Adviser of the Month: Sean Beirne

Congratulations to our Adviser of the Month for March, Sean Beirne, founder of Accelerate Consulting.

After two successful exits from his own ventures, Sean decided to put his experience to use by founding Accelerate Consulting in 2017.

With a wealth of hands-on experience founding, managing and supporting a variety of successful businesses, he has helped both emerging and established companies thrive.

Sean's expertise spans domestic and international markets. Here he shares insights on strategy, common pitfalls, international expansion and the value of expert guidance. He says:

"External experts bring valuable experience and can provide insights quickly, offering support as needed.

"Seeking external advice – whether from consultants, business mentors, or support organisations – can help businesses grow faster and avoid costly mistakes."

What initially drew you to business consulting?

My background is in sales and marketing, but I’ve also founded and successfully exited two businesses about 10 years ago. Even while I had my own ventures, I was often approached for business advice by friends and business contacts.

I realised that my real-world experience could be valuable to start-ups and established businesses. With consultancy, it's often said, that you can have some people who only read from a book, but you really need that real-world, practical experience as well, to put it all into practice.

Consulting allowed me to share my expertise in business strategy, marketing and customer engagement and to learn from the mistakes and learnings that I experienced over the years.

What are some common mistakes you see business owners making?

Sometimes it can be very simple. Business owners may be busy doing day-to-day activities without having any strategic direction or identifying their mid or long-term goals, i.e. working in the business, rather than on the business. Having an external consultant, especially one with experience, means that I remain impartial. My fee is not significant enough to impact their finances, allowing me to provide an unbiased perspective they might not receive from within their organisation.

Sometimes, business owners — especially those in start-ups — lack a support or leadership team. They often need guidance, whether for reassurance that they're on the right path or to take a step back and gain a complete, 360-degree perspective on their business.

For example, I worked with a SaaS start-up that had untested pricing tiers. Without market validation, their entire business model was based on assumptions, which is extremely risky!

Given the current economic landscape, what advice do you have for businesses looking to expand internationally?

When companies are looking to export, they need to assess their route to market carefully. Will they enter a new market directly, use channel partners, or both?

In my experience, the company will need to do some work in the local market themselves, because if they were to approach potential channel partners, without having some inroads into that market, it might be harder to get the right channel partners on board.

They also need to localise their messaging and understand regulatory differences. For example, businesses expanding to the UK from Ireland must consider post-Brexit trade regulations.

Culturally we're also different. We're the same, but there are nuances there as well. For example, websites or any digital presence, of course, need to be localised and that goes for marketing material, too.

You also need some local validation or credibility in the new market – joining local industry associations that are relative to the sectors that they're developing in can help.

A great resource for businesses in Ireland is Enterprise Ireland, which offers fantastic business and financial supports. I’m a consultant for Enterprise Ireland on its Strategic Marketing Review programme and one of its module elements is about route to market and channel partners. I would encourage your Irish audience to engage with Enterprise Ireland, as well as their Local Enterprise Office (LEO).

What qualities indicate that a business will be successful?

A successful business typically has strong leadership, a clear strategy and meets market demand. Financial stability, adaptability and customer focus are key, along with a skilled team and effective marketing.

Leveraging technology and maintaining resilience also contribute to long-term success. People need to understand where they're going and the importance of everybody's role in meeting those objectives. They're not just numbers and each individual has an important role to play.

Every touchpoint with customers – from marketing to invoicing – must reflect professionalism and represent the company image and the way they want to be perceived.

How do you decide which businesses to work with?

I focus on businesses where I believe I can deliver value. I've turned away prospects that have come to me because I don't think I'm the right fit for them. If I don't have the domain expertise; finance, for example, wouldn't be an area I get involved in, that's just a speciality in itself.

I conduct sales and marketing audits for clients, which include examining their sales and marketing material. I often find that even strong businesses are let down by poor-quality sales materials, slide decks, proposals etc that don’t reflect their credibility and professionalism. The good thing is I see it as an opportunity for them to improve and develop further and to gain more business.

What lessons have you learnt as a business owner that could help others?

Recognise your own abilities and limitations, recognise that it's important to be resilient, self-motivated and get used to people saying no to you – there are probably more nos than yeses along the journey.

Ultimately, nearly every business revolves around sales — generating revenue is essential for success. Businesses must recognise this while also seeing the value in seeking guidance, whether from Enterprise Nation, Enterprise Ireland, or business consultants. External experts bring valuable experience and can provide insights quickly, offering support as needed.

Seeking external advice – whether from consultants, business mentors, or support organisations – can help businesses grow faster and avoid costly mistakes.

Why did you become an adviser with Enterprise Nation?

It was about a year ago at an event in Dún Laoghaire, where Emma Jones was speaking and Joanne Mangan was there too when I first came across Enterprise Nation. I found it very beneficial and have had a number of people contact me in relation to my services.

I saw it as an opportunity to connect with business owners and provide valuable insights. Enterprise Nation offers great networking opportunities and business support, making it a fantastic resource for entrepreneurs at all stages.

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