#FollowRahoo
Reunited … with Rahoo’s charismatic founder, Co Clare based ex-teacher, Ciara McGuane. I say reunited because I’ve been lucky to work with Ciara in the past and I’m delighted that we reconnected again recently via AwakenHub. Ciara was part of my #BackforBusiness monthly entrepreneur circle during early 2019 when I was one of the program’s Lead Entrepreneurs and we’ve stayed in touch of course.
Along the way in my own line of work I hear a lot of founders describe themselves as “passionate” about their chosen topic but for Ciara this genuinely rings true as she works to provide teachers with the resources and tools they need to be world class and stand out. Here’s some information about Ciara and her growing business Rahoo.
Q1. How would you describe yourself in 6 words or less?
Scrappy entrepreneur with big audacious dreams.
Q2. What prompted you to start your business?
I’d love to say that I saw a niche in the market (though kind of true!) and bravely quit my job like a scene from a movie to make it happen!
But alas, no, the reality was that I had moved home with my husband from the UK and I was heavily pregnant. In London I had a teaching, leadership and training career on an upward trajectory and divided my time between teaching in London; travelling around the UK to struggling schools to train staff and supporting teachers with 1:1 mentoring visits and observations.
I came home with no job lined up, no network and a baby on the way to an educational landscape that was worlds apart from what I had left.
I had considered setting up my own face-to-face training like I had done in the UK but there were various constraints including the likelihood of not getting paid due to tiny school budgets. I didn’t really have the know-how or business acumen to figure it out.
I had my baby boy and parked the idea.
The catalyst for me to go for it and just try and see what would happen was when there was a death in my close family – it put a lot of things into perspective about life and living it to the full. I also really needed a distraction from the grief and daily realities at the time.
I invested €500 (which was HUGE money at the time!) in printing letters on headed paper for my newly established company and sending them to local schools to advertise my services – I didn’t even have a website at the time!
But we all have to start somewhere.
What really got Rahoo underway was the Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur competition in 2017, which I won for ‘Best New Idea’ in Co. Clare. The injection of funding, though small, lessened my anxiety around losing all my money (!) and the entrepreneur bootcamp began to prepare me for the journey ahead with my business.
From there I joined Enterprise Ireland’s prestigious New Frontiers programme for an intensive 6-month accelerator.
Rahoo has evolved from a traditional teacher training concept to a thriving education-technology platform accessed by teachers all over the world.
And by the way, I went back and competed in Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur the following year and won ‘Best Start Up’ in Co. Clare! I’m too old to go for it again, but luckily my husband is a few years younger so we’ll see if we can go for a hat-trick next time!
Q3. Can you tell us a bit more about you?
I absolutely love teaching – I worked with teenagers and taught geography when I was in the classroom.
I miss the buzz of working with young people and helping them achieve their goals.
I miss planning engaging and interactive lessons – I even miss marking (sometimes!).
Through setting up Rahoo and working with teachers I get to stay in the sector that I love and make a difference – I am always thinking of new ideas and ways to improve what Rahoo offers.
It is extremely rewarding for me to make an impact on teachers, who then go on to make an impact on their students.
Q4. Any special plans for your business for 2021 that you can share with us?
A strong export strategy is very much on the agenda!
Q5. How has being part of the AwakenHub community helped your business?
AwakenHub has encouraged me to step away from the coal face and remember the importance of connecting with others, reach out for support and maintaining a positive network with other entrepreneurs.
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MMcK: Thanks Ciara – I can feel your energy literally fizzing off the page. Great news that you’re looking at international expansion. For any teachers out there, or people with forward-thinking teachers in their own networks, Rahoo’s summer school courses have just gone on sale this weekend and you can find more information about them here.
Follow Ciara / Rahoo on Twitter HERE and connect with her on LinkedIn HERE