A family dedicated to crowning the customer

When Michael Kelly looks to the most satisfying achievements of his professional life, steering Glandore, his family business, through the challenging waters of recent years ranks very high on the list.

Founded in 2001, Glandore is very much a family firm, with Michael as managing director and his three daughters — Fiona, Clare and Rebecca — deeply invested in the business which provides private office and hot-desk space to a large client base in Dublin, Belfast and Cork. Glandore also owns Suesey Street restaurant and private reception and dining facility, Fitzwilliam Hall, in Dublin.

“It wasn’t planned that all of my three daughters would work in the business, a process that began when my oldest daughter joined me in 2005 when we opened Fitzwilliam Hall. When we first saw the building in 2003, we knew right away it was something that we should buy. It was the point where Glandore really took off as we moved it from a building with 4,500 sq ft to one of 30,000 sq ft.”

Very much ahead of the curve in creating the shared workplace concept, Glandore had only one international competitor in that space at the time. “We felt that we could do a better job and went for it,” he recalled of the then-fledgling enterprise that transformed from an entity with just one employee to over 80 today.

“I remember the day we officially opened Fitzwilliam Hall, in which Tom Kitt deputised for Bertie Ahern, we had our first five members in attendance - and I’m very happy to say that four of that five are still with us today, all these years later.”

Deciding that serviced offices need not be just a stop-gap, as the concept was generally viewed at the time - Glandore saw it as a longterm solution.

“We decided right from the start that if you were offering a pleasant, good quality space with first-class services, there would be no reason why people would not stay with you - and happily, that how it has worked out,” he adds.

“It is a real joy to have all of us working together in the business, and getting to spend time with each other more than a typical family would,” Michael explains of the fertile family dynamic that has made Glandore a success down the years.

“We genuinely enjoy each other’s company and laugh a lot, which makes work all the more enjoyable.”

Maintaining the same business and operational philosophy right from the start has created an enterprise where both clients/members and staff have stayed loyal to Glandore as it grows and transforms.

It is a real joy for my three daughters and myself to be working together in the business

“It is not just the family, we have great longevity with our senior managers and staff as well. They are all part of a team who have bought into our ethos.”

In terms of inspirational business figures, Michael lists the late Fergal Quinn and his famous book as top of his list. “His great book, Crowning The Customer, was an inspiration to me, and I insist now that all of our staff read it. Fergal believed in giving superior service, and looking to improve it all the time.”

Michael also lists Isadore Sharp, creator of The Four Seasons hotel chain as another influence.

“They are two of my idols in terms of their dedication to providing the customer with the best possible service at all times — such as we do at Glandore.”

One of the key advantages of family businesses is that the family can take the long-term view, and can make decisions very quickly. We have a meeting of our senior managers once a month, and problems are dealt with there and then — not pushed on to a sub-committee as would be the case in larger companies.”

The question of succession can be a challenge for family businesses, Michael adds, a process that can be difficult.

“In our case here at Glandore, all of my daughters wanted to come into the business - there was never any influencing on my part. We run the business as partners — and while I may be the senior partner, I am still just a partner — not a dictator,” he laughs. “Listening is very important because I certainly don’t have all the answers. It is a business that we run together, each of us with the best interests of Glandore at heart.”