Episode 2 : Money

The reality of building a startup when cash is tight - what to spend on, what to skip, and the hard moments every founder eventually faces.In this episode of StartUp & Down, host Eoghan Curtin sits down with two guests with special expertise in money, finance and business in Ireland.Niall Leyden is a Certified Financial Planner and Founder of Atlantic Wealth Management, named Ireland's Wealth Management Executive of the Year in 2025.Shane Mooney is the Founder of Speco Sustainability (established 2004), with over 20 years of environmental and health and safety expertise, and an Enterprise Ireland panel consultant.Together with Eoghan, they tackle three essential questions:How money changes how people behave - the psychology of going from scarcity to abundance, and why some leaders thrive when cash is tight and unravel when it's plentiful.The part-time hedge - is keeping a side income smart protection for early-stage founders, or does it stop you from going all-in on your business?Knowing when to walk away - when does a founder need to take a hard look in the mirror and admit it isn't working, particularly when personal finances and family are on the line?A candid, practical conversation about the financial realities of building a startup in Ireland - the cash discipline, the personal sacrifices, and the decisions every founder wishes someone had warned them about on day one.Topics covered: startup funding, founder finance, pre-seed runway, bootstrapping, financial planning, early-stage business, Irish startups, entrepreneurship, money management, personal finance for founders, Galway, PorterShed.StartUp & Down is a CloudPeople production. Two guests with special expertise. Three essential questions. One unforgettable conversation.Listen, follow and share at cloudpeople.aiDisclaimer: Niall Leyden is the Founder of Atlantic Wealth Management Limited, a firm that is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland to advise on and arrange a range of financial products. Please note that Niall's comments in this podcast are made in a personal capacity and are not recommendations or financial advice and do not form part of Atlantic Wealth Management Limited's regulated activity.