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In this episode Founder and CEO, I conducted an interview I can be Hanrahanco-founder and CEO Pendanton his journey from being a founder to becoming CEO of a public company. Oisin shared personal stories and insights into how his upbringing and skilled experiences shaped his leadership style and approach to business.
From family housing to real estate ventures
Oisin’s entrepreneurial journey began in Dublin, where he was exposed to business at an early age through his father’s construction company. This early exposure gave him a deep understanding of labor and responsibility, fuelling his desire to make things occur. His drive led him to launch a property development company in Budapest and later Handy, a home services platform that grew into a multi-million dollar company and was acquired by Angie.
Founder vs. CEO mentality
One key point Oisin emphasized during our conversation was the clear difference between being a founder and a CEO. As a founder, the focus is on turning an idea into reality, often by overcoming challenges with creativity and perseverance. The role of a CEO, nonetheless, is to take care of that momentum, scale the business, and ensure its long-term growth. Oisin’s experience spans each roles, and he explained that each requires a different set of skills and mindset. As the founding father of Handy, he was responsible for making the idea a reality. As CEO, he needed to focus on creating the structure, aligning the company with its goals, and guiding it through growth, ultimately leading it through acquisition by Angie, where he later served as CEO.
The Challenges of Running a Public Company
Oisin’s transition from running a startup to running a public company required a significant shift in his approach to leadership. He emphasized that while the fundamentals—clarity, aligned incentives, and iterating on key goals—apply at any scale, the complexity increases as a company grows. Whether managing a small team or 1000’s of employees, Oisin emphasized the importance of clear communication and consistently reinforcing goals. Transparency remained a core value throughout his profession, ensuring that everybody from the C-suite to the newest worker understood the company’s goals and progress.
A critical moment in Oisin’s profession got here during Handy’s early years when he realized that his high expectations of his team were causing him stress. He told a story about asking the team to put in writing a report during a meeting, expecting the results inside minutes, only to comprehend his demands were unreasonable. The experience forced him to acknowledge that he wasn’t taking good care of himself, which led to a change in his routine. He gave up coffee, focused on improving sleep, and created a regular exercise routine, which helped him improve his decision-making and grow to be a more patient leader.
Building trust and ownership in teams
Oisin also spoke about the importance of leading by example. Rather than simply giving instructions, he preferred to reveal methods to do things. Whether it was handling a customer criticism or conducting a sales call, Oisin believed in showing his team methods to do things. This hands-on approach helped build trust and set clear expectations for employees. He recalled a telling moment during a job interview when he noticed a candidate picking up trash from the floor without knowing he was being watched—an act that demonstrated a sense of ownership and responsibility, traits that Oisin values in his team members.
Streamlining product development for innovation
At the center of the conversation was Oisin’s latest enterprise, Keychain. The platform connects brands and retailers with manufacturers to streamline production, reducing time to market for recent products. Oisin explained that many products on store shelves are not made by the brand on the package, but by third-party manufacturers. This disconnect often results in delays and higher costs, which Keychain goals to resolve. By speeding up the process and reducing inefficiencies, the platform can reduce costs and drive innovation, particularly in the food and beverage industry. Oisin envisions a future where healthier products could be delivered to market faster and at a cheaper price, benefiting each brands and consumers.
Keychain has already had a strong start, with over 10,000 brands and retailers signing up in the first six months and $500 million value of projects published on the platform. Oisin believes that by reducing time and cost to market, Keychain is not going to only drive innovation, but also make healthier food options more accessible.
Advice for entrepreneurs
For budding entrepreneurs, Oisin offered three key pieces of recommendation. First, lead by example. Show your team methods to get things done, moderately than simply tell them what to do. Second, align incentives. At Handy and Angie, Oisin made sure every worker, from executives to customer support representatives, had a stake in the company. This approach created a sense of ownership and accountability throughout the organization. Third, continually reiterate your goals and vision. Reiteration is key to creating sure everyone is on the same page, whether you’re running a small startup or a large corporation.
Scaling the Keychain and Personal Development as a Leader
Towards the end of the conversation, Oisin reflected on his own evolution as a leader. From founding Handy to running a public company and now scaling Keychain, he’s learned that self-care is just as essential as skilled development. Building a strong personal routine, including exercise and healthy habits, has been key to maintaining his effectiveness as a leader.
Oisin’s journey from founder to CEO offers worthwhile lessons for anyone building a business. His ability to adapt, focus on clarity, and unite his team around a shared vision have been key to his success. Looking ahead, Oisin’s vision for Keychain is clear: he desires to build a company that not only drives innovation, but also improves the consumer goods industry for the higher. And if the time is right, he’s able to take Keychain public and proceed the journey as founder and CEO again.