Sid Dadlani / EO UK-London

In February 2019, Sid Dadlani joined EO Accelerator, “because I was excited about the network and support for entrepreneurs. I felt that I needed that,” Dadlani said. Dadlani, Director of Kinara International, said he enjoyed the training and learning days, the EO-wide social events and the accountability sessions in EO Accelerator.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

“I thought the accountability sessions were very good [, as] they were led by mentors, or accountability coaches. I enjoyed having someone experienced as a part of the accountability group to help guide it,” Dadlani said.

As he transitioned from being an EO Accelerator participant to an EO member, Dadlani said the business climate and the hard work he and his team put into growing the business helped him reach graduation.

As an EO member, Dadlani said he is looking forward to spending more time on himself and less time on the business, and to have more of a balance between the two.

Kris Marshall / EO Detroit

“I do not believe you can find a better investment in your business than EO and Accelerator. This organization’s sole purpose is to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses and there is an international community there to support you! I run a charity (which means I probably have one of the tightest budgets in EO), and I have not hesitated to invest in EO. With the culture, enthusiasm, and commitment of EO and the EO members, you cannot help to always be inspired and motivated to be more and do more!”

Joe Weidman / EO Chicago

Joe Weidman started JUNK Relief in 2007, when he realized he could run a junk removal company more professionally and ethically than other established services in Chicago. JUNK Relief removes almost anything - couches, hoarding situations, construction debris and large items, like hot tubs from high-rises - within about a 60 mile radius from the city of Chicago. ⠀⠀

While pursuing his interest for learning and growth in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program, Weidman was referred to join EO Accelerator by an EO member.

“I knew that I wasn’t where I wanted to be, and EO Accelerator would give me the tools to get to where I wanted to go,” Weidman said. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Being a part of EO Accelerator and attending learning days offered Weidman the tools to make those kinds of adjustments. “Learning days were an education I didn’t necessarily have. It was impactful to sit through a learning day and know that a lot of what was being taught was very applicable to me in real time,” Weidman said. “My business was going through a lot at that moment, so I was able to turn around and apply the lessons right away.”⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

“I think that everyone in EO Accelerator focusing on growing their business motivated me to laser-focus on getting to half a million [in annual revenue]. And now I am laser-focused on getting to 10 million [in annual revenue],” Weidman said. “There was a group goal for everybody; we all wanted our businesses to grow and be successful.”

Glenn Grant / EO Boston

“I learned right away from the group as well as [from] speakers Mark Moses & Jack Daly [that] if you want to grow you must have a sales engine. I think it was Jack Daly who asked the group “How much do you want to grow your business this year? And how many sales people have you hired?”

In a nutshell, he said if you don’t hire sales people, you’re not going to grow, period. This prompted me to figure out how I could hire a sales person, even on a tight budget. It became very clear to me that I had to figure out how to finance that hire or we would not grow at the pace I wanted to grow. It seems so simple now but it really took the bluntness of Jack to put it into perspective and a “must do now” item on my to-do list.

In one learning day we did an exercise called the “Unique Ability Model” where we identified on a spectrum what things as an individual we are great at down to the things we “suck at” from our list of tasks and responsibilities in the business. We were told to take the things we suck at off our plate ASAP as they suck our time, we hate doing them, and there is someone we can find out there who will like to do them. I used that model to make an internal hire and I also outsourced. I now do many less tasks I hate and I have more time to do the things I’m really great at in my business.