SharkPod Podcast

What is Up SharkNation! On this episode, Luke and Mark sit down with Viki Baird and Pat O'Brien of Stillgarden Distillery. Stillgarden is an independent distillery in the heart of Inchicore, Dublin 8 bringing the spirit of prosocial disruption to the world through science, community & nature. They have also put together an in-person experience for those wanting to get a better understanding of how...

What is up SharkNation! On this episode Luke and Mark chat to marketing veteran and podcaster, Greg Canty - Managing Partner with Fuzion Communications, Producer of Win Happy Podcast.  Greg joined Fuzion in 2003, bringing a strong commercial aspect to the business. He is a qualified accountant who held senior roles within the drinks industry for Heineken and Guinness including posts as General Man...

What is up SharkNation! On this episode Luke and Mark sit down to chat to Co-Founder/CEO of Noa - Gareth Hickey. Noa (News Over Audio) is an application that allows users to access audio versions of some of the best news articles from the most respected sources in the world including the FT, the Economist and the Harvard Business Review.  Gareth started the business after working in equity researc...

What is up SharkNation! On this episode, Luke and Mark chat to film maker and co-founder of Cartoon Saloon -Tomm Moore.  Kilkenny-based Cartoon Saloon is a five-time Academy Award®, Golden Globe®, BAFTA and Emmy nominated animation studio formed by Paul Young, Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey. From award-winning shorts to feature films and TV series, Cartoon Saloon has carved a special place in the inte...

What is up SharkNation! On this Episode Luke and Mark chat to Gary Grimes about his business (Simplí Business Finance) and how SMEs should think about raising non-bank finance in Ireland.  Founded by Gary Grimes in 2020, originally the company's name was GDG Business Finance but just this month have rebranded/renamed to Simplí Business Finance. They are an SME Finance consultancy firm, who special...

What is up SharkNation!   On this episode, Luke and Mark sit down with CEO of Black Mirage (a cyber security firm in the US) to chat about how you can protect yourself form potential attacks.   The guys also get the inside scoop on the hacker world, how it works, who is involved and what's at stake.    Carson's firm helps businesses protect themselves from bad actors by staging attacks to reveal w...

What is up SharkNation! ***This is not financial advice - it is meant for education purposes only*** Luke and Mark talk about 'getting your money right' and building an investment strategy to make the most of the income you're generating. Luke acts as a guide and breaks down the simple steps a 35 year old would need to take to generate an investment pot of €1m+ in 20 years.   Key takeaways:   1. ...

What is up SharkNation! On this episode Luke and Mark sit down with Journalist, Podcaster, and Entrepreneur - Peter McCormack from the "What Bitcoin Did" podcast. Peter's podcast has reached over 1,000,000 downloads per month and he has also been sharing earning stats on his income report on his website where he shows how he built his podcast income to well over $200k per month. The guys cover a h...

What is up SharkNation! This week Luke and Mark sit down with Cathal Noone - Founder and Managing Director of RandDtaxcredits.ie. Cathal has built a software platform to help companies claim back tax here in Ireland and beyond.  R&D tax credits are big business in Ireland - while working as a Director in a Big 4 accounting firm PWC, Cathal helped his companies claim back a total of almost €1,000,0...

What is up SharkNation! On this episode of the SharkPod, Luke and Mark break down the popular book "Principles" by Ray Dalio.  Dalio ran the biggest hedge fund in the world (Bridgewater) for decades and now, after retiring from running the day to day, he spends his time sharing his learnings through books, podcasts, and his YouTube channel. The focus of 2021 for Luke was to "get his money right" a...

What is up SharkNation!  Andy Mackin is the CEO of Mackin Group, an international company that provides both health and safety consulting and talent solutions for companies all over the world.  Andy started the business after a 21 year career in the Irish Navy.  The company has huge ambition and is aiming to generate €75 million per year in revenue by 2025, and €110 million by 2030! Andy shares hi...

What is up SharkNation! On this episode, Luke and Mark chat to Entrepreneur and former contestant from BBC's 'The Apprentice' - Pamela Laird. Pamela is the founder and CEO of the Moxi Loves, a beauty product business that provides innovative, waterless, and sustainable products. Moxi Loves is stocked by some of the the biggest retail operations (Boots, Pennys and national pharmacy chains) in Irela...

