Ahead of the Clare Business Excellence Awards 2025, The Clare Echo spoke to Aoibhín Garrihy and Sharon Connellan, co-founders of Beo.
Aoibhín Garrihy:
Position: Co-founder
Lives: Ennis
Family: Married to John. Three children; Hanora (7), Leavon (6), and Isla (4)
Pets: A miniature hamster
Favourite thing about Clare: Having such a beautiful landscape right on our doorstep, and the people, heritage, and sense of community in Ennis.
Least favourite thing about Clare: That feeling of disconnect that comes with being rural.
One thing you would change about Clare: The weather.
Sharon Connellan:
Position: Co-founder
Lives: Ennis
Family: Married to Harry. Three children; Sadie (8), Toby (6), and Theo (5)
Pets: No pets
Favourite thing about Clare: Being able to support local products and work with local suppliers.
Least favourite thing about Clare: Dublin being such a big trek
One thing you would change about Clare: The weather… If we could put a roof over it, it would a great county!
What was your first job?
Aoibhín: Selling ferry tickets on Doolin Pier to the Aran Islands. I was still in school and spent the summers down there.
Sharon: I worked in a lovely jewellery shop called Concepts on O’Connell Street all through college. I worked for a lady called Joan Lynch. She’s still a great businesswoman and I have a lot of admiration for her.
Why did you start your own business?
Aoibhín: It was something that really evolved over time. It probably came at a time in our lives when we were ready to put down roots. We very much had small families and the gallivanting had to come to an end.
Sharon: It happened by accident. We were both doing different things: I was a primary school teacher and Aoibhín was doing lots of media. Then we decided to work together and host an event. The events just really took off and the product range came from that.
What has been the biggest challenge in running your business?
Aoibhín: HR probably kept us awake the longest nights, but every day you get better.
Sharon: We didn’t have experience in that, but I think it’s a great place to learn. You have to throw yourself into it. It’s really important to play to your strengths, but also to be very aware and recognise your weaknesses.
How do you stay motivated when business gets tough?
Aoibhín: Being in a partnership, sometimes you just need to vent. You need an ear that doesn’t say, “Stop being so negative”. It’s not negativity, it’s actually just a release.
Sharon: We have a lot of friends and other business owners that are nearly mentors to us. Especially in Clare and Ennis, there’s so many business owners that are just so generous with their time and they’re so helpful.
If you won the lotto, what’s the first thing you would do?
Sharon: It would be lovely to see more growth on another premises, but having just renovated Lahinch, we have to park it for a little while. We’re very content actually at the moment , having two businesses, looking after the team we have, and giving the best service we can to our customers.
What’s your go-to book recommendation?
Aoibhín: ‘Let Them’ by Mel Robbins. It’s an adopted motto that we’ve used on several occasions.
Do you have any secret talents?
Aoibhín: I can juggle. I learned it in acting school. It’s an absolutely useless skill that we never used after college, but if I ever join the circus…
Sharon: I can play the piano.
If you could instantly master any skill, what would it be?
Aoibhín: I’d love to surf actually, because of where we are.
Sharon: I’d love to be able to sing confidently. I think it’s a gorgeous skill to have, to train your voice. When you hear the kids singing with no inhibitions, it’s lovely.
Who is your biggest inspiration in life?
Aoibhín: We recently heard Oonagh O’Hagan speak at a LEO event. She talked about Adverse into Advantage, and the highs and lows of business… She was fantastic.
Sharon: She was at the Palace only last week as the keynote speaker. We were both really blown away, hearing how she navigated being a mother and juggled that with business, and still grew at an enormous rate.
What would you advise to new business owners?
Aoibhín: Finding a level of contentment in what you do is so important. That sense of anxiety and that gut-wrenching Sunday night fear that people get in their careers can manifest then into disease.
Sharon: There is no day off when you run your own business, so you really, really have to love what you do. There has to be passion because if you don’t, you’re just going to be a slave to it and you’re not going to enjoy it.
What has been your proudest moment as a business owner so far?
Aoibhín: I think getting the doors open in Ennis. The Well was probably the biggest challenge because food and beverage was something that we had never done before, and so that felt massive
Sharon: Ennis was our biggest project and our proudest for sure. It nearly broke us. It felt so overwhelming. Still looking back, I wonder how did we do that.
Where do you see yourself and your business in five years?
Aoibhín: We would love to see growth. Initially, we didn’t get any bank funding. It was all self-funded, so we’re still trying to pull ourselves up from all of that. Time will tell a lot.
What was your reaction when you found out that you were nominated for three awards?
Aoibhín: Three awards is amazing. Social is one we’re really excited about because it’s something that we put a lot of energy into. It’s lovely for our team as well. We just couldn’t do this without them, and they’re going to join us on the night because they work so hard.
Sharon: We’re so delighted, especially to be nominated amongst our peers and other Clare businesses, that’s really special. We’re really looking forward to the night.
Is there anything else that you would like to share?
Sharon: The other element to the business would be our events. They’re still very much alive and kicking and we have some retreats coming up. We have one really special one on January 3rd called the Reset Retreat in the Armada Hotel in Spanish Point, where we began our story. We have some fabulous speakers coming and we’re doing an overnight package with the hotel.
Winners of the Clare Business Excellence Awards will be announced at the Awards Gala on November 27th at The Inn at Dromoland.
