Shane Byrne

Are you brave and honest enough to answer this ❓⁉️ - Are you the boss that's avoiding giving direction to your people on how/if/when/why to use AI? In Ireland, only 10 % of our SMEs report having a formal AI direction or policy in place. And yet 80% of managers report employees using free/public AI tools (like ChatGPT), even where company policies discourage them (aka the rise of “a shadow AI” culture). 👉 Without clear guidance, you’re not stopping AI use, but you are thwarting your people's curiosity and innovation, as well as leaving your data exposed. Who owns the risks if sensitive data is dropped into a public tool? ❓ Are your employees learning safe and smart practices, or are they winging it? ❓ And critically, how will you compete as others start to build AI confidence and capability while you stall? Being a leader today is more complex than ever. I work with leaders and your teams to equip you with the leadership skills and tools (including AI literacy) you need to lead in the new world of work. So that you can get back to making decisions confidently and timely. Giving your people a vision of your company's use of AI is easier than you think. DM me if you'd like to learn more about how I can support you and your team. Visit my website: https://spconsulting.ie/

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Your best salespeople aren't always your own employees. Sometimes they're your mates who genuinely believe in what you're building. Last week, ✈️ Danny Waine 🏖 stood in front of the Irish Travel Association and showed them what Neural Voice can do. I wasn't there. I didn't ask him to do it. He just did it because he saw the potential. He showed a video of our AI voice agents handling real travel bookings. Natural conversations. Complex itineraries. After-hours support. The room went quiet. Not the bad kind of quiet. The "holy shit, this is actually real" kind of quiet. Here's what I've learned about building in the travel industry: Product demos are nice. Case studies are helpful. Sales pitches are necessary. But nothing beats someone who has zero financial incentive standing up and saying "You need to see this." Danny didn't sell Neural Voice. He showed what's possible. → Travel agencies capturing 100% of after-hours calls instead of losing them to voicemail → Complex booking conversations that feel completely human → AI that understands "we want somewhere warm, budget-friendly, good for kids" and actually helps The Irish travel market is about to wake up to what AI voice can do for them. Most travel companies are still thinking about AI as some distant future tech. Meanwhile, Danny's showing rooms full of industry leaders exactly what's working right now. This is how word spreads. Not through ads. Not through cold emails. Through people who've seen something work and can't help but tell others about it. When your technology is good enough that your friends become your advocates, you know you're onto something. Thanks Danny for championing what we're building. The Irish travel industry is lucky to have someone who spots the future before it becomes obvious. To everyone else: if Danny Waine is telling you to pay attention to something in travel tech, you should probably listen. --- P.S. If you were at the ITA event and want to see Neural Voice in action for your own travel business, message me. Happy to show you what Danny was showing them.

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Start-Up Contacts, Grants and Funds in Ireland. FREE MONEY-Local Enterprise Offices, Enterprise Ireland and the Irish Government No flash just content Download/save and when you have time give it a read. LEO Priming Grants Getting your small business started. LEO Business Expansion grant Expanding your start-up business after 18 months. LEO Technical Assistance for Micro Exporters grant Exploring and developing new market opportunities. LEO Trading Online Voucher Scheme Getting your business set up online LEO Feasibility Study Grants Researching the market demand for your product or service and examining its sustainability Gov Startup Refunds for Entrepreneurs (SURE) This is for people who start a company and need cash to fund its growth. You may claim back the income tax if you are an employee, an unemployed person or a person recently made redundant and are starting a business. Gov.ie Short Term Enterprise Allowance The Short-Term Enterprise Allowance (STEA) gives support to people who have lost their job and want to start their own business. It’s paid instead of Jobseeker’s Benefit for a maximum of nine months. It ends when the entitlement to Jobseeker’s Benefit ends (that is at either nine or six months). Revenue Three-year corporate tax exemption You can [technically] earn €120,000 tax-free for the first three years. The scheme gives relief from corporation tax on your trading income, and certain other gains new companies may acquire, for the first three years. Gov.ie Back to Work Enterprise Allowance If you have been out of work and in receipt of social welfare for more than twelve months,with this Allowance you can keep your social welfare payment for two years if you set up a business (year 1: 100% – year 2; 75%). Revenue Start Your Own Business scheme The Start Your Own Business scheme provides relief from income tax for long-term unemployed people who start a new business. OPTIMISE eCommerce fund The fund gives small business owners the e-tools and know-how to ‘optimise’ their existing website and grow their business online. EI Innovation vouchers If you own or manage an SME, and it’s a limited company, you can apply for an innovation voucher worth €5,000. EI Feasibility study/innovation grant You can get 50% of the costs of your study, not including VAT, up to €15,000. Importantly, you don’t have to pay back the money. EI The Mentor Grant matches new and existing business owners with experienced mentors to offer tailored help and advice on running their business. EI The Market Discovery Fund – supports market research and the development of viable market entry strategies into new geographic markets. EI Pre-Seed Start Fund For businesses with a well-developed business plan and need to raise funding. Please repost to help fellow founders. Good luck, and remember, we're all in this together! David Slowey Pro Bono, Slowey Start-Up Process Programme. #Founder #entrepreneur #BusinessEducation #Startup

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US tech giant Salesforce is planning to cut jobs at its Irish operations after the firm announced lacklustre quarterly sales growth, fuelling anxiety around its AI tool. Report by my colleague Laura Roddy

