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The life changing power of a tribe
In 2008, I was invited to join the Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) and become the 11th member of a forum of 10 other entrepreneurs in Atlanta. I wasn’t quite sure what I was signing up for, but it turned out to be a life-changing decision and undoubtedly one of the best I have ever made.
To join EO, you must be the founder or majority stakeholder of your business and have achieved at least $1 million USD in annual revenue. EO has thousands of members worldwide, and in each city, members divide into forums typically consisting of 8 to 12 members.
The rules of the forum are simple: no member can be in a competitive business with another member. If members wish to do business with each other, they need to disclose this to the forum and seek approval. The objective is to avoid any scenarios that would hinder members from being fully transparent about their lives and businesses.
Forums meet once a month for three hours or at a cadence that suits them. Each member updates the forum about their personal and business life, sharing both positives and challenges. Members hold each other accountable for being vulnerable and transparent. If anyone seems to gloss over something, they will be respectfully called out. Additionally, one or two members present an issue from their business or personal life for feedback and experience sharing. There is a strict expectation that what is said in the room stays in the room, a rule that has never been violated in my 16 years with my forum.
Can you imagine the bond, friendship, and trust that develops when you share your successes, darkest moments, fears, and insecurities with your forum? I had no idea how powerful and life-changing this would be.
Being an entrepreneur can often be lonely. We work hard to project to our customers, employees, investors, friends, and spouses that we have it all figured out and have a master plan. Having a forum to share successes, challenges, darkest moments, and seek advice from 10 other people who are going through or have gone through similar experiences has proven incredibly powerful. The solutions, strategic thinking, and empathy I’ve witnessed in my forum are far superior to anything a consultant or coach could provide. No one knows you like your forum does.
As you can imagine, sharing so much with your forum mates results in them becoming your closest friends and confidants. The trust and bond we have with each other is something I didn’t think was possible.
As I look around the room at our meetings and think about how we all started as rookie entrepreneurs, I am humbled by how much we have grown as humans, how much success we have achieved, and how we have all become better spouses, friends, community members, and entrepreneurs because of this small group. I am forever thankful I found my tribe and that they invited me in.
My purpose in this post is twofold. First, for any entrepreneur, finding a group of other entrepreneurs to bond and share experiences with is critically important to your sanity and the degree of success you will achieve in your personal and entrepreneurial life. Whether through EO or one of the many other organizations, find your people and invest the time to be present with them. By the way, I also joined the Young President’s Organization (YPO) in 2008 and am still a member, but I never joined a YPO forum as I went all in on my EO forum and didn’t feel I could give that level of commitment to two forums. The best piece of entrepreneurial advice I can give is, do not hesitate, go find your tribe and do it now.
Secondly, I want to publicly thank my forum members for all their support over the years. I am in awe of each one of you, the kind, generous humans you are, and what you have achieved on all levels. Looking forward to what the future has in store for each of us!
Thank you to:
