By Kristin McLane, an EO Cincinnate member and upcoming graduate of the Entrepreneurial Masters Program (EMP).

I was ready, anxious and afraid. I was there to share, to experience, to convert. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

It’s year one of the EMP, an executive education program hosted through the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO).  Twenty years ago, this program started as an offshoot to a 5-year-old organization known as YEO.  Back then, the program was called “Birthing of Giants,” and the class rosters from the past 20 years stay true to that – there are some giants among us. 

Upon applying and being accepted into the EMP, I was ready to hear how I could build, transform and groom my business. I was anxious, as I was fifteen years into my business and unsure what was next. I was afraid that what I would learn might be more than I could take in. Drinking from a fire hose would have been easier.

When it comes to the EMP, there’s value in every interaction, every meal, every break.  The class immediately connects – it’s like Forum on steroids. My classmates were outrageous, courteous, funny, dedicated, passionate.

They tell us that competition for the program was intense; that we already have something in common, as we all appreciate the extraordinary value of the intense learning that the EMP offers. We discovered that we are special for having taken the time, chance and willingness to change our businesses and our lives by committing to this group. Not just this year, but for the rest of our lives. 

Over the course of three days, speaker after amazing speaker will go on to prove that when you make yourself your most vulnerable, when you surrender completely, when you ignite in the presence of others, you are going to transform. Yourself. Your life. Your family. Your business.

Every attendee is impacted by this. It’s just not possible to live with, learn with and expose yourself to 65 gloabl entrepreneurs and expect not to leave it totally different than you arrived. 

I realized on day one, year one, that I needed a breath of fresh air for my business. When we founded , we were on fire. We worked crazy hours. We did crazy things. Then, I found myself with processes and people and customers and credit and problems. I spent my time putting out fires, sitting in meetings, doing the very things that I had hoped to avoid.   

And then I took my first full breath of the EMP “air.” And I converted. As a result, I have transformed my business one step at a time in the past two years. I make bolder decisions. I fear less. I carry more confidence, and know that all will be well for me, for my business, for my family. And I owe it all to the EMP. 

I am ready. I am still a little anxious. But I am not afraid.

Assemble yourself. Create your world. Ignite you fire. Are you an EMP graduate or current attendee? Join us as we celebrate the 20th birthday of the EMP in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, from 25-28 October. Assemble with entrepreneurial giants from around the world, listen to speakers who will drive value in your life, create a new network of friends and exhange ideas with leading business minds. For more information, contact Leslie Baum, EO’s Senior Director of Global Learning.