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No one set out to start a non-profit for entrepreneurs and small business owners; it just happened. And it has been an interesting trip along the way, with many, many people involved in making it happen.

In the summer of 1985 Carolyn Woodie and I were meeting each month for lunch to encourage and support each other in a very small business each of us had at the time. Carolyn suggested we should take some classes at the Anne Arundel Community College on “How To Start A Small Business.” The classes were interesting and very helpful, but during the break we both also appreciated talking with the other attendees and sharing information and expertise. Later the instructor said, “If you don’t have a mission statement, you didn’t have a business.” Carolyn and I agreed to continue to meet for lunch, but the next time they we would read our businesses’ mission statements to each other. We did; and the following month we invited another member of the class to join us for lunch. The group, if you can call it that at this point, has met every month of every year since that time and the membership has continued to grow.

When we were launching the group, I agreed to write a press release and on the appointed day I stood outside a steak house (Sizzler) on Rt. 50 with a sign in the brim of a hat saying, “Entrepreneur’s Luncheon.” Everyone bought his/her own lunch and gathered in one corner of the restaurant. We started friendships and shared information around the table. Not long after that, the group began meeting in a private dining room at Damon’s on Ritchie Highway in Severna Park, and we added a speaker talking about marketing. The same speaker spoke a year later when the group had moved to Busch’s Chesapeake Restaurant and 65 people attended— the largest group to that point.

 

 

In July of 1988 EE was incorporated and in May of 1989 received non-profit status from IRS. Both legal steps were done by either a member of the group or a friend of a member at no cost to the group. A number of members were in agreement, “if you ladies go away, we don’t want the group to go away.” Twenty years later, the group is still meeting on the first Wednesday of each month.

Early we, as founders, felt that EE should be a place where information should be shared freely, whether it was giving information or getting information. Over the years, that philosophy has endured, and EE has become known as a resource and support system for small business owners.

Entrepreneur’s Exchange has evolved and grown. Today there are roughly 150 members, and typical meeting attendance ranges from 60 to 70. Each monthly luncheon meeting follows a similar format and includes networking time, self-introductions, lunch, and a speaker.EE has a very tight focus – entrepreneurship. The programming is carefully selected to provide a powerful mix of shared experiences and how-to instructions, along with inspiration and encouragement. Speakers include an eclectic mix of business experts, successful business owners, authors, leaders, and practitioners.

At a recent retreat, the board identified what they believe to be the “X” factor that makes EE so successful. All agreed that we always leaves an EE meeting feeling better than when we arrived. This is the impetus behind our new branding initiative—”Positive Power for Success.”

I am pleased to say that I am still involved in the management of EE. As vice president of Next Wave Group, LLC, I share duties of EE Executive Director with Pat Troy, our firm’s president. We both truly enjoy our work with Entrepreneur’s Exchange and we appreciate the opportunity to work under the leadership of a truly dedicated volunteer board.