As a small business leader, you face greater challenges than ever before; competitors are relentless, customers are scarce and every day brings another wildfire that needs to be put out. Sometimes you feel like the proverbial gerbil furiously running on the wheel but getting no where. How can you, as a small business leader, rise above the daily fire fighting and focus on the big picture – the strategy that will move the business forward toward your vision. Michael Gerber calls this working on your business, not in your business.

Joining a Performance Roundtable is the best way to start working on your business. The concept is not new. Benjamin Franklin, early in his career, formed a group he called the Junto, He gathered a group of like minded tradesmen together to meet regularly for collective learning and problem solving. Napoleon Hill, in his classic Think & Grow Rich calls it a Master Mind group and a key component in his success principles.

Business leaders in large corporations have a board of directors, in-house experts and hired consultants at their disposal. These advisors may conduct in-depth research, analyze various scenarios and ultimately provide the leader with one or more recommendations. The small business leader facing the same critical decision has his gut and perhaps a friend or his tax preparer. And, of course, he’ll Google a few questions just to be sure. At the end of the day the gut usually wins out.

Making a critical business decision using seat-of-the-pants methods is like trying to defuse a bomb by using eenie-meeny-miney-moe to choose the right wire to cut. . There is a chance of success, but failure is just as likely. Even Jack Bower on the TV show “24” always calls headquarters for a quick bomb schematic download to his PDA before he squeezes the cutters.

Small business leaders lose millions of dollars each year due to poor business decisions and lost opportunities through indecision. Moreover, the isolation felt by these leaders can threaten their physical health and negatively affect their spouse and family. Small business leaders need ongoing support from trusted advisors on a regular basis and the best way to get this support is through a Performance Roundtable group.

What is a Performance Roundtable?

It is a group of 10-12 small business leaders who get together on a monthly basis to solve problems, share best practices and offer each other personal support. It’s best described by the formula 1+1=3. It’s not the number of people in the room but the collective knowledge and experience of the group that produce solutions exponentially greater than any one individual can produce.

Group members generally have the same level of experience and come from businesses of a similar size but non-competing industry. Vendors are strictly prohibited. Roundtables are not a place to network or sell your product or service. A Performance Roundtable group meeting is the place to think about your business strategically and use the combined knowledge and experience of the group to grow your business.

How can joining a Performance Roundtable help me?

It’s Your Personal Sounding Board

Like an informal board of directors, a Performance Roundtable challenges you to reach and exceed goals and brainstorm problems. You benefit from the collective wisdom of the group and can gain practical advice in a relaxed and confidential setting. Since the other members are from non-competing businesses, they have nothing to gain or lose from any information shared and can usually offer a different perspective on your problem. And, as you consider other member’s problems, you gain a broader business perspective learning how other leaders avoided or solved problems.

It’s Lonely at the Top

Leading a small business is tough and the business more often than not intrudes into the leader’s personal life and family. Who do you talk to when you are the leader of a small growing company? Friends and family usually have no idea of the issues faced on a daily basis. And, while there may be trusted employees in the business, there are some issues that may not be best to share with them. As fellow business leaders, your Performance Roundtable group knows what you are facing because they may have faced the same issues and isolation as you.

Achieve Your Goals

Successful business owners always take time to plan and focus on their business vision. A Performance Roundtable can provide the structure you need to get out of your day-to-day activities and really look at your business and where it’s going. As each participant formulates his goals, the rest of the group is there to hold him accountable and to support him if things don’t go as planned. Participants set up accountability structures to keep each member focused on the problem at hand.

Don’t go it Alone

Performance Roundtable are the best kept secret of great small businesses. Most participating businesses are generally more successful than other small businesses. Why? By regularly working on your business instead of in your business you chart a course that propels your business further faster. If you are ready to transform yourself and your business, then apply to a Performance Roundtable (same email from anchor page, “apply to a Performance Roundtable” should link to doetkin@enterprisecorp.com with subject “Performance Roundtable Application Request”) today.