10 Things You Didn’t Know about Oisin Hanrahan
When Oisin Hanrahan co-founded Handy with Umang Dua, Ignacio Leonhardt, and Weina Scott, he was only looking to eliminate the frustration of finding a cleaning service. The company grew so immensely that it attracted the attention of ANGI, which acquired it in 2018. Hanrahan remained as ANGI’s Chief Product Officer, but he has now been appointed to be the new CEO as Brandon Ridenour steps down. Besides his leadership position, there is a lot more to know about Hanrahan, and here are ten facts to get you started.
1. His Hobbies
All work and no play would make Hanrahan a dull entrepreneur; thus, he has learned to fill his free time with activities he enjoys. He has been snowboarding since he was a child and wished he could do so throughout the year. Still, he utilizes the suitable climate for the sport by taking a trip to Switzerland every year with his family. When not skateboarding, the CEO likes running, an activity he told Digital Irish New York that he has developed a love-hate relationship with, usually hating the first few minutes but getting absorbed later.
2. He Started His First Business When He was 19
Hanrahan has always had an entrepreneurial spirit, and it first bore fruit when he used it to start a business, Clearwater Group. At the time, he was in Dublin enrolled as a Trinity College student, where he studied a degree in business and economics. The company, which was based in Budapest, Hungary, was in real estate development.
3. The Reason Behind His Success
Most entrepreneurs will talk of having great discipline learned over the years as the reason for their success. As for Hanrahan, he credits his business acumen and successful career to his Irish heritage, explaining that he would not be where he is today without his experience of growing up in Dublin. Besides, it is in the blood of any Irish to build and foster relationships that are key to any business’s success. Therefore, it is no surprise that he is involved in various Irish organizations as published by Irish America.
4. What Inspired Him to Start Handy?
Although Hanrahan had already experienced a challenge finding a handyman who could work on his properties during the time he ran a real estate development company, he did not pursue the idea of solving the problem. However, once he was in Harvard Business School, he met Umang Dua, and they could not find a trusted cleaner to help with their messy apartment. The two spent so much time researching reliable service providers, relying on online reviews, and not getting anyone within their price range. As a result, Hanrahan and Dua partnered to establish Handy, where consumers would quickly find cleaning or repair services.
5. The Biggest Challenge He Has Ever Faced with Handy
When Hanrahan talked to Trinity College Dublin, he revealed that running the business has had its fair share of challenges, but none of them beats one that was brought about by a glitch in the system. The faulty system resulted in the entrepreneurs accepting 50% more jobs than the staff could handle. However, he is a problem solver and rallied everyone, including the engineers and designers, to do the jobs, and luckily, they completed them in time.
6. The Superpower He Wishes He Had
From the many superpowers available for Hanrahan to choose from, he would only pick teleportation. Traveling from city to city to manage a business as it continues to expand can be very exhausting, and the superpower would be instrumental in eliminating the fatigue. He would then use the time saved to have more meetings with his staff, enabling him to create excellent interpersonal relationships.
7. He is a Serial Entrepreneur
Besides founding Clearwater Group in his teenage years, the CEO also started the Undergraduate Awards. According to the Irish Times, it became the largest pan-discipline awards program globally. Later, Hanrahan co-founded MiCandidate with Paddy Cosgrave; it organized political media and combined politicians’ backgrounds, policies, and experiences into a single platform. The information was then syndicated to European websites. MiCandidate was acquired in 2009 through a management buyout (MBO), and it continues to be the leading source of online election information in Europe.
8. His First Job
Hanrahan has always been keen on working hard and held his first job while in secondary school. He scrubbed dishes in one of the hotels in Saggart, and although it was not a prestigious job, it remains memorable to the high achiever who said that it taught him the value of hard work early in his life. It is through such hard work that he was able to build a successful team at Handy. The CEO even explained that his most outstanding achievement was expanding the business to different cities, including London.
9. The Most Important Lesson He Has Learned To date
When they say that the customer is king and must be treated like royalty, Hanrahan believes this too; thus, he knows the importance of customer service. This lesson remains among the best he has learned so far, seeing that customers who are not treated well do not come back, yet in Handy, he witnessed many repeat customers who fueled his company’s growth. It is safe to say that by 2013, the CEO was planning to expand further and meet the demand through excellent customer service.
10. What is Success to Him?
Everyone has his definition of success; for some, it is immense wealth and fame, but for Hanrahan, success lies in making an impact. As evidenced by the businesses he starts, he aims to make a difference by impacting positively on the lives of those he is looking forward to being his customers. That being said, we can conclude that we have not seen the last of the CEO; he will most likely continue establishing more businesses to make an impact.
