Business Leaders Round Table

Business Leaders Round Table Managing a business, whether it is your own start up or a high level corporate office, can be a lonely journey. How do others handle the challenges and intensity? Is this or that problem local or universal? Who can you let off steam with, brainstorm with, bounce ideas off of and trust to give you honest feedback? The Greater Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce offers member business owners and senior managers an opportunity to join an exclusive Business Leaders Round Table. This is a year long forum which meets monthly to exchange ideas, present problems and opportunities and help each other explore their way to new successes.

Facilitated by Sam Sargent, owner of the consulting firm Human Resource Asset Management Systems, LTD, the Roundtable is limited to around a dozen participants who must be Chamber members. Sargent's extensive HR and consulting background allows him to provide unique insights and helps him to keep the group balanced in terms of sizes and types of industries represented, as well as filter applicants to those who will most benefit from the experience.

If you are interested in learning more about participating in this year's Roundtable, please click here. You will be contacted for more information.

Business Leaders Round Table Interest Form

Business Leaders Roundtable Accepting Applications for New Members

2008 Participants Review Value of Program

One of the most valuable resources a businessperson can have is the helpful, knowledgeable feedback of their peers. Whether fostering a startup or managing at the corporate level, accurate timely feedback from like-minded individuals creates a support network that is tough to rival. To this end, the Greater Colorado Springs Chamber is proud to host the Business Leaders Roundtable. Organized and led by Sam Sergent, owner of the consulting firm Human Resource Asset Management Systems, LTD., the Roundtable is a year long intensive forum for small business owners and corporate executives to compare notes on challenges, opportunities, and strategies available to its participants.

Sam’s extensive HR and consulting background allows him to provide unique insights and helps him to keep the group balanced in terms of sizes and types of industries represented, as well as filter applicants to those who will most benefit from the experience. When questioned about the myriad benefits gained from participating in the sessions, this year’s attendees offered up a similar response: That time spent monthly working on the vision and scope of their businesses as well as more practical logistics was invaluable to the growth and welfare of their companies.

“I have been inspired by the level of commitment and sense of community created by this group,” says Menno A. Schwaner, Assistant Vice President of Business Relations Banking at Wells Fargo, who attended the Roundtable this year. He continued that he was also pleasantly surprised by the similarities in the challenges each member faced.

In a similar fashion, Epsen Jansen, CPA and Managing Principal of Padgett Business Services said he values the constructive criticism and feedback he received, leading him to change aspects of his marketing for the better. “It’s also a different and more intense way to get involved,” says Epsen, “over and above networking at a Community Business After Hours.”

Barry McCann, New Business Development for Current, Inc, a self professed lifetime learner, felt he derives benefit from the input of others and appreciates the opportunity to use the forum as a sounding board. For him the participants were provided double exposure as a focus group, as they also represented the same demographics as his customer base. “Sometimes the feedback reaffirms what you are doing,” says Barry, “and sometimes it challenges your decisions.”

All forum members are given a time to present their unique situation to the group and receive feedback from the others. Each week, a different problem is tackled by the group, which allows the collective to gain ever-increasing insight through the examination of various problems. Even when an issue is not directly related to their field, members are often able to at least gain a new perspective on a tangential issue of their own. The benefit to all participants is substantial, and the value each member derives is directly proportionate to how much he or she is willing to allow the group to effectively critique each unique situation.

This was my first real experience with a “mastermind group”, and as other people have suggested to me, it works!” says Greg Eisenbeis of EISengineering. “I learned a lot of valuable lessons in marketing, management, and company vision. The feedback I received really moved me to understand how my “story” was perceived by others. That was one huge bonus, but the second bonus came out of the blue. I became much clearer about my intensions toward my business and my personal goals. This program really created a shift for me.”

The Chamber is always looking to expand the benefits and programs it offers to its members, and the Business Leaders Roundtable is no exception. A new Roundtable constituted of Chamber members who own their own business or are leadership executives within a business is currently taking applications. Other Roundtables will be started throughout the year as demand continues. For more information or to apply, please call the Chamber at 635-1551.