Really enjoyed an insightful discussion with Colm O’Rourke, founder of Capaciteam, recently ranked 3rd in Clutch’s Top 100 Fastest Growing Companies for 2025.
Colm shared his fascinating journey from starting out in the nightclub scene, to founding Felix Recruitment, and ultimately building Capaciteam, a company specialising in IT services and IT consulting.
Capaciteam is growing at an impressive pace, with projected revenues approaching €5 million and a team of 70 employees in just 4 years.
We also discussed AI in depth. Colm highlighted practical, real-world examples of how businesses of all sizes can benefit from AI, and shared valuable advice on how people with little or no AI background can begin developing their AI knowledge and skills.
A genuinely inspiring conversation with plenty of takeaways.
If you enjoy the episode, please follow us on Spotify and YouTube — your support helps us keep these conversations going.
This podcast is brought to you by Tap Design Consultancy.
Capaciteam and Colm O'Rourke contact details:
capaciteam.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/colmorourke/
In this episode of The Hidden Hustle Podcast, we sit down with Greg Clarke, founder of Digicom and former president of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce. Digicom is a leader in high-end video conferencing and audio-visual technology.
Greg shares a raw and honest look at his 28-year journey building his business — from personal tragedy to major leadership lessons.
🔍 We discuss:
- How his brother’s passing inspired him to start Digicom
- The tough conversations with his employees that forced him to evolve his leadership style
- Why customer obsession has driven Digicom’s long-term success
- How costly video-conferencing failures can be for companies
- Becoming President of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce
- The role of meditation in his growth
If you enjoy the episode, please follow us on Spotify and YouTube — your support helps us keep these conversations going.
A huge thank you to Greg for his time and insights.
This podcast is brought to you by Tap Design Consultancy.
In this episode of the Hidden Hustle Podcast, we sit down with Irish business legend John Purdy, who recently sold his company Ergo. John founded Ergo 33 years ago with his co-founder, the late Tim Sheehy, starting out in a shed in Cabra, Dublin — and the company has remained fully bootstrapped ever since.
Over those three decades, John also founded and later spun off Fenergo, which is now on track for a €2 billion valuation.
In this episode, we discuss:
🔥 Why John decided to sell Ergo after 33 years
🚀 How to scale a fully bootstrapped business to €250 million in revenue
🧠 Thinking like a big business even when you’re small
💼 Founding Fenergo during a recession — now valued at €2 billion
🎓 Lessons from a business course at Stanford University in California
👥 Leadership insights from three decades in business
🤝 Why cultural fit is essential for successful acquisitions
🌱 What’s next for John — investing in multiple promising Irish start-ups
🇮🇪 The evolving Irish business landscape
Links & Resources
🔗 Ergo Technology Group: https://ergotechnologygroup.com/
🔗 Connect with John Purdy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnpurdy/
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From Insolvency to 45 Million Bottles Sold: The VITHIT Story
This week we chat with Gary Lavin, Founder of VITHIT a true masterclass in resilience and brand building.
Gary launched VITHIT in the early 2000s and went nearly a decade without profit. At one stage the company was insolvent and his house was repossessed. But with unwavering belief and one pivotal change, he turned VITHIT into the 7th best-selling drink in Ireland, now hitting 45 million bottles sold a year.
Huge thanks to Gary for sharing his raw, honest insights and the lessons behind VITHIT’s rise.
P.S Keep an eye out for Gary on RTE One tonight where he’s featuring on The Entrepreneurs show as a finalist for EY Entrepreneur of the Year at 8pm!
This week we chat with Oonagh O’Hagan, owner of Meagher’s Pharmacies, about her incredible story and journey that all started from asking her boss one question when leaving her job💡
We cover:💊 Her new product tackling the root cause of illness and disease.
🏪 Lessons from the first 12 months being a business owner to opening 9 more stores
📖 Opening up to her staff about the businesses declining profit and the trajectory it went on from there.
🛒 Being one of Ireland’s first online pharmacies — and what she learned from it.
👥 Building a team.
🧘♀️ How she balances business, family, and wellness with such a busy schedule.
Oonagh’s story is a perfect example of chasing your crazy dreams and figuring it out along the way!
At 11, he ran a bookies.
Now, he leads 136 people across four creative agencies under the Kith and Kin Group.
Colin Culliton a previous EY entrepreneur of year finalist shares his story.
From building The Printed Image over 30 years to the emotional sale during Covid. Tips for building an incredible team culture, his thoughts on how he’s going to keep up with AI and plenty more incredible insights.
🎙️ Tune in — this one inspires.
#Podcast #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #KithandKin
From Tragedy to Triumph: Building & Selling a Business
🎙️ In this episode of The Hidden Hustle Podcast, we sit down with John Galvin, previous owner of McMahon Galvin, which was recently acquired by the Howden Group.
Losing both his parents at a young age, he was forced to grow up quickly and take charge of his own future. That experience shaped his career and ultimately his success.
