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Last month,
Vconnecta’s
press team
gave you the
opportunity
to submit
questions to
CEO Brendan
Finucane
(pictured left)
about life in a
fast-paced
Irish startup.
Since founding
Vconnecta in 2011, Brendan has finished an undergraduate
degree at University College Cork (UCC), progressed through a
gruelling ten months business acceleration programme at the
college, ‘pitched’ his idea at numerous investors, and even
moved into his very own office in a high-tech building in Cork
City.
Vconnecta’s Brendan
Finucane answers your
questions about
startups
 Vconnecta  18 July 2013  Featured, News  No Comment
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founder (Sep 15th)
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t: 00-353-21-420 5333
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As if that schedule wasn’t hectic enough, Brendan also remains
extremely active in a number of local organizations –
straddling both the business and political spheres – and is a
regular fixture at small business and networking events, most
recently addressing a women in politics luncheon held in
Dublin.
Here’s the best of what you sent in, with Brendan’s responses.
Q: What is the hardest part about working as an
entrepreneur? (John Tomlin, Co. Donegal, Ireland)
A: Hi John, and many thanks for your question. Although it’s
clichéd, in truth it’s probably the long hours, and the fact that
you’re never totally separated from your business — even on
weekends! At this stage, I’ve built up a small team of assistants
and interns to whom I can delegate some of the more time-
consuming duties,(marketing and white label development
both take up a lot of our time), but there’s still an awful lot of
legwork left to me. The hours can also be both unpredictable
and anti-social at the best of times, and the combination can
leave you feeling overwhelmed. But ultimately, for the
freedom of running your own business, it’s worth it.
Q: Hi Brendan. Reading your biography, you seem to have
a lot going on. As I’m looking at starting a small business
myself, What tips can you give on time mangement?
(Áine Foley, Co. Cork, Ireland)
A: Hi Áine. Without doubt, the most important thing is not to
over-commit, or at least to keep your commitments within
reasonable limits. Be judicious in what you say you can and
cannot do, and don’t commit to a project, or an event, if you’re
not sure whether it can fit in your diary. When you’re starting a
business and surrounded by lots of like-minded people, the
natural tendancy is to spread yourself thin, but that’s definitely
a mistake, and will lead to burnout sooner or later. I’d also
advise making sure that you have at least one relatively free
afternoon during the workweek to deal with unforseen
eventualities, such as a printer breaking down, a major coding
issue, etc.

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Q: Hi. I’m also studying Business Information Systems at
UCC. What advice would you give to young graduate
considering starting a business? Is it really a viable route
at this age? Don’t we lack experience? (Conor Hinds,
Iniscarra, Cork Ireland)
A: Hi, Conor. The lack of expeience which you mention can be
gotten over by having a team of experienced professionals to
mentor and advise the company. Without that, I’d have to
agree that it would be an uphill struggle. Is it viable? It depends
on the idea, naturally. I think that if it’s a good idea it shouldn’t
matter what age the founder, or founding team, is. I hope you
enjoy the rest of the degree.
Q: I’m looking at starting a niche online magazine in
Shoreditch, London. The problem is that the rents
around here are ferocious. Did you find having your own
office a big advantage? It would be a lot cheaper to work
from our flat! (Pete Pitchers, London, UK)
A: Hi, Pete. I’m familiar with London rents and as you say
they’re truly extortionate. I’m not a real estate agent, but
perhaps you’d consider renting somewhere less central than
Shoreditch? However, without knowing the specifics of your
situation I can’t tell if that’s a viable option for you or not. In
any event, I do believe that not working at home makes a
considerable difference to your business, but that’s my
subjective opinion. Others may disagree. I believe that it’s
important to have a work location to go to, and to establish a
clear delineation between your work space and where you go
to earn a living. I try not to do any work after I leave the office
where possible.
Q: Salam, Brendan! I recently start a small graphics
design company here in Cairo. Unfortunately, I have not
found money yet to pay for other staff. Do you find it
important to work with others? (Ahmed Al Fitr, Cairo,
Egypt)
A: Hi, Ahmed. In a word, yes. Starting a small business can be a
very lonely and isolating experience, and I believe it’s
important to have someone, and preferably several other

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people, to share the burden with. Entrepreneurship is a difficult
road to travel down, and anything that can make it more
comfortable can only be a good thing.
Q: Hi Brendan. Do you find networking valuable? I’ve
attended a few ‘meet and greets’ and all I’ve ever come
home with was a massive pile of business cards which I
put straight in the bin! (John Duggan, Dublin, Ireland).
A: Hi, John. As I answered above, it’s important to manage your
time properly. I’d assess whether the networking event was
likely going to be worth my time before committing to attend,
but I haevn’t had very many disappointing experiences. In fact,
I’ve only found networking to be beneficial. If you feel like a
certain event isn’t adding value to your professional career, I
simply wouldn’t attend. But there are many worthwhile groups
out there, and I’d advise you to seek those out before
dismissing the concept altogether.
Brendan will be holding an live online chat questions and
answers session in Sep. of this year.
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 Brendan Finucane, Questions and Answers

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Ask CEO Brendan
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