Why I Stay a Member of EO Boston

Member Blog - Wendy Pease

December 14, 2022

Talk about a well-kept secret! I’ve owned an eligible business, Rapport International for years and had never heard about the Boston EO chapter. I wrote an earlier blog about why I joined EO, now I want to share why I stay a member of EO.

As of this writing, it’s been just under three years since I joined, and I’ve experienced benefits well beyond what I first expected. The biggest one is that I’ve found my “tribe”. I have built relationships with people that understand my life, share values, and are fun to be around. I know that whoever I sit next to at an EO event is going to add insight, information, humor, or value in the conversation that we have.

In addition to finding my tribe, these are other benefits:

Leadership – All members lead companies and they do so in very different ways. By joining the board, I have been able to see different styles of leadership and bring the qualities I like into my daily life. My biggest takeaway is from former President Kathy Doyle who leads with appreciation and gratitude. Even when asking for a little favor, she shows great appreciation. I will do anything for her and feel good about it. I try to bring leadership with appreciation back to my company.

Networks – EO members have a way of supporting each other and the culture spans the world. When I was in the process of publishing my book, “The Language of Global Marketing” soon after I joined EO, I found the MyEO group for Authors and Speakers run by Katty Douraghy out of California. She brought in great speakers to talk about best practices in this area. In the group, I learned helpful suggestions on publishing from other members. I am extremely grateful to have connections with this and other people around the world to share ideas and suggestions. There are daily interactions on Slack, WhatsApp, and Connect EO for us to interact.

Travel – If I want to travel anywhere in the world, I can find other EO’ers to meet. In Boston, I’ve had dinner with people from China, Peru, and other parts of the US when they’ve visited here. I’m looking at going to S. Africa with the board for the annual conference (some or most of it is paid for by the chapter when serving as a board member), when I went to Madrid to accept an award, another EO member was at the same conference – making it fun to know someone already. A fellow member just got back from a social trip to Antarctica; the singles group on WhatsApp has a lively discussion on where they are meeting up to ski or beach; every forum does a retreat to a new place with exciting adventures. The opportunities for learning and travel are endless.

Deep relationships – when I became a member of EO, I had to be “forum trained” before participating in a forum. A big part of the training is learning how to go to the 5%. We all have issues and problems when running our companies and usually the issues stem from emotional blocks, relationship issues, or blind spots. If we stay at the surface level, we can’t get to the heart of the problem. By being open and vulnerable, we solve problems faster and have better resolutions. It’s amazing to connect with EO members and quickly be able to understand how to communicate at a deeper level than the usual cocktail party chatter. I like to feel so connected with people I consider my “tribe”.

Access to answers – Sometimes, I may not need to go deep. I just want a quick answer to “what’s the best CRM to use, or what’s your feedback on applying for the Inc. 500. For this kind of feedback, I go to the chapter or global chat groups and get lots of experience shares.

Thinking Big – I’m surrounded by people who have successfully grown or sold businesses, and many don’t have to work anymore. Yet, as entrepreneurs, we always have ideas and energy. This energy I get from being with other entrepreneurs inspires me. Rather than feeling less than or inadequate, there is a culture of supporting each other in our own personal journey. It’s fantastic to see my blinders removed to think bigger than I did before joining EO.

Ideas – Being around such smart successful business owners, I get ideas. I hear about new trends like cryptocurrency and podcasting, or speakers that inspire and educate. I like being in the know!

Traction or Scaling Up – Running a business takes structure and if not for EO, I might not have heard about these books. Our company implemented the Traction system and runs much more effectively now. Learning about this and access to grants offered through the State of MA to pay for an advisor, Crews and Co to help us has been tremendous.