It's Lonely At The Top

It’s Lonely at the Top – Benefits of a Peer Advisory Group

Whether you are an experienced or new business owner, having a peer advisory board or team can make a significant difference for you and your business.

As business owners, we are faced with a variety of opportunities and challenges, some common and others quite complex and unique. While many business owners face their issues and accomplishments alone, some have discovered the power of peer support groups.

Having a sounding board of peer advisors who have “been there, done that,” who can share their best practices and objective feedback is powerful and effective for the support and evolvement of business owner leaders.

The foundation of any successful Peer Advisory group is that its members come from non-competitive businesses and strictly adhere to respecting confidentiality. What happens in a peer group meeting stays in a peer group meeting.  Thanks for the loan Las Vegas.

Meeting under confidential circumstances promotes the sharing of a plethora of sensitive issues that business owners are faced with. Whether just starting a business, shifting or growing one, the issues are real and the peer support invaluable.

Of course, not all groups are considered equal. Each organization has its own structure and every one of their groups has its own unique culture. No matter which organization or group is right for you, business owners should not face running their businesses alone.

The access to outside experience, objective advice, support and accountability can be expected to propel your growth in business and as leaders.

I share these opinions from having “been there, done that” myself. Having owned a structural engineering business for over 23 years, I spent almost ten of those years in a peer advisory group. My group consisted of a diverse group of men and women business owners, with companies generating annual gross revenues of at least $1 million dollars. I attribute much of my success, and sanity for that matter, to having a sounding board of trusted peers.

Today, I have the honor and privilege of helping second stage women business owners-generating at least $1 million dollars in annual revenues for services based industries and $2 million for manufacturing. As a facilitator for the Women Presidents Organization (WPO), I lead a group of 18 outstanding women business owner members in highly structured and effective monthly roundtable meetings.

While there are several, here are just a few Peer Advisory Groups that you may want to compare:

·         Women Presidents Organization (WPO) www.womenpresidentsorg.com

·         Executive Advisory Forum (EAF) www.executiveadvisoryforum.com

·         The Alternative Board (TAB) www.thealternativeboard.com

·         Vistage www.vistage.com

Feel free to contact me if you’d like my help in deciding which peer advisory group may be best for you.


Allison is a Certified Professional Coach, Licensed DISC and One Page Business Plan® Consultant and Facilitator with over 23 years of firsthand business ownership expertise, specializing in Communications and Strategic Planning. She strategically helps leaders and their teams get further faster
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