“We wanted to be those brave or crazy souls who weren’t afraid to take the risk.” However, a planned break from the rat race to travel and reboot turned into a new business venture for Joe O’Regan and his wife Deirdre O’Connor when the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Having sold their financial services company, they had a number of overseas trips booked and planned when lockdown forced them to reconsider their plans.
“Having tried all the usual things – baking sourdough etc – I knew I would go nuts if I didn’t keep myself busy so the plans for setting up a business after our year-long sabbatical were brought forward. If there was no pandemic I would still be on holidays,” laughs O’Regan.
Having taken some time to research various business ideas, Put Your Feet Up, a range of hand-made natural wax candles and reed diffusers, was born. Irish Whiskey, Honey and Tobacco, and Wild Mint are unusual but “experiential” scents that are now flying off the virtual shelves.
Put Your Feet Up launched in October of last year, and “from the word go it just took off”, O’Regan says, attributing much of this momentum to a strong social media presence.
“We didn’t have to pivot. We geared ourselves towards being an online business from day one, putting lots of effort into the website and the packaging, things that are often an afterthought.”
And despite online buyers being unable to take a good sniff, O’Regan believes the high-quality appearance of the candles and diffusers, as well as the strong branding, is more than enough to attract buyers. “People are buying with their eyes.”
There’s also a strong eco-slant to the product, with 99 per cent plastic-free packaging and plant-based waxes used.
They have also recently launched their wholesale offering, and have developed a website specifically for this use, another significant investment. “You have to do this right if you are going to do it well.”
According to O’Regan, this investment is necessary because the “old days” of a sales rep calling from business to business are “finished”; “that’s all gone, it’s all about online”. The company has created six jobs since its launch (and hopes to create more) but is a true family business – their son Dylan, who recently graduated in digital marketing, is now working alongside his parents.
Buying Irish
After a “hectic” Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day (their candles can be personalised), it’s clear Put Your Feet Up is thriving.
“It’s been a difficult time for businesses but there are lots of businesses thriving, and we have been fortunate in that people have shifted more to shopping online and buying Irish when they do so.
“They are shopping from their couches and shopping from their phones. People are also at home more, and happy to spend on things for their house.”
O’Regan notes that their business is succeeding despite not receiving anything in the way of State support. There are massive challenges, he says, not least adhering to Covid-19 regulations, which necessitates keeping their team small for now. A breakdown in supply chains following Brexit has also led to delays as well as an increase in costs.
“There are plenty of days you wouldn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the circumstances,” he says. “However, we have had lots of interest from plenty of Irish businesses who like ourselves are fighting the good fight and are determined to survive and overcome these dreadful circumstances.
“Any Irish business who can create jobs in this environment surely deserves support as those businesses will thrive even more as conditions improve.”