Patrick Cahill

Learn to focus and seek feedback from peers more quickly. The focused mindshare and capital will drive your success.

 

Patrick Cahill is an entrepreneur and the founder of #twiceasnice Recruiting, a firm that helps clients save money and hire better with custom built searches, 9.9% fee, and an 18-month guarantee. He has a background in marketing and lead generation, and prior to launching #twiceasnice, Patrick launched two marketing-based service firms he subsequently sold.

Where did the idea for #twiceasnice Recruiting come from?

Advising some of the most successful recruiting firms in the country and seeing how much inefficiency is baked into the standard industry model. With over 10,000 recruiting and staffing firms all doing it the same, it’s tempting to assume it’s how it has to be done but it was even more tempting, for me, to see if we could do it differently.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

I start each day with an early squash game – it wakes you right up! Once I settle into my office, most of my day is spent introducing our model to HR leaders across North America. I make my day as productive as possible because I’m able to trust my team to take care of their everyday items – while being available for when support is needed.

How do you bring ideas to life?

All my ideas seem to start in an Excel workbook… once I understand the potential, I float my ideas out to the team and see how everyone reacts. If there’s general positive consensus, we experiment by putting the idea into action before any attempt to perfect.

What’s one trend that excites you?

It’s not an entirely new trend but the continuation (and maturing) of the subscription based software model provides such accessibility for small businesses looking to make a big impact. Smart, focused deployments can make a world of difference.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

Routine and focus are two ‘self-taught habits’ that are essential to my productivity. I have a specific routine of how my work progresses throughout each day and week that I learned years ago helps me keep my days productive. Focus is a newly acquired habit that has allowed me to ensure my daily work has as much impact as possible by not getting distracted by ideas that do not address immediate priorities.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Learn to focus and seek feedback from peers more quickly. The focused mindshare and capital will drive your success.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

Sushi made fresh at the Walgreens Pharmacy nearby is as good as (dare I say better?) any sushi shop in downtown Boston.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Doubt myself with a hyper-critical perspective that drives me to continuously improve the operation.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

Developing a ‘multiples better’ value proposition that can be succinctly delivered through cold calling. Hundreds of relationships and millions in revenue has been generated for #twiceasnice Recruiting with this simple strategy.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

The mindset that allowed for ‘Wouldn’t it be cool’ initiatives are a past failure as I was not focused on where every dollar was being spent and it’s intended impact. I’ve become much more disciplined (focused) on how dollars should be directed.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

Coffee and snack bike carts on highly-trafficked biking routes that sell the goods of local bakeries. #nextunicorn

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

On babysitting and a quick-casual meal so my wife and I could enjoy a 3-hour stroll around Boston. We always end an evening walk feeling energized about the conversation that the sights along the walk help stimulate. We also get a strange satisfaction with the healthy boost it provides to our daily mile count.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

I live in Salesforce and would be temporarily professional lost without it. It stores exactly what I need to do today, the context for meaningful conversations, and organization-wide data on the effectiveness of all our marketing and sales efforts.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

I enjoy reading books that provide insight around a specific challenge and there’s no one book that’s right for all. My one book piece of advice is just because you bought it does not mean you need to read it all and a quick skim of a well-regarded book can provide an astronomical ROI.

What is your favorite quote?

“To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life.” – Fictional motto of Life Magazine from the 2013 movie The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty

Key Learnings:

• Frequently calculate the ROI of your action – will you get sufficient return by further refining that idea, trying that new tactic, or even finishing the book you just purchased
• Focus your energy towards the activities most likely to contribute towards great success – ignore or delegate the others
• Routines are especially helpful when confronted with the freedom to ‘do anything’ – find the right routine for you to catapult your productivity

Connect:

#twiceasnice Recruiting: www.twonice.com
#twiceasnice Recruiting on LinkedIn:
Patrick Cahill: www.patrickcahill.com
Patrick Cahill on Linkedin: