THOSE WHO’VE TAKEN THE LEAP

Three women who’ve left full-time employment to go out on their own share their advice.

CHANTAL HOURIHAN, UNIVERSAL MUSIC IRELAND CONSULTANT

My third child arrived, and I had to rethink how I’d continue to work and juggle childcare. I worked hard to get where I was in music PR, and didn’t want to give it all up. When you work for yourself, you set your own expectations – some days, it’s really hard and then you turn a corner, and everything is worth it. I’m proud of the campaigns and artists I’ve worked across. My advice to anyone thinking of going out on their own would be to get a good accountant, make sure you have the support at home for childcare, have a good work ethic and no ego, and believe in yourself – if you think you can do it, you can. Always have a good mentor to go to. As women, we are great networkers. It’s amazing the amount of support and advice that is right under your nose – just ask.

GER HENNESSY, MD, RESIDENT PR

I’d worked in PR for ten years, both in agencies and in-house roles. I needed a change. Then, a previous client ask if I’d do some PR for them. I realised this could be my first client. I did some lecturing in PR and event management to ensure a regular income while building my client base. Once I told contacts I was a PR consultant, the work started coming in. All my business has been through word of mouth. While I enjoy the responsibility and freedom of working for myself, it can be lonely doing everything on your own. I have PR pals who are self-employed that I turn to for advice. Keep up to date with trends and changes in your industry.

Attend events and meet people. Also, I’ve learned to use my time efficiently – not only are you doing client work, but you have to set aside time for admin, accounts and business development. And you need to set a cut-off point so you don’t let work run into your personal time. Have some savings set aside. Don’t look too far ahead – you may see a quiet period and worry about income, but work always comes in. You can always go back to the security of working for someone else if it doesn’t work out.

ELAINE BOWDEN, BRICKS 4 KIDZ

I was an enterprise account manager with Microsoft before setting up my Bricks 4 Kidz franchise in South Dublin. My daughter was due to start school and I wanted to be around more. I enjoyed 25 years in the IT industry, but wanted more flexibility. Then I discovered Bricks 4 Kidz, which has 12 franchises across Ireland, and provides project-based programmes designed to teach the principles of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) to children using LEGO, Technic & Robotics.

The schedule is demanding, but it works for me. Setting up a business is liberating. You’ll make mistakes and have some failures, but what’s important is to learn from these. Ensure you’re passionate about the sector – it must be more than a job. And always make sure you’d buy what you’re selling. It’s good to have an understanding of tax incentives and grants – this is where a good accountant can come into their own.