There are an estimated 30 million small businesses with one to twenty employees in the United States. So why does it feel so lonely when you run one of them?
As a small business leader, your employees, significant other, and business partner(s) can help you through specific issues, but sometimes you need an outside perspective. You are a jack of all trades, CEO, accountant, IT department, marketing, and sales. There is never enough time, always new things to solve, and no clear line between your business and personal life. No one understands all of these things more than your peers.
If you think of yourself as an entrepreneur, small business owner, maker, boss lady, or hustler, your talents are unique, but most likely, your problems are not.
When you join a CST Peer Group you will meet monthly online with other small business leaders to work through common problems, celebrate accomplishments, and lean on each other in hard times. Between meetings, you will have a place to continue conversations, ask questions and make connections with other peer groups.
Each two and half hour meeting will focus on helping each other work through high-priority issues, collecting insight and resources, and holding you accountable to the commitments you made from the last meeting. Like you, the meetings are quick and focused. Your commitment of three hours and $125/month will be paid back tenfold.
Meeting Flow
1. Meeting Preparation
A step by step form to help you think through what issue you want to present to the group
2. Check In
Kickoff the meeting with a quick check-in, letting your peers know your mindset entering the meeting and the status of your commitments
3. Issue Sharpening
Work with one of your peers to quickly get your issue into a focused and presentable snippet
4. Issue Discussion
Step through each group member’s sharpened issue offering questions, thoughts, relevant experience, and resources. This is the heart of the process.
5. Wrap-Up, Commitments, and Resources
Acknowledge your peers, sign-up for your commitments, and prep for the next meeting
Why can I help?
I am a Small Business Owner
I run two successful small businesses. A consulting firm and a greeting card company that sells our products around the world. I didn’t get there on my own. The lessons I learned from my peers came in pieces and bursts only when I was randomly able to get together with my peers. I know the value and frustration of these chance encounters.
I have Diverse Experience
My career has exposed me to the operations of companies from two employees up to 100,000. I have worked in the defense, consumer goods, service, software, and non-profit industries. I earned my MBA and have been trained as a group leader and facilitator. I will use my network to bring in facilitators with deep financial experience, connections to other groups, and experience in equally diverse fields.
I am a trained Facilitator, Rocket Scientist and Systems Engineer
I like fixing problems. In my career, I have had the privilege of working and leading some of the most complex engineering systems in the world. I have seen highly functioning teams and communities solve the most daunting problems through their combined talent.