Tough Times, Tougher City Podcast Series
2020 was a tough year for our city — but the people in it are even tougher.
In this five-part series, we catch up with five amazing local businesses that started, scaled or pivoted during the global pandemic.
From student start-ups to urban farmers, each episode is a reminder that despite the difficult circumstances we find ourselves in, there are amazing things still happening on our doorstep.
Presented in partnership with Belfast City Council, the goal of the series is to showcase inspirational start-up stories while highlighting the wide range of support that exists for you to go out there and do the same.
Enjoy!
Episode One: Murphy & Bailey: The Pet Boutique That Launched During The Pandemic
Murphy & Bailey is a luxury pet boutique on the Belmont Road in East Belfast that launched during lockdown.
It’s founded by Jude and Karen — two dog-loving, high-flying corporates who met while walking their dogs Murphy and Bailey at the local park.
In today’s episode, hear why they traded established careers for the start-up life, what it was like starting a business during the pandemic and the role pets have played in getting our city through these tough times.
Check it out.
Episode Two: Aura Digital: The Student Start-Up Shaking Up The Animation Industry
When Eva, Josh and Donal signed up to go university, they would have laughed if you told them that a few years later they’d be directors in their own Animation Studio.
But when COVID wiped out all of their placement opportunities, they decided to go out and create their own — launching Aura Digital in the process.
In today’s episode, hear how three students found a gap in the market, built a fully digital business and provided employment for other creatives during the pandemic
Check it out.
Episode Three: Hearty Growers: The Urban Farmers Growing Mushrooms In Belfast
10-years ago, Terry from Mumbai proposed to Judy from Budapest at the foot of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. From there they travelled all over the world, launched a business and moved to Belfast to start a family.
But when the pandemic hit — causing Terry to lose his job — the couple were put in a tricky situation… especially since Judy had just had baby #2.
In today’s episode, we discover the twist of events that led to them turning their garden into a farm, growing mushrooms in the city and launching their hugely successful business Hearty Growers.
Check it out.
Episode Four: Circle: Belfast’s First Bicycle Courier Company
Ian Richardson has come a long way from cleaning glasses in his parent’s pub. As a Landscape Architect and the founder of multiple start-ups he now spends his days reinventing the way cities work.
Being deeply passionate about the environment, he believes entrepreneurship is the solution to global problems like climate change and his two current ventures — StreetDock and Circle — exist to make urban deliveries green in an age of e-commerce and endless Amazon deliveries.
In today’s episode hear what it was like starting businesses in the 2008 recession and 2020 pandemic, why “the last-mile” of delivery causes so many issues and how returning to the humble bicycle could save the day.
Check it out.
Episode Five: Local Box: The Start-Up Bringing NI Food To Your Doorstep
Ever since she was little, Lydia Hodgins has dreamed of working with food (even though the teachers wanted her to study Latin instead).
During the lockdown, this dream became a reality when she and her partner Justin launched Local Box — a digital ‘corner shop’ that delivers high-quality NI food to your door.
In this episode we caught up with Lydia to hear why more people are shopping local, what it was like doing thousands of deliveries during lockdown and how local food can change the world.
Check it out.