The Entrepreneurs’ Organization is an international network with more than 18,000 members across 75 countries. Founded in 1987, EO is a lot like a leadership support group, members say, where entrepreneurs can turn to each other to learn and grow, at home and at work.
The network has 201 members in New York, where members’ average age is 49; the average number of employees is 36 and their median sales are $2 million.
EO is not for networking but for support, members underscore. Neighbors and friends, even partners, and best friends, members say, do not necessarily understand the pressures of running a business. For that, EO leaders rely on each other in a group dynamic where members don’t ask for advice so much as share their experiences.
Members of the Rochester forum include Joe Crestuk, CEO webSURGE, LLC and Jason Pignagrande, Owner, Five Star Improvements Inc. For one recent meeting, ROC City Lifestyle sat down with Members Ken Bianchi, founder and CEO OMNI Security Security Inc., Ralph Dandrea, CEO, ITX Corp., Trevor Buccieri Founder, CEO and President, The Stay Young Center For Women and Justin Francisco, Co-founder, Upsender Email Management. Here is an edited version of that conversation.
Justin Francisco:
Your friends are your friends and you know, they don't always get what you're going through, but we do, right?
Trevor Buccieri:
It’s also an understanding that we share, that you kind of don't really get until you get into this room and then you spill it on what's going on. And you think, “Oh, this is potentially unrelatable,” and then everyone says, “Oh my God, I just dealt with that last week. And you feel relief. It's like, “OK, they get it.”
Ralph Dandrea
Yes, so it's a combination of being gotten and also learning from each other.
Question: What have you learned from each other that is the most useful that you feel comfortable talking about?
Trevor Buccieri:
I think just overall there's always a solution. There are multiple approaches to resolve something. I think that's my takeaway. Many times when you're looking at a situation, you're looking at it so close to the tree that you can't see the forest.
Perspective is something I've gotten from this group. It just reinvigorates you: It lights you back up. You can go back, tackle whatever it is, whether it's personal or professional.
Justin Francisco:
When you're running a business with employees and responsibilities and payroll, and you have regular life stuff happening–no matter what it is on either side or a combination of both--if you feel like you're dealing with it alone and then you share it with like-individuals in similar lifestyle situations, you realize that your situation isn't as unique as you think it is. Others are going through it and have been through it. That's really what it's about: sharing your experiences, growing and learning from them.
Ken Bianchi:
It’s like doing a trust fall: Getting to the point that you actually trust people enough to get to the deepest layers. We will give a rating at the end of this, unless there's been tears, you don't get a 10, you know? And it takes some time to do that.
We're not advice driven, we’re experience driven.
So it's like, “Have we experienced that?” And then we get a chance to deduce what we want to take from that. If we want to ask for advice.
Justin Francisco:
Yes. We don’t give advice unless we’re asked for it.
Trevor Buccieri:
Nobody likes to be told what to do, especially entrepreneurs.
Question:
How do you tune into your own voice and experience?
Justin Francisco:
My wife and I, we consistently work on harmonizing the homebase. That allows everything else to flow and to see opportunities.
Question: How do you keep your business approach separate from your approach at home with family?
Justin Francisco:
I did struggle with unawareness. I wasn't even fully aware of the effects that entrepreneurship and business and the drive was having on the home life, you know, I thought because of what I was doing and providing, creating. So it was the awareness and actually realizing that.
And this sounds very cliche, but starting my meditation practice is what brought the awareness to it. That was what made that shift for me personally.
Trevor Buccieri:
I love Justin's answer about the foundation at home principle. That is completely right. I can attest to that. It's almost like everything is great and you can really focus on, say, business or whatever you're trying to grow–unless the ball drops (at home), then it's like, attention goes there: Fix, reset, good.
As a part two, for me personally, it's am I growing? You know what I mean? Because I think it's like, what we know with business, what we can be certain of is uncertainty.
And I think that, to know that, “OK, am I prepared for uncertainty?” For me personally, it's like, “Am I growing? Do I feel like I'm improving? Am I showing up? Am I able to show up better?”
Justin Francisco:
None of this is a perfect journey, by the way. It’s very messy actually.
Ralph Dandrea:
That’s where I think meditation comes in handy is getting a clearing to be able to focus on one thing.
Trevor Buccieri:
There you go!
Ralph Dandrea:
You can clear everything out of your head, so you can take on one thing.
I'll take a few minutes, especially if something's throwing me off like a surprise is throwing me off. Before I address it take a few minutes to just kind of create that clearing so that I can step into it and work on something.
Question: How does that look? Is there a technique you use? Is there a type of meditation?
Ralph Dandrea:
For me a quiet place is better, dark is better than bright. I focus first on breathing, focus only on the breathing and then start to clear things out. As I become more aware of myself, then other things start to melt away and then I'm not thinking about those other things because a lot of our brain is not very helpful at keeping us focused.
"When I'm in my meditation, my subconscious can start to think about what really is important in my life."
"You just have to accept that you only have so much time, and you're never going to get it all done. So what are you going to get done?"