Rani Dabrai, CEO of the Moneypenny Group, based in the Republic of Ireland, calls her bespoke business and lifestyle management agency a “concierge business.” So, just as you’d imagine, Moneypenny will move mountains to get you the best seats at that sold-out show, the suite with the most spectacular views, the most convenient and cost-effective door-to-door international travel arrangements—with nothing left for you to do but relax and enjoy the ride.

And, if that were all the Moneypenny Group did, we could stop right here. But Moneypenny might better be characterized as a combination personal assistant, concierge, and trade ambassador…with the genes of a genie. 

The business is divided into two branches, corporate and individual. “On the individual service, which is the smallest part of our business, your wish is our command,” says Rani. “If you want us to fly your poodle from Australia to England, we can do it. If you want us to find a particular dress, or a private jet, we can do it.”   

Where the agency sets itself apart is where the bulk of their business comes from: corporations and government agencies. 

“Whether it's in a small group or a large group, it's like a trade mission. And we look after everything from start to finish.”

For a trade trip involving members of congress and poultry farmers from the US state of Maryland, for example, the Moneypenny Group coordinated every aspect of the visit. The poultry farmers had an enormous problem because the manure from their businesses could be massively polluting. But Irish company BHSL, a 2017 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist, had a solution: a new technology that combusts the poultry waste, which turns it into clean, renewable energy.

Over the course of five days, the Moneypenny Group saw to every participant’s every want and need as the farmers and government officials reviewed the groundbreaking technology.  And the requirements were wide-ranging, from ensuring the level of security necessary when a senator is part of a group, to making certain that every member of the trade mission had a pair of rubber Wellington boots in his or her size so they could trek around the farm to see the technology in action.

Moneypenny gave them their undivided attention during the participants’ free time, as well. “We gave them a traditional Irish experience, then we took them over to London.”

Most important, of course, “As a result of that business trip, a bill was passed that granted funding support for the technology to poultry farmers in the Chesapeake Bay area,” says Rani.

BHSL is now working with the American government to help poultry farmers across the United States implement the technology.  It will allow poultry farmers be self-sustaining and also develop a new revenue stream from selling the excess clean energy from combusting the poultry litter back to the grid.

When the Moneypenny Group isn’t facilitating all aspects of a trade trip, it might be stage-managing a romantic wedding proposal—such as the one they organized one night at the Eiffel Tower, complete with doves, violinists and a saxophonist.  “We arranged to clear the tourists from the area. We made sure that there was a nice quiet circle of serenade. She didn't see it coming. It was the most romantic night of her life.”

After the proposal, Moneypenny booked exclusive after-hours access to a restaurant with magnificent views across the city. There, the newly affianced couple enjoyed a midnight meal in a fine dining establishment they had all to themselves.

But, back to the hardnosed business of business. What, we asked, what might the Moneypenny Group do for an SME interested in opening up new avenues of trade in Ireland?

First, Moneypenny would have spent the couple of months prior to your trip doing research. "Who are your target markets? What's your USP? We would really get under the hood of your business, to understand what makes a really good connection for you here in Ireland and why,” says Rani. “Before we even booked the flight for you, we would start to make the calls to match you with potential business partners here in Ireland. We then start to put that together logistically. Let’s say, you're flying to Shannon, then you go down to Cork, but maybe you leave from Dublin. We have that logistical know how to make it all work together really well, so that not a second of your time is wasted.”

In the course of a visit, the Moneypenny Group would facilitate meetings with potential partners, arrange a tour of appropriate business networking groups, and local chambers of commerce. “We would've done all of that leg work for you because we have the local connections. Ireland is quite a small place. But it's hard to get into if you're not already here.”

It almost goes without saying Moneypenny would get you cheaper, better, more convenient flights, and would whisk you away once you hit the ground to a fine hotel where they got you a better deal than any you could have on your own.