EE 413 - No Plan B: The Unfiltered Truth About Starting Over in Dubai

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, we dive into Conor McHugh's remarkable journey from finance to founding Alchemy Search in Dubai. Drawn by tax-free incentives and sun-soaked opportunities, Conor shares how he navigated the cultural complexities and business challenges of the Middle East over seven years. His story weaves through personal transformation—from KPMG in Guernsey to a soul-searching travel adventure across Asia that sparked his entrepreneurial awakening. With candid insights on managing multicultural teams, overcoming financial pressures, and respecting local business practices, Conor offers invaluable advice for anyone considering the leap into international entrepreneurship. Whether you're curious about expat business opportunities or seeking inspiration to take your own calculated risk, this conversation reveals the grit and adaptability required to succeed far from home.   🎧 Show Notes:  In this episode, we cover: 🌍 Conor's decision to leave London and build a business in Dubai's tax-free environment 🔄 The career pivot from finance at KPMG to recruitment entrepreneurship ✈️ How a year of international travel triggered his entrepreneurial mindset 🤝 The importance of the Irish community network in Dubai 💼 Managing multicultural teams and navigating business relationships in the Middle East 💰 Financial challenges and the realities of invoice collection across cultures ⏱️ Understanding different cultural approaches to timelines and commitments 🧠 Overcoming Western entitlement mindset when operating internationally 🌱 The evolution of Dubai's business landscape over seven years   "A sense of entitlement, often carried by those from Western cities like Dublin or London, can be a hindrance to success in the Middle East." - Conor McHugh --- Visit my Partners  Enterprise Ireland: https://bit.ly/EIreland Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostraee    

In this special Dubai-recorded edition of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Trevor McFarlane—CEO and founder of EMIR, the ultra-exclusive intelligence and advisory network serving the region’s top CEOs, ministers, and government officials. Trevor shares the incredible story behind building EMIR from scratch—starting with a borrowed ballroom at the Burj Al Arab and a fake guest list—to now curating powerful, private briefings for over 400 regional leaders. This episode is a masterclass in the psychology of influence, the power of elite curation, and why being “hard to access” is a business strategy. Trevor also offers a piercing macroeconomic analysis of what lies ahead globally, from Trump 2.0 and AI to population booms and climate migration. Whether you’re a founder, strategist, or just a curious mind—this one will leave you thinking. 🎧 Show Notes In this episode, we cover: 🎩 How Trevor built a high-trust, invite-only CEO network across the Middle East. 🧠 The psychology of selectivity: why scarcity builds value. 💼 Turning elite briefings into board-level influence (and the risk that comes with it) 🌍 From geopolitics to geoeconomics: why the next 25 years will divide the world 📉 The real danger of AI: widening inequality 📈 Opportunity in adversity: where Trevor sees business potential in climate migration and demographic collapse 🏠 A surprising Airbnb idea involving abandoned Japanese islands 🇮🇪 Trevor’s blunt take on Ireland’s economy, inequality, and global tax pressures Quote of the Episode 💬 “What we’re selling isn’t just intelligence—it’s trust, access, and success.” – Trevor McFarlane   🔗 Links & Resources EMIR Official Website → www.emirintelligence.com  Book mention: The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene   Visit my Partners  Enterprise Ireland: https://bit.ly/EIreland  Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE  Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostraee  

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Gareth Sheridan, the relentless founder and CEO of Nutriband Inc — a pharmaceutical company tackling one of the most controversial issues in modern medicine: opioid misuse. What started as a college thesis and a dining room stacked with questionable Chinese vitamin patches has since become a NASDAQ-listed company pioneering safer drug delivery systems.   Gareth walks us through his raw, rollercoaster journey — from painting houses to fund his dream, to being duped in a million-dollar pump-and-dump scheme, and how he clawed his way back to ring the NASDAQ bell on October 1st with $6.6 million in fresh funding.   If you're an entrepreneur with ambition (and a high pain tolerance), this episode will teach you about resilience, smart capital strategy, and how to build billion-dollar businesses the hard way — brick by brick, and patch by patch.   🎧 Show Notes: In this episode, we cover: 💊 The origin story of Nutriband: from a college idea to fighting the opioid crisis 🚗 Why Gareth was a millionaire on paper but driving for Uber in Florida  🏥 How transdermal patches can replace pills and even injections 💸 Getting duped: the brutal truth about OTC markets and a $1.5M illusion  🧠 Learning to think like a public company CEO (before even listing) 🔁 Why he rebuilt the same company… twice 🧱 Gareth’s unique strategy: acquiring IP and talent using stock instead of cash 🛑 How he said no to $80 million in funding offers — and why 🔔 Manifesting the NASDAQ bell: “It was never if, only when.” ⚖️ The shady side of Wall Street: naked shorts, phantom trades, and SEC investigations  📈What it takes to build a billion-dollar business the unconventional way 🔗 Links & Resources: Nutriband: https://www.nutriband.com/  Follow Gareth Sheridan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garethsheridanntrb/  Watch the GameStop story: Dumb Money (IMDb): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13957560/  --- Visit my partners Enterprise Ireland: https://bit.ly/EIreland  Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azure EE Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostraee  

