The Business Spotlight with Siobhán Gavigan

Did you know that the Radio Room is the main radio central on a ship? It was commonly called the radio room or radio shack, and contained radio transmitters and receivers allowing electronic communication capabilities.

Siobhan Gavigan is the CEO of The Radio Room, which is Ireland's One Stop Shop for radio and digital audio advertising, insights to campaign... and everything in between. But this wasn't her first venture into entrepreneurship. But it has been her most enduring and successful.

In our interview on The Business Spotlight she shared how she stands by the original Radio Room values: to champion, plan and manage effective communication.. using the power of RADIO and AUDIO.

In the Business Spotlight I share the story of entrepreneurs who go in a very different direction from your usual 9 to 5. I talk to founders and CEOs who have chosen a different path. Because if you’re thinking of pursuing a different type of life, you can. It is possible. It takes effort and commitment but if you want to achieve it you can.

So here's what we discussed.

For anyone who doesn't know what you do, tell me Siobhan, what do you do?

I am a radio and audio advertising specialist. And I say specialist as opposed to expert because, you know, that really sets me up at the very top where, yeah, when I'm a specialist, it means that I know quite a good bit about what I do. And I'm also, I know where to go and find information that I don't know. So it means that my brain doesn't have to be full of all of the answers all of the time. So the Radio Room is the only independent radio and audio advertising service in the country, which is a really nice thing to be able to say.

It started, I'll be going into my 10th year in business next year, which is just mad. It's really hard to believe. And it's funny, I kind of fell into it. It was never part of the master plan to be an entrepreneur or to be self-employed. But it's kind of where my career has taken me. I started back in working in radio in 1997 when Radio Ireland launched. A year later, rebranded as Today FM. I was there for a few years in music and working with Ian Dempsey on The Breakfast Show. Headed off to Australia to Today FM Sydney. No relation. I think they just liked the connection. So they were like, that's pretty cool. Come on in. I was a year there and then back to back here and back into radio.

Since then, I actually after that, I moved from editorial into what I call a proper job. It's not really a proper job, but into into sales and the commercial side of things, the business end. And I kind of I got stuck there, but I actually continued. Love it. And I really found that even though I still do really enjoy, you know, when I get involved in the editorial side of things now and again for clients, but yeah, it's really exciting, the business end. And I suppose what the radio room does is bring a very tailor-made service to clients. And they have the reassurance of knowing that their budget is being very well spent or, you know, they're getting as much value as they can for their budget. So it's not generally the big big agency brands that the radio room would look after um it's everyone from 800 euro budget to 80,000 - 180,000 you know so it's that kind of middle of middle of the road client but you know really really vast sector.

What was the story then behind you starting your business?

Yeah. So over the years in various radio stations and media companies, I was coming across clients time and time again, mainly SMEs, who were kind of maybe buying into radio for the wrong reasons or buying into maybe the wrong radio station. A lot of clients who were spending money out of their own pockets. And obviously I'm so respectful of that because as a business owner, I know every euro counts when it's coming straight from your pocket. But there was a lot of clients who might maybe buy on a radio station that they listen to themselves, but it might not be the right station for their demographic.

I suppose with my editorial experience as well, I was constantly coming across opportunities that I thought, oh, gosh, I was I was kind of nearly brand matching in my own head. So I was I was coming across features on air going, why is that not sponsored? Why is you know, that would be great for X brand or for, you know, if it's a breakfast feature, you know, there should be whatever on that or whatever eggs or whatever it is. And actually on a much smaller scale because I was in that SME business mode. That's who I mostly looked after over the years, apart from a agency bits where we would have crossed paths. So I just felt there was a lot of opportunities going to waste on the media owner side and also that the clients were maybe not getting details of or hearing about. So I felt, I just got to the stage where I felt that I am with because I'm working for one particular company and hugely respectful of whatever station that was that I was with at the time. I felt like I couldn't help them as well as I could because obviously I didn't want to be recommending opportunities on other stations or, you know, with with other media owners.

