Lisa, accountancy firm partner.

How do you feel before and after a meeting?

Excited! I really look forward to them. Just raising an issue is a weight off my shoulders. I love sharing successes too. They often come about from seeds sown in the board, so, in a sense, my success is everybody’s success. 

Your Business Board isn’t just about what advice I can get and my personal development. I’m just as enthusiastic about other members’ journeys and how I can help them. I’ve faced and overcome many challenges, and I want others to benefit from what I’ve learned.

After each meeting, I’m raring to go. I grab a pen and paper as soon as I can and write a list of all the things I want to do. I also jot down any helpful advice I’ve heard, so I’ve always got it to come back to.

What’s the meeting structure?

It’s really fluid, and that’s the beauty of it. While there’s always a rough agenda – just like at any board meeting – there’re plenty of opportunities to raise any burning issues. Your Business Board is about giving people support to suit their specific business needs; you can’t do that by being too prescriptive. 

That said, there are meeting themes to focus people’s minds on fundamental elements of their business, such as marketing and structure, that everyone should be giving thought to.

One of the ‘themes’ is the ‘hot seat’ – an opportunity for each member to have a full-on focus on their business. It’s a chance for members to delve into your business and ask the questions you should be asking yourself.

Is there homework?

We do get actions to take away. They can be linked to a meeting theme or specific problems we’ve raised. 

Doing your ‘homework’ is key to building accountability. Knowing you’ve committed to doing something publicly spurs you on to do it. However, nobody will rap your knuckles if you don’t do it. At the end of the day, you’re answerable to yourself. But who doesn’t want to take the opportunity to improve their business? Ultimately, that’s why we’re all there.

How important are the other board members to the process?

It wouldn’t be what it is without them. Under an NDA, they know more about your business and your strengths and weaknesses than friends and family and the people you work with. 

Often work issues are linked to broader life circumstances and concerns, so you find out a lot about people’s personal lives. This builds camaraderie and bonds that often stretch far beyond Your Business Board. 

We’re very respectful of one another. We’re very conscious of giving everybody equal time to share. We’re all driven to help each other out, and we’ve learned that advice given to other people can help us too. 

Why should business owners join Your Business Board?

Your Business Board gives you the push you need to realise your potential.

I’ve been a member for two years and have no plans to leave. My confidence has soared, and my business is in a place I could never have dreamed of just a few years ago. It’s amazing value for the support you get.

If you’re reading this, you obviously have the drive to improve your business too. Take the next step and book on as a guest. You have absolutely nothing to lose.