With over 35 years leading McMahon Galvin, John shares:
😔 How personal loss shaped his mindset and work ethic
🎯 The importance of carefully selecting high-quality clients instead of chasing mass
👥 Leadership and building a loyal team
🤝 What it takes to achieve a successful business exit
Although he sold McMahon Galvin to the Howden Group, John continues to work within the company with the same team and clients.
He gives an honest view of the changes that come withselling a business you’ve built and becoming part of a bigger group.
A huge thank you to John for sharing his story and wisdom.
🌍 A niche toy business making a massive impact on the world stage.
In Episode 5 of The Hidden Hustle Podcast, we sit down withour uncle — Eddie Holmes from TFH.
TFH specialises in designing and manufacturing toys for people with disabilities 💡. This is an incrediblyinsightful episode on how Eddie, together with his father and brother-in-law, grew TFH to £11 million in consolidated worldwide sales 🚀.
Eddie shares his experiences on:
• Implementing an employee profit-share scheme — a huge factor in their success
• Turning a struggling business around
• Navigating challenges like Covid and Brexit
• Driving product innovation to stay ahead of the competition
• The goosebump moments of seeing TFH’s toys transform lives for children and parents
A massive thank you to Eddie for his time and insights 🙌.
This was our very first recorded podcast — the one that gave us the courage to keep going and learn more. (Hopefully we’ve improved a little since then 😅).
🔥 33 years. Multiple acquisitions. €80M collective turnover. 8 Ironman’s and a World Championship and ….. winning Entrepreneur of the Year 2024 🥇.
What does it take to build a group of software companies worth millions 💻 and compete at the highest level in sport 🏊♂️🚴♂️🏃♂️?
🎙️ In this episode of The Hidden Hustle Podcast, we sit down with Marc O’Dwyer, former owner & CEO of Big Red Cloud. Marc shares incredible insights into what it really takes to build, scale, and lead a group of companies to such success.
Marc Sold the Big Red Cloud Group just 3 months ago. Marc is now open to consultancy opportunities with companies looking to gain valuable expertise.
💡 In this episode, Marc dives into:
🚀 Sales strategy
🤝 Acquisitions & successful exits
🎯 Customer-focused product development
💪 How to bounce back from big setbacks
👥 Leadership & team building
📚 Marc never stopped learning — from completing an MBA 🎓 to going behind-the-scenes with Leinster Rugby 🏉 to help drive his team and company forward.
A huge thank you to Marc for sharing his story and wisdom.
In the latest episode of The Hidden Hustle Podcast, we had the privilege of speaking with Aidan O’Reilly, former owner of Medray. A supplier of medical equipment.
Aidan is now the co-owner of Emerald Greens Irelands largest vertical farm!
Aidan shares an incredibly honest account of his journey from only getting 120 point leaving cert to being unemployed to building a medical equipment business turning over €22 million annually. All with no medical equipment background!
His story is a powerful reminder that resilience, courage, and belief in your vision can lead to extraordinary success.
Huge thanks to Aidan for his lessons, time, and for sharing such an inspiring story.
This is a must-listen for anyone chasing a dream or navigating challenges — proof that with the right mindset, anything is possible.
This is an incredible story of resilience, vision, and outstanding leadership…
In this episode of The Hidden Hustle Podcast, we had the pleasure of speaking with Emma Maye—an inspiring entrepreneur whose journey is nothing short of remarkable.
Emma shares how she built her group of companies, Ardale and Core Building Providers, into the success they are today and ultimately leading to Emma being named the 2024 PwC Businesswoman of the Year!
This episode is a must-listen for anyone wanting to understand what it truly takes to become an exceptional business leader.
From growing up with undiagnosed dyslexia, to the sudden loss of her father, and carving out a path in male-dominated industries, Emma alongside her husband built a thriving portfolio of companies spanning property development, building providers, and now an exciting new chapter..... All while raising four children!
A huge thank you to Emma for her time, openness, and the powerful leadership insights she shared.
Tune in now to hear how it all began.
In this episode of The Hidden Hustle Podcast, we talk withPaul McCarthy, Founder and Head of Product at Snapfix.
Paul founded Snapfix in 2016 and has been solving the complex problems faced by property managers eversince — through an easy to use app that applies photographs with the familiar traffic light colour system to help manage hotels, offices, and other buildings—as simple as using WhatsApp or Snapchat.
He has raised millions in investment from global investors and won the Enterprise Ireland New Frontiers Programme in 2020.
This award-winning software now has tens of thousands ofusers and operates in over 40 countries worldwide.
One of the most remarkable parts of Paul's story is his vision, shared with his family: to build a billion-dollar company used in over 100 million buildings—and then give it all away to help solve a massive global problem....
The story begins at the family table, with Paul trying to solve his own problem.
We hope you enjoy the episode.
– Alan and Sean Holmes