What do others say?

Renaissance Executive Forums programs have helped many businesses solve many issues, challenges and opportunities.  Please watch a video and read some of the comments and testimonials below:


“No matter what topic you bring up, you get useful information and results from the discussions. These are experienced, creative guys you can trust.” CEO, Software Company

“My business has increased 212%. My stress at work is way down. My attitude is way up. I now take three Fridays off each month to spend on me and my family.” President, Food Industry

“I come away from each meeting with a gem.” Owner/ President, Manufacturer



“You hear that cliche all the time that it’s lonely at the top, but the reality is that for business owners like me it’s really true. But suddenly, here I was in the middle of a group of bright executives who were all grappling with the very same problems and were willing to help each other.” Owner, Manufacturing Company

“I don’t think companies can be successful any more unless they allow people from the outside to give input on their decision making. A lot of the companies that started when I did have failed because they didn’t realize outside resources are the single most important tool in growing a business. This forum is one of my most valuable resources; since I never went to college, I call it my university.” Owner/President, Baking Company

“I laid out my situation in the forum and got some simple yet astonishingly good advice. One of the members said I should stop worrying so much about the growth of sales and focus more on profitability. I subsequently made a number of significant changes, and as a result, our profits are way up.” Owner/President, Environmental Engineering Company



“Like a lot of entrepreneurs, I started out doing what I do well, but I didn’t have an extensive business background. I was making it up from scratch, but I knew it was not the smartest way to do it. Executive groups give you the experience and the expertise of other members who can give you real practical advice so you are not just reinventing the wheel.” Owner/President, Insurance Company

“I was really surprised when the forum members advised me against seeking any outside money. They said I would have to give away too much of the company, that I would have to sell my soul, and that I was far better off funding our growth through sales. I followed their advice and I now realize how smart that advice was. Because of that experience and many others, I can’t tell you how big a fan I am of the Forum.” Owner/President, Marketing Company

“The Forum meetings provide me with the varied experience and expertise I need to take my Company to the next level.” Owner/President, Trucking Company


 


“The Forum meetings provide an interesting mix of experience I can draw upon, and valuable insights into solving management problems.” Owner/President, Environmental Engineering Company

“The Forum meetings have significantly influenced my future business plans and my profit margins have increased.” Owner/President, Financial Consulting Company

“I gain so much from helping and hearing how Presidents solve their problems.” Owner/President, Medical Device Company

“The Forum meetings provide me with the expertise of an outside Board of Directors and the advice I need to expand my business nationally.” President, Industrial Distribution Company

“Most problems don’t have one right answer. The benefit is listening to different perspectives, solutions and ideas. I’m a graduate of the Culinary Institute, not a business school. I knew I had to have some help or I was headed for trouble.” President, Bakery Products

“The Forum meetings have helped strengthen my strategic alliances.” President, Engineering Company

“The Forum meeting is the most provocative meeting I have outside the office;

I always leave enriched.” CEO, Manufacturing Company

“My business is stronger; I have received help; I now enjoy a competitive edge; that’s why I am a firm believer in the Forum.” President, Commercial Bakery

“I learn so much from seeing how other Presidents run their Companies.” Managing Director, Electronic Instrumentation Company

“I got a lot of great advice on everything from insurance issues to human resource issues. When I told them about some of the problems we were having with cash flow projections, they suggested we switch from forecasting on the traditional month-to-month basis to a week-to-week basis. Once we did that, most of the nasty little surprises we were having went away.” Owner/President, Software Company

“The key for me is that I’m interacting with people who really value time. That’s my shorthand way of saying these are people who won’t beat around the bush. Unlike a board, which tends to pussyfoot around trying to be diplomatic, these guys come out and tell you exactly what they think. They’re straight to the point and that saves everybody time. You get a clear message of what you need to do.” Owner/President, Software VAR & Distributor

