Gavin Duffy – Entrepreneur, Media Coach, Dragon's Den Presenter, Public Speaker

The scenes at the end of the Leinster football final in Croke Park last Sunday were ugly. The shameful sight of Martin Sludden, the referee, being physically assaulted brings the GAA into disrepute. The so-called Louth fans who tried to physically assault him have done a huge disservice to themselves, their team and the sport.

 
There have been calls for the Gardai to use the video evidence from the TV pictures to identify and prosecute those who attacked the ref’.

But surely if video evidence is to be used should it not have been used earlier in the game to assist the referee in establishing whether Meath’s injury time goal was within the rules or not?

The GAA is rightly proud of its amateur status. It is in fact the most dearly cherished principle of the association. As the referees are also amateurs, volunteering their services, surely the GAA owes it to these brave, genuine, well-intentioned men to give them every possible assistance in doing their difficult job. We have all seen how well it works in rugby. Surely it now has to be introduced to the GAA.

I sometimes think there is a twisted logic in all of this. That somewhere in GAA Headquarters there are some highly-paid executives who are actually delighted with all this controversy and the acres of newsprint and endless hours of radio debates that are generated by it.

On the night of soccer’s World Cup final these highly paid GAA executives probably take great joy from knowing that in every pub in the country the topic of conversation was the events in Croke Park earlier that day and not Spain’s victory in South Africa.
But the GAA would have benefitted hugely from using video technology last Sunday. Just imagine the suspense of Martin Sludden going upstairs to consult with a fourth official, a video ref’ and then declaring, ‘no goal’.

Picture the scenes of uncontrolled joy as Louth wins their first Leinster in 53 years and all the positive media coverage that would have followed about lesser counties like Louth and Sligo breaking through to the upper ranks of the GAA. Meath would still be odds on favourites to reach an All Ireland quarter final.

Instead we refuse to use the technology. Amateurs who have trained so hard for so long are denied fair play, another core principle of the GAA. Meath gain what is, after all, an empty and sullied victory.

 
We witness a poor referee put in an impossible position being physically attacked. We see Louth supporters behaving appallingly. Most concerning is we see a steward being hit by a bottle thrown from the stand. The game we love is becoming like soccer.

The GAA must now introduce video assistance to referees. It is an open and shut case. An hour before the game in Drumcondra I saw a Louth supporters’ bus. They were all decked out in their red and white but amazingly in the front seat there were two passengers in the green and gold of Meath. That sight for me is reflective of the real GAA not the scenes at the end of the game.

Rogue Developers

Have you heard this term on news bulletins – “rogue developers”? Just lately it is being used with alarming frequency in reports to do with NAMA. We hear about loans from rogue developers being transferred to the National Assets Management Agency. I am concerned about this term and how it is coming into common usage in news reports.

Another term I hate to hear in the news is, “ the victim was known to the Gardai”. When I hear about some appalling murder I am initially concerned. Then I hear that phrase, “was known to the Gardai” and, to my shame, I stop being concerned.

I now surmise the murder victim was some criminal type who I assume was up to no good and, though I hate to admit it, I conclude; good riddance! That phrase, “known to the Gardai” conditions us not to be concerned or compassionate about the fellow citizen who has just brutally lost his or her life.

It is the same with “rogue developer”? It conditions us to think they were an evil lot and good riddance to them.  I realise few people have sympathy for those property developers who have gone bust. But were they rogues is my question?

Sadly I have seen some friends lose their businesses in the last eighteen months. An architect’s firm which went into receivership. A coffee shop which has closed. A children’s party business where the phone just stopped ringing. And a recruitment consultancy which has gone to the wall.

Were they all rogues because they set up their business and gainfully employed themselves and others? I think not. To anyone who has lost a job, a business, or worst of all, their home, can we not show some compassion?

For an economy to survive and thrive we need people to set up businesses and to take risks. If their businesses fail we should ensure that once they have paid their debts to the best of their ability then we should encourage them to try again. Our country and its economy needs entrepreneurs and risk takers now more than ever.
 

Getting to Market

Getting a new product market is always exciting and challenging. The next time you are in a shop look at all the products on the shelves and just think about all the development work that has gone into each product. That’s what I love about doing Dragons’ Den.

It is not the TV part of the show that excites me. It is what happens after I have made an investment on the show. I love mentoring the guys to bring their products to market.

Back in March, Noelle O’Connor, came into the Den with her idea for a 100% natural tan, called TanOrganic. I invested and we have since brought it to market successfully. It is in all pharmacies now nationwide and enjoys strong sales.

But we had huge teething problems with this product or more correctly its packaging. The product comes in a bottle with an old fashioned cork because it is 100% natural. We thought having it in a bottle with a cork made it look different.

But we had not counted on another difference. In warm weather a very small number of corks are likely to pop. Now that is ok with champagne but the last thing you want popping is a tanning lotion.

So we have had to change the packaging and the cork is now replaced by a screw cap and the problem is solved. But poor Noelle hasn’t slept since the 17th of June when we first realised we had a cork-popping problem.

What has amazed me is the goodwill of pharmacies and consumers alike to this product.

It seems in the current recession there is great support for people like Noelle O’Connor who have had the tenacity to invent a new product and bring it to market in the worst recession ever.

This week she is meeting Boots who want to stock TanOrganic in their 2,700 stores throughout the UK.

Even in a recession we need to realise there are new business opportunities out there for those who have the vision and the dedication to see it through. Noelle is a real entrepreneur. She is employing 21 people. With a company with great export potential she is playing her part in trying to help our country find the path to recovery.