Category: Small Business

This Might Not Work

Travelling east towards Dublin in the old N4 at Moyvalley you will see a piece of waste ground just off the main road. It is in front of what used to be ‘McGovern’s’ pub and just before you see ‘Fureys’ pub on the left. It is an area of approximately a half acre, I would… Continue reading This Might Not Work

The Vital Importance of Signals in Your Business

Imagine you have had the proud pleasure of attending a child’s graduation from university. And imagine you book a table for 10 at a local restaurant, and look forward to the food, drink, company, and  company of your family in a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere.  Imagine, though, that the restaurant staff send out the wrong signals. … Continue reading The Vital Importance of Signals in Your Business

Feeding the Birds-a 5 Minute Story Out of the Ordinary

Using story is one of the most effective ways of communicating and persuading. A story can be as short as 3 seconds, or as long as a lifetime. The video below is a 5-minute story and you will probably recognise the 3 “acts” or “stages” in it. Making this video is the product of a… Continue reading Feeding the Birds-a 5 Minute Story Out of the Ordinary

20 Years’ Experience or 1 Year Repeated 20 Times?

When you are considering getting expert advice from a consultant or other professional, and you are concerned about their claims of relevant experience, ask yourself whether they have one year’s experience repeated multiple times. Or whether they genuinely got 20 years of varied, wide-ranging experience in the sphere of activity that concerns you. This is… Continue reading 20 Years’ Experience or 1 Year Repeated 20 Times?

My Origin Story

I found the photographs this week, worried I had lost one in particular. Turns out I had put it away so safely I could not find it. Anyway, here it is. On the back it says “Feb ‘87, started trading in December, ‘86, sold in February ‘89, bought Navan July ‘89” This is where my… Continue reading My Origin Story

Building Your Tribe (There’s One for Everyone)

I stumbled across a YouTube channel over the weekend and it proved, if any proof were needed, that there is a market or tribe for almost everyone. The guy was a mature man, I would estimate in his 60s, and the channel started out as a guide to men’s grooming, hair, and so on as… Continue reading Building Your Tribe (There’s One for Everyone)

The Remarkable Power of Video in Bestowing Authority

A lady from Utah or Idaho or Ohio or someplace in the United States emailed me last week. She wanted me to advise her in relation to some difficulty she was encountering with a government or State department in the United States. She had seen me on YouTube and was impressed and decided I was… Continue reading The Remarkable Power of Video in Bestowing Authority

Success-Is It Luck, Genius, Hard Work, Serendipity?

It was 1987 or 1988 when I met him. He went on to become one of the most successful and high-profile figures in Irish business for the next quarter of a century, or thereabouts. And his success has always puzzled and annoyed me. Because my gut feeling, from my observation and conversation on a Saturday… Continue reading Success-Is It Luck, Genius, Hard Work, Serendipity?