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox meets with Eoin Cantwell, founder of Fitt Meals. Eoin shares his remarkable journey from running a busy sports club to creating one of the UAE’s most innovative meal prep businesses. Eoin candidly discusses how he bootstrapped Fitt Meals, his approach to radical transparency with open book management (🤯), and how he empowers his entire team by sharing profits and insights. If you’re an entrepreneur looking to scale your business, enhance your team’s engagement, or understand the power of collective responsibility, this episode provides deep insights into a unique business model and leadership style.   🎧 Show Notes: In this episode, we cover:   🔥 The moment Eoin realised the opportunity in healthy meal prep 🚀 How Fitt Meals grew from renting a kitchen at night to operating a state-of-the-art facility 💡 Why Eoin believes in radical transparency and open-book management 📈 How profit-sharing with employees transformed Fitt Meals’ culture 🌍 The challenges and opportunities of scaling a logistics-heavy business 🔑 The critical importance of teaching your team the ‘why’ behind decisions  🏋️‍♂️ The balance between company growth and maintaining team culture and morale 💬 “A company of owners will always outthink the owner of a company.” – Eoin Cantwell  Resources Mentioned: • Scaling Up by Verne Harnish • The Great Game of Business by Jack Stack • HeyGen AI for multilingual communication   --- Visit my Partners  Enterprise Ireland: https://bit.ly/EIreland  Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE  Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostraee  

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Pádraig Ó Céidigh, a name synonymous with Irish entrepreneurship and business leadership. Best known for founding and scaling Aer Arann, one of Ireland’s leading regional airlines, Pádraig shares his journey from humble beginnings to building an airline—despite having no aviation experience.   He reveals the key moments that defined his career: remortgaging his house to buy an airline, negotiating with Aer Lingus, securing multimillion-dollar aircraft deals, and eventually selling his business. Beyond aviation, he opens up about the personal cost of success, his near-death experience, and the philosophy that guides his life today.   If you're an entrepreneur, this episode will change how you think about risk, vision, and what it really means to build a business with purpose.   📌 Show Notes: In this episode, we cover: ✈️ How Pádraig went from teacher to airline owner—without aviation experience  💡 The mindset shift that allowed him to scale Aer Arann from a small regional service to a multimillion-dollar business 📉 The biggest challenges of running an airline (and why profitability was harder than it looked) 🎯 Why a clear focus on one word—safety—transformed his business strategy ⚖️ The cost of entrepreneurship: health, family, and personal sacrifices 📖 His perspective on wealth beyond just money and how he defines success today 📚 His book, ‘The Purposeful Decision Maker,’ and the lessons inside 🚀 His next chapter: mentoring, investing, and new business ventures 🔗 Resources: 📖 The Purposeful Decision Maker – Pádraig Ó Céidigh’s book 📚 Recommended book: The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel  --- Visit my partners Enterprise Ireland: https://bit.ly/EIreland  Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE  Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostraee  

