On the latest episode of AIBF Business Talk, host Elaine Carroll sits down with James of Priority Insurance & Finance Solutions.

His path into financial advice was anything but linear. From mechanic to hospitality manager to banking, each chapter sharpened a different skill. Farming life instilled discipline and accountability. Hospitality built resilience and people skills under pressure. Banking taught structure and, importantly, the need to question it. That layered background now shapes how he advises business owners.

As James puts it, “Behind every financial decision there’s a real person… with fears and responsibilities and pressure.”

That human understanding sits at the core of his work.

From there, the conversation turns to the side of business most owners avoid until it becomes urgent. Protection. It is not glamorous, but it is foundational. James sees a familiar pattern across SMEs. Risk is understood in theory, yet action is delayed. Renewals become routine. Policies are judged on price alone.

“If it were free, you’d absolutely have all elements of your finances safeguarded,” he notes. The challenge is rarely logical. It is prioritisation.

At the centre of the discussion is income. Income funds the business, supports the family and drives long-term plans. Yet it is often the least protected asset. When asked what entrepreneurs postpone for too long, James answers without hesitation: “Income protection all day long.” If the owner cannot show up, what happens next? That question is not dramatic. It is strategic.

The episode also explores how underused business protection remains in Ireland. Key person cover, shareholder protection and continuity planning are frequently overlooked. Many directors have never fully mapped out what would happen if a partner became ill or passed away. Ownership structures can quickly become vulnerable. Cash flow can stall overnight. These are uncomfortable conversations, but they are leadership conversations. Ignoring risk does not remove it. It simply leaves it unmanaged.

Throughout the episode, James emphasises that strong financial advice is not about selling products. It is about building a plan. A plan that evolves. A plan that is reviewed. A plan that adapts as life and business change. Price alone is not the benchmark. Long-term thinking is. Financial planning becomes less about transactions and more about direction.

He closes with a principle that has guided his career:

“Are you doing it the best you can or the best it can be done?”

It is a subtle distinction, but a powerful one. Effort delivers progress. Standards deliver excellence.

For entrepreneurs, the message is clear. Growth without protection is fragile. Safeguarding what you have built is not pessimism. It is smart leadership.

You can find more information about Priority Insurance & Finance Solutions from their website linked here, and you can connect with James Tinnelly on LinkedIn here.

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For much of his career, Niall Leyden, Founder of Atlantic Wealth Management, believed wealth meant more money, more success and more recognition. It was a familiar definition, shaped early and reinforced by years working alongside high-performing clients. But experience slowly challenged that view.

In a recent episode of AIBF Business Talk, the founder of Atlantic Wealth Management reflected on how his understanding of wealth has evolved and why that shift matters for entrepreneurs today.

“I thought wealth meant being rich.”

“But over time, I realised being rich and being wealthy are not the same thing.”

That distinction frames the conversation.

One of the most common financial blind spots Niall sees is not risk, but sequence. Too many people start with products, pensions, policies and investments before first understanding what those tools are meant to serve.

Purpose, he argues, must come first. Only then can a plan provide direction. Only then does a portfolio make sense.

“A pilot would never take off without a flight plan,” he points out.

“Yet a lot of business owners do exactly that with their finances.”

For Niall, financial planning is not about prediction or perfect timing.

“Financial planning is bringing the future back into the present so we can do something about it now.”

When done properly, it cuts through noise and replaces it with clarity, and clarity is what clients actually want. Clients want three things - clarity, calm and confidence.

At the core of this approach is a simple rule.

“We have no right to talk to clients about their money until we understand them, financially and emotionally.”

Put people first. Money follows.

Today, his definition of wealth is stripped back and human.

“Rich is about money,” he says. “Wealth is about freedom.”

Money is the fuel. Freedom is the destination.

In this episode of AIBF Business Talk, Elaine Carol speaks with sales strategist and author of Steps to WIN, Cira Feely, about the quieter skills that shape long-term growth. Preparation. Curiosity. And the kind of trust that cannot be rushed.

Ciara’s perspective was shaped long before she ever trained a sales team. Her early career took her from Ireland to New York, through advertising and into hospitality across the United States. Working in hotels teaches a simple truth very quickly. People rarely arrive with neatly defined needs. What they ask for is often not what they actually need.

That understanding became foundational. “People don’t always tell you what’s really important to them straight away,” she notes. Learning to listen for what sits beneath the first answer became central to how she approaches sales today.

When Ciara later founded FindAConferenceVenue.com, she gained a different vantage point. Sitting on the buying side, she began to notice patterns. Many businesses rushed to sell. Many talked about themselves too soon. Very few paused to understand the client’s world.

From that experience came a belief that runs through the episode. “You have to earn the conversation.”

For Ciara, the real competition is not another supplier. It is time. Decision-makers are busy, distracted and under pressure. Earning their attention means arriving prepared, informed and relevant. It means showing that the conversation will be worth their time.

Once that conversation begins, the role of the salesperson changes. It is no longer about pitching. It is about leading. Leading with questions, not answers.

One metaphor captures this clearly. Think like an onion. People start at the surface. The real issues sit underneath. Asking “why” and “tell me more” creates space for those deeper layers to emerge. Trust is what allows that to happen.

That trust matters because buying decisions are rarely logical alone. “Our brains make decisions based on how someone makes us feel.” Price and facts play a role, but emotion carries greater weight. Trust and connection do the heavy lifting.

The episode also challenges the idea that sales is something you either have or you don’t. Ciara is clear. Sales is learned. It is “100% trainable.” But not through short, intensive workshops that overwhelm teams and fade once everyone returns to their inbox.

Real change, she argues, happens gradually. Small steps. Repeated practice. Ongoing support. Habits shift over time, not overnight.

There is also a reflection on growth, particularly for women founders. Many are capable, busy and successful, yet hesitate to push further. Sometimes people “play small without realising it.” Progress often begins by thinking bigger, asking for help, and learning from those who have already walked the path.

The conversation closes with a reflection on recognition and values. For Ciara, recent Business All-Star accreditation mattered because it reflected how she works, not just what she delivers. Trust was built quietly. Maintained consistently.

Sales, the episode suggests, is not about pressure or persuasion. It is about presence. And the most valuable conversations are never forced. They are earned.

Explore more from Ciara Feely Ciara has created a short positioning resource to help you see if you are set up to attract high-paying corporate clients, which you can access here Connect with Ciara on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ciarafeely/