Philosophy
FOCUS Forum is where successful people go to further their success.
FOCUS Forum represents the art and science of forum. Significantly different than other types of forum, it is a proven process for maximizing the benefits and minimizing the risks of forum.
- FOCUS Forum provides the highest possible value and benefit for members.
- FOCUS Forum moves quickly by design. As a result, members get more done in the same amount of time as members in other types of forum. It makes the most of your time when every minute counts.
- FOCUS Forum is geared specifically for entrepreneurs, yet is equally beneficial for CEOs and other executive-level business and organizational leaders (including educational, church and non-profit leaders).
- FOCUS Forum limits the number of members to between 6 and 8. This is the “sweet spot” for forum success. Every member gets enough “airtime,” yet there are enough people to offer diverse opinions and input.
- FOCUS Forum is as much about life as it is about business, because the two are inextricably connected.
- FOCUS Forum is extremely cost effective. Basic membership in FOCUS is free. Once you are matched with a group, you pay a small membership fee of only $30 per month ($360 per year) for a non-mentored forum, plus minimal costs required to run the group (meeting space, food, retreats, etc.). FOCUS Forums that desire to work with a mentor pay an additional monthly mentoring fee starting at $100 per month .
- FOCUS Forums are self-run and therefore sustainable over time. They do not allow outside or paid moderators who might be looking for consulting opportunities.
- FOCUS Forum is based on the Golden Rule and relies on the mutual commitment, respect, trust and confidentiality of all members to make the forum work.
- FOCUS Forum follows a simple yet powerful process that includes a set meeting format, ground rules for success and members’ roles and responsibilities.
FOCUS Forum must be experienced to be fully understood.
Words alone cannot describe FOCUS Forum. To fully understand the benefits, FOCUS Forum must be experienced. If you would like to join a FOCUS Forum in your area, we can help.
FOCUS acts as a conduit to bring entrepreneurs, executives and leaders together to form their own FOCUS Forum leadership development advisory groups. We match members from non-competing businesses based on geographical area and personal and professional profiles and needs. Once two to three members are vetted and matched in a specific area, they self-select the remaining members to create a FOCUS Forum.
Once you are matched with a group, you pay a small FOCUS membership fee of only $30 per month ($360 per year) for a non-mentored forum. In addition, you will pay minimal costs required to run the group (meeting space, food, retreats, etc.) directly to your Forum.
Joining a FOCUS Forum involves commitment to the group, including:
- Staying with the group for at least one year
- Attending all FOCUS Forum meetings (typically 8 to 10 per year) and an annual retreat
- Arriving on time for all meetings and staying until the conclusion
- Playing an active role in facilitating/running the forum by fulfilling one of the positions
- Participating fully in each meeting
- Ensuring complete confidentiality and mutual respect
Your friends are not entrepreneurs and, honestly, don’t understand your challenges. Family is usually too polite to tell you what you really need to hear. And the challenges that keep you up at night can’t be solved by reading a book. Forum provides you with a group of people who walk in your shoes daily and understand the challenges you face. It gives you not only a ready-built board of advisers, but also friends who share your passions, understand your pressures and can provide relevant perspective. Forum provides the personal and private counsel that every business leader needs, whether they know it or not.