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I ALWAYS PLANNED to set up my own company by the time I was 30. But at 29, I took a slight detour.
I was head of healthcare at Publicis, an advertising and PR agency in Dublin, and worked my way up to sit on the board.
I was starting to think about my next move, and one Friday evening someone forwarded me an email with the subject line: “If you want a real <insert expletive here> challenge, open this.” It got my attention.
The person said to me afterwards that they never imagined I would actually really look at the job. But they caught me on a bank holiday weekend when I was the only one left in the office, contemplating life.
It was a job as the global head of digital for Lundbeck – a pharma company. I had been thinking that I reached a senior level at my current job and wanted some international experience.
So when this landed in my inbox, I thought it was an unmissable opportunity to get that work experience abroad.
It all happened very quickly and by the bank holiday Monday I had an early morning phone call with the person hiring, and they offered me the role shortly after – it was a bit of a whirlwind bank holiday weekend.
A couple of weeks later I was in Copenhagen getting a tour and then handed in my notice. A few months later I moved to Denmark.
Denmark
I was brought in to sort out the digital strategy at the company, so I travelled all over the world with that job at Lundbeck.
To be honest, when you go into a company as a digital strategist, you spend most of your time cleaning up the crap that the last person left and the processes that are broken.
It was nice that they didn’t have baggage because they were just starting to have a digital strategy. So it was like a blank canvas.
A lot of people, when they get into an in-house role at a pharma company, the natural move would be to stay there or move to another pharma company and do the same thing. Obviously it’s interesting work and well-paid with benefits.
So when I decided I would move on, they said to me, “Are you crazy? Why would you do that? Are you mental?”
But for me, I’ve never been driven by salary. If that was the case all of my choices would have been different. The first place I worked at was a small PR company doing communications for tech companies.
If I was driven by money, I would have gone to a big agency. But there I would have spent most of my time making coffees and printing things, and I wanted to be in the deep end – for some reason, I always seem to find my way there.
Even when I was a waitress, I ended up learning all the ropes of the bar and would do double shifts. I think it is probably a flaw and sometimes I’m kicking myself thinking, “I’ve totally gotten myself into this situation.” But at the same time I’m driven by the challenge of it all.
So, after three years, when I was considering my next move and other pharma companies approached me to do for them what I had done in Lundbeck it didn’t appeal to me.
Startup
Instead, I decided to set up a digital agency for healthcare companies with Dave Albert, who is our head of technology. I had worked with Dave previously at Publicis and kept in touch with when I was away.
We talked about setting up a business since the end of 2015, so we registered a company called One15 and that was our commitment to each other that we would both leave our jobs the next year and launch our own company.
It was nice because it meant we didn’t have to dive into it. We spent time having the conversations that a lot of co-founders seem to skip.
We talked about our personal motivations, our company vision and culture before we started talking about product development.
We both heard that it’s often founders falling out that pulls new companies apart. So looking back, the conversations we had back at the beginning allowed us to make sure we were on the same page.
I think our ‘slowly but surely’ approach also helped the business get off to a proper start when I eventually left my job in November 2016 and went full-time.
I’ve always worked in healthcare digital strategy and had a good network in that area, so it meant that I left my job on Friday and by Monday we had our first global contract.
Now we work in digital strategy with most of the top pharma companies in the world, and we’ve used those deals to fund all our product development.
Coming home
After I gave in my notice, I had to start thinking about where I would be based. It seems like a simple decision – just pick where to live. But it’s a big one you can’t afford to get wrong.
The clients we have are international and we wanted to be a global company, so there was no need for me to be in Ireland necessarily.
I considered moving to Portugal, Spain, Germany and even remaining in Copenhagen, but at the end of the day, it came down to friends and family.
The reality was the new business was going to take over my life, and I needed to consider the needs of my partner, who needed to be in an English-speaking country where she would have friends and family if I wasn’t going to be around as much.
So that was the real reason I came home. If I was going to be working long hours and bootstrapping, it made sense to be near friends and family that could support us through that.
But it wasn’t easy. When I arrived back after three years, finding a place to live was absolutely impossible. We weren’t in a position to even think about buying because all our money was going into the company.
Also, as a returning emigree, you don’t exist to people like car insurers because you don’t have an address. So that was torturous.
I found myself on forums online with people who were looking to relocate for Google, eBay and PayPal. I was being treated the same as someone else coming in from another country.
As an Irish person, you don’t think about that as an issue to face. And I think that experience has helped us with recruiting. I’ve had the misfortune of being in the shoes of someone trying to move to Ireland for work and understand how difficult it is.
So now we have people on our team all around the world and that’s because we’re completely open to people working from anywhere.
Mistakes
I’ve found everyone in the startup community is willing to give advice and help you avoid some of the mistakes they made. It’s great to always have people to turn to that have walked the same path.
The downside with it is nearly every day of the week someone is giving you what they think is great advice. It can be a struggle to know what advice to take and ignore.
