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Revive Active founder Dáithí O’Connor explains how InterTradeIreland helped him expand the business into Northern Ireland and pave the way for future growth

Exporting can open up paths to success. If you’re unsure of how to take the first steps, there’s no need to view it as a journey into the unknown – just ask Dáithí O’Connor (pictured) from Revive Active.

Galway entrepreneur Dáithí O’Connor started Revive Active in 2011. Now, 20,000 people use his super vitamin supplements daily. The business has grown steadily year on year, with more than 1,000 retailers on the island of Ireland now stocking the product.

Business Turning Points

Dáithí can point to specific events that have made a big difference to the business.

In 2013, Goretti Brady, the MD of Lloyds Pharmacy, was visiting the Roxboro store in Limerick and noticed their vitamin, mineral and dietary supplement sales had gone up by 900%. Enquiring how this happened, the store manager handed her a box of Revive Active.

As a result, Brady then decided to stock Revive Active throughout the network of 100 Lloyds Pharmacy outlets across Ireland.

In Association with

With a strong foothold in the Irish market, Dáithí realised that they needed to export to realise the firm’s growth potential. “Word of mouth has been huge for us,” he says.

“People recommend our product to friends and family because of the science behind it and the multiple benefits experienced.

“However, we had no footprint in Northern Ireland. It’s a market of almost two million people on our doorstep, it was too big to ignore.”

InterTradeIreland’s 50% Salesperson Funding

Revive Active contacted InterTradeIreland, the cross-border business body, and under the organisation’s sales and marketing programme, Acumen, secured 50% funding of the salary of a sales person in Northern Ireland.

“We had a fantastic response to the job and we were really impressed with the quality of the candidates,” adds Dáithí.

Now with a full-time representative in Northern Ireland, the market has doubled for Revive Active within 12 months and all the signs point towards further growth.

Growing And Exporting

“Our plan was to crack Northern Ireland first,” Dáithí explains. “It’s been a great test-bed for us in terms of exporting and our next target market is the USA.

“Initially, we are going to target Florida. That state alone has population of 20 million people. The total US market has a value of $28bn.”

The thought of Brexit hasn’t deterred Dáithí. “In business, you deal with different issues everyday so our team have planned for Brexit, be it hard or soft.

“If someone is serious about growing their business, Brexit shouldn’t stop them applying for the Acumen programme. You need to explore all areas of growth open to your company and assess risk and return.

“We will expand even further on the basis of our experience in Northern Ireland. It’s been a catalyst for us.”

If you are interested in taking part in Acumen to grow your business and gain new customers, you can find out more at www.intertradeireland.com/acumen.

You could be eligible for up to €18,750 in funding towards the salary of a salesperson in Northern Ireland.