Our Own Board of Directors
Wim Blees, RPT
Corporations, including our PTG, have a Board of Directors. The purpose of a Board of Directors is to give guidance and advice to the corporation. A Board of Directors meets several times per year to review the progress of the corporation, give advice to its employees, determine how to distribute the profit, or what to do about financial losses. (In the case of the PTG, make sure we don't spend more than we bring in.)
In a Journal article a couple of year ago, there was a short article in the News & Tips section written by Mark Schecter about the National Association of the Self Employed. (www.nase.org). According to their web page, NASE "offers micro-business owners a range of in-depth education and information resources to help them manage the strategic and day-to-day aspects of their businesses." If you want to take advantage of any of the benefits, check out their web site.
When I was still in St. Louis, I was invited to join an Independent Corporate Board of Directors. The main concept behind this group was business support. This Independent Corporate Board of Directors is made up of independent businessmen and women who owned their own company, but did not have a support system. The "CEO" of this Corporate Board was an independent businessman who more or less did all the paper work, and "chaired" monthly meetings. It was at these meetings that the members of the "board" could bounce ideas off each other, give advice, and more or less help each other run their business.
The members of the ICBD had to pay $150 to attend the monthly meetings. After attending a free luncheon, and getting sales pitch, I got call from the CEO asking why I didn't sign up. The CEO asked, "don't you need help running your business?"
I told him I already had a support system, one that, at that time, only cost me only $125 per year. For that I was not only allowed to attend monthly meetings at no additional charge, but I also got a magazine each month filled all sorts of technical tips and business advice. On top of that, I explained, this was not just a generic support system, this was a group tailored to my business.
By now you probably have guessed that the support system I'm talking about is the PTG. We are our own Independent Corporate Board. It's at the chapters meetings where ideas are bounced and problems are discussed.
Our PTG dues do not just provide our members with a Journal every month. Our dues pay for the structure of the organization. And the most important part of that structure is the Annual Convention and Technical Institute. Our next one is going to be in Sparks (Reno) Nevada, July 17 – 20.
If you can't afford to go, or don't have time, to go to Reno this year, there is a smaller regional seminar from Feb. 22 – 24 in Jacksonville, FL. For more information, go to SERCPTG.ORG. You can still get reduced rates if you call me. "I know people".
To get the most out of your dues and take advantage of our own support system, make plans now to attend out next convention. As I said, in some cases, for some of you, it's almost in your own back yard.
Wim Blees
c/t 904-615-7816
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Willem "Wim" Blees, RPT
St. Augustine, FL 32095
Tnrwim@aol.com------------------------------