“It’s okay to wear colour for your wedding and it’s okay to wear sequins on a Monday,” says Mizz Rio founder and designer Mags Morgan. “Write your own rules.”

Why did you decide to start your own business?

I started because there needed to be an alternative. With so many bridal boutiques carrying the same lines and same designers, there needed to be a point of difference. For my bridal experience, I didn’t fit into the stereotypical bridal mold – it didn’t feel like me.

Starting Mizz Rio allowed me to build what I felt was missing for me. I had no experience in the industry and this was my super power – I didn’t know any rules that I had to follow so I led with instinct and a quiet knowing that if I didn’t fit the mold there was a whole tribe of other women who must feel the same.

In 2018 the first dress I brought to market was a blue dress ZEPHYR, the second a Chloe and gorgeous pink floral dress. At the time both of these pieces were almost alien in the bridal space with many saying that it’s not something bridal could ever be. However, so many years on, my instinct was right as floral gowns are now one of the trends on the upward spiral in bridal. It allows a little bit of colour and fun while linking closely to the ‘white’ dress

How did you raise the capital needed to start your business?

My brand was bootstrapped from very humble beginnings. I started small, leaned into gut instinct and constantly invested back in the business. There was no pot of capital to draw from, so every decision and every cent spent was considered. That teaches discipline and patience.

There was no marketing budget so I was the model, the makeup artist, the photographer and editor – and it worked because it was real and that’s what resonated. There was a person behind the business, a woman, a mam, a wife and someone who wasn’t afraid to say she didn’t have it all figured out

Each sale allowed me to reinvest, learn and grow. We started from zero so I still get a jolt when I see orders come through the website from the US or Germany – it’s something that never gets old!

For the long term I haven’t ruled out investment if it’s the right strategic fit.

Did you do any business training or schemes before setting up your business?

In my previous working life I worked in Senior Management roles responsible for growth and operations of different geographical regions. I had a core understanding of budget control and service delivery, people management and the importance of supply chain. While those skills definitely helped, nothing really ever prepares you for running your own business — especially when the team is small. When you pour your heart into what you do, it’s very personal. The highs and the lows of business impact you directly.

In larger organisations there are dedicated teams for different functions of the business, but in founder-led, that doesn’t exist. It can be an echo-chamber at times so you have to look outside the business to your peers and look to other founders for support. Not having all the answers is fine, but you need to build a network that can provide the assistance and sometimes grounding as you encounter different elements of the business.

I engaged with my local LEO and Enterprise Ireland and was lucky to be part of growth acceleration and export programs. These programs were excellent as they created the environment for you to examine your business and your strategy and to identify clear goals.

What’s the best piece of financial advice you ever received?

Know your numbers. This is something that’s said in business constantly – however I feel that you only know the value of it and understand the importance of it during difficult times. The business can have huge momentum but the numbers tell you the truth and keep you grounded.

For a creative brand, personally, the numbers don’t excite me. I’d love to stay in the creative space each day and focus solely on fabrics and new pieces, but finance keeps the dream alive, so knowing the numbers is a cliché but it’s at the core of everything you do in business.

Do you think the Irish education system supports entrepreneurship?

I think it is improving, but needs a massive overhaul. We just don’t all learn the same way. Some flourish with a text book and others need to get their hands dirty to learn and I feel the education system approach needs to widen to take in all aspects of how children learn and identify that at an early age and adapt the cycle to the child. It sounds ambitious but it’s not impossible. The early years in school are precious because it sets the marker and sets the belief in the child of what they are capable of.

I would love to see more focus on life skills, money management, home improvements – practical real world situations. Entrepreneurship requires resilience, commercial thinking, creativity, communication, financial literacy and the ability to make decisions without having all the answers. Those are skills that should be encouraged much earlier. Ireland has incredible creative talent, but I think we could do more to help people understand how to turn creativity into viable, real-world business models.

What does ambition mean to you?

Ambition, to me, is all about maintaining the quality of the product and the connection with our customer as we grow. It’s also about pushing the boundaries and exploring the possibilities and not settling for what we have created so far.

Name one thing that supports your wellbeing as a business owner.

You’ll either find me on a GAA pitch with my Clann Mhuire team, in the gym in Elite Fitness or running the roads around my area. Movement is so important to me. Along with that is fueling my body properly to allow it to do the things I need it to do.

Being in the studio daily, you can get locked in your own head so that blast of exercise on a pitch or fighting for my life in a strength and conditioning class just really allows me to get my head clear so I can go again. That was two things but they do go hand in hand!

What qualities do you think someone needs to be resilient as an entrepreneur?

I’m never really sure if resilience comes from confidence or delusion – possibly equal parts and both are definitely needed.

However, a key thing is a support network through family, friends and peers. It’s so important to have people behind you that you can talk openly to, receive feedback positive and negative and be able to remove the personality from it to look at the core issue of whatever it is you’re seeking help with. You also need to recognise when something isn’t working. Have enough self-belief to keep going, but enough self-awareness to be able to ask for help and make a change when needed.

How do you feel about building a team?

I have been slowly building a team of trusted people around me over the past number of years. I’ve made some mistakes as most founders do and I have learned to watch actions, not words.

Skill matters, of course, but so do reliability, integrity, delivering and whether someone genuinely understands the standard and direction of the brand, and have the professionalism to execute their role

How do you feel about delegating?

Every founder will feel that no one can do any of the jobs as well as they do. Naturally it’s because as a founder – you are the brand. It’s your everything and you breathe it every day.

However, in order to grow, delegation is a must. Releasing different roles to team members is essential and you have to put the right guide rails in place so that they fully understand how their role should be executed.

It’s impossible as a brand grows to maintain that direct work application to each function of the business – you either delegate or you stay where you are.

What are your thoughts on work-life balance — a myth or achievable?

I feel it’s achievable but we have to take each week as it comes. Some weeks I’m on fire and I’m getting the work done and I’m there for my children each day with activities and homework and dinner, but other weeks the work dictates you work late nights, up at 5am and doing what’s necessary to deliver.

I’ve never been afraid of hard work and I love a challenge and then seeing the results of the hard work. I’m an early riser – I’m generally up at 5am before the kids wake and get ahead of some paperwork before the day begins. So it’s possible but it’s never perfect.

What’s your favourite thing about running your own business? And the thing you dislike the most?

My favourite thing by far is the people I meet. When a bride comes to my studio I have no idea what that woman has been through that day or what it took to get there. Sometimes there are tears and other times just a quiet comfort.

We are all facing so many internal battles daily and I feel as women we take on everything. We just keep going until next week, when I get this project finished then I’ll rest – we all do the same – but in reality we don’t take the rest that we need to. I feel society has had a massive impact on women as they work, try to raise children, keep up with daily life and stay hydrated!?

It can be impossible and the weight of it is sometimes too much. I feel I’ve created a space for the appointment whether that’s 60 minutes or 90 minutes. Nothing is expected of the woman in front of me. It’s just a moment of calm to figure out what makes that woman tick and come back into herself and who she is.

The thing I dislike the most – I should really say logistics but it’s actually VAT returns.

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