So I felt like I was just not helping the client as well as I could. And that's when I started. I kind of thought, hey, I think I need to do Robbie Williams on this. I need to leave the band. I need to go solo. So that's what I did. Yeah. So, you know, it took it took a long time and it took longer. It took years more than it probably should have taken. But look, that's hindsight. You know, looking back now, yes, I should have done it earlier. But isn't it great to be able to say that, too?

So I suppose what the Radio Room does is take that problem away of not having time for marketing?

I'm all about finding problems because in problems lie solutions and ideas and sales and all of that. And actually, I suppose it's a good piece of general advice for anyone starting in business. If you can, get to the root of the problem.

So if you can imagine, right, who do I want to work with? And then, you know, put a name on them. So it could be Mary or Johnny, usually the two names that I use. But, you know, imagine Johnny lying in bed at night and he's really worried about something. What is that? What's kind of keeping him awake at night? And try and solve that problem. And if you can identify that, then that's your solution and that's what you present.

As you know, as your business idea, and kind of keep that in the back of your mind all the time. But yeah, definitely saving clients time is a big thing that comes back. And then obviously money as well, because they have the reassurance that they're getting a completely unbiased view of the radio landscape or the digital audio landscape, which I'm sure we'll get into as well. But they're getting completely independent view and they have the reassurance that it's, you know, it's backed up by data. It's not just my opinion on something. It's completely backed up by JNLR data, by data available from the likes of Radio Centre Ireland, which is a terrific new setup to support the industry here in Ireland. And yeah, a mixture of that. They just have the reassurance that their money is being well spent.

And what do clients love then about working with you?

I think... I probably get a little bit carried away with my love for radio. I know a good bit more about radio and audio after a chat and get an understanding of, you know, not just my love for radio, but actually really helpful advice as well. I think a lot of people get, a lot of clients get overwhelmed with jargon and you know, JNLRs and CPMs and CPTs and all that stuff. And, you know, clients just want to know, you know, here's my budget. Here's what I want to do with this. What do you think? And they just want a basic solution. So I guess, you know, one thing is I'm as helpful as I can be. I'm very honest and there's no bias. So I'm not on big, you know, agreements with clients, radio stations or I'm not buying from sales houses. I am completely independent. I'm dealing directly with every station in the country. And then that, you know, it works very well for my business and the clients love it as well because they know that they're getting an authentic solution for their problem.

What part part of your business do you love the most? What's your favorite aspect of it?

I left radio for a little while in my 20s and when I came back from Australia and I had loads of debts, which is a great sign. It's a sign that I had a ball um so yeah I came back and I got, I got a job selling for a greeting card company, which actually was my first sales job once I left editorial. And that took me to the UK for a couple of years. And when I came back from there and I kind of got back into radio and I left it again for a little while. I started a stationery company. So random. I can remember that actually, yeah. Wedding stationery and all that. We do remember that. We are so sisters from another mister. Oh really? For sure. I love card shops. I love it. And I kind of followed that for a little while as well. So kind of took another break from radio for a couple of years in my early 30s, so 10 years later. So I've been kind of always in and out of it. But it's funny, even though that business did not work, didn't work at all. It was, I wouldn't even say disaster, actually. I mean, yeah, on paper, an accountant would probably say that was a disaster. But I learned how to run a business. So I actually love that that business fell on its butt because I learned so much from it. So then when I got back into the radio, it was really easy to put the two together. And I had all that knowledge about, you know, the basic stuff that takes a lot of time and can be very frustrating when you're starting out. So, you know, the VAT stuff and the tax stuff and the invoicing and all the really boring bits, but the very, very important things that need to be done. And I was just able to just... I just knew automatically how that all worked. So, you know, to put that... I kind of had that in my kit already.

And then to add in my radio, you know, love and knowledge. And I just put my hands together and it worked. I'm still like, not sure how, but, you know, I suppose it just shows you if if the idea is right and the time is right, then, you know, go for it. And, you know, sometimes it'll be tough and sometimes it'll fail and sometimes it doesn't. And here I am.

