Young Guns Lean into Technology to Transform the Family Legacy | LeanBPI in the Sunday Times

This article features several family businesses we worked with through the LEO Lean for Digital and Digital Consultancy programmes.

Djangos Hostel

Pa & Aisling Finucane — Cloughjordan ecovillage — hostel & apartments

Pa Finucane set up Djangos hostel in the ecovillage at Cloughjordan 15 years ago and is now handing over the reins to his daughter Aisling. One of their first tasks was updating how bookings were made — Pa had run everything through a handwritten diary, meaning only he could manage bookings. An off-the-shelf solution was too big and costly for their six en-suite rooms and three apartments, so they worked with a digital consultant through the LEO Lean for Digital programme to develop a bespoke system.

“It’s a way of extracting the amazing information Dad would have in his head. It’s like digging in there and pulling out the trends and information he would know, so that I can have a clearer picture too. It just makes the handover much smoother.” — Aisling Finucane, Djangos Hostel

Also featured in this article

Dillon’s Joinery Works

Sean & John Dillon — Tipperary — joinery, established 40 years ago

Sean Dillon recently returned from Australia to take over the joinery business his father John set up 40 years ago. The biggest challenge was how much of his father’s knowledge — estimates, orders, customer change requests — was kept in his head. Now it’s all recorded digitally on an iPad and signed off, reducing errors that eat into margin.

“Upgrading the systems of a 40-year-old business is a slow process. I’m not going to just go in and say we need to change everything. We have to do it bit by bit. I bounce ideas off him — it’s nice to have that second brain with decades of experience.” — Sean Dillon, Dillon’s Joinery Works

See how John Dillon’s digital journey began — Mature Entrepreneurs (Aug 2024)

JMJ EcoHire

Jack Ryan (with parents John & Mary) — solar-powered welfare units for construction

Jack Ryan launched JMJ EcoHire two years ago after spotting an opportunity for solar-powered welfare units on construction sites not yet connected to the grid — self-contained units with water tanks, flush lavatories, break rooms, drying rooms, offices and kitchenettes. His parents, who ran a groundworks company with up to 70 staff, are directors. Nearly 50 units are already in position around the country with another 10 on order. The business is highly automated, with inquiries, quotes, and remote cabin monitoring all handled digitally.

“All of our cabins are fully digitised — we can monitor water and wastewater tanks remotely and generate reports for customers about how much power, CO2, and money they’re saving. That helps clients meet their ESG targets.” — Jack Ryan, JMJ EcoHire

CISC Silo Clean

Ruth Tidy King & Ron Tidy King — Cavan — industrial and silo cleaning, est. 1973

Ron Tidy King set up CISC Silo Clean in Cavan in 1973 after visiting on holiday from London. Starting as a window cleaner, he built Ireland’s leading industrial and silo cleaning company, with staff who routinely abseil down the insides of huge silos in mills and dairies. The business employs more than 40 people. His daughter Ruth, who grew up helping out, is poised to take over fully. Together they developed a bespoke facilities management system through Lean for Digital.

“Now we post jobs in an app so all the lads can see them, and can create quotes and invoices online, which we send directly to the client. Reports after each job are kept on the client’s file for their own health and safety audits. It just saves so much time and really lightens our load.” — Ruth Tidy King, CISC Silo Clean

LEO Lean for DigitalLEO Digital Consultancy