Colm O’Reilly has been a gym owner for more than a decade, and in that time, he’s experienced some of the highest highs and lowest lows of entrepreneurship.
Colm knew very little about business when he first opened CrossFit Ireland’s doors, and he split with his business partners after just a few years. Still, he persevered, and with the help of his COO, rebuilt the gym from scratch in 2014. Today, the gym remains one of the most long-standing CrossFit affiliates in Ireland.
Colm discovered Two-Brain Business in late 2016, attracted to its data-driven approach to mentorship.
“Despite not being perfect students, (we) started to notice an improvement in our day-to-day lives,” he said. “When we became better mentees in early 2018, our revenue really started to take off.”
The gym saw a revenue increase of more than €11,000 in January of 2019 compared with January 2018. By January 2020, revenue had more than doubled.
“I joined Tinker (group) in June 2019, and it turbocharged our business and personal growth,” Colm said.
Now, he wants to help other entrepreneurs do the same.
“I want to see people maximize their life, and I’ve always enjoyed helping people,” he said. “I used to teach burpees and back squats, then I (taught) coaches how to help people. The next step is to help gym owners to maximize my impact.”
Colm is also passionate about helping gym owners navigate the mental and emotional challenges of entrepreneurship. In 2019, he founded The Mental Health Plan to help business owners manage stress and achieve peace, and his goal as a Two-Brain mentor is to help people “get unstuck and take action.”
“I’ve been as low as one can be, emotionally and mentally, and I know the way back,” he said. “If I can help (business owners) take calm, assured action and see that the more they invest in themselves, the more everyone wins, I’ll have done my job.”
Colm holds a bachelor of science in sports management, and in his spare time he enjoys reading, cycling and walking his dog.