Soft swerves — Declan Lee scoops himself up from failure to create an ice-cream empire

Curveball

“The more you fail, the easier it gets. People get scared of failing. I know this is something that anyone entrepreneurial will say, but every time you lose all your money, it becomes easier. Because you know you can pick yourself up.”

Declan Lee never chooses the easy path. These days he’s one of four owners of the famous Messina gelato chain, but he's had to pick himself up a few times already.

As a music promoter, Declan once felt the full thrust of losing all his money when he booked what seemed to be a no brainer – electronic act Underworld – only to find a near-empty room when he arrived for the show.

He lost money on a TV show that was ahead of its time – a pre-cursor to Ninja Warrior that saw athletes compete in gruelling physical challenges.

And he’s also dabbled in physiotherapy, DJing, and restaurants. So what did it take to build an ice-cream empire and what lessons has he taken with him after so many flops?

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This was episode was produced by Liam Riordan and Rachel Fountain, with sound design by Justin Roullion.

The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan.

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