My Start-Up Story: Shaking up Ireland’s events sector with extraordinary and inclusive spaces

Creating and curating innovative events spaces is at the core of Enthire, a fast-growing Irish business that is bringing unique collaborations and a vision for more inclusive events spaces to the sector. We talk to IMAGE Business Club member Suzanne Carroll about the motivation, growth and plans for this business

“We want to create extraordinary spaces.” This was the vision that prompted Suzanne Carroll and her co-founder to start Enthire in 2021.

“We began with a small budget of €7,000 and focused on furniture rentals to create these spaces after we noticed a gap in the market,” explains Suzanne, who has over two decades of experience in the events space in Ireland and the Middle East.

Changes and growth

Over the past three years the company has seen significant changes and growth – co-founder and friend Jenny Hartnett decided to move to Australia meaning Suzanne took on full control of the business; the business has grown to have five part-time staff and 25 contractors; increased the number rental products from 36 to over 1,300; launched their Fillte sustainable furniture collection; and in the second full year of operations, Suzanne oversaw a sales increase of over 270%.

Suzanne Carroll, EntHire

The company has also moved beyond furniture rental: “Our mission today is to go beyond furniture rental – we are specialising in the creation of extraordinary event spaces through full-service space curation,” explains Suzanne.

This means that as well as providing high-end, beautifully crafted furniture and décor hire, with suppliers from around the world, Enthire now has its sights on the hospitality sector, seeing its fully immersive Resilience Rooms as a key elements of accessible events in the future and hospitality spaces, such as hotels.

You need to have people around you that believe in your business as much as you do, and care about it as much as you do.

Transitioning from being a co-founder to having sole responsibility for a business can be a challenge, especially when working full-time in a corporate role in the events industry as Suzanne is. However, she is upbeat and has relished the challenges. “Importantly for me, Jenny and I have stayed great friends and I couldn’t be happier for her. That’s so important to me,” she says.

Asked about what brought her into her current position, Suzanne, who is from Ashbourne in Co. Meath, shares: “I wouldn’t say that I was the most academic of children, although my Dad would probably say from a young age, I always had that entrepreneurial mindset. When I was 21 I [started working with] Emirates and moved to Dubai to work as cabin crew for a couple of years. I did college in the form of a PLC course, but it just was never really for me.”

Big moves

“It was actually through me bursting my eardrum on a flight that I unfortunately got grounded and couldn’t fly for three months. That is what started my events career because I did promo work. I spent 10 years in Dubai in events and worked my way up to event manager. I worked on amazing events [including] Formula One and then I moved home [to Ireland] in 2017.”

After coming home, Suzanne took on a number of roles including with the Mercantile group. Jenny and I came up with the idea for Enthire over a bottle of wine and it started from there. I think because we were both still working full-time, we kind let it tip along and it was growing. We then landed two really big events with an agency for Google and I feel like that was when things really took off for us and really started to elevate.”

Over the past year, the company’s growth has been impressive. “Yes, we’ve grown exponentially,” laughs Suzanne. “Since we set up Enthire, we’ve had to move warehouse five times [to cater for the increasing stock].”

When asked about the supports or trainings she would recommend for aspiring business owners or entrepreneurs, she recommends checking out your local Local Enterprise Office (LEO). “We both did a “’Start Your Own Business Course’ with a Local Enterprise Office. I would definitely say, start there, because the supports are amazing. We both put in €3,500 each to set up the business. We never got any loans. We have no debt. Everything that Enthire has made goes straight back into the business. We finished our year-end last year on a quarter of a million.”

Have your A-Team

Unsurprisingly for an entrepreneur who is also managing another job, Suzanne is a strong advocate for the importance of having a strong team.

“For anyone who wants to go into business [my advice is] you can have the money, you can have the idea, but if you don’t have your ‘A Team’ around you, you’re not going to get to the next stage. You need to have people around you that believe in your business as much as you do, and care about it as much as you do, because if you have to step back, you have to realise, as an entrepreneur, you cannot do everything.”

“My sister Jen (Suzanne and Jen pictured below) works part-time in Enthire and she is such a champion for the company. To have someone with you that believes in your brand as much as you do and will put themselves out there . . . I feel incredibly lucky and grateful to have her in this with me. I am also so lucky with our Head of Strategy and Growth Carlos Oliveira – his skills and dedication to Enthire means I have my ‘A Team’.”

Crafted from recycled materials, the Fillte collection offers an eco-friendly alternative without compromising style or function.

Asked to summarise the last few years in business, Suzanne says: “Over the past few years, we’ve had the opportunity to work with incredible clients and expand our offerings, while keeping sustainability and innovation at the core of our business.”

Their Fillte range (pictured below) is a new line of paper foldable furniture, meticulously crafted from high-quality Kraft paper. Each piece is meticulously designed for convenience and flexibility, offering lightweight yet durable solutions for indoor environments. Our commitment to sustainability shines through with every recyclable product.

“Crafted from recycled materials, the collection offers an eco-friendly alternative without compromising style or function,” she explains. “It is ideal for those who prioritise environmental consciousness without sacrificing aesthetics and it has the added benefit of being so much more compact to transport.”

“We’re particularly excited about our Born in Ireland Collection, where we’ve partnered with local Irish artisans to offer beautifully crafted, sustainable event solutions. This includes collaborations with names like John Hanly for throws and Aoife Mullane for luxurious fabrics.”

It’s amazing to see something that you have come up with as a concept . . . to see that then come to life is such a lovely feeling.

Perhaps the biggest game-changing introduction to the business are their Resilience Rooms. “The idea came from a personal place. My sister, Carlos and I realised the need for a space where attendees can step away from the sensory overload of events. These rooms are designed to support neuroinclusion and mental wellbeing by providing tools for relaxation, focus, and sensory regulation. The idea is to create a space that anyone can benefit from – whether they need a few minutes to recharge or refocus or they have specific sensory needs.”

Leaving a legacy

These collaborations and launches support the legacy that Suzanne wishes to build with the business. “I want to leave a legacy [of] something I got to create. Whether I do it for one year, five years, 20 years, I want to be like ‘I did that’. It’s hard work, you have to have the passion and love what you’re doing [but] it’s amazing to see something that you have come up with as a concept, to see that then come to life is such a lovely feeling.”

Are there any challenges she faces as a female entrepreneur? “I definitely think underselling yourself from the beginning is something that women, especially, do. I remember that was one of the best pieces of advice that I was given from another woman in business. She said, ‘do not offer discounts from the start, offer them a year or two down the line, when you’re established’.”

Part of Suzanne’s positive ethos is about supporting other founders and surrounding herself with positive and supporting people. Shortlisted for an IMAGE PwC Businesswoman of the Year Award this year, she relished being part of energy and buzz that surrounds over 900 people coming together to support inspiring leaders. “It was incredible. The energy, the positivity, the motivation – that is what we all need as founders,” she says. She also surrounds herself with positive women in business as a member of the IMAGE Business Club, in which she actively networks and connects with other women in business.

To find our more about Enthire or to speak to Suzanne, who is an IMAGE Business Club member, you can find Enthire online at enthire.com and on IG.

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