“Oscar Wilde said that experience is the term we give to our mistakes. I’d like to extend that to the forum process and say that wisdom is the term we give to those who learn from other people’s experience. I used to think that if I didn’t have an answer I could find it on my own. The forum has made me realize I can find it quicker, with better results if I can learn effectively from other smart people.” Chairman, Investment Advisors

“I’m in this forum for one reason, and that’s to deal with change. Things are changing so fast in our world today that you’ve got to try to figure out what’s going to happen before it happens. If you don’t anticipate change, then all you can do is react and that puts you behind the eight ball. I’d rather be proactive and make change work for me. Being able to tap into the minds of 10 bright execs in my forum helps me do that.” Owner/President, Crane & Rigging Company

“As I look at some of the companies in my industry fall by the wayside because they can’t or won’t change, I get a lot of satisfaction knowing that joining the forum is giving me the competitive edge. I can already say that it’s one of the best investments I have ever made.” Owner/President, Welding Company

“I don’t have a college education and I don’t necessarily feel slighted by that because I have some experiences many haven’t had. But in certain areas of running a company I knew that I could learn from others and the forum seemed like a perfect opportunity to do that. The other factor was that there are some things I can’t or don’t really want to talk about with my executive board or my employees because they just haven’t had the experience of running a company. The people in the forum can give you tremendous insights into many areas because they’ve been there. I don’t know where else you could ever find that kind of information.” Chairman of the Board & President, Manufacturing Company

“It’s a very emotional thing, this forum process, because it’s something many of us have never had before. We’re all yearning for validation that what we’re doing is right, or if not, how to do it right. Maintaining enthusiasm and vision is tough when you’ve got no one to share it with. This forum gives us the encouragement and ideas we need to go back to our firms with a fresh perspective that will energize our staff and point us in the right direction.” Managing Partner, Law Firm

“The world seems to be changing so darn fast, the forum is the only way I know of to keep pace with it. I haven’t gone to one of meetings that I didn’t get a lot out of. I always come back to work excited about the future. I’d have to say that becoming a member of the forum is one of greatest things that’s ever happened to me in my business career.” President, Manufacturing Company

“I joined because it’s simpler than forming my own board . . . and you get people willing to contribute the time this way.” CEO, Construction Industry

“I’ve definitely avoided making a number of mistakes because I’ve had a chance to listen to some top business people who had already made them. I’ve picked up some good real world information on a lot of different subjects I never could have gotten somewhere else. I was delighted by one tip that turned into a $100,000 increase in business. I also feel I’ve made contributions to the group by providing technical expertise for people who are largely non-technical.” Owner/President, Engineering Company

“I wanted to brainstorm with people I could bounce ideas off who had gone through trial by fire and knew the way. The saying ‘lonely at the top’ is a cliché these days, but there was a lot of truth in it for me. I have a wonderful senior management team I rely on but there are some things I can’t talk to them about because they’ve never run a company. They have less experience than I do, so it was like the blind leading the blind.” Owner, Business Services Company

“Suddenly, by joining the forum I had a chance to tap into the expertise of executives who are running companies every day and encountering the exact kinds of problems and challenges I do, and were willing to share their experiences. It didn’t take me long to realize these people were my real board of directors.” Owner/President, Marketing Company

“It takes a chunk of my time once a month but it’s worth every bit. Participating in this group has made my company better organized, with better procedures and more compassion for our employees. To say I’m excited about my forum and the wonderful people in it is a fairly significant understatement.” Owner, Service Company

“It’s exactly what I was looking for. My company is growing and there are a lot of ongoing challenges. The only people who really understand my situations are other CEOs and business owners. That’s why it’s so great to be able to get inside their brains once a month for ideas and solutions to a variety of problems. I only wish I had had the opportunity to do it eight years ago when I started this business. It would have given me a tremendous jump-start and enabled me to avoid many of the early pitfalls I ran into. It’s a source of information you just can’t get anywhere else, not in school, not from books, only from those who have gone through it all themselves.” President, Engineering Company

