EE496: How Ashley McDonnell is Raising €50 Million to Take Irish Fashion Brands Global

In this Mentor Moment, Paul Buckley shares the messy, real start of what became a serious founder journey - not from a polished “masterplan,” but from a place of pressure, responsibility, and learning fast. Paul is the entrepreneur behind EPS Group Australia (which he built and exited) and now C2O Group, and he’s a great example of how leadership is often forged in the moments you didn’t choose: when the plan changes, money gets tight, and you still have to figure it out. The lesson here is about adapting at speed, stepping up before you feel ready, and how momentum is created when you stop waiting for perfect conditions and start operating like the person who can handle bigger responsibility. If you’re building something — or trying to level up how you lead — this one will land. Listen back to the full conversation in Episode 444 of The Entrepreneur Experiment — and subscribe/follow so you don’t miss next week’s Mentor Moment. *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment

What if the reason your business isn't scaling is that you're aiming 10% higher when you should be aiming 10x? Sean Mullaney has been a founder three times, led engineering at Google X's moonshot factory, scaled Zalando from €1bn to €10bn, and is now building Seapoint - the business bank designed from the ground up for founders. In this episode, he unpacks the systems, mindsets, and decisions behind 25 years in tech, and why he believes we're living through the most exciting moment in business history. You'll learn how to spot a real technology shift vs. a fad, why "thinking in systems" is the single biggest unlock for any founder, how to give and receive the kind of brutal feedback that actually grows people, and why AI is the most optimistic story in tech right now — not the scariest. Whether you're pre-seed or scaling past your first million, this one's packed with frameworks you can use on Monday morning. SHOW NOTES: What you'll learn: Why aiming for 10x better is often easier than 10% better (the Google X philosophy) How to tell a genuine technology shift from a passing fad The "thinking in systems" framework Sean uses to run every part of Seapoint Why most business banks are built for bankers, not founders — and what Seapoint is doing differently How to give and receive brutally honest feedback (and why it's the greatest gift you can get) Sean's contrarian, optimistic take on AI and what it means for founders, workers, and society Why he'd back a 17-to-20-year-old founder over almost anyone else Key moments: Sean's first startup: web-to-SMS restaurant bookings built in a dorm room Lessons from the dot-com boom and how it mirrors today's AI wave Inside Google X: how moonshot thinking actually works in practice Scaling Zalando from €1bn to €10bn — the systems that made it possible Why Sean started Seapoint and what makes it different from every other business bank The books, advice, and mindsets that shaped his journey Recommended book: Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows Connect with Sean: Website: https://www.seapoint.co/ LinkedIn: Sean Mullaney (DMs open - make it interesting!): https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanmullaney/ *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment

A reminder that big breaks often come from proactive moves: ask, show up, build relationships, and make it easy for the right people to say yes. Rory also shows what matters after the moment hits - capturing it, repurposing it, and using it to build momentum, not just hype. Listen back to the full episode, Episode 443 - and subscribe/follow so you don’t miss the next episode. *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Anthony Kelly - entrepreneur, co-founder of Glofox, and co-founder of WellFest - for a wide-ranging conversation on building in the health and wellness space long before it became mainstream. From spotting the early signals in boutique fitness and turning that into a global software company, to building one of Ireland’s best-known wellness festivals over a decade, Anthony shares what it really takes to grow in a category that is evolving in real time. He opens up about the importance of timing, niche focus, culture, and hiring, how Glofox scaled internationally and navigated the shock of Covid, and what it was like to eventually join forces with ABC Fitness. But this episode goes beyond business too. Anthony reflects on identity, obsessive founder energy, male health, emotional resilience, and why more honest, conversational spaces are needed for people to figure out what actually works for them. If you’re building a business, navigating growth, or trying to create a life that works beyond just work, this is a thoughtful and deeply valuable episode. Show notes In this episode, we cover: 🔥 How Anthony spotted the shift in boutique fitness before the market fully exploded 🚀 The early Glofox story: from agency work to building a SaaS platform for gyms 💡 Why niche focus gave Glofox an edge in a crowded software market 📈 Growing from early traction to global expansion across Ireland, the US and Australia 🌍 What it takes to build enterprise relationships and win major fitness franchise clients 🧠 The hiring lessons Anthony learned the hard way, and what he now looks for in great people 🏗️ Why culture is built by behaviour, not by slogans or slide decks 🦠 How Glofox and WellFest both survived Covid - and what that period revealed about community 🎟️ The decade-long journey of building WellFest into a major wellness brand 👥 Why Anthony believes men need more spaces built around listening, not lecturing 🪞 The identity trap many founders fall into when business becomes everything ⚖️ Redefining success through business, body and brain - and building a life that works as a whole 🔁 A practical reset exercise for anyone trying to change the story they tell themselves Links and resources Anthony Kelly LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/anthonykelly81 Glofox: glofox.com/lp/gym-management-software-revenue/ WellFest: https://www.wellfest.ie/ *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26  Follow The Entrepreneur Experiment: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurexperiment/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneurexperiment

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Nir Eyal — bestselling author of Hooked, Indistractable, and Beyond Belief - for a masterclass on the psychology of belief, persistence, and entrepreneurial thinking. Together, they explore why success is so often less about intelligence, resources, or talent, and more about what you believe is possible. Drawing on psychology, behavioural science, and real-world entrepreneurial examples, Nir explains why some people spot opportunities everywhere while others walk straight past them. This is a fascinating conversation about the beliefs that quietly shape your decisions, your motivation, and your ability to keep going when things get hard. From “entrepreneurial alertness” to limiting beliefs, predictive processing, and the surprising science of persistence, Nir breaks down how founders can train themselves to see differently, act differently, and ultimately build more than they thought possible. If you’ve ever felt stuck, doubted yourself, or wondered why some people seem able to create momentum where others hesitate, this episode is for you. Show Notes In this episode, we cover: 🔥 Why intelligence is not the best predictor of entrepreneurial success 🧠 The difference between facts, faith, and belief 💡 Why beliefs are tools, not truths 👀 The concept of entrepreneurial alertness and why founders literally see opportunities others miss 🍀 What a simple “luck” experiment reveals about attention and opportunity 🐀 The famous rat study that shows how hope can radically increase persistence 📈 Why success in business, body, and brain comes down to persistence more than talent 🚫 The real reason most people fail: they quit or never start 🔺 Nir’s model of motivation: behaviour, benefit, and belief ⛓️ The difference between limiting beliefs and liberating beliefs 🪞 Why it’s easier to spot everyone else’s limiting beliefs than your own 🌍 How past experiences and “priors” shape what you notice in the world 🎯 Why we don’t see reality as it is — we see a prediction of reality 📱 The role of negativity bias, social media, and fear in keeping us passive ⚡ How changing your beliefs can change what you see, feel, and do as a founderLinks & Resources Connect with Nir Eyal Nir Eyal official website: nirandfar.com Beyond Belief: nirandfar.com/beyond-belief/ Indistractable: nirandfar.com/indistractable/ Hooked: nirandfar.com/hooked/ *Our Sponsors * Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostra26 Azure: https://bit.ly/azure26