HARTFORD, Conn., July 12, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Peer to Peer Advisors, LLC., a unique New England-based business service company that creates dedicated roundtable forums which serve as a board of advisors exclusively for business owners, is celebrating its first anniversary this week with the announcement of expansion plans that will include new operations throughout the northeast United States.
"During the past year, business owners involved in all types of industries in Connecticut have already discovered that the Peer to Peer Advisors' experience is valuable, educational and unquestionably rewarding. As a result, we are announcing expansion plans in the coming months as we create groups in Boston and Springfield, Mass., Philadelphia, Pa., Stamford, Conn., and the addition of our first vertical market group that will concentrate on sales-related issues," explained Ken Cook, founder and head facilitator of Peer to Peer Advisors. "No doubt, business owners are finding that collaboration works, and it works better than going it alone. Being an entrepreneur and the leader of a business is a lonely job. Our members are finding that you do not need to compound the loneliness by going it alone. We're offering an instant collaborative environment for business leaders. Our groups function as boards of advisors for our members. The participants are innovative, they challenge the status quo and they pay attention to the basics -- all with the support and experience of other business leaders who understand the challenges involved in operating an business on a daily basis."
To form effective groups, Cook matches participants based on the size of their business, aspirations for the business and the types of challenges and issues they face. Competitors are excluded in the same group and the process takes into consideration any pre-existing vendor-customer relationships. In-depth interviews are always conducted with potential participants to ensure that each individual is matched with like-minded peers. The goal is to maximize value for each participant as monthly meetings are held in a professional setting and supported with meeting notes, informative newsletters and educational materials. Presently, there are 10 Peer to Peer Advisor groups operating in Connecticut. In addition, new facilitators will be placed in the newly expanded regions in the coming months.
"There are practical, everyday business solutions that are not taught at Harvard Business School, but discussed at our meetings. The cumulative years of experience of all of our groups members really feeds into the energy at our monthly sessions and is one of the most valuable benefits of having your own board of advisors," said Peer to Peer Advisors Member Lasse Aspelin, principal, Aspelin & Associates, an architecture and construction company based in Stafford Springs, Conn.. "Already, after being a member of Peer to Peer Advisors for seven months, my business plan has moved quickly ahead to include new services that will accelerate my business to a visionary level."
"I've found it to be a very business savvy experience as a business owner. Because we all sign a non-disclosure agreement and groups are formed without competitive business members, our monthly forums include very open and frank discussions about the daily problems and issues we face as business leaders. Yes, this sometimes includes the issues we even face on the weekends," said Matthew Service, CEO of Service Internet Solutions, LLC, a Web site design and Internet marketing company based in East Windsor, Conn. "This is not a networking group, even though we do share resources occasionally. This is, however, your board of advisors which the average business owner cannot afford to be without."
"I joined the Peer to Peer group to assist me with the 'big picture' business strategies that all of us face everyday such as marketing, recruiting, IT resources and other traditional problems," said Peer to Peer Advisors Member Laurie O'Neill, president, Innovative Financial Services, an accounting and bookkeeping service company based in Hartford, Conn. "Already, I've received direct feedback and help from several members of my group that have led to a new business venture."
Operating throughout the Northeast, Peer to Peer Advisors creates and facilitates roundtable forums of business leaders that function as an immediate "board of advisors" for each other. Each Peer to Peer Advisors' group consists of six to eight business owners that represent various industries and meet once a month in a comfortable, confidential setting. Participants learn from each other, share insight and new perspectives and continually develop personal and leadership goals that are successfully applied in the business setting. The founder of Peer to Peer Advisors and head facilitator is Ken Cook. With over 25 years of business and human resources experience, Cook has published two books for the American Marketing Association and authored many business columns for the Boston Business Journal and the American Marketing Association's Web site. He is a former member of the adjunct faculty of Boston University and Wright State University and has addressed numerous corporate and association groups over the years. Cook has also consulted for such companies as Inc. Magazine and the Inc. 500 and is presently finishing a third book about the American business "psyche." As Peer to Peer Advisors builds its presence throughout the Northeast, Cook has led the way for Peer to Peer Advisors to become one of the top business advisory company's in the United States. The company has been recognized by many "insider" business publications and has earned the respect of several national business management and human resources associations. For more information, visit www.peertopeeradvisors.com.