That is so funny because I had totally forgotten about that. And I also had a fail forward, as they say on the other side. Oh, I like it. Fail forward. Like as an entrepreneur, you got to fail forward. And I tell you what, I failed forward all right a few times. And I fell forward with my social events business in the middle of like the worst recession we ever had that I launched like 2009. um like, but you learn, just like you just said, you learn, like you you learn like I learned how to grow a list. I learned how to blog. I learned how to, I was like invited onto tv and radio stations rang me off the back of my blog. Like, so I remember doing an interview on the, on Nova, like sitting on the bus going, God, I really hope they can't hear the background you know.

You just learn. And so like you say, when the time is right, like it is for you and I right now, then you've got all that knowledge. And you also learn, like you say, like one of the advisors I worked with, she was like, if your business isn't growing, it's because you're not ready for it yet. And you need to figure out like getting the foundation right. Like, so like you say, getting the VAT right, getting, I'm in an online business. So like getting all the processes right so that you can like do it easily. And because if you're trying to learn that and you're trying to get to grips with that while you're trying to sell your business. And I mean, we're always selling. We should always be selling. So if and if you're trying to, you know, figure out how Sage works, but you've got shed loads of, you know, proposals and prices that you need to do. And that's really important because that's where your revenue is going to come from.

But if you're being dragged down with the stress and strain of trying to, you know, handle the basics, then, you know, it can be really, really challenging. Yeah. So, yeah, you're dead right. It's great to kind of have that, you know, love for both or aptitude for both and go, OK, you know, this is important. Like, get your accounts to your account, you know, like so. Oh, that's brilliant advice. But the variety, actually, and I think it's kind of one thing that I didn't mention, you know, one of my favorite things about what I do, apart from working in an industry that I adore, is the variety. So every day is different. You know, every client has a different brief. They have, you know, every client has a different message. It's, you know, there's a lot of conversations had with clients on trying to push the boundaries a little on creative because, you know, radio is entertaining. And in my mind, the ads should be as well.

They're not, you know, nine ads out of 10 are very boring. They're, you know, a standard template and it's to try and I suppose there's so much clutter around these days. It's to try and rise above that and just have something a little bit different. My line that it's going to be on my gravestone. I swear it is. I'm going to have a lot of, I better have big gravestone. I'm going to have a lot of lines on there, but this is one of them. And it's that a really good audio ad should create intrigue and make people want to find out more. It have to tell the whole story. You just create intrigue. Like if it's an ad for a hotel or for a spa, you know, the sound effects should nearly take you there. And that's actually as valuable because you're pulling on emotion and feeling. That's much more valuable than are you tired and exhausted? Do you need a break? You know, so it's just it's trying to come up with different ideas for clients on that kind of thing. But yeah, variety. So I could be in a production studio one day.
Could be in a radio station the next. I could be in one of my fabulous clients business, seeing how their business works the next day.

So yeah, variety. I love that about the job as well. It's so good. I think if you're an alchemist of any kind and you're an ideas person, which you obviously are because you've gone in different directions before this successful business, then you need that variety. It has to be at the heart of your business. for you to enjoy it. And look, that's me as well. Ideas just come out of my brain. And now I've learned the discipline of every idea doesn't have to be a new business. I can gift them to other people. And so having that variety when you have that kind of a personality, yeah, is good. Tell me,

What advice would you give a new business to increase their visibility? What did you do to increase the visibility of your business and what would you share with them?

I think, and it was really difficult for me to do. Most people think I'm, you know, very comfortable. front of whatever, stage, microphone. I'll let you into a little secret. I presented a few shows on Today FM going back years and years ago. Absolutely hated it. I thought that's what I wanted to do and very quickly learned, no, I'm not good. I'm not good when that light goes on. It's like, so I'm a real chatterbox. But yeah, when I'm put up there, I find it really really challenging and I've had to work a lot on that over the years, you know, pushing myself out there.