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Richard Fitzgerald, the founder of Augustus Media, an award-winning modern media company in the UAE and KSA, publishers of Lovin Dubai, Lovin Saudi, and Smashi TV. With a background in media and advertising since 2006, Richard worked at agencies in Ireland, England, and the UAE before building a regional social media department at Mindshare MENA and later becoming Managing Director of a creative technology start-up. In 2015, he launched Augustus Media, a ‘new media’ company that has since expanded across the Middle East, winning Best SME Company at the 2018 MENA EFFIE Awards. Today, Augustus operates Lovin brands in multiple cities, including Dubai, Saudi, Bahrain, Cairo, Riyadh, and Sharjah, and in 2019, they added ODEUM, a dedicated content studio, to their growing media empire. Richard reveals the strategies he used to scale his media brands, the challenges of monetising digital media, and why he believes traditional media is broken. If you’re building a content brand or looking to scale your business in a competitive market, this is a must-listen! 🎧 Show Notes: In this episode, we cover: 🔥 How Richard turned Lovin Dubai into a media powerhouse from scratch 🚀 The strategies he used to growth-hack his way to millions of pageviews 💡 The future of media & why traditional outlets are struggling to adapt  🌍 Expanding across the Middle East: The challenges of entering new markets (Dubai, Saudi, Bahrain, Cairo, Riyadh & more!)  🔑 How Lovin and Smashi became the region’s leading digital media brands 📈 Revenue, investment, and why he rejected buyout offers 🎥 The role of ODEUM, Augustus Media’s content studio 🎤 Hiring journalists vs. content creators – what media needs now 📌 Resources & Links: 📖 Learn more about Augustus Media: https://weareaugustus.com/ 📰 Follow Lovin brands across the Middle East: https://lovin.co/ 🎥 Check out Smashi TV – https://smashi.tv/en 🎬 Discover ODEUM – Augustus Media’s content studio: https://weareaugustus.com/odeum/ 📱 Connect with Richard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fitzyrichard/ 💬 “I didn’t want to think about fundraising or exits—I wanted to build something real, something that lasts.” – Richard Fitzgerald   --- Visit my partners --- Enterprise Ireland: https://bit.ly/EIreland  Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostraee

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Greg Bradley, founder of BLK BOX, one of the leading gym equipment manufacturers in Europe. Greg shares his journey from bootstrapping a startup with no engineering background to building a business that supplies some of the world’s top sports teams—including Irish Rugby and 75% of the Premier League clubs. Greg opens up about the challenges of scaling a manufacturing business, the rollercoaster ride of COVID-19, and why he stepped away from the CEO role to focus on his strengths. If you’re an entrepreneur looking for insights on brand-building, international expansion, and leadership, this episode is packed with value.  🎧 Show Notes: In this episode, we cover: 🔥 From side hustle to global brand – How Greg built BLK BOX from scratch 🏋️‍♂️ Supplying the pros – Landing contracts with elite sports teams & gym chains 📉 The COVID challenge – Why it was a net negative for the business 💡 Lessons in leadership – Why Greg hired a CEO to replace himself 📈 Scaling manufacturing – Expanding operations without outside investment 🇺🇸 Cracking the U.S. market – BLK BOX’s next big move 🎯 The future of fitness – Hyrox, functional training, and what’s next 💬 "I didn’t bring investment in at the start because I feel sometimes money can suffocate creativity. My strength has always been being resourceful—turning lemons into lemonade." - Greg Bradley  📌 Resources & Links: 🔗 BLK BOX – Greg’s company: https://www.blkboxfitness.com/ 📖 Scaling Up – Business book recommendation 🏃‍♂️ Hyrox – The fitness race taking over: https://hyrox.com/ 📱 Follow Greg Bradley on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregory-bradley-69610539/ 🎙️ Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to The Entrepreneur Experiment for more inspiring founder stories. --- Visit my partners Enterprise Ireland: https://bit.ly/EIreland  Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostraee  

The Entrepreneur Experiment Live Special with The Local Enterprise Offices: Lessons from Ireland’s Top Founders. To celebrate Local Enterprise Week, we sit down with Tom Keogh of Keogh’s Crisps and Noreen Hackett of Advanced Cosmetics to uncover the real stories behind building globally recognised brands from Ireland. Tom shares how his family farm transformed from market gardening to a premium snack brand sold in over 20 countries, including on international airlines. Noreen reveals how she went from chemist to CEO, creating an end-to-end cosmetics manufacturing powerhouse serving 37 brands worldwide.  If you're a founder or aspiring entrepreneur, this episode is packed with real-world insights on branding, scaling, and navigating sustainability and global expansion. 🎧 Show Notes: In this episode, we cover: 🔥 The power of branding – How Tom turned a family farm into a global snack brand 🚀 Taking the leap – How Noreen built her cosmetics empire from scratch 💡 The importance of authenticity – Why telling the truth in branding is a competitive advantage 📈 Expanding internationally – Breaking into global markets while staying true to your roots 🌍 Sustainability & business – What actually works vs. greenwashing 💰 Navigating funding & investment – Lessons from early-stage growth 🔑 Scaling smartly – How to manage multiple business lines without losing focus 💬 "Word of mouth is the most powerful form of marketing you’ll ever get." – Tom Keogh 📌 Resources & Links: 📖 Enterprise Ireland – Support for Irish startups: enterprise-ireland.com 🛍️ Keogh’s Crisps – www.keoghs.ie  🧴 Advanced Cosmetics – www.advancedcosmetics.ie Loved this episode? Subscribe to The Entrepreneur Experiment for more founder insights. --- Visit my partners Enterprise Ireland: https://bit.ly/EIreland Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostraee 

