Interested?
Interested In An OK Chapter For Your Community?
If so, we'd be interested in hearing from you - assuming, that is, you're a potential Program Director or financial sponsor.
Like any other organization, OK must be constructed from the top down. It should be no surprise that the volunteer Program Director is the key to a successful chapter. Here's who that person typically will be:
- A retired, or semi-retired small business owner/entrepreneur, who wants to give something back to the small business community or
- A currently active small business owner/entrepreneur who wants to give something back AND can, especially in the start-up stage of the chapter, spend significant time away from his or her business.
A candidate for Program Director should meet the following criteria:
- Committed: In the start-up stage, the Program Director must be willing to commit significant time in order to assemble a Board of Advisors, locate an Executive Director, line up sponsors, and get the program up and running. Later, this time commitment can be decreased, dependent upon the Program Director's desire to continue to be involved in the day-to-day operations of the Chapter.
- Experienced: The Program Director must have experience with owning or managing a business of his/her own or working with people who own small businesses.
- Networked: The Program Director must be currently or previously active in the local small business community.
- Financially capable: Unless local financial sponsors can be found, the Program Director must be able to afford to bankroll the Chapter until it becomes financially self sufficient. Under normal conditions, this will take approximately two years.
It should be mentioned that an OK chapter does not represent a Franchise Opportunity for a prospecting entrepreneur. Rather it represents a Community Opportunity, i.e. the opportunity for a successful business person who has already benefited from the Community to give something back.
Yes, the OK business model will generate modest revenues, easily enough for the Chapter to afford a paid Executive Director and hourly adminsitrative help. Also, in communities larger than Bend, there may even be a for-profit opportunity for a local owner.
OK is however, first and foremost, a volunteer-based, entrepreneurial-driven small business assistance organization. We exit because we want to create an environment for small business to succeed.
