Entrepreneurial Spotlight: Cian Condon of Conversion-Haus.com

44262556 1951501934886809 2469861943322607616 n e1727706391550

Can you tell us a little about your background and what inspired you to become an entrepreneur?

In 2015, after spending a year working on construction sites in Sydney and Darwin, I returned to Ireland to do a Masters in Digital Marketing at DCU Business. While I enjoyed my time in Australia, I realised it wasn’t the type of work I wanted to do long term, so I needed to refine my skills.

I’ve always been interested in understanding human behaviour, and I enjoy working with data and numbers so Digital Marketing felt like a good fit for me. The course at DCU was incredibly valuable—not just in terms of learning marketing theory, but gaining practical skills working on real client projects.

In 2018, I joined Talent Garden as they prepared to launch their Dublin coworking campus. It was an exciting time, and I had the opportunity to lead campaigns across 21 locations, while also being involved in the launch of new markets including Vienna, Madrid, Barcelona, and Lille. I was surrounded by entrepreneurs and startups everyday in Talent Garden, so I learned a lot and it gave me confidence to eventually create something of my own.

Then in 2021, I joined DonorSee, a community platform that is transforming charitable giving, and how people connect with their giving. During my time there, we generated over $4 million in donations, and I got valuable experience, not just in marketing and community building but also in product development.

Looking back, my work with startups had a big influence on my decision to become an entrepreneur. The fast-paced, dynamic environment taught me the importance of flexibility, wearing multiple hats, and being resourceful—skills that are essential when running your own business.

What was the pivotal moment that made you decide to start your own business?

I was working for Talent Garden at the time. I had just joined their team and one of the very first tasks they gave me was to translate some blog posts from Italian to English.

I remember reading one about Digital Nomads. This was 2018 and the first time I had heard this term. I remember thinking “this is how I want to work”. I loved the idea of freedom, not just in where I worked, but also having control over my day and the projects that I worked on.

That was the seed planted in my mind. It took me a few years to get to the point where I actually started my own business, but it was always in my mind to work towards.

The transition was gradual, but those years working in companies, particularly startups, were invaluable. I gained so much insight into what it takes to run a business, and learned how to adapt quickly and solve problems—skills that have been crucial as an entrepreneur.

I’ve been living in Berlin for the past four years, and the freedom to choose where I live and work has had a huge impact on my life. That flexibility is something I’ve always valued, and it’s a big part of why I pursued entrepreneurship.

How did you come up with the idea for your startup? Was there a specific problem you wanted to solve?

After working on marketing campaigns for 7 years, I was seeing a recurring theme— businesses were spending thousands on acquiring customers, but only 1-2% of website visits would turn into leads or sales.

There was so much emphasis on optimising campaigns to drive visitors to the website, but very little effort went into ensuring they actually signed up or made a purchase.

That’s how I discovered conversion rate optimisation (CRO). I began using heatmaps and click reports to see where users were dropping off and started experimenting with different strategies to increase conversions. I saw the potential and realised this was a service many businesses needed, especially with advertising costs continuously rising.

Even small improvements, like making it easier for customers to find information or simplifying the checkout process, can have a significant impact. I see this as a huge, untapped growth opportunity for many businesses. By improving the customer experience on your website, you can boost conversions and revenue without spending more on acquiring traffic.

That’s the gap Conversion Haus was built to address. We help businesses identify conversion roadblocks on their website, and implement solutions that drive measurable results.

Were there any key experiences or lessons from your past that influenced your approach to entrepreneurship?

In 2019, I took a UX Design course with Talent Garden Innovation School and we had some incredible classes on user research. That really opened my eyes to how important understanding your customers is.

All good design starts by understanding the user. Whether you’re designing a marketing campaign, a product, or a website, success hinges on how well you understand the people you’re serving. That’s been the foundation of Conversion Haus—helping businesses get a deeper understanding of their customers, and implementing strategies that truly make an impact.

What mistakes have you made along the way, and what lessons have you learned from them?

‘Shiny object syndrome’ is something that I think we all experience from time to time—the temptation to chase new opportunities or trends that seem exciting. You see someone on YouTube making €40K a month with a new trend and you think ‘I could do that’. I’ve definitely been guilty of going down rabbit holes like this and spending hours figuring out how something works, before abandoning it.

I think it’s useful to keep an eye out and be open to new ideas, but you also want to make sure you stay focused on your goal.

What has been the biggest obstacle you’ve encountered as an entrepreneur, and how did you handle it?

The biggest challenge for me is self doubt. When you’re starting out, there’s so much that you have to figure out, so many things to do, and it can sometimes feel like nothing is moving forward. You start to question what you are doing, and if you made the right choice.

In those moments, I remind myself that this is how it’s meant to feel. It’s supposed to be hard, it’s normal to have doubts, but the main thing is to keep moving forward and trust your intuition.

How do you see your industry evolving in the next few years, and how are you positioning your business for the future?

Right now, I am learning everything I can about AI automation. AI is already moving so fast and I think it’s important to understand how it can be used.

As marketers, there’s always new tools, new platforms, new trends to keep up with, which can be exhausting. But I don’t think you can ignore the power of AI.

The good news is that you don’t need to be a developer to get involved in this space. There are so many ‘no-code’ tools available now so the barriers are down for everyone to get involved.

I recently built an AI chatbot for a client that can handle 70-80% of their incoming customer inquiries, saving them around 20 hours a month. Customers get instant and accurate answers, while the business saves valuable time and resources to focus on other areas.

I’m excited about the possibilities here. These solutions can have an immediate and tangible impact on businesses, but also create engaging experiences for customers.

How do you stay motivated and manage the ups and downs of entrepreneurship?

Patience and consistency is something that I always try to remind myself of. It’s going to take time to get where you want to go, and there’s many things that I can’t control, so the main thing is to focus on being consistent and keep pushing forward.

What advice would you give to someone just starting their entrepreneurial journey?

If you’re unsure about where to start, my advice is to spend some time working in other companies first. Observe how things work, learn from the people around you, and take every opportunity to build your skills. It can be tempting to jump straight into entrepreneurship, but that time spent learning the ropes is incredibly valuable.

Follow your curiosity. If you are working on something and you feel energised and excited about it, that’s a good indicator of which direction to move in.

Finally, keep it simple. Your goal is to identify real problems that people experience, and come up with solutions. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the amount of information available or distracted by what others are doing, but if you stay centred on solving real problems, you’ll be on the right path. Clarity in your purpose will help you cut through the noise and stay focused on what matters most.

What are some myths about entrepreneurship that you think should be debunked?

That you need to lock yourself away somewhere and just grind out hours of work in order to be successful. I think this is a pretty common theme in the entrepreneurship world.

Sure, you have to be dedicated and it does require a lot of work, but personal connections are often what open doors for you.

You could spend day after day behind your laptop working, and feel like you are not making any progress. But you could spend one afternoon at an event or playing sport and meet one person that opens the next door for you. Finding that balance is difficult sometimes but I would say don’t just focus on what you’re doing in isolation; the people you meet and the connections you form will play a huge role in your success.