So when we get FAQs we often get asked who are we? What are we about? What sort of people are we?

Our website gives some insights into our professional identity but probably not so much about our personal identity.

Having grown up in Dublin, our principal, Fiona Carmody was always keen to balance business life with country living. This goal was achieved 15 years ago. Fiona’s hobby outside of work is the Farm she runs with her husband John in Co Meath ably assisted by their family dogs.

When Fiona is not in boardrooms, in training rooms, on Zoom sessions with clients or digging through Business Plans and Cashflows and Profit and Loss Accounts, she can be found on the farm checking livestock, checking fences or walking the dogs or in the Wicklow mountains with family and friends.

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As January comes to a close and we are 10 months into a series of lockdowns here in Ireland due to the Covid 19 Pandemic I am so grateful. I am one of the lucky ones. Everyone is well and business has been great, in fact more than great, it has been inspiring. For the past 12 months I have had the opportunity to work with some of the most amazing business owners. These owners have been willing to change, to pivot, to uproot themselves and to really challenge themselves to make their businesses relevant in the lockdown. They have gone from traditional bricks and mortar business to online business, they have gone from office based to being dispersed nationally, they have changed products, changed production methods, changed delivery methods, changed purchasing behaviours, changed sales methods. To have had the opportunity to work closely with these people has been a privilege. To all our clients who chose to work with us during this pandemic and who trusted us to guide them during these challenging times, thank you. I promise to continue to work with you and support you on the next stage of business and market recovery.

Remember this will come to an end, but our new business methods may be here to stay.

Don’t you just dislike all those articles etc that go on about New Year, New You. Can I just say, there is no need for a new you. You are perfect as you are, a work in progress, continually growing, evolving and learning. However, your business may need a few new year tweaks, especially given the last 9 months of 2020.

2021 looks like it will continue throwing many challenges at us from a business perspective as well as a personal one, so if we haven’t started yet, we need to start reviewing our business and possibly making some changes to our product/service offering or delivery.

Many of our businesses will close to the public until probably early or mid- March. So we have to revise our overall business strategy, how we will deliver our products/services to our customers. We have to consider how our customers will find us, engage with us and communicate with us.

Time to get your team together and do a strategic planning review if you are to hold and grow that customer base in 2021

Wishing you all well. Stay safe.