Our Fourth Year students recently had the chance to sit down with Chris Lauder, founder of The Dublin Academy of Education, for a relaxed fireside chat hosted by our 5th Year Head, Barry Drumm.
Chris joked that he usually spends his days tucked away on the fourth floor, so this was a rare chance for students to hear his story first-hand. Over the course of the conversation, he spoke about what it really means to be an entrepreneur, how the Academy was built, what he looks for in a great teacher, and how to handle the setbacks life throws at you.
What is an entrepreneur?
The chat opened with a simple question: what is an entrepreneur? Students offered their own answers, from someone who starts a business to someone who takes a personal financial risk. One student even announced he'd be taking over his dad's business one day, which got a big laugh. Chris added that entrepreneurs are, above all, people who take risks and solve problems.
Chris's story
Entrepreneurship runs in Chris's family. After the Second World War, his grandfather saw an opportunity to distribute chemicals and built a business that was later run by Chris's father and uncles.
Chris didn't go straight into business, though. He studied engineering at UCD, expecting to design skyscrapers and bridges. Instead, he found it was maths all day long, and he realised quickly that engineering wasn't for him.
His message to students was that this is completely normal. If you don't know what you want to do, try lots of different things. Ruling out what you don't enjoy is one of the best ways to find what you do. And if nothing out there feels right, you can always create your own path. When he was younger, Chris also read books about famous entrepreneurs, which helped shape his thinking.
Building the Academy
The Dublin Academy of Education didn't start out as the school it is today. It began as a grinds school, running evening classes in rented hotel rooms and private school classrooms.
Growing into a full day school was another big risk. Chris explained that a day school needs its own building, not just rooms rented in the evenings. In Dublin, that's especially hard, because you need planning permission for educational use. For a business to keep growing, he said, you have to keep taking new risks.
Finding great teachers
So how does the Academy find its teachers? Chris's answer surprised a few people: they ask the students. Students always know who the best teachers are, so surveying them is one of the most reliable ways to find great talent.
Chris also shared how he thinks about hiring. Skills, he explained, are things you can learn. Character is harder to change. The ideal candidate is both highly skilled and highly trustworthy, but those people are rare. Someone who is excellent at their job, but negative or toxic can damage the culture of a whole organisation.
That's why Chris would rather hire a reliable, positive person who genuinely cares and help them build their skills. Again and again, he has seen those people become amazing teachers. He compared it to the Navy SEALs, who will choose a teammate they can trust over the most talented person in the room.
Advice for students
Learn to sell. Chris described sales as influencing people, whether that's customers or a team you need to rally behind an idea. He encouraged students to learn it young, even through something like door-to-door sales at 16 or 17. Sales, he said, is really about learning to handle rejection.
Expect setbacks. Being an entrepreneur means facing constant challenges. Chris's advice was to accept that setbacks will happen and to see solving them as part of the journey. Problems build character and resilience, and without them life would be pretty boring. When something goes wrong, the first question to ask is: what can I control? Energy spent worrying about things you can't control is wasted.
Be ready to work hard. Building something of your own, he reminded them, takes real effort and commitment.
Looking ahead
To close, Chris reflected on the Fourth Year programme, saying it has been a great success and something the whole Academy is proud of. A huge thank you to Chris for sharing his story so openly, to Barry for hosting, and to our Fourth Years for their brilliant questions and energy.
