Paddy
Sweeney

Paddy Sweeney is a true bootstrap entrepreneur. He left school when he was thirteen (and claims he was there eight years too long). Until the ripe age of twenty-two he never held employment for longer than three months, drifting from job to job around New Zealand and Australia.

Background
In 1969, three events occurred which proved to be life changing experiences:

1. He married Pam (still happily together after 47 years).
2. His first business was a colossal failure.
3. He read the all-time best seller THINK AND GROW RICH by Napoleon Hill.

Inspired by what he read in Hill’s book he set out to become a Salesman. For three years Paddy sold life insurance door to door and was consistently in the top three out of a team of 120. After getting himself involved in a property subdivision, the subsequent three years saw him in the Real Estate business, specialising in selling farms, where he earned ten times the average wage.

He constantly drew inspiration from Hill’s book, so much so that in 1975 he bought the rights to it and all of Hill’s material, and ran THINK AND GROW RICH courses for seven years. During that time, Paddy started his public speaking career while recruiting and training Sales Teams for companies. It was during this period he learnt that doing the opposite to what the majority are doing constitutes a main part of the puzzle in how to get the best results in Sales and Business. He reasoned many people going into business follow one another blindly, rather than selectively choosing to follow proven success, and consequently most remain on Struggle Street.

In 1982, Paddy started publishing the Australian Business Diary and running Time Management Seminars for individuals, companies and government departments, while customising diaries for companies. It was just one of many steep learning curves that he eagerly embraced.

In 1986 he set up a company called Projects Australia, specialising in selling undervalued Commercial Real Estate to high end buyers. In 1988 he earned a massive $1,235,000.00 in commission (around $5million in today’s money). While the money was excellent, Paddy did not enjoy the work and after making some less than favorable personal investments he was financially wiped out. At this point he had well and truly lost his mojo for Commercial Property.

This experience led him to embark on a venture he had considered for a long time. He created a Franchise Network, growing it to such a level where it worked without him being there, providing a significant income that would continue to grow. He chose carpet cleaning. ‘Stain Busters Cleaning Systems’ emerged in 1990 and later, ‘You’ll Say WOW Carpet Cleaning’ in New Zealand.

Paddy’s plan was to achieve financial independence within three years. It took twelve. By then it was 2002. Both ventures have grown to become the second largest carpet cleaning companies in their respective countries. Paddy still owns both and receives a handsome income from both, sufficient from each on which to retire. At the core of his business philosophies is the principle of replication, where you turn your business into a successful pilot model and replicate it again and again.

Retirement did not rest well with the ever active Paddy, and in 2006, bored with the relaxed lifestyle in which he found himself, he formed a company with a group of mates and bought a Brewery in New Zealand. Paddy injected over $1million in cash and raised another $5million in three tranches from shareholders. A high profile restaurant was established, along with a unique Liquor Store and a Tavern with a difference. The idea was to establish franchise chains for each.

The company grew too quickly, however, and ran into financial difficulty. While Paddy strove to turn things around, closing down the liquor store, selling the Tavern and the high profile restaurant, his best efforts were not good enough and the Company went into liquidation. Paddy injected more cash and with mates bought back the brewery for 6% of its original worth.

It took him eighteen months to gain stability with the new brewery company. He then handed the reins to others to continue the work. Not so long ago, orders amounting to $5million were finalised with a Chinese company, and more recently another order for $1.2million was also secured.

In August 2012 Paddy started on his current project. Over four decades he had accumulated substantial knowledge, insight and experience in many corporate arenas: Selling, Speaking, Motivating, Training, Publishing, Rural and Commercial Property, Franchising and Consulting. He decided he wanted to develop an infallible Business System that guaranteed success to anyone who subscribed to it. No ifs, buts, mights or maybes. This he has accomplished.

This venture has evolved into its current form and it is called THE ENTREPRENEURIAL WAY. It is gaining an ever-increasing following with outstanding successes evidenced in all those who have applied the system to their business.

From this broad experience, which has had its equal peaks and valleys, and the occasional wipeout, resilient Paddy has been proven to be a more than adequate Mentor to all with whom he has worked. Paddy Sweeney is entirely focused on motivating and assisting as many people as possible to reach the upper limits of their potential.

Current work
Keynote Speaker
Paddy is a high impact eloquent speaker and more than that, he is a corporate story teller with an exceptional reservoir of real life stories to draw from. He has the innate ability to have any audience spellbound with his entirely relatable way of interpreting the message he has to deliver.

Entrepreneur
His resume boasts a wide array of experience including creator of The Entrepreneurial Way (an all-encompassing online business system), he is a serial entrepreneur, Franchisor of two current Franchise Networks. High Impact Conference Speaker, Venture Capitalist, Previous CEO of a Public Company, Salesman with an extraordinary and enviable track record, Licensed facilitator of Napoleon Hill Courses for six years 1975 - 1981 (Hill was the author of the all-time bestselling book THINK AND GROW RICH with 200 million copies published), consultant to Government and major Corporations plus various other notable achievements.

Author of 7 books