Utter shock and crushing disappointment are the only ways I could use to describe how it felt when a close friend (now based Stateside) offered to make some introductions that could really have benefited our start-up – but at a cost. The sticky paw came out and he asked how much equity we would be willing to part with for these prized connections. When our expressions gave away our horror at the suggestion that a pal would withhold help unless we greased his wheels, we were told that this is how it’s done in the US.

In retrospect, I am delighted that my gut reaction was complete disgust because it exemplifies how much more giving and nurturing the Irish business community really is.

The truest reflection of this quality of sharing wisdom for the betterment of those who are early in their journey can be found at the Entrepreneur Experience. Run by the team at CorkBIC and supported by Pete Smyth and the gang at Broadlake, this is a two-day annual event for 24 emerging entrepreneurs. They are each paired with an appropriately experienced entrepreneur who can best assist them to overcome their immediate hurdles and achieve success in their particular start-up.

Having been strongly recommended to attend two years ago, I submitted an application and managed to get accepted. At the time, funding was my number one priority and the greatest challenge I think I’ve ever faced. Not sure what to expect, I attended and threw my all into asking for help – not just from my assigned mentor, but from them all.  What I found in Ballymaloe was a carefully curated collection of givers – each of them wearing their shiny green jersey, ready to open their black books, spill their guts on their trials and tribulations through their careers, and roll their sleeves up to find out how they could help.

There was no greediness when it came to colleagues sharing their hard-fought insights.

This whole thing sounds a little gushing, and in the spirit of full disclosure, this year I’ve been asked to co-captain the event alongside the great Jim Barry. I find it very hard not to sound like I’ve drunk the Kool-Aid because I got so much from it. The word “tribe” is used frequently (and flippantly) these days but that’s what I found. There was no greediness when it came to colleagues sharing their hard-fought insights. And certainly, there were no grubby attempts at profiteering from them either.

All of the experienced entrepreneurs were confident enough in their own success not to feel the need to compete or stifle those that were emerging. There was no sense that any of them wanted a slice in return for guidance.

I’ve wondered since my time there at how generous they all were, and are, to give up their valuable time. After all, they have successful businesses to attend to or, in some cases, a chunk of exit cash to burn through in the Caribbean. Tempting as it may be to think of that Friends episode where Phoebe discovers there really is no such thing as a selfless good deed, my theory is that they are not in it for the kudos or the warm fuzzy feeling of giving.

We all started somewhere

I think that memories are short and most seasoned entrepreneurs still wear the residual scars of seedling enterprise. They dearly wished someone would have given them a hand back when they needed it most. We all started somewhere.

You might say that the Americans have it right. They should benefit financially from the tough lessons they’ve learned, from the networks they’ve cultivated and it’s every man for himself. But for me, monetising this kind of knowledge is cynical.

Of course, some successful businesspeople are grabby by nature. Some feel that to stay on top, it’s important to hoard knowledge and keep others down in the process – you can’t be at the top if nobody is beneath you, after all. Yet while there will always be begrudgers in business, in my recent experience, they are very much the exception rather than the rule. Generally, I find lately that the circular nature of entrepreneurship culture in Ireland is something to be really proud of.

I’m often asked what advice I would give to early-stage founders, or indeed my younger self, and here it is: Click the link below and see if you can get yourself a place on the Entrepreneurs Experience, it will certainly bring you at least one, if not many steps closer to achieving your business goals.

At that weekend in October, you will find a collective of those who have been there before, who want to pay it forward and give back through advice and support. The very antithesis of the coin-operated Silicon Valley status quo, it seems.

Applications to enter the EE close on Friday, September 8. For further information, click here. The Currency is the media partner for the event. Other CorkBIC event partners are Cork City Council, Cork County Council, Grant Thornton, Broadlake and William Fry. The 2023 Entrepreneur Experience takes place on Friday and Saturday, October 20-21, 2023 in Ballymaloe, Co Cork.