How the world’s leading community of entrepreneurs (EO) is helping small businesses

As a small business owner, I have a very strong empathy with my clients. I think this empathy serves me well as I understand the time and cash constraints that prevent them from going all gung ho into the marketing activities I advocate.
And while I enjoy so many aspects of running my own business (marketing, working with my team, sales, consulting, and even clearing email!) I do constantly seek to push the “the next level”
Since leaving BNI (which is about networking) I was looking for something else to join.
I heard of  EO through my friend (and one of our clients) Julia Langkraehr.
Simply put, it’s “a community of entrepreneurs all over the world who connect regularly for more than what you would get in typical “networking groups”. It’s about peer learning, support, and honing  your unique entrepreneurial skills.”.
I hear great things about it, however, it’s for businesses who have reached a certain turnover level, which TLD isn’t at yet, and so I don’t qualify to join.
I was invited to an event to talk about a  programme called “EO Accelerator” 
The program, though new in the UK, has actually been running overseas for more than ten years, with 39 programs in eleven countries.  This gives  early-stage entrepreneurs (or those who feel it’s hard to push to the next level) the tools they need to take their businesses to the next level. I guess it’s pure luck that I was ready for something like this just when the EO EO Accelerator launched in the UK!

Who is Accelerator for?

It felt right for me, so I signed up – so I guess it’s for me!  And, the EO Accelerator programme is also “for businesses with gross annual incomes between US$250,000 and US$1 million (that’s £160,000–£640,000)”
It gives support from the CEOs of larger, more established businesses (members of EO). Once a business exceeds the US$1 million, they can become eligible to apply to be full members of EO. Not that that’s my only incentive!

About Accelerator

Accelerator (an Entrepreneurs’ Organization program) is the catalyst that enables first-stage entrepreneurs to catapult their businesses to the next level. Accelerator’s mission is to empower business owners with the tools they need to grow and scale their businesses and provide them with the skills to make them better entrepreneurs and leaders. Along with structured educational content focused on the core areas of first-stage businesses, Accelerator affords them the unique experience of learning from and connecting with the world’s most influential entrepreneurs.

The curriculum of the programme

There is a very extensive curriculum which addresses things like sales and marketing, increasing revenue, HR, finance and strategic planning, in a structured learning environment. And of course we get to network with many successful business people who are also on the programme or in EO It’s split into 4 main categories: “People”, “Strategy”, “Execution”, and “Cash”.

About the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO)

There are more than 11,000 business owners in 48 countries who are members of The Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO). It was founded in 1987 by a group of young entrepreneurs and 2015 is  EO’s 28^th anniversary.
EO allows entrepreneurs to learn from and support each other – leading to “greater business success and an enriched personal lives”. Membership is by invitation only. The average member is 43 years old.
You can find out more here www.entrepreneursorganization.co.uk.
I will no doubt be telling you more about this as time goes on – tomorrow is the first full on learning day!
Since it’s highly likely that you haven’t signed up, have a look at one of the “pre-learning” resources I have been sent as prep – hopefully this will tide you over till I have more news about EO Accelerator programme!