The Sounding Board is, well, a … Sounding Board.

Colm O’Brien is a Seasoned Businessman, SME Business Owner, Author and Professional Speaker and once he realized the need, he conceived of and founded The Sounding Board to help other SMEs.
And it is a Board, as in, it has other ‘Sounding Board Members’ each with complementary skill sets, each sharing a passion to help the SME Business Owner – to help you.

What (or who) is The Sounding Board?

A Trusted Group of Experts that Specialize in:

  • Sales – Would you like to convert more of your sales pipeline?
  • Marketing – Do enough people know you exist? Want help telling more?
  • Branding – What does your brand DNA say? Does it need attention?
  • HR – Would you like to take the mystery out of hiring the right people?
  • Finance – Is your business cash-strapped? Like to explore options?
  • Banking – Want to learn more about non-traditional funding?
  • Team Building – Need help getting your team on the same page?
  • Operations – Need help providing your product/service profitably?
  • Profitability – Turnover is Vanity, Profit is Sanity; want more?
  • Scalability – What if you could 10X your business in 5 years?
  • Systems Development – Need help delivering consistency?
  • Customer Care – Like to learn how to reduce client ‘churn’? 
  • IT – is your business future-proofed?

What to do next?

Using the dropdown menu, choose the area of your business journey that is most problematic for you just now and pop us some bare bones detail.

We’ll be back to you for a chat by phone within 24 hours after which we can arrange a face to face meeting over coffee if we both feel it worthwhile






Where did the idea come from?

Colm O’Brien came up with the idea for The Sounding Board when working with a prospective client who asked him, “What exactly do you do?”

He replied, “I’m like your sounding board – you are building your business, you use me as an experienced set of eyes and ears to bounce ideas off so you can test them and then implement them, or not, as the case may be.

I won’t spout text-book theory, but in fact will use my decades of business building experience to offer suggestions along the lines, ‘Based on my understanding of what you told me, if I were you, I would probably do x, y or z.’

“Good response.” she said and hired me!

We’ve been working together ever since.

How much will I invest?

The phone call is free but to avoid the time wasters out there, you will invest €97 in that initial consultation over a cup of coffee with me or the relevant Board Member.

That initial face to face (or skype) meeting will last approx 90 minutes and our expectation is you will leave there lighter within yourself, with a broad strokes roadmap towards solving your problem which you can begin to implement immediately.

However, you may want The Sounding Board to work alongside you to resolve your issue, and if we decide to work together, that once-off investment of €97 will be discounted off the total cost of any program suggested.

Sound fair? We think so.

Sound us out.

KIND WORDS

  • I read Colm’s book and it spoke to me unexpectedly. I knew my life was out of sync, but I didn’t know why. I was working very hard but all I seemed to be doing after years of effort was treading water. So I met Colm for a coffee. Now I have a plan. I know what the Life I Really Want Looks like. I have been honest with myself as to where my life and my business were when I started the process. I am happy, energised and on track.

    Niall

  • My life was too busy. I had no time for me. Colm O’Brien had me stop and think and ask myself how I wanted my life to look. I did. I am now happier and more focused. I really believe I am on track to create the life I really want.

    Maria

  • I was struggling with my decision to remain a second generation part of a family business that was bumping along the bottom for decades. I met Colm O’Brien and began to get clearer on the Life I really wanted for me and my wife and so gained the courage to make a change.
    It wasn’t easy. It hasn’t been comfortable, but it was the right decision.
    I am happier and more enthusiastic about my life
    than I have been for years

    Tim

  • I finished Colm O’Brien’s book ‘Feeding Johnny’ in 7 days! That might not sound like an achievement to most of you but coming from the girl who is still reading the same fiction novel I started five months ago – that is an achievement. I just loved it. It’s a great read. Honest. Insightful. Inspiring. I got a great kick out of it and it ignited in me an enthusiasm for business that I wasn’t sure still existed. Then I met Colm for coffee and I really began to get clear on where my life is, and more importantly where it can be. I have regained the clarity I had misplaced, am back on track and I am grateful

    Mairead