EE464 - Mentor Moment: Pádraig Ó Céidigh — From Teaching to Buying an Airline
How does a schoolteacher from Connemara end up buying his own airline?
In this Mentor Moment, Pádraig Ó Céidigh, former owner of Aer Arann, shares how instinct and courage led him to take one of the boldest entrepreneurial leaps in Irish business — remortgaging his home to keep a vital island service alive.
🎙️ Listen to the full conversation in Episode 408 of The Entrepreneur Experiment to hear Pádraig’s full story of risk, resilience, and leadership.
💡 If you haven’t already, hit follow or subscribe for more weekly founder insights and Mentor Moments.
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Music Credit: “Nobody Knows” by Andrew Applepie — used under royalty-free license.
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EE464 - The Hidden Industry Powering the World’s Biggest Events
In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary sits down with Mark Breen, co-founder of Safe Events Global, the Irish team behind some of the world’s most ambitious events - from Dublin Zoo’s Wild Lights to Formula 1 in Qatar and mega-city festival sites across the Middle East.
Mark shares the real, behind-the-scenes story of how a student “helping people up at a Frames gig” turned into running safety for shows with half a million attendees, expanding internationally, and building a 25-person specialist team that’s redefining how event safety is done.
He reveals why the best events feel effortless, how the industry changed post-Covid, why “no lazy no’s” is the company philosophy, and how one email from Saudi Arabia transformed their entire trajectory.
If you’re an entrepreneur who loves hearing how niche expertise becomes a global business — and how culture, clarity, and instinct can build a category-leading company — this episode is for you.
Show Notes
In this episode, we cover:
🔥 Mark’s unexpected journey from student security team to global event specialist
🚀 How Safe Events grew from 4 people to a 25-strong team
🔑 The game-changing first hire that accelerated their growth
🌍 The email that opened the Middle East market — and what happened next
🎪 The “invisible hand” behind the world’s best events
🦺 Why great safety is all about design, not control
🧠 The philosophy of “no lazy no’s” — and how it wins clients
💡 Why instincts matter, but structure matters more as you scale
📈 How to build long-term client relationships in a project-based industry
💻 Why Safe Events built a digital operations department and a design team
❤️ Mark’s refreshing view on success, leadership, and building a life you enjoy
Links & Resources
Safe Events Global: https://safeevents.ie/
Mark Breen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/breenm/
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Music Credit: “Nobody Knows” by Andrew Applepie — used under royalty-free license.
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EE463 - Mentor Moment - Building the Biggest Media Brand in Dubai with Richard Fitzgerald
When opportunity knocks, sometimes the smartest move is to just say yes and figure it out later.
Richard Fitzgerald, founder of Augustus Media - the company behind Lovin’ Dubai, Lovin’ Saudi and more — reveals how 100 days of relentless work and curiosity helped him build one of the Middle East’s leading media companies from scratch.
🎙️ Hear the full conversation in Episode 407 of The Entrepreneur Experiment to learn more about how Richard turned a leap of faith into a global business success story.
💡 If you’re new here, tap subscribe or follow — and join the thousands of founders learning how to build, grow, and thrive every week.
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Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly inspiration on Business, Brain and Body, as well as exclusive events, courses and more, straight to your inbox. It's free! https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1
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Music Credit: “Nobody Knows” by Andrew Applepie — used under royalty-free license.
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EE462 - How To Build a Brand the World’s Best Athletes Trust (in Just 3 Years)
In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Ryan Casey, the founder of C11 Recovery — one of Ireland’s fastest-growing performance and recovery brands.
From spending his days as an electrician to working with Rory McIlroy, Manchester City, Munster Rugby, and the DP World Tour, Ryan’s journey is a masterclass in turning grit into global growth.
In just three years, he’s built a company that began with three plastic tubs and a few compression boots into a multimillion-euro recovery business operating in Ireland, the UK, and the Middle East. Ryan shares how he went from driving a van across Ireland doing free sessions to closing deals in Dubai, the mindset that helped him thrive under pressure, and why he believes confidence and consistency are the ultimate unfair advantages.
If you’re building from scratch, navigating uncertainty, or trying to turn momentum into mastery — this episode is a must-listen.
Show Notes
In this episode, we cover:
🔥 The “itch” that led Ryan to quit a stable career and build C11 from his couch
🚐 How three plastic boxes became a global recovery business
🏉 Breaking into elite sport — from the GAA to the Ryder Cup and Premier League
💡 Why saying yes first and figuring it out later became his growth philosophy
🌍 Expanding into the Middle East — and the leadership lessons that came with it
📈 How he scaled from 0 to 12 staff and hundreds of installations in 3 years
💬 The mindset shifts that helped him stay grounded through chaos
🤝 The power of consistency, relationships, and doing things the right way
“You’ll never have that stressful day again — because when you finish it, you’ve learned from it. You’re stronger, and it’ll never hit you the same way twice.” – Ryan Casey
Links & Resources
Follow C11 Recovery on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/c11recovery/?hl=en
Learn more about C11 Recovery: https://c11recovery.com/
——
Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly inspiration on Business, Brain and Body, as well as exclusive events, courses and more, straight to your inbox. It's free! https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1
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Music Credit: “Nobody Knows” by Andrew Applepie — used under royalty-free license.
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EE461: Mentor Moment - From Student Debt to Premier League Clients with Greg Bradley
From his parents’ house to supplying the world’s top athletes, Greg Bradley’s journey is pure entrepreneurial grit.
In this Mentor Moment, the founder of BLK BOX shares how he went from teaching himself manufacturing to building a global fitness equipment brand trusted by Premier League clubs.
🎙️ Go back to Episode 406 of The Entrepreneur Experiment to hear Greg’s full story, including the setbacks, pivots, and mindset shifts that shaped his success.
💡 Like what you hear? Hit follow or subscribe to The Entrepreneur Experiment for new episodes and Mentor Moments every week.
——
Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly inspiration on Business, Brain and Body, as well as exclusive events, courses and more, straight to your inbox. It's free! https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1
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Visit my partners
Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE
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Music Credit: “Nobody Knows” by Andrew Applepie — used under royalty-free license.
Discover how world-class entrepreneurs, elite thinkers, and peak performers master success in business, body, and brain.
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