Health Entrepreneur Gareth Sheridan is no stranger to success. The young achiever from South Dublin developed the idea for his first business Nutriband transdermal patches while completing his thesis as a business and management student at Dublin Institute of Technology. Nutriband is based on the long established delivery model of nicotine patches, but instead with a focus on the user’s vitamin and nutrient levels. The Nutriband patch ensures the slow release of nutrients into your system over a number of hours, ensuring sustained energy levels over a longer period of time. Whether you are looking for a long lasting slow release vitamin patch or an energy boosting patch or just a simple clean solution to uncomfortable tablets, look no further than Nutriband’s vitamin patch, energy boosting patch and post exercise recovery patch.
“I’d always wanted to do something, and this idea came from my thesis that I was working on for college. The more research I did, I started realised that there was something here and I decided to give it a lash. Thankfully since then it has gone in the right direction”
While the idea was clearly a winner, the next step was to bring it to life. Here, in stepped the South Dublin Local Enterprise Office. With mentoring, training and funding available, the LEO was the perfect place to turn for support. Gareth sought and received funding and mentor support, along with €10,000 of his own funds, which proved invaluable for the early survival of his then fledgling business.
“My Local Enterprise Office were extremely helpful. I worked with business advisors who were accessible, who provided mentoring and were always there to provide feedback to me as I needed it. I could send an email at any time, sure of a response”
“There is a relaxed environment there. It’s not too formal, there is just straight talking, and it was always there when I needed it”
Gareth also entered the Irelands Best Young Entrepreneur competition in 2014, which is run nationally through the 31 Local Enterprise offices spread throughout the country. Nutriband LTD won in the Best Established Business category at the county level and went on to represent South Dublin at the regional finals.
“For me, the networking opportunities afforded by the IBYE were brilliant. It really gave me a chance to get my name and my company’s name out there, and it provided serious credibility to my business. Obviously, the cash prize helped too!”
But the journey didn’t stop there for Garreth. Nutriband LTD has recently entered into an agreement to become a subsidiary of Nutranomics, a large American nutritional supplements manufacturer, which has ensured worldwide distribution for Nutriband and its products.
“Initially we launched three products, which we have since upgraded and updated. We’re currently selling in 6 countries, and have spent the past 8 months working to secure distribution for more. By the end of the year, we hope to be selling Nutriband in 12 countries”
“Our main sellers right now are GNC in the Philippines, Lazada.com in South East Asia, surelifehealth.ie, through the Nutranomics distribution channels and of course, through our own website”
As a direct result of the joining forces with Nutramonics, Gareth has found he has much more time now to focus on other ventures that interests him. One such venture is Vitevo, another personal nutrition company, which has received pre-funding approval from the South Dublin Local Enterprise Office.
“Vitevo is a company I set up with a friend from college, that’s about two weeks away from launch. Once again, the South Dublin Local Enterprise Office have been a great support for this new business venture”
Gareth has also been chosen to be an ambassador for Nissan Generation Next, and has been provided with a brand new taxed and insured Nissan for a year. The chosen ambassadors are the people that have been identified as having the potential to become the Irish leaders of tomorrow, on the local, national and international stage.
Speaking about new business ventures and first time entrepreneurs, he was typically upbeat.
“If you’re considering an idea and you don’t know whether or not to go for it, just go for it! If it works, it works, and if it doesn’t, it’s not the end of the world.”
For information on how your Local Enterprise Office can help you start or grow your own business, please visit our website on www.localenterprise.ie/SouthDublin, or call 01-4149000.