Inner Circle Helps Entrepreneurs And Owners Take Businesses To Next Level

Jan. 2, 2008 - PRLog -- PORTSMOUTH, NH — A local expert who’s spearheading a peer advisory group that allows business leaders to openly discuss their strategies and visions says many entrepreneurs and owners feel isolated and spend their time working in their business rather than working on their business.

As a result, Dr. Donald N. Sweet has started a Seacoast-wide Inner Circle group for entrepreneurs, business owners and company presidents to provide an intimate, creative and confidential setting for non-competing professionals to talk about their businesses and provide honest feedback to others in similar situations.

“It’s lonely at the top. I know as I’ve been there a couple of times,” said Sweet, a York, Maine, resident.  “On some issues, there is no one we feel we can turn to because we’re afraid we’ll concern our employees, conflict with our board or scare our spouse. We all need a safe haven to air out our thoughts, test our ideas and get unbiased feedback from people who understand, people like ourselves who are running companies.”  

Inner Circle International began in 1985, when a Minneapolis entrepreneur, Norm Stoehr, created an advisory program for entrepreneurs in his area. Now, more than two decades later, Inner Circle groups can be found across the country. Members of an Inner Circle group do not have customer or vendor relationships with one another. They are taken through a structured program called Vision Quest, which helps them define and record their core values, business overview, target markets, differentiators, vision and action plan for success.

“It’s important for people to understand that Inner Circle is not a networking group or place someone comes to get business,” said Sweet. “Many small- to medium-sized business owners spend a lot of time working in their business. Inner Circle is a think tank that helps people to carve out time to work on their business to take it to the next level, while aligning the business with their personal goals. Inner Circle is not just about business — it’s also about people — this is one place where Inner Circle really differentiates itself.”

Sweet, whose first group’s meetings will be held in Portsmouth, said the real drive behind starting Inner Circle locally stems from his time as an entrepreneur, owner and manager and his understanding of how difficult it can be. Upon first hearing of the annual fee-based group, he can recall saying, “Where were you guys when I needed you?”

“You can save yourself a lot of time, money and stress by having peers act as a sounding board in a structured environment and talking to a facilitator who has been in your shoes,” he said. “When I was running my most recent company, on a bad day, I could have paid for the yearly fee twice in one day with a mistake in the morning and another one in the afternoon. If I had a group of seasoned entrepreneurs, owners and presidents to talk to, I probably could have avoided one — if not both. This doesn’t even factor in those nights where you sit up in bed at 2 a.m. thinking, ‘oh my gosh ….’”

To learn about Inner Circle, visit http://www.TheInnerCircle.com. For information about meeting times or locations on the Seacoast, contact Sweet at donsweet@TheInnerCircle.com or call (207) 752-4053.

Website: www.TheInnerCircle.com