What a Difference a Day Makes: Clíona Standún on moving back to Ireland to save the family business
The Definitely In Ireland When I Questioned There Moments 'it Choice Time I’d Were Made' Clíona Standún: Was Bleak A
It was August 2009, I was 25 and living in London a couple of years. I came home for a visit to Spiddal where we have a family business – my dad was the second-generation owner.
On that visit, Dad said he was looking at retiring. He had back problems and had been sick in bed for a year. He felt the business needed a change of direction – there was a recession at the time – but felt he didn’t have the energy for it.
He said if I was interested in the business I’d need to come home and take it over as soon as possible. Otherwise he’d be looking at selling, or leasing it out long-term.
I was very settled living in London, really happy there. I enjoyed my job – I was a web-designer for L’Oréal’s head office in Hammersmith. I had lots of friends at work, and a big community of friends from college. We were travelling a lot, having fun.
In London, I felt everything was very accessible and I was in the centre of it all. It was great for shopping, weekends away, very easy to travel to lots of different places. Whereas living in Spiddal I felt would be quite isolated – far from airports, shops, restaurants, night-life.
Yet I knew ultimately taking over the business was what I wanted. I’d thought I’d move home at 30, enjoy the London lifestyle ‘til then. That seemed a good age – maybe my focus would change then and I’d be ready for the responsibility of running a business, to buy a house, settle down.
But at 25 I wasn’t ready. I felt too young. At the same time, I’d grown up in the business, felt strongly connected with it – my grandparents were here when I was small, I spent a lot of time helping them. I couldn’t bear the idea of losing the opportunity to take it over, or that it’d be sold.
I definitely felt under pressure. My dad was only 62. He’d been sick a year, told he’d never play golf again, he’d gone through all that, so I was conscious of my responsibility to my family. And I was in a relationship with someone in London, who didn’t want to move to Ireland at that stage either.
So I was trying to gauge whether I could get another year, two years in London. I was trying to ignore the inevitable, buy myself a little more time. But when I came home that Christmas, it was reinforced: my dad really didn’t have the energy. Our business at the time closed every January and February, and they were saying if I wanted this I’d need to join in March 2010.
I suppose the whole time I knew what I was going to do. I had conversations with friends in London who were very empathetic. They said ‘you won’t be that far away, you can come over for long weekends and stay with us’. That helped.
I made the decision that Christmas. Once I made it, I went with it, I had to be positive. But I was 26 and it was really challenging, taking it over. A lot of the team had been there before I was born. Some were supervisors I’d worked under as a teen. I was stepping in, going to be their boss. It wasn’t easy – for them, or me.
I felt the business really needed a shake-up – we needed to change direction, focus on the Irish market, not just on tourists. We’d need to open all year round, seven days a week. I knew the team wouldn’t necessarily want these changes – but I knew the business needed this to survive.
Change is always difficult. There was a lot of backlash. Some people left – some adapted very well. I didn’t have huge confidence in myself – I felt I was making the right decision but I had doubts too.
It was a very lonely time for me. I’d left all my friends behind. A lot of friends from school had emigrated. There weren’t that many young people in Galway at the time, it was a bleak time in Ireland. There were definitely moments when I questioned the choice I’d made.
It took about two years for me to feel happy. My sister joining the business 18 months in changed things – we’re very close. I started building a network of friends, seeing the joy of living in Galway.
Looking back, it all worked out the right way. With a business, you always need to adapt to stay relevant. If we hadn’t adapted then, the business could have down downhill, mightn’t have made it. Because I stepped in then, between Dad supporting me and my energy, our business is really doing well now.
It was hard at the time, but I don’t feel now I lost out on anything – it was short-term pain for long-term gain. My husband and I live in Spiddal, we’ve two children. It’s a very supportive community, a great place to bring up children. I feel very lucky to live here, despite what I thought at 25.
When I go to London now I find it hard, so crowded. When I come back to Spiddal… the peace.
And for the business to survive to another generation, it’ll all have been worth it.