In Pictures: Leaders in business and sport inspire Donegal's entrepreneurs

There was much to be inspired by as Donegal's finest food and craft producers showcased their events in the Mount Errigal Hotel in Letterkenny on Friday. The showcase of delicious food and drink, and beautiful, high quality crafts provided the perfect backdrop for an empowering series of discussions chaired by TV presenter Ciara Doherty. Panellists Jim McGuinness, Joe Barr, Patsy McGonagle, Caroline Faulkner, Edward McDaid and Willie McCarter shared the driving forces and strategies that help them to achieve their goals. Click on the arrows to see Thomas Gallagher's photos of the event.

Seeds of Success

A young Derry man who set up a factory in Buncrana a century ago, eventually leading to the collaboration that would become Fruit of the Loom; the development of a soft drink that would fizz like Champagne to celebrate a local football team, and which would go on to become Football Special, one of Donegal's most iconic and recognisable brands; using skills developed at the pinacle of American business to set up a sole trader in her native Donegal; these are just a flavour of the business origins, strategies, yarns and words of advice and inspiration that were shared by some of Donegal's most inspirational business leaders, Willie McCarter, Edward McDaid, and Caroline Faulkner.

And showing that many of the building blocks of success are common across a range of fields, those gathered at the event also heard from some of the county's highest achievers in sport - Jim McGuinness, Joe Barr and Patsy McGonagle. Identifying goals, building and trusting a team, having a clear vision and pathway, understanding how different skills and personality types can be brought together to achieve something really special; these were all discussed as skills that translate from sporting arenas to the boardroom or indeed, the home office or studio.

Common themes explored in both panels include understanding your reasons for being in business and for following a particular goal; how to start small but be ambitious enough from the start to build a foundation that will allow for scaling up; be sufficiently resilient to survive the inevitable low points and to push for the high points to become ever greater.

As Caroline Faulkner said: "If you are going to build a hotel, you don't start with the foundations for a bungalow. It is the same in business. Even if you are going to start with the bungalow, you build the foundations for the hotel."

Those gathered were also reminded to be aware of the support services, be they financial or in the form or mentorship or shared experiences that are available through Donegal's Local Enterprise Office 

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