Tagged: EO GLC

My Opportunity to Give Back to EO

10 May, 2023

Like a lot of entrepreneurs, I find there are rarely enough hours in the day, but EO helped make me a more complete person. And I want to make time to help others enjoy the same experience.

By Ami Kassar, EO Philadelphia president FY2023-25

In late April, I attended the Entrepreneurs’ Organization’s Global Leadership Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, along with more than 1,300 EO members from around the world. In July, I will start my presidency of the EO Philadelphia chapter, where we currently have 111 members.

Taking on a leadership role in a non-profit organization is a big commitment of time and energy, especially while building a business. So it might be a fair question to ask why I’m accepting this responsibility. And how do I intend to manage my already-crazy schedule with this extra load?

How EO helped me evolve as an entrepreneur

The answer is that being a member of EO taught me that spending time working on and thinking about things other than my business is healthy. Before I started my EO journey in 2018, I was in survival mode. Life was about work and whatever time I could squeeze in for my family. It was around the clock, 24/7. Having fun and pursuing hobbies were not a part of my DNA. I considered attending a workshop or a talk that I didn’t think could improve my business a waste of time. I was completely caught in the rat race.

It was EO that slowly started to break me down and change my mindset. I remember my first Forum, where the members asked me—well, told me—to toss my cell phone into the bag during the meeting. I shook. I recall going on our first Forum retreat to Puerto Rico and participating in activities I would never have done in my “previous” life. But as I slowly became more comfortable talking about personal and business issues, it became clear to me that I was becoming a more complete person.

EO is more than just the Forum experience. There is an ever-expanding menu of local, regional, international, and virtual learning experiences to pick from. The more experiences that you can take advantage of and the more relationships with like-minded entrepreneurs you can build, the more transformational moments you will enjoy along the way.

For me, one of those moments came during an exercise members did with a group of Scaling UP coaches during the pandemic. We worked together on developing our One Page Personal Plans, a tool designed to help entrepreneurs and owners grow their businesses without sacrificing their personal lives.

My Aha! Moment

During this exercise, I had an epiphany. A friend said, “Ami, you close loans to pay your bills and keep your lights on, but let’s face it — your passion in life is helping entrepreneurs grow and succeed.”

As I took that in, I realized that he was right. And suddenly my perspective changed about what was possible. I am not sure I would have accepted the EO Philadelphia chapter presidency if it had not been for this experience.

EO provides a natural platform for me to continue this vital work. In EO, we have regular learning events, and most of our 17,500 members worldwide meet in monthly Forums to work on their businesses. But the real magic of EO happens when our members have epiphanies like the one I described above. And if I can help make this community more robust, other entrepreneurs will have similar experiences.

The power of entrepreneurship

I had another one of those transformational moments on our last day in Cape Town. Earlier that same week, we rallied about 60 EO members to Mzansi Restaurant in Langa township. We wanted to experience the local culture. Sadly, the “mama” and founder of Msanzi is in hospice care in Cape Town. While we didn’t get to meet her, we did meet her husband and two sons. One, Mbasa, runs the restaurant, and the other, Sabu, has a transportation company that organized the vans that got us there.

We arrived and were escorted into the restaurant, and then the security gates were closed. We ate delicious food and listened to beautiful music. But most inspiring of all was how Sabu explained how his mom and dad started the restaurant, the principles their parents taught them, and how they marketed their family business. Deep in the surrounding poverty of the township, they have built a thriving business.

Together We Grow

A group of us put some money together, and on our last day of the trip, the brothers took us to an orphanage in their township. About 36 kids were living in a small shack. They had beautiful smiles but no running water or electricity. The worst part was that maybe 20 yards away, a party raged at the local pub.

On one hand, it felt great to go into Langa township and contribute some money to help the children there. But it was also clear that our donation couldn’t begin to address or even make a scratch into the larger issues.

But I am hopeful that with the collective energy of entrepreneurship, with strong, steady progress from the more than 17,500 members of EO worldwide, we can together try to make the world a better place. And with this commitment in mind, I stand ready to start my journey as EO Philadelphia president.

Contributed to EO by Ami Kassar, an EO Philadelphia member who will serve as that chapter’s president in FY2023-25. Ami is the founder and CEO of MultiFunding, a Philadelphia-based consulting firm that specializes in helping business owners achieve ambitious growth goals through creative and personalized funding solutions. His work has helped create tens of thousands of jobs.

This post originally appeared on 21 Hats and is reposted here with the author’s permission.

For more insights and inspiration from today’s leading entrepreneurs, check out EO on Inc. and more articles from the EO blog.

