When Cliona Standún took over as managing director of her family’s business, Standún in Spiddal, five years ago she was very nervous.
She was 26 years old and was stepping into the shoes of her parents Donal and Raymonde who had run the shop for many years.
They in turn had taken over from Donal’s parents May and Mairtin who had set it up in 1946. They had cycled from Dublin to Spiddal and bought the then two bedroom bungalow which contained a little grocery shop.
They expanded the business - which was the first exporter of Aran sweaters to the US - in the 1950s and ‘60s. Donal took over at the helm in 1973 when he was aged 25. He decided to close down the grocery part of the store in 1983 and focus on tourism.
Over the years the shop continued to develop and build on its reputation for quality, choice and service. So when Cliona was handed the reins she was both thrilled and terrified, eager to succeed and stamp her mark on the business on one hand but scared of the responsibility and challenges facing her on the other.
She knew since she was small that she would be getting involved with the business. When she was 23 her dad had asked her “Do you want to take over now?” She said yes with great enthusiasm. Then she promptly “freaked out”, said “no” and went to London.
Very nervous
She worked in Harvey Nichols where she learned about the importance of “having systems in place, merchandising and displays” and of course, looking after the customer. She also worked in L’Oreal.
“Before this my CV was just about working here for eight years, since I was 10. I had worked in Greece for a summer but that was it. It was great to work somewhere else and see how they did things.”
Cliona, who has a business and IT degree from UCC, lived there for two years before returning home and becoming MD of Standuns.
“Taking over was very different. I had not been self-employed before and I was stepping into someone else’s role. I was very nervous. I felt I was lacking in confidence. ‘Oh, my god if I fail’ I thought to myself....third generation and all of that. Then I was excited. It took me a while to make it my own project.”
The shop was featured on Feargal Quinn’s Retail Therapy television show in 2010. “We were working with a business consultant who was working on the show. He asked us to get involved. I said ‘No way’ initially. I felt it would be quite personal. Then I told myself that we would never get this opportunity again.
“I took over in March and filming began in June - I was only there for three months at that stage. Feargal Quinn’s angle was was I able for the challenge, was I able to take over from my parents. I was questioning myself. If he wasn’t sure I was able for it, then I wasn’t either! I was terrified and was putting on a brave face but I was fearing inside that they would ‘find me out’!”
Resounding success
Under the former supermarket supremo and independent senator’s watchful gaze Cliona embarked on a €100,000 refurbishment of the store. “It was quite high pressure,” she recalls. “We had something like a month to do a huge refurbishment, both inside and outside.”
In addition, the 26-year-old was running the business, trying to ward off the worst effects of the recession, and “get the staff used to seeing me as the boss”.
She rose to Feargal Quinn’s challenge “admirably” she says, tongue firmly in cheek. She threw herself into it but some days were better than others. One day the pressure became too much.
“I had a few moments and I went up to my office and bawled my eyes out. Then I realised the microphone was on!”
In the end the whole initiative was a resounding success. “The shop got huge publicity, we are still getting people coming in who saw the show. It was a huge investment but we could avail of a lot of expertise. If we were doing it ourselves it would be scary. Knowing we had the backing of the show and were getting such coverage gave us the confidence to do it.
“I felt he was confirming what I wanted to do. Maybe we had already started and the show highlighted it. I felt we should concentrate more on the local market and be open more. They helped us change direction and branding and modernise.”
Feargal Quinn was keen to get Cliona to promote the business and arranged for her to speak in front of 200 members of Network Ireland, the women’s business networking organisation.
“ I was to tell them about our business, about our grandparents cycling from Dublin. That was also terrifying! He asked me ‘Was I up for it?’ I said I was really excited.” When she put down the phone she crumbled and wondered what she had let herself in for.
“It went fine but it wasn’t excellent. His idea behind the speech was to encourage me to network.”
Great opportunity
She joined Network Galway in 2010. “I half heartedly went along to a meeting. There was one girl I knew there and I clung to her. If she wasn’t going then I wouldn’t go. Then I got to know a few more....I don’t know how because I was hiding in a corner! Walking into a room when you don’t know anyone and then having to introduce yourself can be very hard to do. When I got to know more women I looked forward to the meetings.”
She was asked to be vice president of the local organisation two years ago. “I thought it would be a great opportunity for the shop. Then I blocked it out! [so she would not panic]. She became its president in December.
“I’ve made loads of friends whom I now meet for coffee. I was a reluctant member initially. Even swapping telephone numbers with one member at the start can be really hard [for some people]. We had a lunch in the Ardilaun recently and 35 people attended. There is such a buzz, it’s not pushy selling it’s just chat, chat, chat.”
The organisation, which is over 10 years in existence, has up to 70 members in Galway. “It is a business focused group, it is networking for women in business, the professions and the arts. It widens both your social and business circle and offers support. What people like about it is that it has quite a social side. We meet on the first Wednesday of the month and there is a breakfast or lunch also each month. We try to hold meetings in members’ venues, such as the Ardilaun. Network sends out a weekly email to all members so any time I organise an event in the shop it is included and the women make a big effort to attend.
“One of our biggest events of the year will be on April 9, we are organising a big night in the Radisson at 7pm. There will be tax advice, and talks on health, goals and motivation. There will be also be information on nutrition, fitness, wellbeing and fashion as well as a cookery demonstration by Noel Cunningham [TV 3 showbiz reporter]. It will be in aid of Galway Simon which is our charity of the year. Early bird tickets, which cost €20, are available up to the end of this month, otherwise admission costs €25.”
Very supportive
There are many benefits from joining Network. “It is always great to have someone to go to for advice. The sooner you meet lots of people the longer you have them to refer to. I know all the people to contact for help with anything. The main reason I joined was to meet people and raise the profile of the shop. All my school friends were gone. I had gone to college in Cork and I had not been living at home since I was 18. There are women of all ages in the group and they are very, very supportive of each other. A new member just joined from another country and everyone is making such an effort to push her business. You do not have to be self employed to join Network, we have an equal number of employees and self employed people. I feel a lot of younger people have joined because I am quite young. Anyone interested in raising their own profile or that of the business they work in should think about joining.”
Cliona says it is only in the last few years that she has felt “a bit more confident”. “I feel like the business is going well. Only the two of us are doing it - my younger sister Laragh joined me two years ago and we run it together. She is a great support to me. I feel as if the business has come full circle. It used to be locals shopping there originally, then tourists and locals, and now we are gone back to locals again. But tourism is still huge, we totally rely on tourists during the summer.”
Today Standún, which won a Wall Street Journal award in 2005 for being the best place to buy Aran sweaters, has a staff of 15 and is flourishing under the young MD’s stewardship. The store, which was originally closed during January and February, now opens all year round. In addition to up-to-the minute fashions, it stocks quality giftware, including pottery and jewellery, and of course, Aran knitwear.
“The thing about working for yourself is there is nobody to say ‘Well done’, you only have the figures to go by. They have been slightly up since 2010. But that has involved an awful lot of hard work.”
And the secret of her success? “Oh, there’s no secret,” she says with a smile. “My sister and I feel really passionate about the business. It’s our baby.”
Anyone interested in joining Network Galway or attending its charity event next month should contact Cliona Standun at (087 ) 4137522 or log on to networkgalway.com
