December 2005

Above: John Bogert, left, invites local business owners such as Kathie Hartman of Hartman Personnel Services Inc. and Roger Sustar of Fredon Corp. to provide a support network for peers through the Entrepreneurs Club. Photo by Kim Cassidy.

Head to Head: Entrepreneurs share trials and triumphs
by Cindy Illig-Lum

John Bogert, CPA, started the Entrepreneurs Club 18 months ago as a value-added service for his small- to midsize business clients.

"I thought it would be great to put our clients in touch with other business owners to network," said Bogert, president of Bogert & Co., a financial services company in Mentor.

The club members started meeting over lunch and Bogert quickly learned that they had a need to share their stories. As Kathie Hartman, founder of Hartman Personnel Services Inc. said, "It's lonely being a business owner. There's no one to commiserate with."

What began as a meeting of 15 or so entrepreneurs turned into monthly presentations attended by more than half of the club's current membership of 125.

Bogert believes small business owners participate in the club in search of advisers. "They don't have boards of directors like publicly traded companies, yet they're looking for people they can trust to provide direction and advice."

Dianne Myers said the Entrepreneurs Club provides "a unique opportunity, the only one of its kind in Lake County." She is the club's vice president of marketing and owner of Marketing with Vision in Mentor.

The only requirement for membership is that one is a business owner and agrees not to use the club to solicit clients.

The no solicitation rule translates into luncheons without your typical hard-sell, networking flavor. Instead, Bogert said there's an atmosphere of honest and open discussion. Speakers talk about their experiences from the heart and aren't afraid to share their successes as well as their failures.

Luncheon speakers are asked to work from an outline that the members came up with. "We learned that a lot of the business owners are more interested in the human side of owning a business," Bogert said.

Speakers talk about family history, educational choices, career moves, and how they got their business started. What has been most poignant, however, has been the no holds barred discussion of personal triumphs and troubles.

"I enjoy listening to other people and if I can help one person not get into trouble like I already got in trouble, it's a good thing," said Roger Sustar, one of the speakers. Sustar founded Fredon Corp. in 1969 and had a few years of experience to share.

Selecting speakers has been pretty easy, Bogert said. "Lake County is full of outstanding business people and the Entrepreneurs Club is a way for them to share their vision."

Past speakers include James Hambrick of Lubrizol Corp., Cynthia Moore-Hardy of Lake Hospital System, and Sustar. Upcoming on the agenda are the founders, presidents and chief executive officers of Lake Business Products, Trend Consulting Services, Moving Solutions, Invacare Corp. and The Last Moving Picture Co.

One speaker was Mark Small of Cleveland Construction Inc., who said, "Every problem is an opportunity."

Then there's Harry Allen Jr. of Great Lakes Power, who urged entrepreneurs to "remember what your original intent was and follow it." And, for those considering starting their own business, Sustar said, "Just do it."

Get out of the shop

Bogert has heard every speaker and when they talk about growing a business, they all say the same thing. Business owners need to be out in the community and not in the shop.

"If you're busy with paperwork or working on the shop floor then you're not out in front of the clients," Bogert said. "You can't do that if you want to grow your business."

Business leaders like Fred Current of PET Processors Inc., Charles Young of Euclid Fish Co. and Ray Kralovic of Steris Corp. are just a few of the entrepreneurs who have hired others to carry out the day-to-day work while they focused on growing their companies.

"I think the speakers we've had have demonstrated that it's important to spend your time promoting your business," Hartman of Hartman Personnel said. "That's why they're successful."

Future generations

Another motivation for joining the Entrepreneurs Club is the desire business owners have to pass on good information to the next generation. "Some of the members are parents and grandparents and they are looking for key ways to pass on the entrepreneurial spirit to their children and grandchildren," Bogert said. "They want to help their children get from zero revenue to $50 million in revenue."

The leaders of midsize corporations aren't the only ones involved in the Entrepreneurs Club. Smaller businesses are welcome as well. Myers is a business of one.

"I was thrilled to find the club," Myers said. "I belong to several business network groups and this one has a higher level of professionalism with representatives from larger businesses who have some stories to share."

Hartman joined last summer and has set her sights on learning as well as bringing her expertise on human resources to the table. "It is helpful to have another business owner's opinion if I am looking to change something in my company," Hartman said.

Another member is Arline Kneen, founder of Traveline Hospitality Collection, who advises her fellow business owners to not put all their eggs in one basket.

In the last few months, Bogert has formed several small groups that meet to discuss common issues. Called Presidents Councils, each group has 10 to 12 members from different industries. "This brings us closer," Hartman said. "We can use each other as a sounding board for new ideas."

Bogert sees the Presidents Councils working as advisory boards for each of the small group members. "The next Presidents Council we're setting up is for second generation business owners," Bogert said. "They face their own set of issues taking over from mom or dad."

While the types of businesses represented in the Entrepreneurs Club range from mom and pop retail operations to midsize manufacturers, the major challenges facing the company leaders are the same. "We are all in different industries but the tough issues we're tackling are the same," Hartman said.

In-depth seminars next

Next year, Bogert plans to offer quarterly seminars which take an in-depth look at common issues such as sales strategies and health care options. "We want to keep on helping the independent businesses do smart things," Bogert said. "After all, small- to midsize companies employ the largest number of people in Lake County."

Bogert would also like the club to foster entrepreneurship. From the perspective of Kneen, it's a much needed service in Lake County. "There are a lot of people out there that have an idea they're passionate about and want to move forward on it," she said. "The club will help and that's what entrepreneurship is all about."

The Lake County Entrepreneurs Club meets once a month from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites LaMalfa in Mentor. Membership is $25 annually. Lunches cost $15 per person for members and $20 for guests. Guests can attend twice.

For more information, visit www.lakeentclub.com or contact John Bogert at 440-946-8850. Visit the national organization's site at www.TheEntClub.com.

Cindy Illig-Lum is a Madison Township freelance writer.