David Condon Finds

The days just after Christmas have a strange kind of calm to them. The rush has passed, the chaos of the lead-up is over, and for a few days the whole country seems to slow down, or even stop, at the same time. Shops go quiet, inboxes settle, and even the dog seems to think it’s time to take it easy. For me, this week has always felt like a mini reset that arrives automatically every year, whether I plan it or not. It’s not quite the New Year, and not quite the old year, just an odd little gap where life pauses long enough for you to catch your breath. The Pace Finally Slows Down St. Stephen’s Day 26th December is the first day I notice the difference. There’s no pressure to be anywhere, no deliveries coming in, no customer queries waiting. No Christmas dinner to eat and no gifts to give out. Even my workshop feels different. The tools stay quiet, the lathe stays off, and I’m not rushing from one job to the next. The office PC isn’t whirring constantly under my desk, or groaning unde...

Running a small business means wearing every hat — maker, picker, packer, customer service, admin, and occasionally, detective when a parcel goes wandering. Especially at this time of year (Christmas), when deliveries really matter.  Over the years I’ve developed a simple but reliable packaging system that keeps me organised and drastically reduces mistakes or ' did I do that? ' moments. It’s nothing fancy, just a routine that works and it might help other small business owners who struggle with lost items, packing errors, or customer queries. I go the extra mile for my customers benefit and my own piece of mind.   Christmas is when my system really shines but it also adds to my workload. Is it worth it do you think? Read on and see.

There was a time when Christmas morning meant pure chaos, tearing through wrapping paper like wild animals, sugar highs by 8 a.m. and that magical feeling that something incredible was about to happen. Fast forward a few decades and… well, the only thing getting torn apart now is your back when you bend down to plug in the tree lights. Somewhere along the line, the magic faded a little. The excitement that used to keep us awake half the night has been replaced by the adult version of Christmas anticipation, waiting for the turkey to defrost properly and praying the power bill won’t double because of those “warm white” fairy lights that you swore were energy efficient. 

Is Putting Ads on Your Website Worth It? The Harsh Truth From My Own Experience I used to think that connecting Google AdSense to my website would be an easy way to earn a bit of passive income. You know the thinking,  if people from all over the world are visiting anyway, why not make a few euro from ads? And technically, yes, I did make money. But here’s the part nobody tells you: I made it painfully slowly , over months and not days & weeks like I expected. And every cent came at the cost of my website’s credibility, user experience and overall performance which I only found out after the fact. If you’re thinking about adding third-party ads to your site, especially if it’s something you’ve poured time, effort and pride into, here’s my honest advice after learning the hard way. The “Income” Looks Good — Until You Do the Maths At the peak of my AdSense phase, I was convinced I was doing well. The dashboard showed little bits of revenue trickling in and I could see count...

People often imagine running a craft business as the dream job — doing what you love, setting your own hours, and selling beautiful handmade pieces at your own pace. In reality, it’s a juggling act of creativity, logistics, paperwork, and the occasional mild panic when a courier goes missing with half your stock. I’ve been at this long enough to know the truth: operating a craft business in Ireland is equal parts stubbornness, passion, and learning to stretch every euro until it squeaks. The Myth of the “Easy Life” From the outside, it looks peaceful — a tidy workshop, a few market stalls, maybe an online shop ticking away in the background. What people don’t see are the twelve-hour days spent sanding, photographing, packing, updating websites, replying to messages, and still finding time to sweep up the mess before you lock up for the night. It’s not just making things. It’s making things work. The Real Costs Nobody Sees Every handmade item carries more hidden costs than mo...