FEATURE: Westport man quietly taps into latest office-furniture trend

IN his early years, Westport man Noel O’Malley saw himself as a bit of a rocker and dreamt of recording albums and selling out concerts. So much so he built his own soundproof recording studio where he hoped he would record the next big hit.
Alas, as he recalls himself, he had ‘great enthusiasm but lacked skill’ and had to pack in the entertainment world for life in a slower lane, in which he worked as a carpenter and cabinet maker.
However, those carefree days of youth have not been put to waste. Noel is now using his skills to tap into a new phenomenon in modern office life. Phone-box-like privacy booths are all the craze in the modern workplace environment, and Noel is combining the skills he acquired in carpentry and music to design and build his own privacy booths.

Shed to offices
For the last 18 months Noel’s company QBooth has been providing soundproof booths to offices the length and breadth of the country — and its all run from his parents shed in Carrowkennedy outside Westport.
“For all the world it is like a phone box in the past where you go up and close the door behind you and you are not disturbed by what goes on around you,” Noel told The Mayo News.
The pandemic, he believes, has changed the way people work in offices. Employees got used to working from the comfort of their homes and are now easily distracted by the sounds around them. This he says is where the booths have come into play in modern working environments.
“A lot of people who were used to working from home during Covid are now working in a busy, open office environment, which can be quite loud. They are distracted by the work around them, which means their productivity is down because they are distracted, so they need a space to make private calls so they can produce better-quality work.
“The changes in the office environment are happening so fast, and managers in offices need their staff to be happy and productive and that. If I can help that by building spaces which are cost effective it means they don’t have to rearrange the whole office to accommodate people,” he said.

Get in the Q
The idea for QBooth came to Noel after he saw how people need to make private phone calls while working in busy open plan offices. His experience in the music scene gave him an understanding of soundproof techniques, and he started to experiment.
His first booth was placed in the Bodhi Centre on Altamount Street in Westport about two years ago, and its success led to more enquiries. It was trial and error, but he believes he now has the best product.
“My first booth was effective and did what I wanted it to do, but they have evolved so much over the year and half. Every booth I did up to about six months ago was tweaked slightly until I got a booth I was really happy with and fit for purpose and does exactly what I wanted it to do,” he explained.
Recently he installed booths in UCD and has been asked to put two booths in the new innovative hub in Ballina, with the majority of his client’s learning of the company through LinkedIn.
As well as being made locally, Noel uses local suppliers such as Turin Components in Shrule as well as Lawless Glass who supply him with acoustic glass. The booths take two days to manufacture in Noel’s premises in Westport, and from there they are taken to the client’s office where it takes around two hours to assemble and install.
Noel is the designer, manufacturer and assembler of the booths, and as a result, he claims, he can supply them to offices at a fraction of the costs of other similar products currently on the market.
“There are other companies on the market doing them but the cheapest one I can see on the market is about €5,000 plus VAT and what I am doing is around €3,000 plus VAT. It makes it cost effective for the small to medium-sized businesses who cannot afford the costly price of the booths,” explained the 45 year old.

New Frontiers
Throughout his life Noel has always worked for himself. He was one of the founders of local food business, Jack and Eddies. While he’s always had an entrepreneurial streak to his character, he says he wouldn’t have had the success he has had without taking part in the New Frontiers programme organised by Enterprise Ireland for new businesses.
“I know I had the experience but it is great to do this programme. This gave me a lot of structure around starting a business so for that reason I feel a lot more prepared in starting a business this time. I understand a lot more about the markets I am targeting and I have a lot more work done on developing a business plan going forward. Having done the New Frontiers programme it has given me a great foundation in who to contact and how to contact them and the best places to be seen so people know my business is there,” he said.
While the business is still in its infancy, the success to date and the feedback it has received has given Noel confidence that QBooth will continue to grow. He foresees moving into a new larger premises with newer tools and new machinery by the middle of next year, when he hopes to start taking on staff.
He is already looking at broadening his product range with plans to introduce new booths to the market that will accommodate more people and another that will be wheelchair accessible.
“I find it really exciting. Everyday is a different challenge and you learn something new everyday. I have met the most amazing people since I set up this business, and I’ve got great plans for the future.
“I love getting up in the morning and getting out and meeting new people. That is probably my strongest asset and always has been. When clients meet me they trust me and believe in me and what I want to do. It is a reason why the business has been a success. I’m excited about what the future will bring.”

• To find out more about QBooth, visit www.qbooth.me.