What does agenda-free mean?

- Nobody knows each other (at first)

- Members are true peers

- No one does business together

- Everyone signs an NDA

Trust builds quickly. The quality of the work we do in the group rests on being agenda-free.

If you’ve led a company you know that almost everyone around you has an agenda. Examples:

Your family & friends love you, and support your success, but they also want more time with you.

Employees want all kinds of things from you, starting with a paycheck.

Business partners often have different goals or needs, or a different view of the business.

Suppliers and customers either need payment from you or need you to perform flawlessly.

Bankers need you to pay your loans back, and if you don’t borrow, they probably don’t understand your business in the first place.

Lawyers, accountants, and insurance pros all rely on you for income, and while they offer great advice in their disciplines, they are constrained by their licenses.

Other business people you know are often in related markets, either by industry or geography, and so can you be sure you know their true motivations? Will you have them sign an NDA at lunch?