#59 - Chatting With Colleen Cohen: I joined the rental industry with Coates Hire in 1973

Colleen Cohen has been involved in the equipment rental industry for the past 47 years, first joining the industry with Coates Hire in 1973. Throughout her career she has worked at the likes of National Hire, Abbott Hire, RentQuip and Baseplan Software.This episode was sponsored by Empiraa. Empiraa is the strategy software as a service that can help you unlock the power of strategy in your business. Launching in early 2022, Empiraa is offering a free 30 day trial and 50% off the first 6 months when you sign up pre-launch. This will be open till late November so make sure you get in now. Visit https://www.empiraa.com/Get in contact with The Rental Journal PodcastWebsite: https://www.therentaljournal.com/contact-usEmail: [email protected] Timestamps[02:16] - How did you first become involved in the equipment rental industry?[06:23] - Colleen talks about when Abbott Hire, St George Hire and Stephen Donnelly Hire merged to become National Hire[10:00] - What were the different rental software solutions you implemented over the years?[10:45] - Colleen talks through when she first met Greg Parfitt & Adrian Manning[12:37] - Colleen talks about travelling to the U.S to find a rental software for National Hire[19:38] - Colleen talks about how she got a job at Baseplan Software[22:07] - What advice would you give to somebody looking to change rental systems?[25:15] - What was it like working with Stephen Donnelly?[27:39] - Colleen talks about a memorable moment with the HIRA[29:36] - What was the safety like back in the 1970's?[35:16] - What was it like working in the equipment rental industry in the 70's as a female?[39:02] - Who do you think played a big influence on you from a mentor perspective?[40:28] - If you could give advice to your younger self, what would you say?[44:03] - How do you define success?