Earlier this week I attended a dinner in an Embassy in Dublin. It was a small gathering of "senior" business people who were meeting for a round table discussion on the state of business today. It was really interesting. There was certainly a good serving of anger. It came with the starter as the debate raged on about previous politicians, banks, developers and regulators. Blame is of course, an easy game. There were plenty of examples of excess and greed. The slight pause before the main course was good, when the "cuts" came up - the cuts in public spending. There was strong support for this, we can't go forward without taking our expenditure into hand. We must reduce it to acceptable levels. These cuts will be harsh, bound to cause some social unrest but the alternative of not taking this measure ourselves was unthinkable. A light began to emerge when the success of Ireland attracting overseas investment echoed around the room.

I was keen to interject at this point as I wanted to focus the conversation to the other side of the page. To selling. I know the cuts are needed and will be harsh. We need to cut to keep the national accounts in order. However while it is the case that we spend too much, we also sell too little. This is where I see real opportunity and real future. It is also something about which I am very optimistic. And I am not alone in this thinking. Many Irish business people are working very hard right now and selling well into markets outside of Ireland. Every time we engage with a prospect or client outside of Ireland we reduce on dependency on a market the size of Manchester. We are great at selling, we love selling and people like buying from us and doing business with us. Today every deal - no matter how big or small, done by an Irish business with an overseas customer is something to celebrate. These businesses must be encouraged and supported to go forward now, despite the general culture mood of anger and blame. They are the real light that shines.

Original thinking during a crisis is crucial. It's so easy to follow and often risky to stand out. Indigenous Irish businesses who export will lead us out of where we are today. My anger is gone, the blame irrelevant. I am excited about the future, I'm encouraged by my colleagues around me, I'm hugely optimistic about achieving a highly ambitious plan. Above all, I'm a proud Irish Internet businessman who holds his head up high when asked internationally how things are in Ireland. I believe in our innate capability. I hope my feelings came across the table!

Colm.