Enterprise Week

A relaxed and practical conversation about succession, legacy and planning for the future, with Alanna McKeever of Long Meadow Cider and Catherine Muldoon of Employee Ownership Ireland.

You have spent years building your business. But what happens next?

Set against the backdrop of third generation family business Long Meadow Cider, this conversation explores a question many business owners put off: how do you plan for the future of something you have worked so hard to build?

Alanna McKeever will share the Long Meadow family story, including how the business has evolved and diversified across generations. Catherine Muldoon from Employee Ownership Ireland will then explore why it is important to start succession conversations early, the questions business owners should be asking and employee ownership as one possible route.

Join us for a relaxed conversation about planning your legacy and understanding the options available to you.

Alanna McKeever, Tourism and Sales Executive, Long Meadow Cider

Award-winning ciders, juices and vinegar – Long Meadow Cider

This is a third-generation family business in County Armagh. Alannah helps showcase the farm’s products and visitor experiences, hosts tourism activity on the farm and supports business development and sales. Long Meadow produces award winning ciders, apple juices and apple cider vinegar from fruit grown on the family farm, while welcoming visitors to its orchards and Bramley Barn. As part of the McKeever family, Alanna offers a practical perspective on how a family business can protect its heritage, diversify and create new opportunities for the next generation.

Catherine Muldoon is Programmes and Operations Manager at Employee Ownership Ireland

Employee Ownership Ireland | LinkedIn

Employee Ownership Ireland is the independent representative body for employee-owned businesses in Northern Ireland. She works with business owners, employee-owned companies, advisers and public sector partners to raise awareness of employee ownership as a succession option and help businesses access the right information and support. Catherine also leads Employee Ownership Ireland’s programme delivery, events and business engagement activity.

When you are running a business, you are often the person everyone else relies on. But who is looking after you?

Join Dr Lorraine McGurk, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, for a conversation about the pressures of running a business and why looking after your own wellbeing matters.

Drawing on her experience in psychological wellbeing and compassion focused approaches, Lorraine will explore how we respond to pressure and how we can begin to treat ourselves with the same understanding we often extend to others.

Over breakfast, we will make space for an important conversation about the person behind the business.

Dr Lorraine McGurk
Dr Lorraine McGurk – South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust | LinkedIn

Dr Lorraine McGurk is Assistant Head of Psychological Therapy Service in South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust and Clinical Lead for the Trust’s Staff Psychological Wellbeing Service. A Chartered Clinical Psychologist who completed her doctorate at Trinity College Dublin, she has 20 years of experience supporting people with mental health difficulties in inpatient and outpatient settings. Her current clinical work focuses on healthcare staff experiencing workplace stress, trauma and loss. Lorraine also teaches, trains and supports staff at all levels to use compassionate leadership principles. She has advanced training in Compassion Focused Therapy and is an experienced group facilitator who applies the model in adult mental health and staff support settings. She has delivered training for the Doctoral Programmes in Clinical Psychology at Trinity College Dublin and Queen’s University Belfast and is a committee member of Compassionate Mind Ireland.

Thinking about taking the leap into business? Join four successful female entrepreneurs as they share the stories behind their ventures, from their first steps and breakthrough moments to the challenges they overcame along the way. Through candid conversations and audience Q&A, you’ll gain practical insights, inspiration and confidence from women who have navigated the entrepreneurial journey firsthand. Whether you’re at the idea stage or already running a business, this event offers a unique opportunity to learn, connect and be inspired.

Laura Vogan, S’more’a’licious

S’mores, Marshmallows & Marshmallow Fluff – S’more’a’licious

S’more’a’licious | Facebook

S’more’a’licious™️ Marshmallows, Marshmallow Fluff, S’mores Kits (@smorealicious) • Instagram photos and videos

S’more’a’licious began in 2020 with just £30, a kitchen table and an idea. Three months after the birth of her second daughter during lockdown, founder Laura Vogan was navigating new motherhood and postnatal depression when she found an unexpected sense of purpose in creating handmade marshmallow gifts. What began as festive gifts quickly became something much bigger.

With no previous business or confectionery experience, Laura taught herself the art of marshmallow making and transformed that small kitchen-table idea into S’more’a’licious.

