Hans O'Sullivan, Non-Exec Director, Board Advisor, Start-up Consultant, Public Speaker & Mentor
Supporting businesses to scale-up, source funding, get technology to market and future proof through industry-leading innovation.
Hans has always had entrepreneurial tendencies and could see opportunities, even as a child and teenager, so he started different enterprises.
He graduated as an Electronic Engineer in 1983 and joined a young Irish computer company Mentec ltd. There he developed a Single Board Computer that replaced much bulkier systems. This was commercially successful and led to the growth of a much larger team and range of products.
In 1989 Hans left Mentec to join with John and Heather Maybury in forming Eurologic where he was CTO. This was against the advice of many people. Turned down an Executive position, high salary, and company car and instead they shared a Fiat 127 and paid themselves greatly reduced salaries. Eurologic grew fast and globally, and they exited in 2003.
“Listen, learn from others but don't be afraid to make the right decision. Don't think you can do everything yourself, bring in good talent when you can afford to do so, trust your instincts and believe in yourself – if you don't others won't either and the enterprise will fail.”
Hans O’Sullivan
Hans O'Sullivan, LinkedIn
As part of the exit from Eurologic, they spun out a development facility based in Bristol that was developing technology others thought would never work. Hans believed in it and moved to Bristol to turn it into a company called Elipsan and became CEO. He exited Elipsan in 2004. The sale of both Eurologic and Elipsan came with a two-year non-compete clause to him.
Hans and his wife bought a derelict farm and spent the next couple of years renovating and building a stud farm (Hawtins Stud) which has now become one of top breeding and training studs for dressage horses in the UK. Though he admits, it is his wife's skills in this enterprise that has given such success to the stud with world medal-winning horses being ridden/owned now by some of the world's top riders.
In 2006 when his non-compete ended, Hans started what is now StorMagic with members of the team he worked with at Elipsan. Initially, he was Chairman and did not intend to be full time, however a couple of years later at the request of the Board he took over as full time CEO.
As an entrepreneur, Hans has had to be flexible. In those companies, he has had to navigate some difficult times and downturns and have had to fill many roles. "I have had responsibility for Customer Service, Operations, Finance and Sales. An entrepreneur needs to be flexible, and an evangelist who believes in the technology and solution, and is therefore often the best salesperson in the company!" Hans says.
Hans is a great believer in teamwork and getting the best from people, everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and great teams complement each other. He enjoys finding and nurturing talent and helping people achieve their capabilities.
"I am a good listener and a straight talker, if something needs to be asked or said, then it should be, but with respect and tolerance. I would consider one of my core strengths to be a fast-analytical capability, identifying problems either technical or in business and finding the best routes to solving those problems.
I am a private person and have never sought the limelight. As a consequence, I do not maintain social media accounts except for business purposes. I love public speaking, if it is a subject I believe in, the larger the audience, the better. I enjoy meeting people and have travelled globally for many years for business. I am proud to say I now consider a lot of people I met through those travels as not just contacts, but friends."
Hans loves all outdoor pursuits such as Hillwalking, Diving and Skiing, and he is a keen Gardener where he attempts to grow vegetable requirements organically. He hates waste and has the ambition to turn their farm into a carbon-neutral environment. "Though not quite there yet!" he says.
Tell us about your current role and what you like about your career/role or areas of focus.
I exited my last venture in April 2020 and now use my knowledge, experience and contacts as NED, Board Advisor or Mentor helping other start-ups. And scale-ups solve typical problems such as fitting technology and markets, sourcing the right funding and opening global markets.
What inspires you, motivates you, helps you to make each day count?
My personal slogan is "you only die once". I take this to mean that you need to make the best of your life in all areas, work and play, take risks and believe in yourself.
Too many people take the easy or short-term option. I have never been afraid of risks and am tenacious. I do not give up easily and typically will find new routes to making things successful.
Outside of your professional work area, what hobbies or interests do you have or what other areas of your life are of real importance to you?
I run a stud farm with my wife, which is probably one of the top breeding/training studs for Dressage horses in the country with many highly successful prodigies. Though I fully admit that the real skill in this success is my wife!
When I have the time, I find the fieldwork a relaxing and peaceful contrast to the day job. I enjoy outdoor pursuits such as hillwalking, diving and skiing. I have a keen interest in sustainability and the environment. I have implemented initiatives on the farm to reduce energy and waste and as a consequence, have become a keen gardener producing most of our vegetable requirements.
When it comes to your life chosen career, is there a phrase, quote or saying that you really like?
"know your weaknesses and be adaptable." Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. People often do not like to admit that. However, if you can recognise your weakness, you can build teams around you that are better at those things and as a consequence better drive the business to success.
