Meet the Team Monday - Anne McDonnell, MD of Diamond Designs

Who is the brain behind the business?

I sat down with Anne McDonnell, Managing Director of Diamond Designs, who told me the story of the company, as well as lessons she has learned and the best things about working here.

What was the process behind starting Diamond Designs?

I didn’t actually start it! There was a nun in the community who worked with homeless people and unemployed families. She saw a lot of females with skills, who had recently become unemployed [due to] a local company closing down. So she decided to open a Co-op. One of the girls who worked with her remembered that I had sold uniforms with the company that closed down, so approached me to ask if I could sell for them. I was involved right from the factory opening; I was responsible for selling and managing, even though I had no experience! It stood to me. We started off with a couple of old machines and four people.

Every month, the Board of Directors would meet in the office and I would give them a report of sales. In the first few months, we found that FAS had a support programme for co-ops. A consultant came to us on a weekly basis for a year, and I learned a lot from him. The bank wouldn’t lend us any money, but we got a credit union loan. Then [our consultant] had come across a fund that would give you a long-term loan.

A new consultant came in and advised the Board of Directors that the company had one strength and one weakness - they were both me! They realised if I left, they’d have to hire two people, who wouldn’t necessarily have the loyalty that I had. He advised they should either make huge changes or sell [the company]. I handed in my notice to start my own company, and they made the decision to sell. Then, they brought in all members of the board  and decided to sell the company to me.

How has Diamond Designs changed through the years?

I bought it in 1997, and within six months I became aware that, with the wage increases, we were no longer viable to manufacture in Ireland. I was put in touch with a company in Poland, where we manufactured for a while. The cost of products and labour reduced by 60%. In May 2000, myself and Seana travelled to [these companies] and picked one that would manufacture for us. We then put in our first order in December. 

The company changed direction from there - when people left, I didn’t replace them; I was moving all manufacturing to Poland.

What is your favourite part about working at Diamond Designs?

The challenges and, before lockdown, meeting new people. I made good friends with some of our customers. I had very strong support from some members of FAS and Enterprise Ireland. They saw something in me that I didn’t know was there, and I lived up to [that]. I had great help from some very experienced people. 

What is your favourite product from the range?

PH1A. I brought in that style and it has consistently been our best seller. In the beauty business, Nicole has a special place as a favourite. It has been a best seller for 18 years. The idea of Nicole [came from] my daughter Seana, who had a going-out top. I liked it and so it inspired the style.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself.

You’d have to ask somebody else! (laughs). 

The only thing I can say about myself is that from the day I came in here - this isn’t really a fun fact - I put my heart and soul into Diamond Designs. However, when I left at one o'clock on a Friday, I never came back in or thought about it ‘til Monday. I don’t worry and I really am a happy-go-lucky person.

So you know when to shut things off.

Yeah. I’m not a very serious person at the end of it all. The only time I’m very serious … When my back’s to the wall, I come out all guns blazing. I’m easy going, but I’m at my best when things go wrong.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

It’s hard to pinpoint one, I’ve had a lot of help at different times. I love to work, we were brought up a big family who worked hard. [We had a] consultant who asked me, “Are you busy?” I said “I’m very busy”. He said, “Are you making money?”, and I said no, that we were just breaking even. He said to me, “I’ll get you a new job. I’ll get you a pair of hedge clippers and you can cut hedges from here to Cork. You’ll not make any money but you’ll be very busy!” That changed my attitude. 

Diamond Designs was established to create employment, we never had a target to make money. But when I took over the company, I was in the business to make money. I flipped my focus.

Another time, a businessman came in and said to me, “How many are you paying?”. At that time, we were paying 30 staff. Then he said, “How many are working?”. That made me think, ‘You’re paying a lot of people, but are you getting the output from it?’. 

Favourite:

Film: I loved One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest with Jack Nicholson. Or Bad Boys.

Book: Gone With The Wind. I just fell in love with Clark Gable! 

Song: Anything by Elvis!

Meet The Team Monday will return for a second instalment next week. Stay tuned!

-DDHQ x