About me
The Entrepreneur Circle is a coaching, consulting, and advisory company that helps Business Owners:
- Get out of their own way
- Execute on their goals
- Grow their business
- Manage more efficiently
- Acquire new customers...
- And, overcome challenges
The Coaching
The first session revolves around discussing 2 assessments (taken before the first session), a strengths assessment and business assessment. The strengths assessment helps to identify where the individual should focus their activities, where the individual gets demotivated, and assists us in the planning process.
The business assessment allows us to take a clear look at your current production levels as well as to identify your desired production goal. By knowing this information we will be better able to guide you and aid you in developing and implementing a sound business strategy. This assessment has been designed to look at every function of your business. The assessment isn't about getting the highest score, it's about seeing what is going on in your business.
Once we have determined where you shine, and areas to work on in your business, we then work on identifying your objective, and creating behavior based goals. Goals are very misunderstood, and often the greatest source of tension for the business owner. We work on setting goals that you can actually achieve. Our role is to help you identify the activities, measure, tweak, and keep you on track without that feeling of disillusion.
The true secret to any business is Execution. Those that engage and execute their plans are the most successful. We help our clients execute better. Sometimes execution requires some help, our role is to help wherever you need it, literally. Take us with you to meetings, let us speak with that candidate you are hiring. Let's write that job description together. Have us sit in on team meetings. Send that brochure, we'll edit. We are business owners who help business owners. We understand you may not have the time or the knowledge to get something done. We are in this together, and will help you on the projects that you don't want to do.
The 2 areas that assist in execution is communication and agreements. When these 2 areas are working well, there is less conflict, worry, and more productivity. Essentially, we help you eliminate the unacceptable, which leads to more time, more money and a sense of well being.
About Maria
Maria Keiser is the co-founder of The Entrepreneur Circle, BKV Solutions, co-author of the #1 Best Seller Your Practice by Design, and co-creator of The Human Performance Academy (a four part course devoted to teaching people how to think, talk and behave like a peak performer),
Maria has been a business owner since 1997 and she uses her business knowledge and experience to assist her clients in building profitable and valuable companies. She lives by two mottos, “stretch your comfort zone†and “only ask of others what you are willing to do yourselfâ€.
Maria realizes that running a business is a lot of work, and responsibility. She brings the experience/success & failure of growing her own business to the table when working with her clients. “I am a business owner, helping other business owners grow. I bring real world, practical, vetted, and useful ideas and solutions to our conversations. Time and money are precious resources that shouldn’t be squandered with pie in the sky ideas.â€
Prior to The Entrepreneur Circle, Maria was the COO for American Mobile Scan, and General Manager/ for All-in-One.
In 2007 Maria was recognized as a 40 Under Forty by The Hartford Business Journal.
Maria’s hobbies include tap dancing and reading.
Coaching with me
RESULTS & GOALS
Results depend on the goal of the client.
Typically a client comes to us because something is off. Not reaching their potential, not making the money they want, lost the joy of ownership, feeling overwhelmed or the business has taken over their lives.
When a client plays all out, they always reach their desired result.
Below are some results that clients have reported
- 30% growth in bottom line sales
- Working 3.5 days per week while growing 20 - 30% annually
- Increased organic internet search by 50% and converting more leads into clients
- All clients create annual goals that are attainable.
- One client changed his close ratio from 10% to 85%
I can't ever say what your results will be, but I can promise that we will work on the issue at hand, get clear on what you really want, and create a plan to achieve it.
HOW I LIKE TO COACH
Before we ever start a coaching relationship, we must meet for a complimentary coaching session. This is in place so we (both client and coach) can make an informed decision to move forward or part ways. Try it before you buy it. Nobody every signs up by accident.
Once we have determined that we do want to work together we start with understanding your super powers. The strengths that make you good at what you do, and understand where you may be holding yourself back. Goals, projects and tasks are designed around your strengths.
After we have the strengths conversation, we create attainable behavior based goals based on what you are looking to accomplish. The strengths assessment, and goals document are the foundation to everything. From there, we meet and monitor what is or isn't happening, and tweak along the way.