What is up SharkNation!  This week on the podcast Luke and Mark sit down with property Entrepreneur and Podcaster Gavin J Gallagher. Gavin is a property developer that built up a fortune during the Celtic Tiger, only to lose it all after the property crash of 2008. Gavin not only shares his story about how he got involved in property and how he build a €65 million portfolio in just a few short yea...

What is up SharkNation! On this episode, Luke and Mark chat to Daragh Jordan and Erik Jentetics - Founders Grafton Digital. Sometimes the podcast recordings take place at very interesting times in the growth curve of a business. Daragh and Erik are just 20 years old and are taking their company to the USA to chase growth opportunities.  Luke and Mark had grown up with the vision of moving to the S...

What is up SharkNation!  This week Luke and Mark sit down with serial entrepreneur, Ronan Cunningham to talk about leveraging innovation to start businesses. Ronan started off his career in Law, but after being let go he found himself participating in a course in UCD focused on applying innovation to business problems. Ronan took an idea from the course and spun it into his first business. FootTee...

What is Up SharkNation! In this episode Luke and Mark learn about Bitcoin and crypto investing from Kryptalk's Shane Talty. Shane has been investing in Bitcoin for years and runs a YouTube channel where he provides updates and insights on all things bitcoin. Luke and Mark are looking to become investors in crypto but want to get a good grounding in the subject before they dive in. Shane provides h...

What is up SharkNation! This week, Luke and Mark chat to waste tech entrepreneur John O'Connor on his growing waste management business (Kollect.ie) and how he is building a business that affects every household and business in Ireland. The guys talk about alternative business financing strategies and how Kollect launched an IPO in Sweden's Nasdaq branded stock exchange. They talk about the benefi...

What is up SharkNation! The sneaker/runner industry is a part of modern pop-culture.  Luke and Mark chat to an entrepreneur from a different generation. Someone who is at the very beginning of their entrepreneurial journey. Kevin started Sneaker Cleaner at the age of 17 and now 3 years later, he has a retail location in the heart of Dublin's most desirable shopping districts.   Sneaker Cleaner wil...

What is up SharkNation! This is a bonus episode of the SharkPod that features the founder of Bitesize Irish, Eoin Ó Conchúir. Bitesize Irish is a community that is aimed at helping people all over the world develop their Irish language ability. Their tagline is "Gaelige Gach Lá" (Irish everyday) Luke chatted to Eoin Ó Conchúir about all things language learning including Luke's journey with the le...

What is up SharkNation! On this episode Luke and Mark sit down with Kevin O'Loughlin, CEO of Nostra (IT Outsourcing business based in Lucan, Ireland) to chat about the company's rise and how the business has thrived through Covid times. Key Take aways: 1. If you want to build a €20,000,000 business you need to think long term.  2. Thinking of your business as a 30 year play changes how you make de...

"What is up SharkNation! On today's episode, the guys break down "How to Get Rich" according to Naval Ravikant.  Naval is an Investor/entrepreneur based in the Silicon Vally ecosystem.  He is the founder of AngelList, a platform that brings investors and entrepreneurs together. He is known as a philosopher on all things business and produced a "tweet storm" about how to get rich. He then released...

What is up SharkNation! Today the guys cover a very important topic with their special guest Barbara Sheahan, Founder and MD of HealthCare Compare (hcc.ie) - the place to go when you need to figure out how to protect yourself and your family.  Luke and Mark talk about entrepreneurship with Barbara but the conversation really turns into a clinic on all things health insurance. Key takeaways: 1. If...

What is up SharkNation! Today Luke and Mark chat to one of Ireland's most successful arts of the past 2 decades - Eoin O'Connor ( https://eoinoconnor.com ), Artist/entrepreneur.  You are probably familiar with Eoin's work if you  are living in Ireland as his paintings have been licensed by some of Ireland's most important retail chains.  Luke and Mark chat to Eoin about his rise in the Irish art w...

What is up SharkNation! This week on the SharkPod Luke and Mark sit down with Rónán Ó Dálaigh - Founder and CEO of Thriftify. Thrifitify helps charities get the most out of donated goods by providing an online platform for them to sell directly to the public.  By bringing technology to the industry, Thriftify hopes to ensure that the retailer gets the best price for their donated items while the p...

What is up SharkNation! On this episode of the SharkPod - Luke and Mark meet with Paul Devaney of Irish 7 Summits. The 7 summits challenge involves climbing the highest mountain peak on all 7 continents.  Paul and his group of amateur mountaineers have managed to climb 6 of 7, with only one remaining - Mount Everest.  During the chat they cover: 1. How Paul, having no background in mountaineering...