About
Michael Kiernan.
Independent Business Adviser
Based in Donegal, Ireland.
I've spent more than 30 years building and running businesses, managing operations and developing ideas across hospitality, entertainment, music and the online world.
I'm an entrepreneur by nature. I've started businesses from nothing, worked alongside other business owners, taken risks, made mistakes and learned from experience. I've always been interested in understanding how things work and whether there's a better way of doing them.
Most of what I know has come from doing it rather than reading about it.
I've been the person signing the cheques, chasing the invoices and deciding what to do next. That's the seat I'm sitting in when I look at somebody else's business.
Where the judgement comes from.
Early years
Hospitality and the music industry
Hospitality and entertainment have been part of my working life for most of my career. I've managed pubs for other owners, worked closely with their staff and been responsible for the day-to-day running of busy businesses. I've also owned and operated my own pub and music venue, experiencing both the opportunities and the responsibilities that come with ownership. It's an industry where you learn quickly about people, customers, costs, atmosphere and attention to detail. I've always enjoyed the challenge of bringing those different elements together and making something work.
Building
Building businesses from nothing
In my earlier years, I built and ran a business for more than ten years that included a laundrette, domestic and commercial contract cleaning, and gardening services. It involved developing different services, finding and keeping customers, managing staff and dealing with the everyday realities of running a business. Throughout that time, I continued working in pubs. Eventually, I chose to leave the cleaning business and return to pub management and entertainment, which had always been my passion. That decision was part of being an entrepreneur too — recognising not just what I could build, but what I actually wanted to spend my time doing.
Online
Understanding the online world
When I first became involved in the online world, I deliberately started with SEO. I recognised that search was connected to much more than rankings. It offered a way to understand how websites, marketing, content, customers and the different elements of an online business fitted together. I wanted to understand that bigger picture from the perspective of a business owner, whether the business operated entirely online or combined a physical business with an online presence. Over the past fifteen years, I've developed experience across SEO, search visibility, e-commerce, Shopify, analytics, conversion rates, customer journeys and website strategy. I've also worked closely with developers, agencies and the technologies behind online businesses. More recently, AI and modern development tools have opened up new possibilities for exploring ideas and creating systems that previously required much greater resources. For me, the interest has always been in understanding how the different pieces fit together, rather than looking at any one part in isolation.
Now
An entrepreneurial way of thinking
I've never been particularly interested in doing something a certain way simply because that's how it's always been done. I like to understand how things work, question assumptions and explore different possibilities. Sometimes that means recognising an opportunity others haven't considered. Sometimes it's finding a simpler way to achieve something that has become unnecessarily complicated. I enjoy developing ideas, thinking through how they could work in practice and creating structures that allow other people to move forward with them. That approach has followed me throughout my working life, from managing pubs and building businesses to exploring new opportunities in the online world. I don't believe there's one formula that works for every business. Different people, circumstances and ambitions call for different approaches. And I've learned that knowing when to leave something alone can be just as valuable as knowing when to change it. I'm happiest when I can bring my experience, curiosity and independent thinking to a situation, understand the bigger picture and explore what might be possible.
Three things I don't compromise on.
The business comes first
A website is a consequence of a decision, not the decision. If the commercial thinking is wrong, no amount of design rescues it.
A small number of clients
This is a practice, not an agency. I take on what I can genuinely give attention to, alongside my own projects.
Plain language
You'll get a straight answer, including when the answer is that you shouldn't spend the money, or that I'm not the right person.
If any of this sounds familiar.
A short email is enough to start. Tell me a little about the business and what's on your mind, and I'll give you an honest view on whether I can help — I take on a small number of clients, so if I'm not the right person, I'll say so.