Where did the idea for JUSTTIP come from?

The idea came from our own experiences really. Back in 2021, I wanted to leave a tip in a coffee shop but I didn’t trust that it would go straight to staff. I began to question why there wasn’t a way of leaving a tip directly without the need for cash. My Co-Founder Ciara [Walsh] also worked in hospitality from the age of 15, so knew what it was like to not get her tips. That’s where the idea for JUSTTIP came from; from the start, our aim has been to put money back into the pockets of people that need it the most, in real-time. We launched in July 2021 and within a week, we had processed about €6,000. Within a month, we organic customers from the UK looking to use our solutions. Today, we’ve onboarded 400 establishments and over 7,000 staff across Ireland and the UK.

You’ve also just launched JUSTTIP Flex. Can you tell me about the new solution?

It’s a new hand-held, mobile tipping solution that’s been developed for restaurants, pubs and hotels offering table service. It lets customers choose their tip amount in a separate transaction from paying the bill. Like the fixed machine, customers can tap with a bank card, phone or watch to leave a tip in just three seconds.

Are there plans to launch any further products?

We have a number of products in the pipeline. There’s lots that we want to do. We’ve just hired someone internally on the product side, so there’s lots of new innovations on the horizon. Watch this space!

What do you attribute the success of the company to?

I think it’s just a really simple solution; employers manage tip distribution using the employer portal to monitor tip collection and distribution. For employees, tips are paid directly to their bank account every Tuesday. Tax management tools are also available to help with calculating liability. We’re doing what we set out to do, which is making a massive difference in people’s lives.

How does JUSTTIP help businesses reduce costs?

It saves business owners the 11.8% PRSI liability due on every tip. Just think about a business that’s doing one million in revenue and 10% of that is tips – that business is paying anywhere between €5,000-10,000 a year in additional payments. In December 2022, legislation was passed in Ireland around the sharing of electronic tips and gratuities. Employers must now distribute tips to employees in a fair manner and similar legislation is going live in the UK later this year. The legislation definitely boosted our business and I think it showed us that we were definitely on the right track.

Are you planning to expand the business?

Yes, we’re expanding at the moment and planning to launch into regions outside of Ireland and the UK. Sustainable growth is key; we previously tried to scale into the US but we were burning through cash, with no revenue. Since we set up the company, I think we’ve both learned a huge amount around making a company sustainable. We also have 14 team members at the moment, that number will increase as we expand.

Who are your customers?

We have all types of businesses on board – hospitality, barbers, hairdressers, coffee shops. Quite a few of our customers have come to us organically. We have all the Pret a Manger sites in Ireland, along with Insomnia coffee shops. Our solution also reduces a business’ administrative burdens. The average business spends anywhere between three and six hours a month on tips admin, putting tips aside and pushing them out to individualised bank accounts. With JUSTTIP, that time on admin is reduced to about five minutes a week.

How daunting was it to set up a company at just 19 years old?

I think we had the idea and just went with it! I describe it like surfing. You start off paddling and then you get on the board and ride a wave. You never really stop to ask yourself why you’re surfing, you just think, I need to not fall off. We established JUSTTIP to help people and to start a career for ourselves. Things seemed to fall into place, we’re going with the flow and it seems to be doing some good in the world. Of course, there are some areas that are challenging; people management at such a young age can be difficult. If you don’t have the experience, then you can be taken advantage of.

Have you availed of any financial supports?

Funding at the start was very difficult. Would you give a quarter of a million quid to a couple of youngsters with no business plan or customers? As we grew though, we managed to attract those supports and today, we’re a HPSU client (high potential start up), the youngest in Enterprise Ireland’s portfolio.

What are the ambitions at JUSTTIP?

The goal is to become the de facto, like Hoover back in the day. Hoover was the first vacuum cleaner brand to come to market and became synonymous with the product. We want to be known as the people delivering equitable payments to employees. Our aim is to build market share around an ethical brand that’s looking to actually help people.