AIBF ENTREPRENEURS UNIVERSITY
in association with Future State
‘THE OWNER'S TABLE’
5C's Certificate for
Business Owners & CEOs
Not Every Business Owner Gets a Seat
Are you running your business, or is your business running you?
The Owner's Table is a practical, no-fluff executive certificate programme for business owners and CEOs who know there's a gap between where they are and where they could be.
Over five power-packed weeks, you will master the five disciplines every serious business owner needs, so you can think sharper, lead stronger, and build better.
📅 When - Every Wednesday, 20th May to 17th June 2026, 10am – 12pm |📍 Where - ZOOM
With an in-person meeting at the All-Ireland Entrepreneurs Summit, Croke Park
15 places only (AIBF Entrepreneurs University fully sponsors program fee)
If you have to think about whether this is for you, it probably isn't.
REGISTER YOUR INTREST BELOW!
INVESTMENT & APPLICATION
Your Seat at the Table
Business All-Star Members
Fully Sponsored
No cost. Maximum 2 participants per company
Non-Accredited / General
€349 ex-VAT
Per participant. Enrollment by application only.
Enrolment is by application and suitability only. Please register your interest and we will confirm your eligibility within 48 hours.
Fifteen places available. First come, first considered.
5 WEDNESDAYS. 5 DISCIPLINES. 1 CERTIFICATE
5 C's
Creative. Client. Communication. Clerical. Connection.
Most business owners learn the hard way. Years of trial and error. Costly mistakes. Skills picked up too late. The Owner's Table gives you the five core disciplines that high-performing CEOs rely on, built into a practical five-week programme you can apply in your business from week one.
Each session is two hours. Every Wednesday morning. No recordings, no passive watching. This is a live, interactive programme where the work happens in the room.
PROGRAMME DETAILS
Fifteen places. Five Wednesdays. One certificate worth earning.
Dates: May 20th - June 17th
Schedule: Every Wednesday, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Format: Online via Zoom
Note: Week 4 takes place live at the All-Ireland Entrepreneurs Summit at Croke Park on Wed 10 June.
Please see below weekly module details
Week 1:
The Workload Reality Check
Wednesday 20 May | 10:00am to 12:00pm | Zoom
Most leaders do not have a time problem. They have a visibility problem. Work is scattered across meetings, messages, decisions and interruptions. Before you can fix anything, you need to see clearly what is actually happening. This session exposes where your time is really going and introduces the 5C framework as the lens that will guide the entire programme.
What you will learn:
- Why modern leadership work feels fragmented and reactive
- The hidden cost of context switching and constant interruption
- How lack of visibility leads to poor prioritisation
- Introduction to the 5C framework as a tool for clarity
- How to audit your last 10 working days to reveal the truth
Key takeaway: You do not need more time. You need a clearer view of your workload.
Week 2:
Creative & Client: Protect What Drives Growth
Wednesday 27 May | 10:00am to 12:00pm | Zoom
Not all work carries the same value. Leaders often default to what is urgent rather than what moves the business forward. This session focuses on the two disciplines that matter most: building the future and delivering in the present. You will learn how to protect both, and why failing to do so keeps your business dependent on you.
What you will learn:
- Why Creative work is the foundation of long-term growth
- How Client work can quietly take over and create unhealthy dependency
- The difference between linear effort and leveraged impact
- How to set boundaries that protect your highest-value work
- How to introduce protected creation time into your working week
Key takeaway: If you do not protect creation, your business will always rely on you.
Week 3:
Communication & Clerical: Stop the Silent Drain
Wednesday 3 June | 10:00am to 12:00pm | Zoom
The biggest drain on leadership capacity is not always obvious. Communication and administration expand quietly, filling every gap and breaking focus. This session shows you how to contain and control the categories of work that consume your time without creating real value, and how to reclaim that time for what matters.
What you will learn:
- Why Communication expands and fragments your working day
- How Clerical work signals gaps in your systems and team ownership
- The impact of unstructured communication on decision-making
- How to batch, contain and reduce low-value work
- Practical rules to stop these categories taking over your week
Key takeaway: If you do not control these categories, they will control your time.
Week 4:
Connection: The Multiplier Most Leaders Underuse
Wednesday 10 June | 10:00am to 12:00pm | Zoom
Week 4 takes place live at the All-Ireland Entrepreneurs Summit at Croke Park. Five hundred business owners and CEOs in one room. This session shifts connection from an afterthought to a deliberate leadership lever. Not more meetings, not more noise. Intentional interactions that expand your reach, your thinking, and your capacity.
