On the Town: Designers, publishers and entrepreneurs gathered in Dublin this week to celebrate the creation of a new business manual. Making Bread: the Real Way to Start Up and Stay Up in Business, written by Brody Sweeney, who set up the successful O'Brien's sandwich bar chain in 1988, offers a practical guide for entrepreneurs who want to set up in business.
Among those who gathered at Odessa Club restaurant in Dublin's Dame Court to hear Senator Fergal Quinn launch the book were designer Cyane Kingston and her partner, architect Simon Walker; managing editor of Village magazine Sara Burke and Dubliner publisher Trevor White (who also celebrated his 2005 Best of Dublin issue this week at a summer cocktail party in the city).
"Brody Sweeney has been a great inspiration to me, said White, adding that he'd read the book "from cover to cover in one night. I love it. It's full of priceless nuggets that any entrepreneur can use".
The piece of advice that resonated most with him was "to surround yourself with people who are going to encourage you".
Quinn's own book about his supermarket chain, Superquinn, Crowning the Customer, which was published by O'Brien Press in 1990, is now available in nine languages, including Japanese - it's in its 10th edition in Japan.
He said he loved Sweeney's advice that "you can never say thank you enough" and when borrowing money from a bank to "approach three banks at the same time".
He praised Sweeney for his support of Special Olympics Ireland and the Christina Noble Children's Foundation.
Others at the reception included furniture designer Eric Pearce; designers Orla Kaminska and Stephen Knight; businessman and co-founder of Paddy Power bookmakers Stuart Kenny and entrepreneur Liavan Mallin.
Making Bread: The Real Way to Start Up and Stay Up in Business by Brody Sweeney, is published by Liberties Press