Many entrepreneurs find themselves unprepared for the realities of running a business which are usually beyond their core technical skills. For them, making the transition from technical expert to business leader requires a difficult shift in focus. Not doing so is a failure point for many.
Today we hear about an unexpected journey that provides the essential groundwork for business growth: a profound focus on the customer, a robust problem-solving mindset, and the discipline gained from external investment. You'll hear about the initial struggles, the pivotal decision to embrace a remote, online model and the crucial strategy for scaling a service-based firm through acquisitions and technological adoption.
This special episode features our own host and CEO Larissa Feeney, stepping into the hot seat to be interviewed by guest presenter, Richard Curran.
THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT
- The pivotal shift from hospitality to accountancy
- The early struggle to build an online brand
- The necessity of outside investment and discipline
- Stepping back from client work to grow
- Why commercial awareness is vital for finance.
GUEST DETAILS
Larissa Feeney is the CEO and Founder of Kinore, a high-growth, remote-first accountancy practice in Ireland. Her main skills are developing business strategy, advocating for women in business, and successfully scaling a professional services firm from a small client base to a team of almost 80, proving that a remote model can achieve significant scale and success in the finance industry.
HOST DETAILS
Richard Curran is one of Ireland's most respected business journalists and broadcasters, currently presenting the Business Show on Newstalk radio. With over three decades of experience covering Irish business, economics and entrepreneurship, Richard has interviewed thousands of entrepreneurs and business leaders throughout his career.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-curran-18a3b92b7/|
Twitter/X: @RichardCurran
ABOUT KINORE
Kinore is an award winning and innovative online Chartered Accountancy service that takes away the worry and headache of running your own finance and related business services functions. Kinore’s services include:
Accountancy Services
Annual Compliance & Year-End
Online Bookkeeping Services
VAT Returns
Payroll Services
Management Accounting
Xero Conversion & Training
Company Secretarial Services
Company Formation Ireland
Virtual Office
https://kinore.com/
QUOTES
What I see lacking in the industry right now is the lack of commercial awareness, the reality of running a business. It's not just about the numbers, it's about the customer and the client. All of those that were not taught in accountancy school. - Larissa Feeney
That's something that has stood to you later on. It's how important the customer is, to always keep forefront of mind the customer's journey is important, how the customer's feeling is important, and to always make a decision with the customer in mind. - Larissa Feeney
I realised that location is not an issue. The client doesn't care where you were. The client wants their work done. The client wants to get you whenever they need you, but they don't care where their work is done. - Larissa Feeney
The only way that you can grow your business is to step back and bring in great people who can deal with the clients on your behalf. That stepping back is really hard. - Larissa Feeney
People think that how do you manage workflow, deadlines, productivity. That's the easy part. The systems take care of all that. What's challenging is building relationships, helping the team get to know each other as people. What you save in accommodation you put into bringing people together. - Larissa Feeney
KEYWORDS
#occupationalhealth #startupjourney #businessbootstrapping #entrepreneurship #irishbusiness
What is Real Business Conversations with Kinore?
Dive in for the gritty truth from the trenches of business.
No unicorns, no brands. Just hard-working people who built their business from the ground up. They share real life stories, challenges and solutions, plus the risks they've taken and how they stepped outside their comfort zone to find success.
If you're running a business, join Larissa Feeney and get the inside track from others who have been down the road already.
Click follow to get new episodes on the last Monday of every month.
Real Business Conversations is produced by DustPod.io for Kinore Finance and Business Services.