Brothers-in-law Gavin Curran and John Gillooly are the brains behind gift products start-up Lucky Sods. The business was started seven months ago and Gillooly (a civil engineer by profession) is using peat and straw sourced from west of the Shannon to create framed wall hangings representing archetypal images of Ireland.
“The aim of the pieces is to delight with their mix of creativity and nostalgia,” says Curran, who ran his own betting shop for 10 years before selling it and becoming involved in the establishment of Lucky Sods.
“Our target market for the products is personal and corporate buyers in Ireland and the heritage/ethnic gift market overseas.”
Gillooly is the creative force behind the business. He began making pieces as a hobby a number of years ago. As demand grew, the shape of a potential new business emerged.
Lucky Sods has been entirely self-funded to date.
Curran estimates the start-up costs at about €90,000. This is about twice what the promoters had budgeted for initially, although Curran says it has been money well spent in terms of identifying the right market opportunities.
The company’s first products were launched in August and more than 700 pieces have been sold to date.
Lucky Sods’ first range is a selection of small frames depicting well-known Irish symbols such as the St Brigid cross and the Irish harp.
Prices for small pieces start at €24.95. Larger pieces cost between €59.99 and €89.99.
The most popular design to date has been an image of two men carrying a currach. The products are on sale at the Newgrange and Tara visitor centres and in the Malahide Bookstore in Dublin.
Manufacturing has been outsourced to allow for rapid scaling up. “This is not a cottage industry. Our aim is to become a fully fledged gift company employing 10-15 people over the next three years,” Curran says.
“We have put a lot of time and money into attending trade fairs and gauging the reaction to the products. The response convinced us that we have the basis for a viable business with excellent international growth potential.
“Our target is to be listed by some of the big names in retailing in Ireland, the UK and the US by the end of 2014. We are beginning to get traction on sales and are generating sufficient cash flow to finance the business for now. Ideally we would like to get an investor and will be looking into that in the New Year.”
Lucky Sods recently won the AIB JumpStart award hosted by the Learning and Innovation Centre at the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown. This €25,000 prize gives the fledgling company access to incubation space and mentoring and also includes a brand identity and website design package.
