Local Enterprise Office (LEO), Co. Clare
September 2017

In recognition of her award as Image Magazine’s Businesswoman of the Year along with the booming success of Quigley’s Café and Deli, Margaret Valette O’Connor was invited to be a guest speaker for Clare’s Local Enterprise Office event entitled “Promoting, Supporting & Developing Entrepreneurs in County Clare”, celebrating the National Women’s Enterprise Day. The title of the panel was “To Hear It From Experience” in which Margaret was joined by fellow successful women entrepreneurs Stephanie Shine, Marketing and Business Development Manager of Samco, Alison Banton, Founder and CEO of Brooke and Shoals, Tara Lee Byrne, Founder and CEO of Wicked Wholefoods, and Marion Murphy Cooney, Founder and Creative Designer of Marion Murphy Cooney Designs. The conversation revolved around each woman’s journey from how they got started to how they arrived at where they are today. Each businesswoman gave a glimpse of what makes their business tick, how they overcame hurdles that came their way and divulged their secrets to business success.

Compared to the other businesses, Quigley’s Café and Deli was tenured, has been established more than a hundred years ago, and was, by then, a fifth-generation business. Margaret shared how she and her then husband took a small Nenagh bakery that had three staff and turned it into a popular, nationwide 18-branch café chain that employs more than 180 staff. This was met with applause which she acknowledged but reminded that “surrounded by all your employees, you are still on your own when making decisions”, and highlighted the importance of a strong support system such as the Enterprise Board and surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals.

Margaret recalled how, in a sense, the brand was reborn through sheer work and determination. It took time and willingness to roll up your sleeves to turn their vision into reality. “It was cobwebs. We bought the paint and painted the walls. The changes they imposed were beyond visual, they also made changes such as keeping the shop open on days that most shops in town would be closed. As the business grew, one of the keys to further progression was the decision to sell baked items wholesale and supply stores in Nenagh until the “bread wars” began and the market became too competitive. They also veered toward the then-emerging café culture and opened the first Café Q in Nenagh town. Through all this, they kept pushing and finding ways to advance and expand the brand.

Margaret talked about developments within Quigley’s as the years went on such as two of her sons joining the business, bringing in new and fresh ideas from their respective fields of finance and culinary. An Irish family-owned brand, she was proud to say that they were steadfast in maintaining that they use fresh and quality Irish products that support local businesses, suppliers and manufacturers.

The nationwide expansion took years and more money, but they kept reinvesting their revenue back into the business to which the payoff is evident today.

“There’s help out there. There’s help in every area. As women, we’re talking about business, but we also have to look at our personal life, and I think if we’re good in our personal life, we can be good at anything. As you said, business will drag you down and there are challenges, but it’s about working on yourself. Reach out because if you’re talking to the real people, I think that’s a good start.”, Margaret said as a fitting end to the discussion.