Coffee with Colm

‘Leverage’ - The Reason Why Michael O’Leary and Sir Richard Branson Get Paid Whether They Go To The Office Or Not - A Coffee with Colm Episode From The Archives. I had the great pleasure of being interviewed by Nicola Connolly Byrne during the week, for her Soul Chats Podcast Series. We could have chatted for hours! Nic and I grew up in the same area, five minutes (and given she’s only a young one...

Thumbs Up To The Problems In Life - How To Stay Focused On Your Goals Can you see your future in 2020 vision? Do problems and obstacles knock you off course too easily and too often? If so, welcome to the club I USED to be a member of, until I discovered the power of giving a thumbs up to the problems life throws my way. In this Coffee with Colm episode, I used the familiar term '2020 Vision' howe...

This is the final part in this trilogy, or mini-series if you will on How to Build a Sustainable Business. Have you ever noticed, a three-legged stool never wobbles? Never. It's not possible. Doesn't matter what the ground under it is like, it will always sit steady - not necessarily level, but steady; we can learn a business lesson from that. Your business, and ours can benefit by us focusing on...

A three-legged stool never wobbles, ever. It's not possible. Doesn't matter what the ground under it is like, it will always sit steady - not necessarily level, but steady. We can learn a business lesson  from that. Your business, and ours can benefit by us focusing on three things, legs if you will, Brand, Systems, and People, The first leg is Brand - we looked at that last week. Today, let'...

The Three Things You Must Have To Build A Sustainable Business Part 1 - A 'Coffee with Colm' Episode from the Archives As Carambola commences its twentieth year of business with an annual turnover of €10m, I am happy to share what we learned about building a sustainable business - by considering the humble three-legged stool. A three-legged stool never wobbles, ever. It's not possible. Doesn't mat...

Most People Do Not Want What You Have To Sell. Here's How To Turn That Fact Into A Positive - A 'Coffee with Colm' Episode from the Archives None of us likes to hear the word 'NO'. Yet, it can be the most liberating word in the English language looked at it in a certain way. He, she, or they who collects the most nos wins, simple as that. Everything is a numbers game; sales, succeeding at building...

Having Problems is a Fact of Life. Deal with it! Here's How...

How To Break Free From The Gravity Of Bad Habits…  A 'Coffee with Colm' Episode from the Archives

What To Do When A Key Player Leaves Your Organization… A 'Coffee with Colm' Episode from the Archives

Is That Your Own Milk, Madam?" How NOT To Do Customer Care Then... How To Knock It Out Of The Park!

Someone once said, if you won a million in the lottery, you'd better become a millionaire real quick, or you'll lose it and for a while that confused me. I used think if you won a million, you'd be a millionaire, and technically that may be true in the moment, but the reality is, if you don't have a millionaire mindset, and millionaire habits, you won't remain millionaire for long. Same goes for b...

Originally recorded back in 2017, this week's 'Coffee with Colm' from the archives refers to two particular clients that were clearly annoying me - truth be told I now can't even recall who they were! But I fired them. Now, clients are hard enough to come by, without us firing them because they annoy us, I hear some say, and while that may be true at times, we have to ask the question, 'are they w...

I met some people in 3D for the first time this week! Some, I've known for years but only from the shoulders up, and up until this week, only through a video screen. But this week, I had the privilege of attending All Ireland Business Foundation's Munster Entrepreneurs Meet-Up and Summer BBQ . It was wonderful and congratulations are due to Elaine, Kapil, Ciaran, Briga et al for creating something...

I used to be an optimist. These days I'm optimistic. Subtle difference, but different nonetheless. Years ago, I stumbled across a story about an American POW (Prisoner of War), Admiral James Stockdale, who managed to survive more than seven years in the most horrendous conditions in the prison camps in Hanoi, North Vietnam, where he was taken when his fighter plane was shot down. How he survived -...

You have heard it said that Time Is Money, but what if it's the opposite? I believe Money Is Time! How much does a cappuccino cost? A €3 coffee costs seventeen minutes at minimum wage* by my reckoning! And the problem is you can never get those seventeen minutes back because time is one truly irreplaceable resource available to you and me. What can you do about it? Have a listen to find out. I inv...

I have to admit to enjoying rummaging about in my archive material and this week my attention was drawn to this one - Hedgehog For Breakfast. Hedgehog For Breakfast is a mini-chapter in my book, "Feeding Johnny - How to Build a Business Despite the Roadblocks" and it refers to a concept I stumbled across in another book, by author Jim Collins. In it, Collins talks about the lessons we can take fro...

I like dipping back into the archives. It's interesting to see the same lessons are relevant over and over again. This week's 'Coffee with Colm' is timely because it's as relevant in my life today as it was when I first published it back in 2016 Life is a testing ground. That vision you have for your future will be tested, by life itself, to see are you worthy of it. Life will throw punches your w...

One of the most influential books I've read so far has been The Cashflow Quadrant (or Rich Dad, Poor Dad 2) by Robert Kiyosaki. I had been struggling for years trying to figure out how some people got ahead, while I was caught in the trenches, batein' it out day after day for a paycheck. Around the turn of the century, Kiyosaki explained it to me. I've never looked back. It's not easy, but it is s...

Between 2003 and 2005 our first business, a former Bewley’s Café Franchise, was failing – nothing could save it and we knew it. I wanted to crawl into a hole and say “Oh well, I tried,” but something told me to push forward. I’m glad I did. As a result we built a € multi-million business employing hundreds of people and feeding tens of thousands of school children every day. Perhaps you are feelin...

On Zoom, We Are All The Same Height! But We're Not. On Zoom, We Are All Nice People, But Are We?

Ever wonder what is The Speed of Life? I worked it out! Have a listen

Miracles Take Time - Hang In There And Trust

We all struggle. This past few weeks have been challenging for me and I have had to dig deep just to stand still - have you ever felt like that? The good news is, I managed to stand still and here I am on the far side of a fallow period, brought on by contracting COVID and then struggling to pace myself as I re-emerged into a world that appears to demand we go from zero to 100MPH in 4.3 seconds! A...

If Your Phone Was At 3% Charge, You'd Plug It In. What About YOU? Do You Recharge Regularly? POYOOMF

No Decision is a Decision. But Sometimes No Decision is the best Decision; here's why.