€50m Turnover in 5 Years | Liam Kearney, Revive Group

THE ROOM | 23 OCTOBER 2026

Theme: Belief

Applications are now open for a limited number of places at the first gathering of The Room. Attendance is limited to experienced business owners and investors and is subject to approval.

Join me for a private morning of live interviews with Vincent Carton, former CEO of Manor Farm, and Nick Keegan, Founder & CEO of Mail Metrics, exploring the role belief has played in their businesses and lives, followed by audience Q&A.

Nothing is recorded.

Friday, 23 October | 10am–12pm | Windmill QTR, Dublin

Tickets are €285 + VAT.

Find out more and book your place: https://www.theroom.salon/event

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Liam Kearney explains why the most successful businesses are often built in industries nobody talks about, why entrepreneurs should think five and even ten years ahead, and how the lessons he learned from financial collapse, corporate burnout and personal tragedy helped him build Revive Group into one of Ireland's fastest-growing manufacturing companies.

Liam Kearney joins Business Builders to share the story of building Revive Group from the ground up, transforming decades of experience in specialist municipal engineering into a global manufacturing and technology business that expects to exceed €50 million in turnover this year, with ambitions to surpass €100 million in the next three years and eventually reach half a billion euro in revenue.

Liam reflects on losing a successful business during the financial crisis, being forced to leave Ireland, rebuilding his career in Denmark and ultimately returning home to start again. He explains why corporate life almost destroyed his entrepreneurial spirit, why he deliberately chose an industry that remains resilient during economic downturns, and how Revive is evolving from a traditional manufacturer into a data-driven technology company.

The conversation also explores Liam's experiences growing up with dyslexia, being told he'd never achieve anything, and losing both of his parents in separate accidents. He discusses how those experiences shaped his ambition, why he isn't motivated by money, the importance of building world-class teams, and why creating opportunities for people through employability initiatives has become one of the most meaningful aspects of his leadership journey.

This is a conversation about entrepreneurship, manufacturing, engineering, leadership, resilience, scaling, industrial technology, data, innovation, globalization, dyslexia, ambition, founder mindset, team building, employability, Irish industry, personal tragedy, business failure, corporate culture and building global businesses from rural Ireland.

"My reward is success. Taking something that didn't exist and turning it into a global organization."

🎧 In this episode, you'll learn:

• How Liam rebuilt his career after losing a successful business during the financial crisis

• Why he left corporate life to become an entrepreneur again

• How Revive Group grew into a business approaching €50 million in annual turnover

• Why sewer infrastructure became the foundation of a global manufacturing company

• Why Liam deliberately chose an industry that can survive any economic downturn

• How Revive is transitioning from manufacturing equipment to harvesting and monetizing data

• Why the best founders think five and even ten years ahead

• How dyslexia shaped Liam's approach to business and leadership

• Why Liam believes success has nothing to do with money

• How personal tragedy strengthened his determination to build something meaningful

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 - Cold open

00:39 - What is Revive Group?

02:20 - Liam's previous business and the financial crash

04:09 - The story of buying a chicken factory on a train

07:16 - Losing a successful business

08:28 - Rebuilding in Denmark

15:40 - Why corporate life almost broke him

17:59 - Thinking five and ten years ahead

19:28 - Starting Revive Group during Covid

20:42 - Why data is more valuable than the machines

23:04 - Choosing a recession-proof industry

24:12 - Building the Warrior Project

25:34 - Building a world-class leadership team

27:06 - Do CEOs need technical expertise?

30:11 - Why Liam brought the business back to Ireland

32:56 - Building completely off-grid factories

33:19 - The Danish manufacturing model

38:04 - Growing towards €50 million in turnover

40:01 - The biggest challenge: cash

46:10 - Transitioning from manufacturing to data

55:17 - Where ambition comes from

57:49 - Growing up with dyslexia

01:01:14 - Why money doesn't motivate Liam

01:01:50 - Losing both parents in separate accidents

01:05:25 - Leadership, employability and giving back

01:12:01 - The three things Liam is most proud of

01:16:08 - The personal cost of ambition

01:17:14 - Advice for his younger self

01:21:50 - The Enterprise Ireland programme that changed his thinking

Topics covered:

Entrepreneurship, Liam Kearney, Revive Group, manufacturing, engineering, industrial technology, sewer infrastructure, municipal engineering, leadership, resilience, scaling, business growth, globalization, data, Industry 4.0, entrepreneurship in Ireland, founder mindset, dyslexia, employability, team building, innovation, Denmark, Irish manufacturing, business failure, ambition, leadership development, Enterprise Ireland.