Today, Laura’s business creates award-winning handcrafted marshmallows, marshmallow fluff, chocolate and indulgent s’mores treats but the heart of the brand remains the same.  A reminder that something wonderfully sweet can grow from even the most challenging beginnings.

Charlene McKinstry, Gracehill Flowers

Gracehill Flowers | Flower Farm in Northern Ireland

GraceHill Flowers (@gracehillflowers) • Instagram photos and videos

Charlene McKinstry is the founder of Gracehill Flowers, a County Armagh flower farm and floristry business. The farm story began after the land came to her in 2016, followed by experimental growing in 2018 and the development of a business centred on seasonal, locally grown flowers. Gracehill Flowers uses its own blooms when seasonally available and provides fresh arrangements, event floristry, wreaths, workshops and other floral products from its base at Woodview Garden Centre. Charlene’s journey brings a practical perspective on turning a creative skill and connection to the land into a distinctive rural business.

Leanne Seeley, Simply Beautiful

Simply Beautiful Beauty & Day Spa (Portadown)

Simply Beautiful at South Lake

Simply Beautiful Beauty & Day Spa Portadown | Portadown | Facebook

Leanne Seeley founded Simply Beautiful after the salon where she worked unexpectedly closed. Sixteen years on, she has grown it into an established beauty business with locations in Portadown and South Lake Leisure Centre. Her story is about turning a setback into a new beginning.

Leanne is the owner of Simply Beautiful, a beauty business she started 16 years ago after the salon she worked in unexpectedly closed its doors. What started as an unexpected turning point became the beginning of her own business journey, building Simply Beautiful into a well-established brand with locations in Portadown and South Lake Leisure Centre. With a passion for the beauty industry and a strong belief in the importance of making clients feel valued, Leanne has spent nearly two decades growing her business, navigating the challenges of being a business owner and learning along the way. Her story is one of turning an unexpected change into an opportunity and having the courage to take the leap.

Dr Jayne Vaughan, Fresh Aesthetics & Skin

Fresh Aesthetics | Botox • Fillers • Skin • Northern Ireland

Fresh Aesthetics | Skin Clinic Portadown (@freshaestheticsandskin) • Instagram photos and videos

Dr Jayne Vaughan qualified as a dentist in 1998 before developing a new career in medical aesthetics. She is now a medical director of Fresh Aesthetics & Skin, an award-winning clinic outside Portadown. Her journey shows what it takes to change professional direction and build something of your own.

Dr Jayne Vaughan, BDS PGDip (Cosmetic Medicine), qualified as a dentist in 1998 and began her career in medical aesthetics in 2017, becoming a full-time practitioner and opening her own clinic shortly thereafter. She and Dr Brian Vaughan are the medical directors of Fresh Aesthetics & Skin, an award-winning, medically led clinic based outside Portadown that combines advanced aesthetic and skin treatments with a proactive approach to facial ageing and long-term skin health. A highly skilled, experienced and extensively trained practitioner, Jayne is known for her honest advice and bespoke treatments, creating subtle, natural-looking results that enable her patients to age with confidence. She recently completed her Postgraduate Diploma in Cosmetic Medicine with Distinction, reflecting her dedication to advanced clinical training and the highest standards of patient care.

You have heard plenty about AI. But what can it actually do for your business?

Join Ciaran Connolly, Director of ProfileTree, for a practical live session designed to show business owners how AI can help with everyday work, create content, analyse information and solve real problems.

Expect tools on screen, practical demonstrations and ideas you can take away and try for yourself.

Ciaran Connolly, ProfileTree

Web Design Belfast | WordPress and SEO Agency | ProfileTree advises businesses across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland on AI strategy and implementation. Ciaran works with owners and senior managers on where AI fits into how a company operates, from identifying processes worth automating to selecting tools, setting governance and helping staff use them properly.

Alongside consulting, he delivers AI training programmes for business audiences and runs sessions focused on practical application and measurable return rather than on the technology itself.

DS3: Digital Services, Support & Spaces | Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council

DS3: Digital Services, Support & Spaces | Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council

DS3: Digital Services, Support & Spaces | Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council