Categories: Entrepreneurial Journey Impact LEADERSHIP Make a Mark members

Tags: Ami Kassar cape town entrepreneurs' organization EO GLC EO Philadelphia forum GLC 2023 Multifunding

EO Members Share Their Favorite In-Person Moments from 2022

16 December, 2022

In 2022, EO members enjoyed a long-awaited return to in-person events at the global, regional and local levels. We asked EO members about their most memorable moments and inspiring in-person encounters in the EO community. Here’s what they shared:

EO Global Leadership Conference (GLC) and MyEO Women Summit

“It’s been great being back together, especially with other leaders at EO’s Global Leadership Conference (GLC), where we learned together in our respective tracks and also learned from great speakers. Daniel Pink’s presentation, The Power of Regret, provided an opportunity to rethink and re-frame my mindset.

“The MyEO Women Summit in Barcelona was also fantastic, with 100 other women and men experiencing the sounds, sights, and flavors of Spain. Winnie Hart‘s presentation on how to Stand Out as a Thought Leader provided great tools that reaffirmed why I do what I do.”

— Katty Douraghy, EO US Central Bridge, president, Artisan Creative

UGG founder Brian’s Smith’s story at EO GLC

“I am happy that in-person learning is back. I get tremendous value from the speakers and opportunities to connect with fellow EOers in our chapter.

“My favorite learning event this year was hearing UGG founder Brian Smith’s story at EO GLC. His story reminded me we’re on an entrepreneurial journey—it’s not a destination. It was inspiring to hear how his perseverance carried him through, and how he discovered new micro-niches that resulted in UGG achieving levels he never thought possible.

“We have all faced challenges in the last few years. Brian’s story was a prime example of entrepreneurial spirit and determination.”

— Rick Gardiner, EO Minnesota, founder and CEO, iAffiliate Management

Meeting new EO friends at global events

“Meeting EO members from all over the world for the Tomorrowland Music Festival (near my hometown) was an unforgettable experience! We had drinks together, partied together and of course there’s a strong level of trust amongst EO members so it’s very easy to connect.

“More recently, 90+ members were together in Qatar for the football World Cup. There were members from all over—including Ecuador, Argentina, India, and the US. We met up for football games, exchanged tickets, explored the city together and helped each other if needed—because we could easily trust each other as part of the EO family.

“I think that’s the most important thing in both those events: Thanks to EO, you are immediately connected into a network of people whom you can trust and rely on without having to look for it in a foreign country.”

— Shrowen Shah, EO Belgium, owner of Passion Je we ls

Skiing and talking business with EO friends

“I went skiing with two EO members in Breckenridge, Colorado. One from Florida and the other from Colorado. I’d never skied with either of them—and they don’t know each other.

“We talked personal and business. My Florida EO friend shared e-commerce resources, and I sent him two podcasts that pertained to his business. He was in town with family, so I got to meet them.

“My Colorado EO friend just purchased an iconic zip line and rafting company. We talked strategy and EOS on the chairlift. We thoroughly enjoyed sharing our common love for skiing and business.”

— Byron Walker, EO Colorado, founder and CEO, Survival Frog

EO Entrepreneurial Masters Program, Year One

“For me, it was EO Entrepreneurial Masters Program (EMP), Year One. It is fascinating to share the experience with 65 like-minded entrepreneurs and learn together for four days of full networking and knowledge.

“The best thing is that we meet every year for three years, which allows us to keep in touch. I even have an EMP Forum aside from my regular EO Forum, which makes the relationship with seven other entrepreneurs outstanding. I can’t wait for our next in-person session!”

— Alex Kassab, EO South Florida, co-founder, Morelia Gourmet Paletas

Our in-person team retreat

“We held our 2022 in-person retreat in Fayetteville, NC. Why Fayetteville? Because my second-in-command/integrator just had a baby. To make it easier for her, we rented a beautiful home nearby, where we stayed together.

“We cooked and ate meals together, played games, plus of course, we did strategy and planning work. It was incredible. Several team members had never met, and it strengthened those relationships 100-fold.”

“I showered them with love and attention. I cooked for them—bacon, of course!—and created experiences that bonded us.

“As convenient as it is to work remotely, nothing replaces in-person connections. Laughing with each other, challenging conversations, and just hanging out all make such a difference.”

— Wendy Lieber, EO South Florida, co-founder and CEO, ContentBacon

Reconnecting with my team

“For me, it’s been reconnecting and rebuilding the collaborative and fun environment we once had (you can’t quite build culture over Zoom!). We started with a “come as you please” approach to getting our team used to being back in the office. We had been working remotely for over a year; we needed a grace period.

“We then adopted a hybrid work model where team members would be in the office 2-3 days a week, on the days of their choosing. We finally landed on a more structured hybrid model of being in the office Tuesdays through Thursdays and working from home the rest of the week. This framework has really worked well for us! For teams like ours that require creative thinking and collaborative engagement, it feels like the optimal model.

“We prioritize team bonding and collaboration during our days in the office. Overall, we’ve had a smooth transition back into the office, and we credit our hybrid approach. Having a structured plan has allowed us to be flexible yet still have collaborative, engaged time together on a regular basis.”

— Zahir Palanpur, EO Atlanta, founder and CEO, Azul Arc