Cillian Day

I listened to a panel discussion a few weeks back during which Ronan Murphy spoke about being asked, "What if you're hit by a bus?" in interviews during, what turned out to be, his very successful sale of GetVisibility. The question was obviously figurative, and more a: "Can this business survive if you leave?" Big ole bus - sounds ridiculous right? How many founders get hit by a bus? Answer: 13% 13% of startup failures are directly attributed to the Founder being hit by a bus. Not the big yellow school bus type... but the physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion bus. Known as Founder Burnout. 13% translates to thousands of potentially viable businesses shutting down every single year. Not because of product market fit, or financials, or competition... purely due to founder burnout. The deeper you look into the numbers, the more a problem you realise this is: - 72% of founders experience high levels of burnout - 78% report impaired decision-making when burned out - Solo founders face an 82% burnout rate Yet, how often does this critical risk factor make it into VC due diligence conversations? We extensively analyze market fit, team composition, and financial projections, but what about founder wellbeing? The Work/Life balance shifts when in a startup, even more so when it's your Startup - perhaps this can't be avoided. But if almost 3/4 of founders are being clipped by the bus, surely we must build a crossing... or ensure founders know how to look out for this bus and deal with signs of oncoming. Smart VCs should be asking: "How are you planning to sustain your energy over the marathon ahead?" and "What support systems do you have in place?" or even better "How can we help?" Addressing founder burnout isn't just compassionate—it's good business. Building founder resilience into the investment thesis protects capital and increases the probability of success. VCs: Are you having these conversations? Founders: Are you demanding them or taking appropriate measures to avoid it?

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On the 26th March 2025, Google rolled out AI Overviews in Ireland. What this means is that Irish based organisations can expect a further reduction in CTR for top-of-funnel and informational queries, as Google begins answering more user queries directly on the SERP here in Ireland. With the likely downward trend for traffic from informational searches, it’s now more important than ever for Irish organisations to ensure that their services pages are well optimised to attract high-intent, bottom of funnel traffic. I put together this blog post and downloadable checklist on the topic of service page optimisation in the age of LLMs. 🔗 Link to the article is in the comments. #seo #servicepageseo #servicepages #searchengineoptimisation #llm

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A survey conducted by Wolfgang Digital and Amárach Research has revealed the most researched categories on ChatGPT: Travel (48%), Education (46%), Electronics and Gadgets (45%), Food and Dining (35%), Health and Beauty (33%), Finance and Insurance (30%), Home and Garden (27%), Fashion and Apparel (23%). *bracketed %s = the % of surveyed ChatGPT users who declared using ChatGPT when researching during their purchasing cycle. More details here: https://lnkd.in/eg_4_Wzm

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US tech giant Salesforce is planning to cut jobs at its Irish operations after the firm announced lacklustre quarterly sales growth, fuelling anxiety around its AI tool. Report by my colleague Laura Roddy

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𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗖𝗧𝗢 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗶𝘅 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀… 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁. For Irish tech SMBs, senior tech leadership hires are make or break. CTOs, Heads of Engineering, AI/ML and Product Leaders directly shape velocity, delivery, culture and long-term value. Yet many founders still try to hire these roles the same way they’d hire a mid-level engineer. That’s where things go wrong. Here’s the reality I see every week in the Irish market: • The best CTOs and senior tech leaders are not applying to jobs • A vacant leadership role quietly bleeds revenue, momentum and morale • A rushed or misaligned hire at €100k+ can cost multiples of salary in lost output and reset time So what actually works? 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵. 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆. Why it consistently outperforms direct hiring or contingency: 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 We engage proven leaders who are already successful, not scrolling job boards. 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲 Structured market mapping and proactive outreach shortens time-to-hire without cutting corners. 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 Deep assessment around leadership style, technical credibility, culture fit and scale experience. 𝗟𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸 Fewer mis-hires, higher retention, and far better long-term outcomes. At Forward Role Executive Search, this isn’t theory. In the last 12 months alone: • Double-figure CTO placements • Multiple Senior Director to Head of level hires • Nearly all across Irish & UK tech SMBs • With teams built underneath them for long-term success and longevity We don’t just place leaders. We help founders build leadership teams that actually scale. If you’re a Founder, CEO, COO or Head of Talent considering a CTO, VP Engineering, AI or Product leadership hire in 2026, it’s worth asking one simple question: 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴? Happy to share how retained search works in practice and when it does and doesn’t make sense.

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Last week, Workday announced a new AI Centre of Excellence in Dublin which comes with a €175 million investment and the creation of 200 specialised roles in the region. Graham Abell and I spoke with The Sunday Times to explain what this funding means for our international expansion strategy and our ongoing commitments to the UK and Ireland. https://lnkd.in/ez9eA7eG

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“Cloud data platform Aiven has chosen Cork City as the location for its European, Middle East, and African (EMEA) hub as part of its latest expansion which is expected to create 40 jobs over the next three years.”

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Irish salary increases average out at 3.5pc, research reveals, but fewer than half of firms offer extras? We launched Gewardz Health so that SME businesses could provide additional benefits that work (or clients see an 48% utilisation by their people) and yet there is a resistance 🤔 Need for a mindset recheck? Fearghal O'Connor and a chance to help make a difference https://lnkd.in/efEQS6pf

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