The beauty of small businesses in West Cork

Thinking of starting your own business? PAULA BURNS gets some pointers from the owners of three relatively small, but very successful businesses in West Cork

Trish Kerr – Kerr's Bookshops Clonakilty

Kerr's bookshop in Clonakilty.

WHEN Trish Kerr and her family returned to Ireland in the early nineties, Kerr had decided it was also time to return to work. With a young family, flexibility was a must. In a moment of serendipity the family found not only a home but a place to start a business.

Over 30 years later Kerr’s bookshop is still a thriving business in Clonakilty.

‘It was a “needs must”. A bookshop in 1992 was taking a chance, but I love the business, being in retail and being surrounded by books. It’s so magical,’ says Kerr.

Despite the magic, Kerr soon realised it wasn’t all about being an avid reader.

‘It was tough at the beginning. You’re open six days a week and that was possibly the hardest thing I found for the first seven years,’ she explains.

‘Really it was a case of a young mum needing to work and still being able to see the girls come home from school and to be there for them.’

Trish Kerr, owner of Kerr's Bookshop.

Growing up, Trish’s family ran a restaurant and guest house, giving her a good foundation on what it takes to run a successful business in a small town.

‘Clonakilty wasn’t booming when we opened. The good part was that a business association had started and we became members of that and they were so supportive.’ she recalls. ‘Having a business in a small town you become part of the community. I’m part of the chamber and I am involved in events to promote the town. The more you give the more you get back.’

As the owner of a customer-facing business, Trish’s ethos for success and longevity is that customers are the most important element. ‘They have chosen to come into your business and should be treated with respect.’ explains Kerr.

‘You need to engage with the customer and this is where keeping up to date and product knowledge comes into it.’

Finally, Trish believes another secret to success is enjoying the job and remembering to have fun!

David O’Leary Connections (Macroom, Bantry) and and uParty (Glanmire)

David O'Leary of Connections.

David O’Leary, owner of Connections – specialising in phones, tablets and other IT equipment – has always had an entrepreneurial streak.

From the markets of Macroom to opening a DVD shop in 2009, he has gone on to own three retail premises.

‘The DVD shop was a good starting business which evolved into the modern Connections.’ explains O’Leary.

In 2013, David opened a second Connections store in Glanmire. Listening to his gut and the customer, he ditched the IT side and rebranded to uParty, leaning more towards stationery and party products. In 2015, he opened his third store in Bantry which was once home to Teddy O’Brien’s electrical shop.

Harking back to his DVD shop days, O’Leary believes that listening and talking to other business owners is a must for those starting out in business.

‘I enjoy meeting up with other business people and having a chat and seeing if I can learn anything from them.’ explains O’Leary.

His advice to younger business owners is to get involved in local projects and to network. ‘It comes up a lot that there isn’t a lot of young blood in local enterprise boards. The enterprise board in Macroom for example, is involved in all the festivals to draw people in. There’s no end to what they do.’ explains O’Leary.

‘It’s good for your business and networking to be involved in events like these. If there’s a business association, get involved. Business people are always happy to talk.’

Over the years, not all of David’s projects have come to fruition, although he views these experiences as part of the learning curve.

‘Sometimes the hardest part is deciding that something hasn’t worked. If it isn’t working you just have to stop it.’ he advises.

‘Write it off as a learning experience. You hope the successes exceed the failures. You learn a lot from failure. You grow from it.’ On the other side of failure is the positive side of success, which O’Leary knows well.

‘There are financial benefits if you’re successful and it’s a very varied work life, which is great.’ says O’Leary.

‘When it goes right you have to remember to congratulate yourself.’

Jim Collins and Emilio Sotelo Croí Kinsale Jewellery

Jim Collins and Emilio Sotelo outside their shop, Croí Kinsale Jewellery.

After meeting and living in San Francisco for over 20 years, husband duo Emilio Sotelo, a third generation silversmith from Mexico, and West Cork native, Jim Collins, have embarked on a new chapter in Kinsale with their jewellery store Croí, which they opened just two years ago. Business is thriving.

When deciding to open the shop, location was a top priority.

‘Kinsale was the very obvious winner, because it had the tourist traffic and it’s generally a pretty lively, buzzy place and we thought it might be a good place to locate a shop with Emilio’s jewellery.’ explains Jim.

Being newbies to the town and business, the couple found great support from local business owners and the local enterprise office.

‘Most challenges were on the administrative side. We did some Enterprise Ireland courses that were very useful in telling us how you go about setting up a company and what are all the steps.’ says Jim.

‘We’ve had a huge amount of support from the local businesses too. Marie O’Sullivan who runs the café next to us was the Mayor of Bandon and Kinsale at the time of our opening and she did the official ribbon cutting. Even before opening the doors we had other business owners offer advice and giving us tips on the business cycle in Kinsale.’

Alongside Sotelo’s designs, they also sell pieces from local artists.

‘Emilio’s designs are doing very well. We have worked in lines that have an Irish flavour in them, that are inspired by local flora and fauna. We also feature local artists in the shop.’

Jim, who worked in the bio-tech industry for over two decades, is thoroughly enjoying this new chapter.

‘I love the running of our own little business. The sense of ownership is very rewarding and everything we do goes towards helping the business grow and to thrive and there is a lot of satisfaction that comes with the responsibility.’ he concludes.