OFFERINGS
PRIVATE COACHING
Business owners aren’t always sure what an executive coach does or why they would want one. To put it simply, coaching is about developing the capabilities and improving the performance of the business owner and their key employees.
Our one on one coaching programs provide you a place to think out loud and reach higher levels of business performance.
Who is coaching right for?
Business owners who get the most out of coaching have a burning desire to learn and grow
-A business owner who believes that there is something preventing them from peak performance
- A business owner who is open to outside counsel
- A business owner looking for real world solutions to business issues
- A business owner who is willing to put in the time and effort to be better than their competitors
Who is coaching wrong for?
You never want to engage a coach to fix behavioral problems. Blamers, victims, bad attitudes, or people with iron clad belief systems are not likely to change.
What will a good coach help you do?
- Help you prioritize what really matters and gain the clarity necessary to achieve more in your business
- Expose blind spots
- Challenge yourself and your beliefs
- Put into place the actions, behaviors, and mindset that will lead to higher achievement
What are the outcomes of our coaching program?
- Better decision making
- Better time management
- The execution of your vision with clarity and focus
- Financial freedom
- Increased productivity
- The management of setbacks with less stress
ONLINE COACHING
How To Be A High Performance Insurance Broker was designed for insurance agency principals and brokers to show you the exact steps to creating your agency precisely the way you want it to be.
The course was designed to help you unlock all of the potential that you and your agency possess.
This is the complete guide for insurance agency principals and brokers who want to…
Maximize revenue
Maximize profit
And enjoy their practice more, while not adding more hours to their work week.
It has come out of the culmination of 11 years of working directly with agency principals on development and peak performance.
Short courses or group coaching
Roundtables, otherwise known as peer advisory boards, are small groups of business owners, presidents, and CEO’s that meet on a monthly basis in a structured, confidential forum to discuss mutual issues and concerns they face in the running of their businesses. In other words, they become each other’s board of advisors.
They get to share in the wisdom, experience, and knowledge of one another to tackle their biggest business issues.
The Roundtables convene under the guidance of a trained facilitator and follow a defined process that is designed to produce measurable value for the participants.
What are the outcomes of being part of a Roundtable?
The ideas, clarity, and support that help you build your business your way
Strategic alliances
Fresh ideas regarding business challenges
Like minded people who share the common goals of growing their businesses and improving their skills
Fresh, unbiased insight
The power to stimulate you to think and do things you haven’t considered before
Access to expert resources – We have the strategic relationships with industry experts in every facet of business
Average of 30% annual growth
Removes the sense of isolation a business owner can feel
Increased self awareness and accountability to results
Who qualifies to participate in a Roundtable?
You must be the owner, president, CEO, or Executive Director of a privately held business or nonprofit.
You must also have the drive, determination, and desire to grow and improve your organization and your skills as a business leader.
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Who should join a Roundtable?
A business leader who has been in business for at least 5 years
A Business leader who may be feeling slightly stuck or stagnant
A Business leader who feels like they are sometimes in their own way
A Business leader who is never totally satisfied with where their business is
A Business leader who wants to proactively work “on†their business
A Business leader who is willing, every day, to engage in the behaviors that will grow and improve their business
A Business leader who is open to new ideas
Experience, Certifications and Training
PROFESSIONAL AND LIFE EXPERIENCE
My background is in education, growing a business for the last 20 years, raising a family, and managing a household.
The degree I am most proud of is from the University of life. Classes are grueling and sometimes very expensive. Some classes have been retaken a few times, others I have passed with flying colors.
I have been a business owner for over 20 years, and understand what it really means to grow a business. I understand the pitfalls, and understand success. We don't come to the coaching table with theory, we come with vetted experience. That doesn't mean we are not constantly studying and finding better ways to do things, it means we are also in the trenches and advise accordingly.
We aren't the most polished, and we don't have the fanciest program. We use tools that work, and don't waste your time.
Our philosophy: We never ask anyone to do anything we haven't done, or have been willing to do.
Fee description
Fees:
from $175 USD to $500 USD
We have coaching programs to fit you. Some folks only need an hour a quarter, some require 4 - 5 hours a month. We base the program on what you need.
