Meath Women in Business and Tech meet for afternoon tea at Slane Castle
On Friday the 17th of June, the Meath Women in Business and Tech network met for their first in person event in over two years. The Network is a joint initiative between County Meath Chamber and Local Enterprise Office Meath and aims to connect and support women in business in the County. The network is sponsored once again this year by META. Open to all females in business in Meath, the event attracted over 60 participants and was facilitated by Elaine Keogh from Solstice Media LTD.
The theme for the event was ‘Influencer Marketing-top tips and advice from Royal experts. Speaking at the event was Ruth McGahey of House of Goose and Sarah Rickard of Styled by. Both ladies brought invaluable insights into the world of Influencer Marketing.
Elaine introduced Ruth McGahey to the stage and started by asking Ruth to explain how her Instagram page became so popular. “House of Goose came about when myself and my husband started redesigning the house we bought in Meath. The page itself grew very organically from posting about our interior design journey”. Ruth explained how she was very much herself online and never paid for promotions. She grew her following from engaging with followers on her page and other influencers. “I was relevant to the right demographic at the right time”. Ruth now works with brands all over Ireland promoting their products on her page and she works with the Andrea Roche agency.
Elaine asked Ruth whether a website was still a necessity even with a big presence on social media. “Having an Instagram page is your shop front, and your website is your shop floor. It is still very important to have a website as it instils trust in your customers. Your Instagram should always link back to a website”
The nest speaker was Sarah Rickard from Styled By and her journey was similar to Ruth’s in that her following grew organically over lock down. Sarah comes from a fashion background and has styled shoots for top Irish fashion publications and held the position of chief stylist for Irish Tatler magazine for over 5 years. Sarah set up Styled By in September 2021- an online boutique and virtual styling service.
Sarah’s journey on Instagram started when her #tryontuesdays became popular on her Instagram page. Boutiques would send Sarah clothes to try on and make videos to show to her followers. “I was getting great feedback from people and the followers just grew. I built trust with my audience.” Sarah took everything that she was good at to create the successful company she has today with Styled by – and apart from her sheer determination and hard work- a lot of it was down to social media. “I have always been myself online. Being authentic is important.” Sarah’s top tips for using social media are consistency and the correct use of hashtags.
Elaine then invited Luba Healy to the stage to speak with her. Luba works in Trimfold envelopes in Trim and spoke about her arrival to Ireland 22 years ago. Luba told attendees of her love of the Irish culture and her desire to learn the Irish ways when she arrived from Ukraine years ago. “I wanted to continue my work as a Vet, but I couldn’t practice here. I started working as a waitress, but I found that I wasn’t learning enough so I moved to Trim and worked my way up in Trimfold envelopes”
Luba spoke of her and her husband’s mission to Ukraine in May to bring her mother and grandmother to safety. The family travelled in a camper van to her home in Ukraine and made the long journey back to Trim. Luba spoke of her heartbreak in leaving members of her community behind. The family, along with other members of the business community in Trim have started a fundraiser to facilitate 4 by 4 jeeps to go to Ukraine to help the communities there. All details, and how you can support their effort can be found on the Stock House restaurant Facebook page.
To end the meeting, Caoimhe Delany of Meath Local Enterprise Office spoke to participants about a new initiative from Meath LEO on helping makers and crafters in the business community. The goal of the initiative is to produce a strategy document on how best to help this industry thrive in Meath.
The next Women in Business and Technology meeting will be announced soon from County Meath Chamber. The event is open to all women in business in County Meath and pre-registration is necessary. For more information on this and all County Meath Chamber news visit www.meathcountychamber.ie