From the article by Kieron Wood in The Sunday Business Post 8th April 2012
"How to open new doors in a tough business climate
It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good, and the financial crisis - with the resulting increase in refurbishment and retrofitting of homes - has been good news for CompositeDoors.ie. Partners Tony Mallon and Ronan Doyle opened their new showroom in Dundrum, Dublin, last month.
"In the winter of 2011, timber hall doors all over the country were damaged by expansion due to the freezing weather," said Doyle. "When the weather got warmer, the doors contracted, leaving gaps and warps. There are 1.6 million households with a front and back door - and 3.2 million doors is a huge market. Even if only a small percentage of these doors was replaced, the energy saved would be enormous."
The company currently supplies and instals a solid Palladio door and frame for €1,600, and a triple-glazed Palladio door and frame for €1,750. Despite what may seem high prices, business doubled in the first year.
In a reversal of today's emigration patterns, both Mallon and Doyle returned to Ireland from working abroad.
Doyle, who was born and reared in Churchtown, Dublin, came back to Ireland in 2001 after almost 15 years in the US and Australia.
After being made redundant from his sales job in 2010, he set up his own hardwood flooring business.
Mallon, who is from Co Tyrone, returned to Ireland in the mid-1990s after living and working in Britain and Germany. He set up a uPVC window manufacturing plant in his home town before moving to Dublin in 2003.
The two men met in 2010 through a local business network, and decided to pool their expertise and experience. They realised there was no Irish website dedicated solely to the supply and installation of composite doors, a new type of entrance door with six times better heat retention than a timber door. The doors are manufactured in Limerick by Profile Developments.
The partners registered the business name Composite Doors Ireland, and launched their website, www.Composite Doors.ie.
"After a year of working from a warehouse, with so many customers calling to see the doors, we decided to open a proper showroom where we could display the doors, windows and floors," said Mallon. "The 1,000 square foot showroom in Saint Gall Gardens, Dundrum, is close to Windy Arbour Luas stop and near Dundrum Town Centre. Although a majority of our business is direct from the internet, the showroom is now attracting many drop-in customers."
Doyle said: "The immediate problem for small businesses is cashflow. Fortunately, after completing a 'start your own business course' with Enterprise Ireland, I qualified to do a course with First Step which gave me access to a small business start-up loan."
The business currently employs eight contract installers. Mallon's wife does the accounts, and Doyle's wife keeps the website and Facebook page up to date."
http://www.businesspost.ie/#!story/Small+Business/People+In+Business/How+to+open+new+doors+in+a+tough+business+climate/id/629ada9c-acba-4e99-aef0-0fa768b8cf6e