And I worked with who I still do work with, but Keith Walsh, who he was a 2FM presenter and he was on Breakfast and really great guy. And Keith started working with me a couple of years back and he really taught me the importance of putting myself out there and putting my face out there. Because until I started working with Keith, It was the radio room. It was the logo. It was pictures of radios. It was pictures of speakers. It was pictures of Alexa. It was pictures of radios in rooms. But there was no pictures of me and no videos of me. So if anyone has a look at my Instagram handle or Instagram page, you'll see there's a lot of my face on there. So I do have Keith to thank for that. So he really pushed me you know, made me just step forward a little bit. It doesn't have to be a big step, but I think when you're talking about something that you know and you love, it does make it a little bit easier.

So keep it simple, but push yourself out there and also not, don't worry too much about what other people think. And I think most of us, it's human nature, we'll always be like, oh my God, my old boss could be watching this or my clients could be watching. What if they you know, see me for the fraud that I am or you know we can really overthink things. And yeah, so just try not to worry too much about what other people think. But definitely putting myself out there on social media was a really big thing for me and a game changer, actually. So, you know, even though I'm still working on ways to to be more targeted with how I talk to potential customers and because I'll always have the support of my industry pals and, you know, they're always on liking my stuff and sharing and all of that. But it's to make sure that I'm always thinking, right, who am I talking to here? Who's my audience? And that has really, really helped. So right across social media and LinkedIn, Instagram, et cetera.

Elaine: People buy your face, especially on LinkedIn, they want to see who you are before they do a consultation with you. It's a trust thing as well. And it's a very, well, I don't know if it's a very Irish thing. I think it possibly is. But people like people. There's huge credibility with trust. So exactly as you say, you know, somebody's not going to buy anything a yoga class or a LinkedIn social media expert session or, you know, they're not going to buy it from a logo. They're not going to buy a radio campaign because my logo looks pretty. They're going to buy because they want to see, OK, this, first of all, is a real life person. Great. That's number one ticked. You know, it's also credibility and it's knowledge and it's reassuring people and businesses that, you know, we're an authentic set up here. There's there's nothing we're not hiding behind anything. Here we are. You know, we're doing our best to solve your problems. We'd love to work with you. And that's much more authentic than, you know, wow, look how pretty our logo is or. Yeah, yeah, definitely. No, definitely. OK, that's good advice for a business.

What's the best advice you ever received as you've been growing your business?

I have been so lucky to have some great leaders and bosses in my life over the years and people who have really, you know, not just told me how to conduct myself, but encouraged me to, you know, add my own stamp to it. Sounds so basic, but one thing I always remember is know your product. So whatever, whatever business you're working in, know it, know it inside out. I worked in the Levi's store on Henry Street in Dublin when I was 18 and just started college. And I had such a great time there and it got me through college for the couple of years. But my boss there at the time, she used to have like a half an hour session before we'd open the store. And I knew that there was 42 bar tacks per half inch in a pair of Levi's 501s.

Now, no customer is ever going to want to know that how many stitches are in there, you know, per half inch on their pair of Levi's. But I always remember going, gosh, that's amazing that a brand would care so much about their product that they want the people representing it to know it inside out. Like literally I could have made a pair of 501s. So that was a really good piece of advice. Just know your product because you'll never get caught out. You'll never, you know, you'll never fail a customer when you know what you're doing, because you will always stand strong and, you know, they'll always be very reassured. They'll get a good service. They'll come back. Everyone's a winner and so that was really a good piece of advice. And then other things like, you know, say yes when you can. I carry that so far. And then the last few years, I'm like, yes, but you can also be a busy fool. So it's about getting the, you know, getting the the balance right on that one. So

You know, again, going back to solving people's problems, say yes, when you can ask clients, what do you need from me rather than what can I do for you? And I find that helps as well.

How do you how do you promote your business? How are you finding those those clients who have a budget for radio or digital audio?

