Brendan Maloney is CEO & Co-Founder of Skillko.com (Skillko Limited ), which he co-founded with Dermot O’Connor. The business is a Resource Training Management and Safety Compliance Company that provides SaaS (Software as a Service ) products, focused on SME & Enterprise companies throughout the UK & Ireland.
Skillko set out in 2019 to revolutionise how Construction, Utilities & Manufacturing businesses facilitate a safe, more productive, and trained workforce - through software automation & AI. It specialises in helping HSEQ (Health, Safety, Environment and Quality ) and Operations teams close the administrational gap in resource training and compliance management, through the automation and streamlining of work tasks.
The company 'identified a gap in the market whereby the Construction, Utilities & Manufacturing sector struggle with direct staff and contractor compliance, which in turn places them at risk of prosecution in the event of an accident and/or incident', as Brendan Maloney outlines: “Our software removes the complicated administration, allowing the client to have complete transparency and compliance in regard to tasks such as Resource Training & Compliance Management; Booking & Scheduling Training; Staff Onboarding, Inductions & LMS, which Skillko automates and streamlines, in the process saving the clients thousands of hours in time each year.”
Skillko as a start-up
Good timing led to Skillko finding a home at the Leeson Centre Enterprise Centre, just when it needed a base, Brendan adds: “I moved back from the UK and I was looking for office space to setup Skillko. A friend recommended the Leeson Centre and it was a no-brainer to jump at the opportunity to take a space.” As for being a risk-taker in business, he adds: “Being an entrepreneur is interesting, there are lots of ups and downs - but we knew that before getting into it. It’s difficult to get talent in today’s market.”
Leeson Enterprise Centre supporting growth
As the risks paid off and word about Skillko spread, soon the business needed an even bigger new home. “We were coming up to four years in the centre when we moved out recently due to our growth and staff numbers", reveals Brendan.
He believes the facility is a huge asset to Westport and would like to see it grow further in the future. "The Leeson Centre allowed us to grow; it created an excellent work environment for all of us in Skillko which helped us get to the stage that we had to leave due to expansion. I think if more space was available to businesses that would be great. The model/concept is proven now, so there is little risk the current spaces on offer will be empty. Having more people moving to Westport, looking for space, it would be great to get that type of talent back into Westport."
He added that he 'absolutely recommends the Leeson Centre', saying: "It is a place where you are starting off a business in a professional environment; where you can bounce ideas off other business owners and workers in the canteen or as you meet in the hallways; and having Geraldine and the team’s support on hand is a massive help. You are given the space to grow your business without the pressure of building maintenance etc. I’d move back if I could!”
Tips for success
To anyone nursing an idea for a business, Brendan offers the following tips: “Know the problem you are trying to solve, the market you want to sell to and the pricing structure that will suit the market.”