“Between the help you get with your current problems and the big-picture advice you get about the future, belonging to a forum offers me a sizable competitive advantage. By my way of thinking, anybody who’s not in a forum will be at a real disadvantage.” President, Industrial Supplier

“I was sure there were things out there that I still needed to know, but I knew the only way I could learn them was from other business owners and executives who were in a similar situation as I was. You hear that saying all time that ‘it’s lonely at the top.’ I can tell you in my case, it was a fact. After going for years with no one to really talk to, suddenly I was able to sit down once a month with a group of my peers who understand what I go through each and every day in running a business. I’ve gotten a lot of really good ideas and fresh perspective on a number of different issues I’ve been wrestling with over the past few years.” President, Paving Company

“The bottom line is that by making a number of changes that developed out of my participation in the forum I’ve been able to turn things around so that instead of my company running me, I feel like I’m able to run the company.” President, Construction Company

“They’re all straight shooters, no one is shy about saying anything they believe will help and I want them to be blunt with me.” President, Heavy Equipment Supplier

“I have found the input and discussion by fellow CEOs to be extremely useful. Due to the smallness of the group, the frequency of the meetings and the excellent facilitation by the group leader, we get into issues that really count, not just top level stuff.” CEO, Biotech Company

“The Forum permits me time to reflect on company issues in the proper setting, with input from cross-discussions. I never leave a meeting without one solid new idea or procedure to better lead my company toward success.” CEO, Software Manufacturing Company

“Our forum has become a sanctuary for the group to candidly share business concerns, strategies and ideas in an open and sincere fashion. Great medicine!” CEO, Manufacturing Company

“Participation in the Forum has helped me recognize and implement structural changes needed to move my business to the next level. The support I receive from members of my group is something I look forward to each month.” CEO, Insurance Provider

“I am President of a large distribution company and I have found the mix of companies in the Forum, from manufacturing, to service, to retail, to be especially valuable because I receive a broader and often different perspective on business issues. This helps me find more creative solutions and new opportunities.” President, Distribution Company

“The benefits of the Forums range from learning the latest business processes and technologies to solving problems and reducing stress by sharing problems with peers who have been there or worse. I leave each meeting a little wiser and healthier.” CEO, Manufacturing Company

“I have reset my goals and re-invented my consulting company because of the input from my peers, the owners of small businesses. The group’s facilitator has helped every member focus on their basic values.” Chairman, Management Consulting Company

“The monthly Forum meetings address each individual’s issues. The members discuss the issue and develop candid, effective solutions through consistent, outside the box, thinking. Since I joined the Forum, I have gained insight in just a few months that would have taken years of trial and error to figure out myself. The Renaissance Forum truly is a new beginning in management practice.” CEO, Lumber and Hardware Retailer

“I will add 10 points to my profits before taxes as a direct result of what I learned in my Forum.” CEO, Electronics Company

“I am on the Board of several companies and I never hear the tough issues discussed in Board meetings with the honesty and candor that they are discussed in my Forum. Feedback is straight and constructive. Everyone benefits.” CEO/Professional Board Member

“Every month there is a pressing business reason to skip my Forum meeting but I don’t. Every month I leave the meeting with so much valuable information and insight that I know I made the right decision.” President, Professional Services Company

“I have a group of peers with whom I can share my most confidential business concerns. In a small business the danger is that you get into a group-think format that can really endanger the company. In my Forum meetings I get candid feedback from impartial members, and confidentiality is given highest priority.” President, Transportation Company

“Membership in the Forums is a terrific value for the time and money invested. I couldn’t afford to hire advisors like these guys to help me once a year and I get to meet with them every month!” CEO, Light Manufacturing Company

“I thought that after twenty years of management consulting to some of the largest companies in the world there was little I did not know about business. What I have learned in the Renaissance Forum is that there is always more to learn — and that it is important to learn it.” Chairman of the Board

 

*Testimonials from Renaissance Executive Forums Members