Almost 10 years ago, Ed Heffernan, Elaine Brady & Jonathan Olden had an idea, and from that idea, Barden was born.  Jonathan reflects on the Origin Story of Barden Munster and imagines what the next 10 years will be about…

When we started Barden, I wanted to create a place where people genuinely wanted to be and where they would be recognised for being really good at something. That was the core of my plan. It has always been important to me to be an expert in something, to be able to add value as a result, and to have great people around me.

Having been involved in sports teams, I knew that team culture was the most important thing. When Ed and I first started talking, I was very impressed that we were on the same page in terms of building a strong culture. He listened and vividly articulated what I was trying to achieve. It was clear that we had a shared vision. Initially, I had considered doing some different things on my own, but after meeting Ed, I knew that if we joined forces, we could create something special.

We were unknown in the market, and I hadn’t lived in Cork for a while. We spent a lot of time explaining why Barden was different and how we could support people. Fortunately, many clients gave us a break early on, and as we delivered, we built on that success. We were, and still are, genuinely grateful when clients give us an opportunity – we take it so seriously. It’s an honour and a privilege that clients trust us to find them talent, and we really care about doing our best for them. Our reputation and how we handle a process is as important to us as the outcome.

I was also very fortunate that, as we got started, other people began to get curious about Barden. They approached me to see if there might be openings to join the Barden Munster team. Initially, there weren’t any, as quite simply we didn’t have much business, but the people who showed interest were just too good to pass up. So, we postponed paying ourselves for another while! Thankfully we did because the people who joined us at the start are still with us. They made a huge impact, and they are the reason we were able to build some momentum.

I really enjoy the partnership that I have with Ed and Elaine and have always found them to be incredibly fair. We have never had a falling out, and whenever we question each other, there is always good logic behind it. We work towards a solution that is best for the business and a win-win for everyone. They continue to impress me all the time. I’m very lucky to have met them and be on the Barden journey with them. Our partnership works because if one market is slow, another might be doing well. We’re in it as a team and we know we are doing our very best for each other.

As we grow, we really want to ensure that we maintain our culture. We meet as a team for regular check-ins, just to ensure that we are doing the right things in this regard. We are lucky that some incredible people have joined the business in recent times. It’s important they have a voice and that they keep us on track.  We have a solid core of people I trust and rely on for advice, and that helps us keep things on the straight and narrow. We have had lots of success, success that we hadn’t anticipated but when times are tough, you need to be there for people and still have fun.

Enjoyed Jonathan’s reflections? 

You can read Ed Heffernan’s Origin Story here>>>and Elaine Brady’s here>>>