04/10/2026
The longer I spend building RIP Ireland, the less sense the phrase “self-made” makes to me.
I can explain the vision. I can make the calls. I can put my savings, time and energy into it.
But I cannot build it alone.
I rely on technology I could never have created myself.
I work alongside Erich, whose experience supporting families comes from years of doing a job I have never done.
I ask funeral directors to consider something new in an industry where trust has been earned over generations.
And I depend on families being willing to trust us at a time when they have far more important things on their minds.
Two and a half years into this journey, I’ve also needed friends who listened when I had very little good news to share. People who made an introduction, offered advice or simply asked how I was getting on.
None of that appears beside the title “co-founder”.
All of it belongs in the story.
RIP Ireland is built around making it easier for people to support one another. Building it has reminded me how much I need that support too.
Perhaps we should spend less time asking who built a business, and more time asking who helped them keep going.
fans