What you will learn:
- Why connection is not social, it is strategic leverage
- How strong relationships reduce pressure across your business
- The difference between reactive networking and intentional connection
- How to approach conversations with clarity, purpose and outcome
- Simple ways to turn interactions into long-term opportunity
Key takeaway: Connection is not an extra. It is how you multiply your impact without increasing your workload.
Week 5:
The Leadership System: Design Your Week
Wednesday 17 June | 10:00am to 12:00pm | Zoom
Clarity without structure does not last. The final session brings everything together. You will design a personal weekly system that aligns your time, energy and priorities around the 5C framework. You will define what stays on your plate and what no longer needs to be there. The programme closes with your Executive Certificate presentation from AIBF Entrepreneurs University.
What you will learn:
- How to structure your week around your highest-value work
- Building a repeatable system that survives pressure
- Defining what you keep and what no longer needs your involvement
- Leaving with a working system, not just a set of notes
- Executive Certificate presentation: AIBF Entrepreneurs University, Class of 2026
Key takeaway: You will not just understand the 5C framework. You will be living it.
YOUR PROGRAMME FACILITATOR
SHAY LYNCH - FUTURE STATE
Author · Award-Winning Thought Leader · Business Strategy Expert
Shay Lynch is one of Ireland's most respected voices in business strategy and growth. As an author, systems thinking expert, and award-winning thought leader, Shay has worked with companies ranging from large multinationals including Boston Scientific and Johnson and Johnson, to ambitious Irish SMEs building for scale.
Shay learned the value of systems thinking the hard way. During the global recession of 2008, he and his business partner turned their renewable energy company around using this approach. That experience is the foundation of everything he teaches.
A seven-time Business All-Star and recognised thought leader, Shay shares his expertise through his writing, through media outlets including Business and Finance magazine, and by working directly with business owners who want to lead and operate at a higher level.
FAQs
Everything You Need to Know
Q: How much time will I need each week?
Each live session runs two hours, every Wednesday from 10:00am to 12:00pm. Expect to spend a little time between sessions applying what you have learned in your own business. The real work happens when you take it back to the office.
Q: Will sessions be recorded?
A: Sessions are live and not recorded. This is intentional. The value is in the room — the discussion, the peer learning, and the direct access to Shay Lynch. Missing a session means missing that week.
Q: What happens at Week 4 — the Summit?
A: Week 4 takes place live at the All-Ireland Entrepreneurs Summit at Croke Park on Wednesday 10 June.
You will arrive with a connection strategy prepared in advance, engage with 500+ business owners and CEOs, and apply the week's learning in real time.
Q: When do I receive my certificate?
A: Your Executive Certificate from AIBF Entrepreneurs University is presented at the end of Week 5 on Wednesday 17 June. Certificates are awarded on successful completion of all five sessions.
Q: Is there support during the programme?
A: Yes. You will have access to Shay Lynch as your course facilitator, the AIBF support team, and a community of peers going through the programme alongside you.
Q: Are there any prerequisites?
A: No formal prerequisites. A passion for building a better business is essential.
Are you proud of your achievements as a business?
This is your chance to potentially become an All-Star Accredited Business and
be recognised for excellence in your industry
About All-Ireland Business Foundation
The All-Ireland Business Foundation (AIBF) is an independent national body that identifies, acknowledges and supports the country’s most ambitious and visionary business leaders.
As the awarding body for Business All-Star Accreditation Quality Mark, it identifies and recognises best-in-class Irish businesses that deserve recognition for their trust and customer-centricity. Currently, there are over 400 companies that are accredited.
Since 2014, over 2500 companies have participated in our programmes. The Foundation also hosts the annual All-Ireland Summit and quarterly forums while promoting peer-learning and collaboration among it’s accredited companies.
About Business All-Star Accreditation
Business All-Star accredited companies are progressive indigenous Irish businesses that meet the highest standards of verified performance, trust and customer centricity.
We believe in a marketplace where Best-in-Class companies are clearly identifiable and where consumers can purchase with confidence from All-Star accredited businesses.
The Foundation promotes its accredited businesses to Irish consumers, giving them confidence and reassurance when making their purchasing decisions. The Foundation offers Accredited All-Star businesses the opportunity to engage in peer-dialogue, collaboration and support each other by forming part of the foundation's TRIBE - The Register of Irish Business Excellence .
ABOUT ALL-IRELAND BUSINESS FOUNDATION
National body responsible for accrediting Best-in-Class Irish businesses, convening the All-Ireland Business Summit and Accreditation.
Contact us: info@businessallstars.ie
