JOE talks to an Irish woman who knows her sport.
As part of JOE’s Start-Up series, we speak with Brid Ryan, co-founder of the Irish sportswear company, Queen B Athletics.
We’ve been chatting to the Cork native about all things Queen B.
Brid tell us, what is Queen B Athletics all about?
We design and manufacture sports kit and whilst we are a rowing brand we have fantastic support from hockey, athletics, yoga… to name a few!
Twinned with our core business of making the best kit in sport.
We promote people and sport continuously through our social media and blog.
What made you turn a hobby into a business idea?
Having spent a huge chunk of time playing sport, kit has always been a major part of my life.
It was also something I felt could be better and the idea of starting a sportswear company soon became a compulsion.
To be fair though, I’m lucky I have my business partner, Aedin, without whom Queen B wouldn’t exist.
Every owner is different, so what is your business philosophy?
To be honest, we don’t spend a lot of time thinking about competitors. We have a vision and we listen to our customers.
At the same time, we’re well aware of the other sports brands out there, but when it comes down to Queen B, we do what we feel is best and what our customers tell us they want.
Here’s one; before the launch, our research suggested our age demographic would be 19-29; the reality is that our customers range from 14-50 and beyond, so there’s no accounting for taste and need.
@KingstonRC such a great day guys! Thanks for having us! #KingstonSmallBoats #HeadOfTheRiver pic.twitter.com/LDNQ1bOMT8
— Queen B Athletics (@queenbathletics) October 31, 2015
It’s about taking our Irish company and letting the rest of the world know we design first rate sportswear.
It is about creating jobs and encouraging everyone to give sport a go.