There are some things that are staples like your approach to company setup or finance or legal. You can take broad advice for those areas.
We take a lot of inspiration from other sectors, because when it comes to medicine – in terms of education and collaboration – things haven’t evolved digitally.
I think because nobody we know is doing the same thing as us, in a way you have to filter through the advice and take what you can.
You can get some good advice that seems to make sense. You might act on it and three weeks later you realise that wasn’t the right thing for you.
As a CEO, you have to believe in your own team, your product and your ability to dodge mistakes or bounce back quickly without advice from someone else a lot of the time.
So there are times I’m at a crossroads being pulled left and right, and at the end of the day you’re the only one who knows what’s right for your company. There is no magic formula.
I think the best approach is knowing how to hold your own council, while also keeping an open mind.
Julie O’Donnell is the co-founder of Medit. This article was written in conversation with Killian Woods as part of a series on unlikely entrepreneurs.
If you want to share your opinion, advice or story, email opinion@fora.ie.
Written by Julie O’Donnell and posted on Fora.ie
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Maybe so but can we put that into context by comparing it to our other many, many taxes? Not to forget that we have one of the highest costs of living in the EU.
DEEEEEEEEERP
2 car taxes
@Eimer already the motor industry is crippled, many households need two cars to get to work or live efficiently.
@Adam I meant we pay two taxes on our cars in Ireland unlike other countries.
Salaries in Ireland are among the highest in the EU as is the minimum wage.
They have to be higher…to pay the taxes!!
Is Ireland now obliged to compare every aspect of our peoples lives to that of other EU Countries .
It’s easy for ass holes on massive wages to say put up taxes by 2% . Let them go shopping in aldi every week and struggle to pay their mortgage month after month and have to cancel their health insurance because its going up constantly . At this stage I would be better off on the dole as they would pay my mortgage interest , Esb , heating and so on and would have more disposable income per week. This country is a joke
Government promised not to increase income tax that’s funny. Dose USC property tax water rates not all come from your income ????
Think they’re classed as indirect tax
USC was reduced by this government for low income workers.
Think it was the last government
No it was this government Scott.
The link you posted Scott is to Fianna Fail’s last budget which saw the introduction of the USC. The first budget by this government removed many low income people from the USC net. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_budget,_2012
It really annoys me when we are compared to other contrries. We must be the only place to pay twice for services. If your sick your prsi should cover you but it doesn’t. 50 euro for a doctor, dentists aren’t covered and you need private insieance.
You get nothing for your property tax where as in the uk they get a lot of loocal services like bin collection. Again something else we have to pay for.
The ERSI had better think of something else.
Shut up!
The ESRI. A bunch of out of touch hippies.
Can these people not put 2+2 together higher taxes would lower demand in the domestic economy (which is on its knees at the moment) which would lead to job losses which would lead to less income tax gathered and more social protection payments being paid out, bunch of idiots!! It’s the typical Irish solution to a problem
Well said. Most people will tell you it’s not worth working these days because you become a tax slave, just become unemployed and let the state take care of everything. Most people think the tax hikes are over but there just being dressed up as stealth taxes.
They would be a lot higher if the likes of Google, Facebook and the rest payed anything over 1% .
One wonders were the ERSI comes up with it’s figures and if those doing the reports actually live in Ireland and get to experience the indirect taxes and cost of living.
So according to this article http://www.thejournal.ie/irish-people-pay-above-the-eu-average-for-bread-fruit-and-potatoes-964484-Jun2013/ we pay above average for food. Did the ERSI factor in the additional revenues paid to the state from VAT when they were doing their sums?
As Drummer would say, “I pulled it out of my arse”.
There are no financial experts in Ireland.
Esri ‘academics’ live in a Docklands bubble. In the countries mentioned many services are free or heavily subsidised.
3 classes or workers, yet only 2 bands or tax.. Someone is not paying their fair share that’s fur sure !!
What about all the stealth tax, Universal Social Charge etc, I wish they would not fluff information
A lot of other European countries have;
Cheaper medicines and cheaper/free GP care,
Better hospitals, cheaper or no charge,
No need for health insurance,
Truly free education,
No schoolbook racketeering,
No ‘voluntary’ donations,
Much cheaper food,
Much cheaper or totally free childcare,
Longer maternity leave and paternal leave,
Shorter working weeks,
No USC,
No VRT,
Cheaper and better waste disposal.
Have I missed any?
Motor Tax – built in to price of Fuel (which is still cheaper than here!)
That is about it!! This report is a government move to prepare us for more tax rises in the coming budget… nothing more nothing less… no one actually believes what the ESRI actual say… it a state sponsored mouth piece!
Niall excellent comment, these ERSI muppets have been predicting our economic recovery incorrectly since the end of 2008. I think i’ll apply for a job with them- i’ve no relevant qualifications, barely read the papers but feel my predictions on economic recovery would be more accurate, i’ll even work for nothing, sure all I would have to do is ask the government what they’d like me to write anyway…job done!