LinkedIn, I find is really good. Social media in general is really good, but I think that's, well, more the kind of Instagram than LinkedIn, but Instagram's very good for helping with the personality of the brand. So I don't take myself too seriously, but I take my business very seriously.
LinkedIn is much better for targeting that business decision maker. So I try to do what I can on there. Probably should be doing more, but I'm getting there. It's not enough hours in the day sometimes, Elaine. So yeah, social media I do. Google Ads works really well. So, you know, just to make sure we're staying on top of that. So yes, I'm at a fairly good stage now where I'm, you know, up close to the top when people are looking for anything to do with radio and audio advertising. So that's great. That definitely helps. And then little things like having the update of the website a little while ago. It's ongoing. But one thing we added about a year ago was a contact button on the website. Again, it sounds very simple, but I didn't have it before. I had contact details, but now people can, if they're interested in having a look, businesses can go in, click on the button and fill out a short form.
We basically get an instant brief.

What else? And then some things that have really helped, word of mouth is great. Some things that have really helped is like local sponsorships. So I would, you know, do very little investment, but like the local GA club or things like that, that's really good as well, because there's big business decision makers working in, you know, our volunteering in our GA clubs all around the country, for example. So if you can afford a little budget into those and that's actually worked really well and started some really good conversations. And then I guess overall and most importantly to me is just be really good to your current clients because actually they're the ones that are going to help you. The amount of business I've gotten through referrals is phenomenal and it's thanks to my fabulous. I always say fabulous because I'm so grateful for them, but to my fabulous clients and yeah I've I've you know, I ongoing get a lot of business because I've done a really good job for clients. So look after your clients. They are the key to your success.

So tell me, you're coming into your 10th year. So what is the dream for the business for the next year and beyond?

Do you want the cheesy answer or do you want the honest answer? I'll take any answer. I'm kind of living it. Like I am just, I can't believe that, you know, business is great and that I get to work in one of the most exciting industries in the world and that I've got this amazing team and I've got this amazing opportunity where we now have digital audio coming at us at a rapid rate. So, you know, it's kind of, it's naturally evolving. Digital audio is, you know, the three different ways to consume digital audio and it's very different to radio. A lot of it's in your ears in the headphones and it's podcasting, it's music streaming, it's listening to live radio through your Alexa app or your Google Home or whatever your smart device you're listening to. So there's so many new ways to tap into a listener and to reach listeners with their message. And I suppose the beauty of digital is that we can target. So if you want to target 25 to 27 old females in Tala. You can do that now with FM. We can just drop a pin and target a five kilometre radius and only people in that will hear your ad. So, you know, FM radio is absolute kingpin. You know, you'll get your mass audience reach with FM radio. So that's the powerhouse still. But by adding a little bit of digital audio, you'll get superb incremental reach on your on your campaign for not a massive investment. And so, yeah, I suppose there's there's so much variety there. That's really exciting. I think that's going to be a big part of the future of the radio room as well. So, yeah, it's kind of it's changing from radio to. And not just audio, because I'm very conscious we don't drop radio. Radio is massive in Ireland, like even listening to radio. Irish people listen to radio for an average of it's just over four hours every day. That's two and a half hours in the UK, just to give you an idea of the loyalty that we have on Irish radio. And so it's to make sure we harness that and hold radio very, very strong. Lots of people have said, would you not change to the audio room? And, you know, absolutely not. Maybe down the line, but not for a long time because FM is not going anywhere. And so, yeah, just I guess keep doing what I'm doing, embracing change and, you know, delivering the best service I can for clients. And that's it. That's somewhere between the cheesy answer and the serious answer.

Actually, the radio room, you know, didn't just come from I champion radio. It actually the radio room is the name of the communications room on a ship years and years ago. So back in the in the 20s and the 30s, ships were out at sea. And the only way they had of communicating was in the one of the rooms under the deck. And it was called the radio room. So the radio room is a communications hub. So for that reason, it doesn't need to change. You know, it does exactly what it says on the tin.

You can find out more about working with The Radio Room here: https://theradioroom.ie/