The Great Game of Business:

What are Open Book Forums™?
The Open Book Forum™ program gives owners and key team members of small to mid-sized businesses and even non-profit organizations the opportunity to draw upon the expertise and experience of other members to help find solutions to their business problems. Each Forum is a confidential group of leaders from non-competing businesses that meets regularly to share and gain practical knowledge and advice on the challenges and opportunities unique to business leaders - acting as an informal, confidential board of advisors to their membership. (These are not sales lead groups.)

Why join an Open Book Forum™?

• A Group of Peers: Being an entrepreneur is a unique choice. Not everyone will understand your issues and challenges, but your fellow entrepreneurs do. Joining a group of your peers can provide a welcome source of encouragement, learning, and inspiration
• Be Held Accountable for Success: Open Book Forum™ members hold each other accountable for setting goals and implementing plans.
• Sounding Board: Try out your ideas on your group, gain honest feedback, validate your strategies, build your business vision and avoid costly mistakes.
• Networking: Through your Open Book Forum™ you will meet other business owners who share your goals, visions and concerns.
• Unique Learning Experiences: Educational content geared specifically to help your organization succeed.
• Team of Experts: Your fellow Open Book Forum™ members will have wide-ranging skills, from marketing and sales to finance and accounting to technology and operations. The group will become an invaluable advisory board for you and your company.
• Great Game of Business: Open Book Forums are a part of The Great Game of Business. We share information and best practices related to GGOB and open book management. We'll help you improve your organization's performance by teaching your employees to think and act like owners.
• Coaching and Consulting: One-on-one coaching sessions between monthly meetings.

How is the Open Book Forums™ program different from other CEO roundtables?
Most other peer advisory groups allow almost anyone to join, meaning that you may or may not share business philosophies with your fellow members. Open-Book Forum welcomes leaders from any organization who aspire to run their business in a way that includes employee education and involvement, shared risks and shared rewards, and open communication. So, when you have a discussion with a fellow OBF member, you are ensured of a commonality not found in any other roundtable group.

Who is eligible?
Open Book Forums™ are open to CEOs and other key managers of privately-held small to mid-sized businesses. We also have groups available for directors and key team members of non-profit organizations, and for solo professionals.

How does it work?
Open Book Forums™ are confidential boards of advisors assisting with business problems, solutions and opportunities. A trained and certified facilitator runs the meetings and ensures that members fully participate and receive a quality experience. Forums are comprised of five to twelve CEOs or key managers from non-competing businesses, and are grouped according to company size and/or other criteria. Each Forum meets monthly for a half day.  At these meetings, members bring in specific challenges for discussion, and members offer solutions. Members report on their successes and challenges, and are held accountable for progressing toward goals and for implementation of recommended solutions for the issues we've discussed. Educational sessions and guest speakers are provided periodically at our meetings. Forums can add new members throughout the year.

What is required of members?

1. Because active participation at meetings is critical to Forum success, members must make every effort to attend all monthly meetings.
2. You must hold all conversations about your fellow members and their businesses in strict confidence.
3. Don't pressure your fellow members to buy your products and services. While you are free to do business with your fellow members, the buyer - not the seller - should initiate transactions between members. Any issues arising from member-to-member business transactions will become the subject of a group roundtable discussion.

What is the cost?
Dues vary with size of company, optional one-on-one coaching, etc.

How do I find out more?
Contact Chris Millsap for more information: ChrisMillsap@greatgame.com or 734-718-5659