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Sean Blanchfield, serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Demonware, PageFair, and Jentic, to unpack his journey from student entrepreneur to scaling and selling tech companies. Sean shares candid insights into the early days of launching startups in Ireland, how Demonware became a critical player in multiplayer gaming, and the bold pivots that led to success. He also dives into his later ventures, PageFair, which tackled ad blocking in the digital advertising space, and Jentic, his latest project at the forefront of AI-driven market insights. From fundraising struggles to navigating acquisitions, Sean reflects on the lessons he’s learned across multiple ventures. If you’re a founder working on product-market fit, considering an exit, or fascinated by the business behind gaming and ad tech, this episode is packed with insights you won’t want to miss. 🎧 Show Notes: In this episode, we cover: 🔥 The origins of Demonware and its role in multiplayer gaming 🚀 How Sean and his co-founders pivoted their product four times before finding the right fit 💡 Fundraising challenges in Ireland and how they bootstrapped early growth 🎮 The rise of online gaming and how Demonware powered global hits like Call of Duty 📈 Selling to Activision – why it was the right move and how the deal unfolded 🛑 PageFair & ad-blocking – the problem it solved and how it changed the digital ad space 🤖 Jentic – Sean’s latest AI-driven insights company and the future of market intelligence 💼 The emotional and strategic aspects of selling a business 🤔 Lessons from failed ventures and why iteration is key to startup success 💬 "We were in existential crisis for the first 18 months. Then suddenly, we had product-market fit, and everything changed." – Sean Blanchfield     Visit my Partners Enterprise Ireland: https://bit.ly/EIreland Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostraee   --- 📌 Resources & Links: 🔗 Enterprise Ireland – Support for Startups: https://www.enterprise-ireland.com/ 🎮 Demonware – Behind Activision’s Multiplayer Gaming: https://www.demonware.net/ 📢 PageFair – Ad-Blocking Analytics & Solutions: https://www.pagefair.com/ 📊 Jentic – AI-Powered Market Intelligence: https://www.jentic.com/ 📱 Follow Sean Blanchfield on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanblanchfield 📖 The Lean Startup – Eric Ries (A book Sean references in his startup journey)

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Aimee Connolly, the powerhouse founder behind Sculpted by Aimee. From working on makeup counters at 16 to building one of Ireland’s most successful beauty brands, Aimee shares her incredible journey of bootstrapping her way to the top. She reveals the bold steps she took—cold emailing manufacturers, self-funding her first product launch, and scaling from a solo founder to leading an international beauty empire. If you're an entrepreneur looking for real, unfiltered insights on launching a product, navigating challenges, and building a loyal brand community, this episode is for you. 🎧 Show Notes: In this episode, we cover: 🔥 The moment Aimee decided to build her own beauty brand 🚀 How she launched Sculpted by Aimee with just €10,000 💡 The power of ‘massive action’ and breaking down big goals 📈 Bootstrapping vs. raising investment: the cashflow lessons she learned 🌍 Expanding into new markets: from Ireland to the UK and beyond 🔑 Why authenticity and community-building have been key to her success 🏋️‍♀️ Balancing business growth with personal well-being 💬 "The number one difference between an entrepreneur and someone who doesn’t start is knowing you don’t have all the answers—but not letting that stop you." – Aimee Connolly   Visit my Partners Enterprise Ireland: https://bit.ly/EIreland Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostraee      📌 Resources & Links: 📖 Enterprise Ireland: Support for Startups🛍️ Sculpted by Aimee📱 Follow Aimee Connolly on Instagram & LinkedIn 🎙️ Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to The Entrepreneur Experiment for more insights from world-class founders.