Is it true? Do many hands make light work? Or do too many cooks spoil the broth? Maybe your answer will depend on your individual inclination. It’s perhaps similar to how some people subscribe to “fortune favours the brave” in contrast to others who think it best to “look before you leap”. [...]
Have you heard of Mount Juliet? It’s a golf course here in Kilkenny. And I’ve been there a number of times – never to play golf – but to enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Back in August I was on my way there to meet my accountant for a cuppa. I thought I [...]
Last year I made a mistake. I left it until mid-June to plant my sweet-pea – my favourite flower. That was too late. All I could do was to give them lots of water, stem-support and slug pellets – and then hope for the best. Thankfully I still got a reasonable crop. [...]
Get rid of a customer and boost your profit? “How the hell can that work” you’re wondering? “And this is coming from Brendan who’s always harping on about focussing on customers.” No – I haven’t gone crazy. And no – neither am I contradicting myself. Let me illustrate with [...]
One Friday morning at the end of January I was talking to a friend who’s a business owner – and who was feeling overwhelmed. He was overwhelmed to such an extent that he wasn’t really looking forward to the approaching weekend. All the work that needed to be done just felt like a [...]
What do you do when you face a really tough challenge in your business? Give up? Keep banging your head against the wall and expect a different result? Get creative? Maybe medical researchers can help guide us – from their work on antibiotics. Antibiotics are fighting a war against bacterial infection. And [...]
“Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence.” So said Calvin Coolidge – 30th President of the US. He was in office nearly a century ago – 1923-1929 – but what he said is timeless. A few weeks ago Ireland played Germany – the worthy World Cup Champions this past [...]
I’m guessing that once or twice you’ve shared my irritation at being asked to answer bad questions? There I was one Friday a few weeks ago – answering a phone survey on banking services for small businesses. The guy was asking me to what extent I’d consider choosing particular providers. The first [...]
Recently I was on my way to a meeting with my accountant. The meeting wasn’t boring at all – and included two lovely homemade coffees! Anyway, on my way to the meeting I was driving around Kilkenny’s ring road – a ring road that has a footpath and cycle path alongside it. [...]
If you are in a room with 22 other people there is a slightly greater than 50% chance that at least 2 of you will share the same birthday. Do you doubt that? It would be natural if you did. It’s counter-intuitive. However, stay with me a little as I explain [...]