QA - Greg Glynn, Stone Mason Director of G-Stone

QA - Greg Glynn, Stone Mason Director of G-Stone QA Greg Glynn, Stone Mason Director of G-Stone G-Stone is an Irish stonemasonry firm that’s celebrated for the passionate approach that company founder and stone mason Greg Glynn brings to a broad variety of stonework projects.  The G-Stone website is a stunning online portfolio of  some of the beautiful work that Greg and his team have carried out for  G-Stone clients.Greg Glynn was born into a family of butchers in rural County Limerick,  but he pursued his own path after having been inspired since the age of 15 by his passion for creating art from natural Irish stone. Since then, Greg  has been a dedicated stone mason, honing the  craft of stonemasonry for  a range of domestic and commercial clients.As an experienced stone mason himself, Greg Glynn heads up an expert team, all versed in all traditional and contemporary techniques in the  cutting, shaping and dressing of traditional Irish stone at the G-Stone  masonry yard in Crecora, County Limerick. On site, he and the accomplished craftsmen on his team have a reputation fo r meticulousnesses, tidiness and efficiency, completing projects that meet his client’s  needs, and underscoring Greg’s  reputation as a leading provider of quality stonemasonry. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 14 Questions for stone mason Greg Glynn, director, G-StoneAfter the AGENT Digital team had signed off on developing the G-Stone website, Greg Glynn spoke to us about how he became a stone mason, his  company, his business inspirations and long-term ambitions, and what advice he would share if he encountered his  younger self starting out in business today. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 1. Tell us what G-Stone is all about.G-Stone is about  bringing natural Irish stone to people’s homes and their immediate surroundings. We pride ourselves on the high quality of the work, offering the best value possible, ensuring that we are clean and tidy in carrying out the work, and doing everything we can to keep the customer happy. It’s al l about making sure that the customer is extremely satisfied  with the work we deliver.2. What are your goals in business?My goal is to take over! [laughs] In all seriousness, it’s about providing a service that people are happy with, and continuing to grow the business. It’s early days yet, we have been trading for just over three years. In the long run, I would like to move into the building of houses, but that is going to take time. There is a lot of learning to be done, a lot of connections to be built up. For now, we want G-Stone to be known as the best by delivering the highest standards in quality of work. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 3. What’s your own background?Well, my family are all butchers. I was born and raised on a farm in County Limerick, and I was butchering until I was about 15 years old. I knew by then that it wasnt for me. After that I was working in other jobs, and I didn’t like that either, so I got into the building sector after that, became a stone mason and stuck with it.4. What gives you most satisfaction in your line of business?I just like the work. It’s good work. And it’s work that gives you a chance, at the end of a project, to stand back and take a look at your work, and take pride in it. I love it when I reach the end of a job, just standing back and taking it all in. For me, there’s  nothing more satisfying than that. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 5. What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced in business?Getting through the  recession.  When the phone’s not ringing, and you’re worried  about when the next job is going to come, it’s  tough to stay  confident.  There’s  nothing worse than that uncertainty, wondering what you’re going to do for work, what you’re going to do for money. Thankfully we seem to be at the end of it. The economy is growing, and everyone is working. It can be difficult  to get good tradesmen, so it’s a very good time right now, compared to when I started out. The phone just keeps ringing.6. How do you stay motivated and focused?I stay motivated by  maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle. I exercise regularly, and I have a good diet. Every day now, Im waking up in the morning before my alarm. I hop out of the bed. Keeping  fit, and staying  confidentâ€"that’s the best thing you can do. It’s a state of mind. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 7. What person do you most admire in business?Richard Branson. He’s somebody I can really identify with. He’s a hard working man, and he likes to enjoy himself as well. He likes to stay healthy and active, and so do I. Hes a very decent, good guy as well. For someone who has been so successful, he’s very decent and generous to charities as well. He’s just an all-round good guy who never let the money get to him. And he likes to enjoy himself as well!8. What app do you use most in business?The weather apps, like AccuWeather; they’re the bi g ones for me. It makes life so much easier in this business to have  a more accurate forecast of weather than in the days when we had to rely on the traditional weather forecasts. In Ireland, you never know in the morning what the weather is going to be doing in the afternoon! I dont rely on just one app, but AccuWeather is very good, especially, because it has a radar, and  it’s processing data all the time. If Im out on a job and AccuWeather is telling me that the rain will only be down for an hour, I can maybe do admin or something else for that hour and use the time effectively, rather than just sitting around waiting and hoping! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 9. What social media platform do you find most effective?Facebook is the one that Ive used most, in business and personally. Much of my business  has come from ‘word of mouth’ referrals, and I’m at the early stages of captialising on that with Facebook. But yes, Facebook is the most user-frien dly one, and the one I can use  in the most time-efficient way.10. What do you never leave the house without?My iPhone. It isnt so much that everything is on it, but I just need to be contactable. You need to be on the ball and be able to respond to things fast, so I couldnt do without my phone. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 11. What screensaver is on your phone?It’s a picture of a sandstone wall with a raised point on it, meaning that the mortar around the stone protrudes past the stonework, for a kind of ‘picture frame’ effect. The first time I ever did this raised pointing, I really liked it, so I took a picture of it to use as a screensaver and a background image for my phone. There is actually very little raised pointing done any more. Stonework can be pricey, and doing the raised pointing makes it even more expensive, but it’s just an effect that I like and something that I enjoy doing.12. How much do you sleep at night?As I’ve said, I like to s ay healthy and motivated, so for me, one of the best ways of doing that is to get about eight hours every night. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 13. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?I have the same thing every morning â€" six eggs (but only three yolks; you have to keep down the fats and you definitely dont want too many of the yolks!) and a cup of coffee.14. What  business advice would you give to your younger self?Never put things off, start them as soon as you can. I wish I’d started in this business earlier. And also, it’s important to keep going. There are all kinds of obstacles that you encounter in business, and you just have to keep your head down, not be distracted, and keep on pushing. Having experienced the worst lows of the recession, and looking back on it now, I can see that it was the good lads in this business who were able to keep going. And that’s something I would say. Stay  strong and motivated, and keep going.Image Sourc e: Greg Glynn