Falling in Love ... with the problem
Fall in love with the problem, not the solution, that’s a mantra we at IGNITE firmly believe in. The more time you spend truly understanding the problem, the better your solution will be. Too often, people rush to a solution and then struggle to make it fit. Given the day that's in it, we asked some female founders we in IGNITE UCC admire about the problems they fell in love with.
I don't actually look at them all as problems more like puzzles that I need information to solve them to take us to a better place.
Business problems = business evolution. When something needs to be solved it forces you to look at your business, no matter what stage it is at, and get to the next level. In my opinion it is only by doing this your business evolves. And your brain as an entrepreneur. You don't get a manual when you start a business, so really you need 'problems' to solve to evolve your business and I guess to gain experience.
When I was starting I didn't know how to scale as fast as the business was growing. I didn't have enough staff, or phones or laptops and we couldn't cope with the incoming enquiries.? It was a problem and it was costing me money. So I had to sink or swim - find a way to get through it and hope it worked. Plan it in my head, and then communicate it to my staff.
My god it felt good. To use my brain, to understand my business shortcomings and to figure out how to get past them.?
Tell us about your business
My business is about designing things to help other businesses. I like to help start ups to get themselves going. They might need a logo or they might need a website to put themselves out there, or they might want me to design something physical they can sell to their customers like a journal or a deck of affirmation cards. Whatever it is they need to design, I work with them to get the messaging right and make it look professional.
What was the problem you fell in love with?
The problem is often not knowing where to start or what to say, which makes you feel stuck. This is the problem I try to help with. In the words of Arthur Ashe, “start where you are, use what you have and do what you can”. This is a mantra I have adopted and my advice for anyone who feels that stuckness.
Was it love at first sight?
It certainly was not love at first sight! I struggled with my own identity and my own messaging around my work. Knowing how to brand myself was a challenge and that is where I look to help others. I was always looking for the perfect thing. You don’t need the perfect brand to begin- you just need to begin.
Any advice for people on how they can figure out the problem?
In terms of advice, a way I have learned to solve this (and I know it’s a buzz word at the moment) is through authenticity. Brand yourself as you are and it will be easier.?
On the theme of Valentine’s Day, if you’re speaking from the heart- you will be sure to build a relationship worth having. Lean in to yourself. Fear is the root of many decisions not to do something, but we are all afraid all the time, so join us in the journey. To be brave is not to feel fear but to be afraid and in the words of Susan Jeffers “do it anyway”.
Emma Coffey - FinalBend
Tell us about your business
I started FinalBend at 17 with the simple goal of having a small shop at the Munster Indoors after an injury sidelined me from competing that year. The problem? There was no sportswear stand at the event, and the sportswear available on the market was either expensive or lacked personality and colour.
What was the problem you fell in love with?
As I worked on a solution, I quickly realised I couldn’t just rock up and set up shop. So, I took FinalBend online, scaled it over the course of a year, and then approached the Munster Athletics Committee with a more compelling offer - custom-branded workout gear for their competitions. This initial niche in athletics helped the brand gain traction, and during COVID, it really took off online.
Was it love at first sight?
I wouldn’t say it was love at first sight - but I grew to love working on it. I went from drawing activewear in the margins of my Irish copybooks in secondary school to running a warehouse and managing a team that now relies on FinalBend for their full-time wages.
This year marks a turning point. After graduating from college, I stepped back from the brand to grow my second company, UGC.ie, in Dublin. But, as they say, distance makes the heart grow fonder. In January, I moved back to Cork with a renewed focus and a growth strategy to scale FinalBend to new heights.
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Any advice on how people can figure out their problem?
Look for gaps that frustrate you. If something feels like a missed opportunity or an obvious solution is lacking, you might be looking at your problem to fall in love with. Then, don’t be afraid to test and refine it, because sometimes, love grows with time.
Renske Ensing and Elaine Fitzgerald McBarron from verea
Tell us about your business:
verea is an innovative tech-wellness enterprise pioneering a comprehensive approach to workplace and personal wellness through chronobiological optimisation. We equip people with cutting-edge tools to understand and align with their natural rhythms, helping them identify optimal work windows, plan strategic recovery periods, and match task complexity to their biological prime times.
What was the problem you fell in love with?
Productivity & Time Management issues, Significantly diminished mental and physical well-being, Relentless pressures to find work-care balance
Was it love at first sight?
The Productivity and Time Management issues were definitely love at first sight. Being a productivity expert, I see first hand where clients struggle. However, through our research we‘ve realised multiple other layers that contribute to this problem such as diminished mental and physical well-being and pressures to establish a work-care balance.
The love comes from making a tangible difference in our client's lives. Collaboration with others with a shared vision and purpose keeps the love alive too.
Any advice for people on how people can figure out their problem?
Keep going back to your (potential) customer and ask. Talk to them in different stages of figuring out your problem and ask them if your definition of the problem really resonates with them.
This simple reframing of sales and entrepreneurship has been a game-changer for me, "remember as an entrepreneur, you solve problems for people for profit".?
Every minute of market research is an investment in your business.?
Ailis Crowley - FASH Forward
Tell us about your business
FASH Forward partners with its network of zero waste experts to host circular economy workshops for companies across fashion, food and tech themes.?
We also offer bespoke consultancy working one on one with micro and medium sized companies to reach their sustainability goals.
What was the problem you fell in love with?
Was it love at first sight?
The problem I fell in love with was waste. Materials of value go to landfill everyday, wasting valuable resources.
It was love at first sight. When I travelled to Sri Lanka I saw a brand collecting colourful rice sacks that had been dumped on beaches and up-cycling them into luxury weekend bags and other fashion accessories. This concept of reuse, resourcefulness and creativity inspired me to think differently about waste and so FASH Forward was founded with a mission to engage and inspire others to think differently about waste too.?
Any advice for people on how people can figure out their problem?
This is a tricky question as the problem can be different depending on the customer you’re working with. It is only by working with a range customers through consultancy and workshops I’ve been able to figure out the problems that company’s have around waste eg. Costs of disposal (micro), setting and reaching sustainability targets (medium) or creating a zero waste culture (multi-national).