Dublin City Enterprise News Talks To ... Barry Doyle
To continue marking 2011 as Year of Craft, we talk to talented jewellery designer Barry Doyle about his business, which is located in George’s Street Arcade in the city centre.
Barry started as an apprentice with his father, who has been a goldsmith all his life. Barry then worked around Europe and Israel for over ten years and upon his return to Ireland in 1998, his ambition was to open ‘Barry Doyle Design Jewellers.’
Why did you decide to set up your own business and how did you go about it?
I really wanted to give the public a better understanding of the process of jewellery making, to give my customers a top quality product and to enable people to understand the difference between mass manufactured and handmade. I found the premises and then begged and borrowed to get enough money together to get off the ground!
You run the business with your wife, Addrianna, so how do you manage to separate your working life from your family life? Is there such a thing as a work/life balance, in your opinion?
It can be very difficult to separate it, its something we are both very aware of. We generally have a 30 minute debriefing when we get home and stop talking about it and do something else, like go for a walk with our daughter and the dog or make dinner or do some gardening. “Balance” once achieved is something that has to be maintained, it’s a bit of a moving target!
What assistance or advice did you get in the beginning from family, friends and state support agencies?
Certainly plenty of support from my siblings and friends. We got a small loan from our local Enterprise Board at the time, and my uncle helped me by going guarantor with the bank.
What valuable lessons about running a business have you learned along the way?
What is the best thing/worst thing about being your own boss?
The best thing is not having to answer to anyone, the worst is not being able to switch off!
In 5 years time..?
I want our business to be a more widely recognised brand and I would like to broaden our exports.
What piece of advice you would give someone wanting to start a business for the first time?
If you are unfamiliar with business in general, ask for help in the form of a mentor, or get some training. Talk to your local Enterprise Board and if you are a craftsperson become a member of CCOI (Crafts Council of Ireland) and ask for their help too! Give it 100% from the off, no half measures and believe in yourself and your product.
You took part in the inaugural Designer Dublin craft studio trail back in June – what kind of reaction did you get from customers?
Customers thought it was a really clever initiative, and were genuinely interested in getting a peak behind the scenes in studios that ordinarily don’t allow the public access.
Our thanks to Barry for taking part in this interview.
You can visit Barry's wokshop at 1st Floor, 30 Georges Street Arcade, Dublin 2. Alternatively, you can e-mail him at barrydoyledesign@yahoo.com, phone him at (01) 6172838 or you can see his work on-line at www.barrydoyledesign.com.
To find out more about 2011 Year of Craft, please visit www.ccoi.i
Your customers are your life blood, treat each one of them with the respect they deserve, and don’t let the contact just finish when the sale is over. They are a valuable source of word-of-mouth recommendations, so follow up on the sale, make sure they are happy and ask them to write a comment on your website for example. Also, stay on top of the paperwork!!It’s one thing saying it – it’s another thing doing it!