Lower Tax and Higher living expenses!!
Not surprised to see this starting already…..budget time soon guys, if we even got a fraction of the services these other countries get for their contribution…….ours goes to line the pockets of fat cats who can’t get a job doing anything else.
Yep, right on time. As soon as it looks like the new ‘deal’ cutting public service pay is going to be passed, the kite flying for hitting the private sector starts. (And yes, I know this will hit the public sector once again as well).
Divide and conquer 101.
The ESRI is a goverment funded organisation that is completely out of touch with reality
and should be dismantled.
There was a time when the ESRI told the government to stop instigating a property bubble as it would blow up in the face of the whole nation, yet they were ignored by politician and voter alike. They haven’t always been terrible at their job.
Four researchers how much of our tax did these muppets cost bring on the revolution
Typo alert
“The Department of Finance has estimated that a 2 per cent increase on the top rate of tax (i.e. from 41 per cent to 41 per cent)”
41% to 41% .. hmmmmmmmm
haha.. Typo alert rectified.. LOL , now I look stupid.. Muwhahahahahahahahaha
The Department of Doly mixture Finance… you would get better math from 5 year olds… totally discredited state dept.. they only count accurately when it comes to getting their big payoffs!!!
The ESRI’ s answer to all our problems,even more tax,which means even less spending power for consumers and even more unimployment and a drain on the state,these so called intelligent people never cease to amaze,my area alone has 50pc less young people due to emigration,their tax proposals would likely just encourage the other 50pc to do the same.
Would the ESRI people clarify if their “calculations” include the USC in general and the pension levy applied to public servants as taxation? They are so quick to engage in semantics when it suits them. There should be no confusion when it comes to levies or tax. Both are a tax clear and simple. The ESRI have not included those figured in their calculations no doubt. We have one of the highest marginal rates of tax in Europe when everything is included. Nothing is ever completely clear with the ESRI.
ESRI are state and private corporate sponsored wafflers… this is state kite flying at its best!! Even the ESRI person on RTE Radio this morning did not sound very confident in the numbers being questioned… Not that RTE every really questions any one representing the state or Government!!
We the people of Ireland put up with enormous amounts of crap and poor decision making by our heartless state and puppet politicians!!!
A lot of countries also get more for their money. A tax increase here at the moment would be just to pay off the banks.
”the Economic and Social Research Institute found that other European countries – particularly Germany, Austria and Scandinavian countries – have higher taxes on income,”
they have – but they also have some of the best Education and medical services on face of planet .- unlike here where – bad as it was , these services have been cut further- to the bone in some cases .
Compare like with like – but they[ ESRI] would not like to do that – as they know the answers of such a comparision . .
”The researchers pointed out that the majority of the other EU countries don’t apply high income tax rates for those earning the most money, ”
—- now that does come as a shock – so they agree that the less well off should continue to subsidize the Rich .
—- A very surprising statment coming from the ESRI
ESRI, why dont you go and P*ss off and pick on someone else, leave the irish taxpayer alone for once.
I just wish the Irish Government had taken the advice of the ESRI during the property bubble.. No wait, they did.
The ESRI are a stain and embarrassment to right thinking people. They don’t have a clue what they are on about. Have they ever got it right? That is a genuine question. And if not, they should be sued for giving crap advice over the last 20 years.
Ah the good aul ESRI who when interviewed about the property tax some tme ago in the last word, Stated that a pensioner who cannot afford to pay the tax should sell there house and move to a place were the tax is less.
Ireland is one of the very few countries who are still growing. So the countries that have higher income tax, how does these compare with Ireland’s economic growth?
A lot of professionals are paying effectively ~55% tax on every increment above a middle income, which means bonuses, overtime, promotions are taxed to the hilts.
This country should focus on reducing costs, getting more value for money, reduce pension deficit (which is pretty high) and at the same time increase the standard of living for all people living here…. too unbelievable?
According to the department of finance figures the top 5% of earners (people earning over €100,000) pay 40% of the total tax paid.
Inflation is tax.
ESRI ?? What Jim Higgins said :-)
Why are you taking down honest accurate comments
what about the services we get in Ireland compared to Germany and Scandinavia? no health coverage, no public transport, no retirement contributions. I pay around 35% taxes for no benefits. I spend 50€ each time I go to the doctor and get antibiotics (which I have to pay) and 80€ a month for public transport. that’s a joke.
In Scandinavia, public transportation is my no means free.
€80 a month on public transportation is quite cheap (if you live and work in Dublin where transportation is good).
You also pay for Dr. and drugs in Scandinavia, although there is a maximum monthly limit.
35% is quite high and I think we should get more for our money.
Anybody on a salary or income of over €200,000 PA should pay 60 per cent Income Tax on the next €50,000 and 80 per cent on the excess over €250,000 PA.i
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