EE482 - Mentor Moment: Anthony Gallagher — Building Petstop Through People & Innovation

Andrea Reynolds, Founder & CEO of Swoop, joins Gary to break down what founders actually need to know about funding, cash flow and building a business that lasts. Andrea started Swoop after becoming deeply frustrated by how hard it was for business owners to access grants, loans and funding quickly. What began as anger at a broken system became a fintech platform helping businesses access cash faster, automate funding applications and identify savings across essential services. In this conversation, Andrea shares the real-world funding lessons most founders only learn the hard way: why you should raise debt before you need it, why revenue solves more problems than almost anything else, how to think about investors properly, and why profitability matters more than hype. She also opens up about building under pressure, raising millions across multiple rounds, expanding internationally, surviving market shocks, and why empathy is still her most important business principle. If you’re a founder, operator or business owner trying to grow without losing control, this one is packed with practical insight. Show notes Andrea Reynolds is the Founder & CEO of Swoop, a fintech platform helping businesses access funding faster through data, automation and smarter financial decision-making. In this episode, Gary and Andrea discuss: Why businesses fail when cash flow gets tight The original frustration that sparked Swoop How Andrea manually tested demand before building the product Winning early funding through timing, momentum and experimentation The open banking opportunity that accelerated Swoop’s growth What founders get wrong about fundraising Why you should raise before you actually need the money The difference between debt, grants and equity Why some investors can become a liability How to think about boards, board observers and investor fit Why diversification matters in a volatile market The shift from “growth at all costs” to profitability Expanding from Ireland and the UK into the US and beyond Building a forever business instead of chasing hype Andrea’s personal approach to time, energy and staying grounded The books, habits and mindset shifts that have shaped her This episode is full of practical advice for founders navigating growth, fundraising and uncertainty. Links and resources mentioned Swoop: https://swoopfunding.com/ie/ Enterprise Ireland: https://www.enterprise-ireland.com/en/ Books: The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz High Output Management by Andrew Grove The Art of War by Sun Tzu *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26 Rory’s Travel Club: https://bit.ly/rorys26 Chartered Capital: https://bit.ly/49ZuFrk

Will Meara is the founder behind Bingo Loco — the 3-hour bingo rave that sells chaos as an experience and somehow turns strangers into mates in the space of one night. In this episode, Will breaks down how Bingo Loco went from a scrappy experiment in Dublin to a global live-experience machine — running roughly 2,000 events a year, active in around 270+ cities, with a team of ~276 people and ~200+ performers (MCs, DJs and talent) powering the shows. We get into the real mechanics most people miss: why Bingo Loco works as “competitive socialising” (a focal point that removes the awkwardness of meeting up) the win-win commercial model that makes venues want you back how they localise every show so it feels native (Texas ≠ New York ≠ Melbourne) how you keep quality when you’re doing 40–60 shows at the same time on peak weekends the experimentation framework Will uses to launch new concepts: design → test variables → stress-test scalability → rollout We also flip the mic: Gary shares why the new studio is built around hospitality — making every step of the guest experience feel effortless — and Will shares the belief most founders won’t like: sometimes you need to smash your own structures before bureaucracy kills growth. If you’re building in events, community, hospitality, or any experience-led business — this is a masterclass in distribution, localisation, and disciplined creativity. In this episode Why Bingo Loco works as competitive socialising (a focal point that removes the awkwardness of meeting up) The “win-win” model: how to structure deals so venues genuinely want you back How to scale globally without losing the magic: localise everything (music, humour, pacing, crowd expectations) Why “you can’t multiply chaos without discipline” (and what discipline looks like backstage) How they recruit and train talent for a 3-hour live show (and why it’s so hard to do well) The feedback loops that protect quality: customer feedback + venue feedback + mystery shopping The framework Will uses to launch new concepts: design → test variables → stress-test scalability → rollout Why distribution is the real prize: once you have venues + trust, you can roll out new IP layers fast Founder lesson: too much structure kills growth, too little structure kills scale — and sometimes you must break your own rules Links & resources Guest / company Bingo Loco (official): https://www.bingoloco.com/ Locomotive HQ (Bingo Loco + concepts): https://locomotivehq.com/ Locomotive Live — Bingo Loco page: https://www.locomotivelive.com/bingoloco Will Meara on LinkedIn: https://ie.linkedin.com/in/williammeara Book mentioned Shantaram (Gregory David Roberts) Tool mentioned Brick (phone focus device/app): https://getbrick.app/ Sponsors Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26 Rory’s Travel Club: https://bit.ly/rorys26 Chartered Capital: https://bit.ly/49ZuFrk

