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You walk into a room, empty but for a table carved from crystal. Girdling the table are 11 other persons whose occupations are similar to yours.
You place ten thousand dollars on the table, your gift to the group. Each of the other 11 does the same. But this is a magic table. You don’t walk away with your own ten thousand. You get the entire hundred and twenty.
And so does everyone else.
The crystal table is a metaphor. Its benefits are real, but the stakes are much higher than a mere hundred and twenty thousand dollars. And you need not bring any cash. Bring instead the things you’ve learned over the years – your failures and successes, your experiments and discoveries, your golden nuggets of experience.
And everyone else will bring theirs. Are you beginning to see the power of a Peer Group?
My friend John says, “There’s a fundamental difference between a smart man and a wise man. A smart man makes a mistake, learns from it, and never makes that mistake again. But a wise man finds a smart man and learns from him how to avoid that mistake altogether.”
When people share their experiences in an atmosphere of respect and mutual trust, a special kind of magic occurs: smart people become wise and their businesses begin to grow.
The American Small Business Institute is about to launch Peer Groups of 12 persons each. Would you like to be in one of them?
Guided by a moderator and an agenda, each group will teleconference weekly for exactly one hour.
Extraordinary? Yes.
Exclusive? Yes.
Expensive? No.
The new member fee is just $500 and first year dues are only $200 per month. We have Peer Groups for gym owners, body shop owners, convenience store owners, restaurant owners and bookies.
Just kidding about the bookies.
We will, however, form an American Small Business Peer Group for just about any business category except jewelers. This is because jewelers already have the ultimate peer group available to them. Likewise, plumbers and HVAC contractors have extraordinary opportunity as well.
A: No. Membership lists are strictly confidential.
Q: Can my employees participate?
A: No. Our commitment to confidentiality requires that we limit access to owners only.
Q: Who will be the moderator?
A: Mike Dandridge, author of The One Year Business Turnaround will lead the first 10 peer groups to be formed. You'll be sent a copy of Mike's book immediately upon registration.
Q: Can I get a recording of sessions I miss?
A: Sorry, but no. Confidentiality again requires us to permit no recordings of the weekly teleconferences.
Q: Will there be a buying group?
A: No. Our Peer Groups are focused strictly on research and discussion.
Q: Will we occasionally have guest experts join us in our teleconferences?
A: Absolutely. Securing guest experts is one of the functions of the moderator.
Q: What, exactly, is a teleconference?
A: Once a week, at an appointed time, you'll dial a telephone number and enter an access code. This will patch you into a hi-tech phone bridge that allows everyone in the group to speak and hear. Additionally, you'll have the ability to log onto a website that allows the moderator to control what the group sees on their computer monitors.
For one hour a week, you'll be in a discussion group guided by an expert who has the ability to show you examples - on your own computer screen - of exactly what's being discussed. This includes Powerpoint presentations, profit and loss statements, examples of advertising, whatever the needs of the group.
Q: Will I ever meet the other members of my group face-to-face?
A: Yes. When the first five members of a group have been identified, the location of a founders meeting will be announced. This meeting will likely be held in a city with a major airport. Immediately after the announcement of the date of the founders meeting, the group and its moderator will work on adding up to 7 more members. Recommend your group ONLY to people whose opinion you respect. The magic of the table is only as strong as the 12 people who sit at it.
Q: Is there an additional cost for the founders meeting?
A: No. You'll be responsible only for your travel expenses, meals and hotel room (1 day, 2 nights) and a pro-rata share of the cost of the meeting room. This is usually just a conference room at the hotel.
Q: What is the purpose of the founders meeting?
A: To accelerate familiarity and trust among the members of the group.
Q: When do the monthly dues begin?
A: Immediately following the founders meeting.
Q: Will the other members of my Peer Group own a business similar to my own?
A: Yes. Managing the composition of the group is an important job of the moderator. He or she will also work to make sure that potential competitors are never in the same group.
Q: Does the group get to vote on whether a new member is accepted?
A: Your opinion does matter, but final authority always rests with the moderator. Rest assured that the members of your group will be true peers, business owners who, like yourself, have had to make difficult decisions and live with the consequences. Peer Group members often become friends, but the principal purpose of the group is intellectual exchange, not social interaction.
Q: What will I learn in a Peer Group?
A: One of the jobs of the moderator is to determine the areas of greatest need within a group and craft teleconference sessions to meet those needs. But be ready to do more than listen. The moderator will often appoint a member to do independent research and prepare a short presentation for the following week
Knowledge is power.
Are you ready to join an American Small Business Peer Group?
Upon receipt of your $500, your moderator will contact you for a chat. You'll also receive updates as new members are added to the group. When the fifth member has been secured, a founders meeting will be scheduled.
And then the magic begins.
Could your business use a little magic?