My Career: Cork mum co-founded home-robotics company during pandemic

Name: Clara Mulligan

Age: 35

Lives: Dunmanway, West Cork.

Job title: Co-founder and CEO, HomeBot Ireland

Salary bracket: Currently, all profits are reinvested into the business so I keep my salary to a minimum €0-20,000.

Education background: Qualifications in the equine industry (Kildalton College). I have learned a lot from working with customers and running my own business.

Hobbies: Horses, going to the gym, giving back to the local community.

Describe your job in five words: Innovative, customer-focused, problem-solving, entrepreneurial, rewarding.

Describe yourself in five words: Kind, honest, adaptable, versatile and perfectionist.

Personality needed for this kind of work?

Patient and good at explaining technology. I’ve learned a lot from my previous businesses, and I continue to learn and grow with each experience. Becoming a mother also showed me that parenting equips you with key entrepreneurial skills, like juggling multiple roles, resilience, and determination to succeed.

How long are you doing this job?

The company was founded in 2020 and began trading in 2024.

How did you get this job?

I co-founded HomeBot Ireland during the covid lockdown after witnessing my father-in-law struggle with routine gardening tasks. Together with my husband, we came up with the idea of our very first product, ‘Buddy’, to address a real-world need. I have a background in business and customer care, and Alan brought the technical expertise. Our venture grew from personal necessity and community insight into a much-loved Irish brand.

My journey to HomeBot Ireland was as follows:

2006-2008 Worked as a waitress and housekeeping staff during school & equine college.

2006-2009 Continued equine studies and training

2009-2011 Door to Door sales

2011-2012 Dun & Bradstreet (Internal sales account manager)

2012-2016 Hazelbrook Equestrian centre (Co-Owner and Founder)

2015-2022 CM Clipping (Owner and Founder of equine clipping company)

2016-2018 Consultant to Clippers Ireland (helping source agricultural products from all around the world)

Do you need particular qualifications or experience?

I drew on my business and entrepreneurial background, though experience isn’t everything. Employing the right people in the right roles is most helpful. The steepest learning curve wasn’t technical; it was in customer care and understanding true product-market fit. Alan brought the technical and AI expertise, so together we have made it work.

Describe a day at work:

A typical day may involve customer support via WhatsApp or phone, product development meetings, supply chain management, community engagement, planning trade shows, and handling media or marketing tasks. I remain hands-on with customers, managing orders, feedback, and maintaining the local, trustworthy brand voice.

My work life is intertwined with family life currently. My two young children are at home with me 60% of the week while I work so I need to be very creative to include them with what I’m doing and still be able to fully concentrate on the task in hand.

A typical day may include dealing with general customer care queries, sales enquiries, fulfilling orders, organising servicing and repairs, strategic and financial planning, liaising with our factories, quality control checks, check-ins with our digital and communications teams, creative planning, and brand management.

Alongside this, I also complete all the customer care and admin for my husband’s business, a Mercedes specialist in Aherla.

How many hours do you work a week?

It varies massively depending on family life. I’m lucky that I can work remotely a lot, so sometimes we can head off in our camper and I will make my work fit in around my kids. This means often working late nights when they’re gone to bed so that I can enjoy them while they’re awake.

Is your industry male or female dominated?

Tech and robotics tend to be male-dominated.

Does this affect you in any particular way?

No, it doesn’t. I am proud to be a strong voice for women in tech and entrepreneurship, and I have been shortlisted for IMAGE Businesswoman of the Year, which highlights my efforts in shifting the narrative in the space.

Is your job stressful? How? Rate it on a scale of 1–10:

My job itself is not stressful but combined with juggling my husband’s admin, family life and a new house build, it increases the stress load to around an 8.

Do you work with others or on your own?

I work from home most days as do all of my teams.

When do you plan to retire or give up working?

I would like to slow down in 10 years but I can’t ever see myself fully retiring.

Best bits:

Diversity of work, meeting people, and the ability to make my work fit around family life.

Worst bits:

Juggling everything!

Advice to those who want your job?

Start small, but start. Focus on solving real problems. Don’t overcomplicate your product or message. Build with feedback from your customers. Stay grounded in your community. Network and use the aids available, such as LEO.

Any other comments?

Customer support and empathy are core differentiators. Local connection, simplicity, and real-life impact in product design and business growth are what has made HomeBot Ireland successful.