Summary – John Crotty is an aspiring Irish author hailing from County Waterford in the countries south. John has held CEO level positions in private sector firms and started and sold various businesses. John currently works in the public sector for Cork City Council in the Strategic and Economic development directorate, while providing consultancy based on previous experience.
John is presently writing non-fiction titles related to his former role as CEO of Spike Island Cork, and fictional titles aimed at personal / business motivation and development. John is passionate about the stories of people and place, discovering and sharing history and folklore and seeing others succeed.
Detailed – In his own words – I was born in West Waterford in a countryside home with an older sister and younger brother, enjoying a quiet ‘bungalow bliss’ upbringing in rural Affane, a townland near Cappoquin. I was fortunate to be raised in a home that appreciated books, from the regular arrival of Readers Digest to classic novels. My grandmothers instilled a love of reading from an early age, from comic books to children’s literature. Our family contains many amateur historians steeped in the folklore and magic of the Déisi. From them I absorbed a love of story and a passion for the history of people and places.
Following a disappointing college drop out aged eighteen I lost five years to low motivation. I bounced around in entry level roles, knowing I could achieve more but not seeing my course. I worked in chicken factories, agricultural work, you name it. I am grateful for the work ethic and experiences they gave me, but felt that there was more.
Motivated by the voice of instinct, I emigrated to the UK alone to seek travel and progression. My courage was rewarded in what proved a formative eleven year spell. After some start up and corporate success I was able to travel over fifty countries, places as diverse as Mexico, China, Australia, Japan, America, Israel, Jordan, Vietnam, Iceland, Russia and Turkey, as well as most European countries. Each was chosen for its historical and cultural past, with a focus on buildings rich in storytelling.
I’ve always been a keen student of business books and methodology, and this now shapes my life. Aged just ten I was organizing blow football leagues in my primary school at 50p a play, divvying out a prize to the winner and a cut for myself to feed a chocolate obsession. Aged eighteen I had notions of importing soil and water from the Holy Land to sell in magazine Ireland’s Own!
I paid my own way through University in Britain and graduated with a business management degree from Swansea Met University. Subsequently I’ve undertaken master’s study with Cornell University through the Irish Management Institute and Failte Ireland. I see learning as a lifelong process that has no beginning and no end.
I have started and sold businesses in diverse fields, and alongside history, business is the subject that interests me most. I love to chat with the start up community and support and be supported by those chasing their dreams.
Professionally I’ve worked his way from the factory floor to senior management roles, most recently operating as CEO of Spike Island Cork. In my current role I undertake Strategic and Economic Development work for Cork City Council, where I enjoy seeing the many projects underway that facilitate business development.
I love writing and my experience has led me to write three books, all of which are being queried. I hope to close out my experience running Ireland’s historic Island, Spike Island, by being published on the subject.
My experience of coming from a place of uncertainty has also led to a fictional and business titles. I offer advice on business start up, personal growth and mentorship, in the hopes that my experiences can help others save time and not lose a day while chasing their dreams.
I currently reside with my wife in County Cork, Ireland, in the first house we bought together.
We are making a home in a beautiful Irish setting, in a house set over a bridge, by a stream, in the forest, where a love of reading, writing and business continues…