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Welcome back to the Life at Leyton podcast! 🎬 S3 Ep1: Building a team for growth: Irish insights with Darragh Gaffney Kicking off the new season, Sarah Glanville sits down with Darragh Gaffney, Irish Business Lead, to explore how he’s building a dynamic, ambitious team that’s driving innovation and growth across Ireland. From opportunities in Ireland’s innovation landscape to what motivates him as a leader, this episode is packed with insight and inspiration for anyone interested in life and careers at Leyton. Check it out here: Spotify 👉 https://lnkd.in/ebbQ3pU8 Apple Music 👉 https://lnkd.in/eVWDA7XD YouTube 👉 https://lnkd.in/eysfMvyW Nicola Plenderleith Danielle Torrance Finn McDermott #LifeAtLeyton #LeytonUK #LeytonIE #Innovation #Careers #Business #Culture

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A chance meeting in a Dublin hotel helped unlock a €15.9m investment in a flower delivery business - and drew two former Irish CEOs back into the boardroom. Inside the Quintas deal reshaping how experienced executives invest - https://lnkd.in/dUzceh-V

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Feature | Why is access to finance so important for small businesses? 💰 Microbusinesses and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are an extremely important part of our economy. These businesses account for approximately three-quarters of all private sector jobs and turnover in Northern Ireland. However, small businesses can find it difficult to secure funding from traditional lenders. Steven Scullion explains why access to finance can help small businesses in Northern Ireland thrive. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/e8fpPrhP Department for the Economy NI | Enterprise Northern Ireland| Northern Ireland Small Business Loan Fund | Techstart Ventures LLP | Clarendon Fund Managers | Cirdan Ltd | The Boatyard Distillery | NI Chamber | CBI Northern Ireland

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When sustainability becomes smart business 🌱 Munster Services Group didn’t start their ecoBiz journey to save money, they simply wanted to do the right thing. But the results went far beyond good intentions ✅ Tens of thousands of dollars saved annually ✅ Improved client report photography ✅ A three-star ecoBiz partnership “We thought sustainability would be an expense,” says Operations Manager Colin McDonnell. “Instead, the return on investment surprised us.” As the industry moves toward greener practices ahead of the Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games, Munster is leading the way with small changes that make a big impact. 👉 Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/guWVSuC6 #Sustainability #ecoBiz #SmartBusiness #QueenslandBusiness #Brisbane2032

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What to do With Your Money Now Bill Bonner, from Youghal, Ireland Our preference is always to buy land…or private businesses. But you can’t buy either willy, nilly. You need to have a reason…a plan…a purpose…some way to manage it and make it pay. And since time and energy are limited, and your attention is fully engaged elsewhere, you can’t often do it. A private business is best. Businesses — both private and public (those traded on the stock market) — are where the real money is. You can hold an ounce of gold or a bitcoin from here ‘til kingdom come; you will still just have an ounce of gold or a bitcoin. A house is much worse. In order to still have a house in 20, 50 or 100 years, you need to keep it up — insurance, taxes, new roof, new carpet. You get a place to live…not an investment. Businesses give you something more. They combine labor, skill, luck, and resources — all of which come at a cost — and offer a product or service that is worth more than the ingredients that went into it. That is the profit that is at the heart of capitalism and material progress. It is also how most people get rich. They dip their cups into that stream of profits…and fill their own pools of wealth. In this regard, private — tightly controlled — businesses are much better than ‘public’ companies. That way, you get to enjoy the income, the corporate perks, and tax deductions yourself. Wall Street companies are rarely profitable for outsider investors. Instead of getting 100% of the profits from a private company, you’ll be lucky to get a 3% dividend yield. And maybe the stock will go up. Or maybe it won't. In a large company it is very difficult to hold down costs. And at the top, there is simply too much temptation to spend money on empire building, new technology,unnecessary employees, incentive compensation, pensions, acquisitions, deluxe headquarters, corporate jets and so forth. There are also the unavoidable legal, accounting, and public relations costs of being public. Unless management is diligent and determined, the costs will rise to meet the level of income (or rise above it!) and the employees will be taking off for Juneteenth, whatever that is. A finance professor from Arizona concluded that more than 50% of stocks “had negative cumulative returns" over the long run. And studies show that very few companies actually produce life-changing gains for outside investors.

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💡 AI and eCommerce - done right - ☘️Irish Edition. Great article in todays Irish Independent by Adrian Weckler highlights Lenehans Hardware on Capel Street a 100‑year‑old, family‑run Dublin store, as a stellar example of small‑business innovation and AI done right!! By embedding ChatGPT and DeepSeek into their e-Commerce platform and chatbot, Lenehans has transformed: ⭐Their online store improved product searches and tailored recommendations ⭐Customer support from framing advice to DIY guidance ⭐Sales quadrupling turnover in just a few years I have tried out their chatbot it’s fast, intuitive, and genuinely helpful, especially for a non DIYer. Their success is a great example of how AI is not only for big corporate organisations with massive tech teams. 👏 Congratulations to Mark Lenehan and all the team in Lenehans, a blueprint for delivering AI-powered transformation in traditional retail. Link to the full article in the comments below. #Irishsuccess #AIandSMEs #Ecommerce

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