Accountability Groups for Boostrappers?

I\'ve done something similar for short stints (Founders Institute, meetup
group, small biz CEO forum) and the biggest takeaways for me were:

- Conversation had to be completely transparent. Written better than
oral (I really liked PBWorks/ wiki in making this transparent and linkable)
- Requirements around assignments (not necessarily achieving
deliverables, but at least doing the homework/ creating plan) needed to be
enforced otherwise group performs to LCD (lowest common denominator).
Seeing others deliver work quickly was a good spur to get it done yourself
-- pbworks was great for this as you could see who was updating and how
often
- Helpful if group has people from different functional background
(e.g., strategy, technology, marketing, operations, etc) with a mix of
quants and bigger picture people (but NOT BS quals -- those people just
waste air space with generic/ vague statements not rooted in any insight)
- Group members need to move at similar speeds -- very frustrating to
tie aggressive people with lifestyle people

Mismatch of group members caused most of the groups to fail -- my
recommendation would be to spend more time/ effort on putting together a
sustainable group with a nice mix of members and clear ground
rules...rushing through this part is often what makes these groups fail.

Hi Cory,

I have tried a few different CEO groups and the very best was/is Vistage.
They typically require a pretty sizable revenue run rate but if you find
the right group and group leader you can get in.

The group I was part of hit all the great points Vijay mentioned and it\'s
already organized. That said interview with the groups first. I was part
of an amazing group but they are not all perfect. In fact we had a few of
our group members that quit their group to join ours.... It\'s just like
anything else.

They are a pretty big organization so just go the website and give them a
shout to find a group leader in your area.

Chris

I have a similar issue that I\'ve been currently sitting on. If you (or others) were thinking of putting a group together I\'d be interested. Feel free to contact me off list.

Cheers,
Alex

Alexander Laszlo Ross
Founder, Presentista
Presentations completely reimagined.

e: a...@presentista.com
t: @presentista
m: +1.310.612.4630

On Dec 21, 2012, at 7:15 AM, coryhuff <coryh...@gmail.com> wrote:

A quick plug for FoundersNetwork -- about 250 founders from early stage
(angel to series A) tech companies. I think it skews towards the Bay Area,
but there is definitely some geographic diversity. I just joined last
month, and have gotten a lot of leverage from connecting with other
founders online and at gatherings. Cost starts at $250/year depending on
your fundraising stage. Might be a good choice for earlier stage folks
before looking at Vistage, EO, or YPO.

http://www.foundersnetwork.com/

Hey Cory,
For accountability check out nReduce. It\'s a virtual accelerator -- takes no equity -- that provides advisory and mentorship based on your record to follow through on commitments to grow your business. I cannot personally vouch for them, but I have read many good things.
For support and energy, check out a local Lean Coffee group -- there\'s probably one in your area. It\'s sort of like AA for entrepreneurs -- everyone\'s helping each other grow their businesses.

Best,
Eric
EricRogness.com(647) 297-7126

Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2012 07:15:30 -0800
From: coryhhttp://groups.google.com/group/founderdating?hl=en.

Cory, I\'m in Portland too, and feel the same way at many times. One thing I\'m considering is joining a co-working office like NedSpace or something. My friends that have worked in those offices tell me that the inspiration, help and general mojo they get from being around other startups who are working hard is really great. That alone may be helpful to you.

Jeff

Those are fantastic points, Vijay.

Thanks Vijay.

I\'ve had one successful group in the past that disbanded after 9 months. In
the two years since, it\'s been a slog to put one together.

I\'ve considered that perhaps being in a small city like Portland may put me
at a disadvantage for finding like minded people, so I\'ve considered
assembling an online only version, using Google Hangouts or something like
that.

Anyone have experience with this? Anyone interested in exploring something
like this?

On Fri, Dec 21, 2012 at 10:12 AM, Cynthia Schames
<cynthiascha...@gmail.com>wrote:

+1 on Vistage... my last group ranged from $2m to > $500m companies. As Chris said, it is a function of the group/leader and the nice thing is you have a broad range of industries, not just 15 people building software. A lot of help with organizational issues associated with growing a company... less so with pre-funded tech company. The biggest downside is $1500/month.

On Dec 21, 2012, at 2:06 PM, Chris Raniere <ch...@raniere.com> wrote:

EO (Entreprenuers Organization) is 100% founders with a min of $1M
business.