Irish Independent

‘I felt completely lost as to who I was … I needed more’ – meet the mums who started their own businesses on maternity leave https://buff.ly/ZqLUGzL

Tenant criticised by RTB over unfounded claim that landlord made ‘derogatory’ remarks about his sexual orientation https://buff.ly/EuBIzdE

Asta Jurksaite didn’t set out to buy a house in Ireland. In fact, she and her husband Gintas had saved up for years and eventually bought a property in their home country of Lithuania, but they never moved back. “Life happened and we fell in love with Ireland and we just decided to stay here,” she says with a smile. As she turned 40 this year, Ms Jurksaite and her husband paid off their mortgage, ahead of the already-ambitious goal they had set themselves. The couple bought their three-bedroom, semi-detached house in Drogheda for €210,000, which she estimates would now go for closer to €400,000. “And then probably five years down the line it will be like half a million, when you think about the way it goes,” she adds. “We decided not to upgrade anything, not that we would need to do much. It was in good condition. Obviously, we did some minor things like repainting walls or things that we can do ourselves, like DIY,” she says. “To this day, the kitchen is so embarrassing, but I mean, it's functional, it works, it's just aesthetically not pleasing or maybe not fashionable anymore. “We decided not to invest in that because it's a big €10,000 or €15,000 that could go towards the mortgage" Read here: https://buff.ly/VodS8or

‘Irish businesses are very concerned’ – ISME calls for a balanced response to US tariffs

Dear Vicki: ‘Could my successful solo start-up go bust if I hire staff and open a second outlet?’ I’m really nervous about expanding, though, because I have seen so many successful businesses end up in trouble due to over-reach. On the other hand, I am haunted by the possibility that I am missing a major opportunity by not scaling now. Is this something I’ll regret later? More: https://buff.ly/0WY9ZMi

Cyber-security expert Aoife Noone, from Co Galway, visits schools to educate children on how to be safe online with the Think Smart Cyber Safety and Mindset Programme. She said: “Online porn is impacting children, absolutely. Children as young as six have been exposed to porn and they’ll never be the same. Those kids become a lot more aggressive to other kids in school. More: https://buff.ly/qs9lF7r

Catch up on the business stories you may have missed.

The week ahead in business: Tariff talk, Eurogroup meeting, wind energy convention and CPI https://buff.ly/h7FLYqt

US treasury secretary Scott Bessent strikes defiant tone as he rejects US recession https://buff.ly/bXtugLP

The front page of the Irish Independent on Monday