building vs. running a company (and why Colin prefers one over the other) 📉 Why traditional VC is contracting and how venture studios are changing the game 🇮🇪 Colin’s honest take on Ireland’s entrepreneurial ecosystem—and what needs to change ⏳ The importance of 60-month windows when building ventures 🧠 Why judgment, creativity, and EQ will define the winners in the AI era “Failure is a currency. You should be failing every single day. That’s how you develop the reflexes to succeed.” – Colin Meagle Links & Resources Continuous Ventures: https://www.linkedin.com/company/continuousventures/about/ Follow Colin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinmeagle/ —— Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly inspiration on Business, Brain and Body, as well as exclusive events, courses and more, straight to your inbox. It's free! https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1 --- Visit my partners Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE Nostra: https://bit.ly/3HHwSMo

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 tickets for EE Live @ The Sugar Club — November 30th: https://luma.com/6bwymzzt?fbclid=PAVE... —— Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly inspiration on Business, Brain and Body, as well as exclusive events, courses and more, straight to your inbox. It's free! https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1 --- Visit my partners Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE Nostra: https://bit.ly/3HHwSMo (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?even...)

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 momentum in business and life. From sunrise workouts and deep-dive masterclasses to shared dinners and accountability sessions, this is a blueprint for any founder looking to reset, realign, and reimagine what’s possible. If you’ve ever thought about joining a founder retreat, running one yourself, or simply carving out space to think — this one’s for you. Show Notes In this solo episode, Gary covers: 🔁 Why “done is better than perfect” sparked the idea for the retreat 🌅 The three pillars of the retreat: Reset, One Problem, Vision 🤯 What even 24 hours in a new environment can do for your next 24 months 🧠 The "Hot Seat" method for solving founder problems (without excuses) 📍How Barry Napier (Cubic) set the tone with a €500M lesson in roadmaps ⚡️ Why accountability, peer learning, and curated energy matter 📈 The importance of becoming the face of your business 📌 Why your retreat starts when you get home — not when it ends 🥂 Behind-the-scenes moments from Padel tournaments to seaside visualisation exercises “Knowledge without action is useless. The retreat was about turning what we’ve all learned into real-world traction.” – Gary Fox Resources & Mentions 🎟 Early bird tickets for EE Live @ The Sugar Club — November 30th: 👉 The Entrepreneur Experiment Sugar Club Event Tickets (Nov 30th) Barry Napier – CEO of Cubic 📍Finca Naundrup, Marbella – Retreat location 🧠 Visualisation Challenge – Write a letter from your future self —— Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly inspiration on Business, Brain and Body, as well as exclusive events, courses and more, straight to your inbox. It's free! https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1 --- Visit my partners Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE Nostra: https://bit.ly/3HHwSMo

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 to your inbox. It's free! https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1 --- Visit my partners Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE Nostra: https://bit.ly/3HHwSMo