Businesses also need to be adaptable. What you started the company to do is very often not what it ends up being successful at. Recognising what the true assets are within the technology and business and identifying more robust markets needing those solutions is one of my critical skills which has helped drive my companies to success.
What are you most proud of in your life?
Spotting and nurturing young talent. I get great pleasure in seeing some of the careers and industry-leading positions now held by employees that started their career in one of my companies. I have always tried to nurture and advance these talents and encourage them to not be afraid to make decisions. I give two rules – if you make a mistake:
a. Tell me first, often I can resolve this mistake, especially if a customer is involved as often a phone call from me can quickly resolve the problem.
b. Do not make the same mistake twice – learn from them.
What do you wish you had known when you started out?
Sometimes to be a bit more cautious. I look for the best in people and give them my trust.
This has backfired on me a couple of times and has led me to better investigate opportunities before committing.
Who do you most admire in business, academic or creative circles?
Two people, I have tremendous respect for Dr Michael Pierce, originally a university lecturer in Trinity College Dublin and then an entrepreneur in starting Mentec ltd. I consider him the father of the indigenous IT industry in Ireland.
And secondly, John Maybury – who I met in Mentec who later became my business partner in Eurologic, Elipsan and others.
What companies, brands, or institutions do you like or do you think are getting it right?
Quite a difficult one. There are many companies and brands I admire, typically ones that drive innovation. Very often, however, as they become successful, they start to focus more on owning or manipulating the market for their benefit – and then I no longer admire them.
Key companies I have at one stage admired include Apple and HP (before the E) and, going back a few years, Ken Olsen and Digital. I also admire brands that try and make a difference to the environment and would actively support them.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
"You have two ears and one mouth."
Listen, learn from others but don't be afraid to make the right decision.
What drives or motivates you each day in a work environment?
I am motivated by success, and knowing you can make a difference. If I see something that needs to be done or is not being done well, my natural instinct is to say, "well, I am going to change that". A lot of my businesses were driven from that.
What are your thoughts on the future of social media?
I do not use social media for private purposes. I maintain a Facebook account for business reasons (to be able to access other business accounts) but seldom go there.
Social media in the business world has a strong role, and I use it there extensively– especially LinkedIn. It also has an important role in disseminating information and situations that otherwise would be hidden from the world.
It can also be dangerous; in that, it is easily manipulated for the wrong reasons. These are conflicting requirements pointing both to both the need for more controls – and less.
What is your favourite social media platform, and why?
LinkedIn. I use it as a business tool to maintain strong contacts, though I do not believe in "portfolio building" for the sake of it, and I am quite careful in who I accept as contacts.
Unfortunately, a lot of approaches are either from recruiters trying to access my database. Or yet another person trying to sell to me, rather than a business contact with benefit for both.
Do you have a mentor, or have you ever been a mentor to anyone?
I do not have a Mentor. I do have a business coach whose knowledge, experience and advice are important to me, and I have often relied on the knowledge and experience of others and sought their advice. I have been a Mentor on a few occasions, helping both individuals and companies.
How do you network? What is your preferred way to network?
In these Covid-19 days, of course, a lot is now online, through tools such as LinkedIn, Zoom, Skype and others.
I enjoy meeting people and have travelled extensively for many years. I have been a great believer that face to face meetings remain essential. I enjoy opportunities to present or speak publicly.
What advice would you have for someone looking to get into the same area of work?
Don't think you can do everything yourself, bring in good talent when you can afford to do so, trust your instincts and believe in yourself – if you don't others won't either and the enterprise will fail.
Look after the customer and be honest with them. More than anything, he needs to know you care. Problems can be the best sales tool. If something goes wrong and you respond fast, they will trust you for the future and become a loyal customer.
What do you feel is the most common reason for people failing or giving up?
My most successful enterprises are ones where I had strong, trustworthy business partners. Things will always go wrong. Being able to share those moments, yet bouncing back the next day is very important—also, the lack of flexibility.
Most companies start with a great idea but expect the market to come to them. Very often, the technology they developed would better fit a different market. Recognising this, finding that market and adapting the solution to fit that market is a skill that not many have.
How do you define success, and what lessons have you learned so far that you could share with our audience?
There are many ways of measuring success, not all of them financially based. However, most of them are based on the recognition of their peers, which could be through awards, a successful exit, a patent grant or other means.
Fundamentally these really reflect the recognition of your peers. The main lesson I have learned is perseverance. If you believe, then persevere, you will get your fair share of luck (good and bad), and it is important to recognise the good luck when you see it and grasp it. It is not always obvious but is often a defining moment.
What skills do you feel have helped you to become successful?
Adaptability, fast analytical thinking, recognising my own weaknesses and listening to others with more experience. Not afraid to make tough decisions.