In this Mentor Moment, Rory King - founder of Rory’s Travel Club - breaks down the content engine behind building a simple, low-cost membership business at scale. He shares how they publish across multiple platforms every day, the split between posts that convert (offers), posts that build trust (reviews/testimonials), and posts that drive engagement (questions, entertainment), plus why “value first” is the only strategy that lasts. If you’re trying to grow an audience, build a personal brand, or turn attention into recurring revenue, this is packed with practical takeaways you can apply immediately. For the full conversation with Rory, listen to Episode 421 of The Entrepreneur Experiment. Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Rory’s Travel Club: https://bit.ly/rorys26 Chartered Capital: https://bit.ly/49ZuFrk

In this episode, Gary sits down with Dr Caitriona Ryan and Dr Niki Ralph, co-founders of the Institute of Dermatologists in Dublin, to unpack how they built a modern “centre of excellence” model in Irish private care - combining medical dermatology, cosmetic dermatology, skincare, and a growing surgical pathway under one roof. They share the realities of scaling a high-trust healthcare business (systems, hiring, standards, and culture), how COVID sparked a major pivot into new services, and why Ireland needs to shift from reactive healthcare to preventative, longevity-led thinking. Plus: the story behind ID Formulas, their new data-driven approach to supplements (including wearables integration), and what they believe actually moves the needle for healthspan. Show Notes Why Caitriona and Niki built a centre of excellence model (and why it’s scalable) A day in the life of two Consultant Dermatologists with five businesses and thousands of patients The difference between medical dermatology and cosmetic dermatology How they protect standards at scale: meetings, feedback loops, SOPs, and hiring The COVID moment that forced a pivot - and led to a new surgical model Their longevity philosophy: healthspan over lifespan The “longevity hype” they’re most sceptical of — and what they’d focus on instead A simple, no-fuss skincare framework for founders (men + women) Links & Resources Institute of Dermatologists (IoD): https://instituteofdermatologists.ie IoD Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/instituteofdermatologists/?hl=en ID Formulas waitlist: https://www.idformulas.com/ Dr Caitriona Ryan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caitrionaryandermatology?igsh=MW5jcGhleGFxMWRieg== Dr Niki Ralph Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drnikiralph?igsh=MWl2anNucWc5MDR0Yg== Things mentioned in the episode WHOOP: https://www.whoop.com Oura Ring: https://ouraring.com Book — Unreasonable Hospitality (Will Guidara) Book — Outliers (Malcolm Gladwell) Book — Good to Great (Jim Collins) EltaMD UV Clear SPF from IoD site(mentioned as a daily sunscreen option): https://instituteofdermatologists.ie/collections/elta-md-skincare Episode sponsors Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Rory’s Travel Club: https://bit.ly/rorys26 Chartered Capital: https://bit.ly/49ZuFrk Disclaimer This episode is for general information and education only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult your GP, pharmacist, or qualified healthcare professional for personalised guidance, especially before starting new supplements or treatments.

In this bite-sized Mentor Moment, Seán Brett shares the raw, real start of his entrepreneurial journey - leaving school at 14 after being misunderstood for dyslexia and ADHD, and turning that experience into creativity, resilience, and a relentless drive to build a better life. Seán breaks down why “non-traditional” beginnings can become an advantage, how early selling teaches you more than any classroom, and why understanding people - not just products - is at the heart of business. For the full conversation with Seán (and why it became a listener favourite), listen to Episode 419 of The Entrepreneur Experiment. Check out our sponsors: Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Rory’s Travel Club: https://bit.ly/rorys26 Chartered Capital: https://bit.ly/49ZuFrk