FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS

Orla O'Leary and Jaclyn Ward Directors, Fireball Media

Not everyone in business has the ability to turn a negative into a positive but Orla O'Leary believes there is much to be learnt from mistakes. Niamh MacSweeney Spoke to the forward thinking entrepreneur about her perspective on being a woman in a competitive sector.

Tired of working for other people and realising that there was a huge opening for a design company, Orla O’Leary and her business partner Jaclyn Ward set up Fireball Media three years ago. Since then the duo have gone from strength to strength, providing professional web design and website content management systems to companies all over Ireland. Orla O’Leary puts the success of Fireball Media down to good marketing and networking and recognises the importance of keeping in constant contact with her clients to ensure that they are always happy with the product.

Although O’Leary is aware that she is in competition for business in a male dominated sector, she remains optimistic, driven by the belief that for every disadvantage there is an advantage to be found.

Professionalism

“I think that in any business you are always going to have challenges and these challenges can be greater if you are a female. But at the end of the day people are becoming more professional right across the board and if you can do a professional job, be you male or female, then people will come back to you and refer you on,” she says.

According to O’Leary sheer determination and wanting to be the best at your chosen field are the key elements required to be a successful entrepreneur. “You come to a cross roads in life and you can either be happy working for somebody else for the rest of your life or you want to go and do it for yourself. It’s a matter of setting both professional and personal goals because the two go hand in hand,” she explains.

Challenges

Growing and developing Fireball Media has been a challenge. O’Leary maintains that trying to find staff that are willing to move forward and come up with new ideas has been difficult. However, she maintains that when it comes to finding new clients it is a matter of being competitive and that consistency and professionalism are paramount to any business structure. “I’d much rather be a leader in what I do, than a follower,” she says.

When asked about the achievements of Fireball Media, O’Leary lists numerous national clients that have chosen to use her company and the huge sense of accomplishment she has felt in providing them with a professional and competitive product. However, when asked if there have been disappointments she has great difficulty remembering any.

Positive Thinking

“There are always things to look forward to and I think I’m quite a positive person. One of the strengths needed when working for yourself is the need to be positive. For every negative you need to find a positive so that you can move forward and not make the same mistake again. I don’t believe in dwelling on mistakes I think it is better to learn from them,” she insists.

O’Leary recognises that women can find being an entrepreneur demanding especially as there is little support for women in business in Ireland. She argues that many networking associations are often very male dominated but agrees that regardless if you are male or female, if you are not good in your profession you are not going to be able to keep clients. “If you can portray and live up to the standards that you have set, then as a woman in business, you will be fine,” she concludes.

Orla O'Leary, Sales & Marketing Director, Fireball Media, 4 Church Hill, Carrigaline, Co. Cork.
T: +353 (0)21 4834666 E: info@fireballmedia.ie W: www.fireballmedia.ie