"Perfect wisdom has four parts."
- Plato
Good Day EWI!
My oh my, where did May go? I cannot believe it is the end of yet another month! My Presidency is whizzing by me at warp speed. Funny thing though is that when I started this blog nine months ago, I worried what on earth I would write about each week. That has never seemed to be an issue when it involves EWI!
This week I had the pleasure of travelling to our newest Chapter, EWI of Grande Prairie. It seems like just yesterday the board was there to charter the Chapter, however it will be three years ago next month!
I had the opportunity for a one on one visit with their incoming President and then a visit with their current President, followed by a meeting with their board, and then a membership luncheon. What a dynamic group of women we have there.
The primary purpose of my visit was part of our work to support those Chapters with <25 member firms. Yes, just three short years ago we chartered the Chapter with 37 member firms, and today they are just under 20. "What happened", you ask?
Well, as I shared with them, I remember having a bit of unease back in June of 2010 when we conducted their chartering ceremony as the Chapter was almost entirely comprised of entrepreneurs. Trust me, I love independent business owners. I am one! However, the very nature of being independent means we, as owners, have to see a return on our investments, more quickly than a traditional business with multiple revenue streams, might. Most of us cannot afford to take part in something that does not support us in return. It is strictly economics for the independent business operator.
As those of us who have continued on with membership in EWI realize, it takes a lot of time to garner business through EWI. It is all about building long-term relationships within the Chapter. While this builds, what we have to offer traditional businesses, is developing their employees. That is not necessarily a motivator for an independent business owner. So, alas, when a return is not realized in hard dollars within the first year of membership, many entrepreneurs walk away from EWI.
This is why we were so specific in including a necessary business mix for Chapters in the Standards of Excellence. Having 25% each of Small, Medium and Large sized firms gives a Chapter some stability in their membership base. We left the last 25% as an "other" category so that, dependent upon a Chapter's local business market, they could fill it with what is most applicable for the locale. A Chapter, by nature of its location, may indeed be comprised of 50% small firms, but they must have an equal number of medium and large sized firms too!
Medium and large sized firms give a Chapter stability in member representatives and revenue. We recognize that it might be an easier sell to approach independent business owners as you are talking to the decision maker right from the get go, but we certainly don't want to see a revolving door of members coming in and heading out after a year because of a lack of return on their investment. That makes it extremely challenging to fill committee and board positions, which leads into the "eco board" phenomenon, wherein you have the same people doing all the work, year after the year, until they too become burned out and walk away.
I know that Grande Prairie is now consciously trying to recruit firms in the medium and large sized category, and I also know that they will be back at 25 firms, or more, very soon! For what small firms bring to the Chapter is passion and tenacity. They are fighters and I know that they will succeed in this quest, as will all of our Chapters who embrace this model!
Well, it has been an interesting month and week, and no doubt that next week will be the start of a busy June too! I hope we can all take this weekend to get a little relaxation in with friends and loved ones.
Have a great weekend EWI!
- K
As those of us who have continued on with membership in EWI realize, it takes a lot of time to garner business through EWI. It is all about building long-term relationships within the Chapter. While this builds, what we have to offer traditional businesses, is developing their employees. That is not necessarily a motivator for an independent business owner. So, alas, when a return is not realized in hard dollars within the first year of membership, many entrepreneurs walk away from EWI.
This is why we were so specific in including a necessary business mix for Chapters in the Standards of Excellence. Having 25% each of Small, Medium and Large sized firms gives a Chapter some stability in their membership base. We left the last 25% as an "other" category so that, dependent upon a Chapter's local business market, they could fill it with what is most applicable for the locale. A Chapter, by nature of its location, may indeed be comprised of 50% small firms, but they must have an equal number of medium and large sized firms too!
Medium and large sized firms give a Chapter stability in member representatives and revenue. We recognize that it might be an easier sell to approach independent business owners as you are talking to the decision maker right from the get go, but we certainly don't want to see a revolving door of members coming in and heading out after a year because of a lack of return on their investment. That makes it extremely challenging to fill committee and board positions, which leads into the "eco board" phenomenon, wherein you have the same people doing all the work, year after the year, until they too become burned out and walk away.
I know that Grande Prairie is now consciously trying to recruit firms in the medium and large sized category, and I also know that they will be back at 25 firms, or more, very soon! For what small firms bring to the Chapter is passion and tenacity. They are fighters and I know that they will succeed in this quest, as will all of our Chapters who embrace this model!
Well, it has been an interesting month and week, and no doubt that next week will be the start of a busy June too! I hope we can all take this weekend to get a little relaxation in with friends and loved ones.
Have a great weekend EWI!
- K
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