CEO Business Visits

• Renae Eichholz, Owner and Partner (Investor)
• CEO Investor Luncheon

CEO Guest Speakers

• Patty Gregory, Executive Director
• John Perles, Founder

This week was a major turning point in my learning experienced because of two speakers and one event. All of the speakers and trips in the past have been extremely informative and meaningful, but this week something seemed to click internally. To start, Renee from PPM gave us a complete tour of her building, and also went into depth about the risks she took to get where she is today. The designing of her office, the expansion from starting so little to growing large, and the multiplication of her workers seemed very chaotic, yet I have the feeling she always had things under control.

We also met with John Perles, where he talked about his entrepreneurial journey and the different steps that he took to get where he is today. The main thing that I picked up from this speech was that confidence is key. Mr Perles mentioned multiple times that he did not have much experience in the areas that he was working in, yet his confidence pushed him through. His story about the confrontation of Claire’s copying his ear cuff was funny, but also very credible, as he went in with no plan but other than to stand his ground. And it worked.

Wednesday afternoon, Nick Lippert and I went to an investor luncheon where we gave speeches about what the CEO class has done for us. Personally, I had never presented/ publically spoke in front of an audience besides a few English classes during school. But despite being out of my comfort zone, I think both Nick and I did an amazing job representing the class. Speaking to everyone there did not make me feel like a young kid who is just reading what I wrote on a paper the night before, but a young entrepreneur among others.

Ian Hass
Friday, October 27, 2017Learn More About Ian

This week in CEO, we started our classes at our new location at Precision Practice Management. We have a little less room than at Allsup, but it’s still a very good working environment for the class.

On Tuesday, we met with Renae Eichholz, owner and partner at Precision Practice Management, and she gave us a tour of the building and explained the business to us. She told us how her friends thought that she was crazy for starting the business and her parents even urged her not to, but today the business is bigger than she thought it ever would be and is still expanding. Even though she was young at the time, she was confident in her abilities as a business person and decided to start her own business. I think this was a really good story for all the students in the class who are thinking about starting their own businesses.

On Wednesday, we spoke with John Perles, who we were supposed to meet with last week. He included in his presentation how when he accidently forgot to add our class to his calendar and ended up missing the meeting last week, there were a million excuses he could have given to Ms. Siebers to try and make him look better. He then explained that excuses and lies will get you nowhere in business and that he himself has struggled with telling the  truth when he was younger. People always say that telling the truth is the easiest option, but that’s often not true. Sometimes it’s really hard to tell the truth in business but you have to do it out of respect for the other person and the business.

Emilie Smyth
Friday, October 27, 2017Learn More About Emilie

This week during CEO was very exciting and had some great learning experiences. For this week in CEO we moved from Allsup to Precision Practice Management and will be here for the remainder of the second quarter. During CEO this week we met with Patty Gregory, who is the Art on the Square chair, John Perles from Momentum Builders, and we also got to talk with Renae Eichholz of Precision Practice Management.

On Monday when Patty Gregory came, she showed us how non-for-profits work and told us why you still have to run a non-for-profit like a business.  While she was talking she gave some great advice for our CEOs of our class business that I think they should take to heart. She said that you should always surround yourself with talent and be willing to give the praise away.  I think one thing that our CEOs have done really well is just that, they understand that they have a lot of smart people around them and I think that they know they can trust us. Another thing she told us, while she was talking about Art on the Square, was that you have to get the emotional buy-in of the community and have the ripple effect. This will be helpful to us to understand because we are trying to do the Belleville’s Got Talent show for our class business and if we want this to succeed we have to get the buying of the community and get them to be able to talk about it to other people.

When we talked to John on Wednesday he gave us a lot of great advice for our class business and for our own personal businesses as well. One thing he told us was that people are more capable than they realize and that a better you can change the world. I think that is very important during this time of our class business because we are all a little bit unsure if we are going to be able to do this and I think that we have to realize that we are all a lot more capable than we think we are and that we should have confidence that each and every one of us will be able to accomplish this.  He also told us to understand our abilities and to use them to our fullest and I think that will be helpful while we are doing the class business.

Jake Roche
Friday, October 27, 2017Learn More About Jake

It was interesting to hear from the Patty Gregory, President of Art on the Square. I've never attended the event, and don't know much about art. However, it was cool to learn about the business aspects of it. I would've never guess that more than $150 billion is invested in art every year. On top of that, I find it amazing that Belleville holds one of, if not, the best and biggest art events in the country. I also thought it was so nice of Mrs. Gregory to quite openly talk about our class business ideas like she did.

Even though I couldn't stay the entire time, I enjoyed learning about Precision Practice Management. Until the tour, I hadn't realized how big the building was, or even what their business was. It was cool to see a business that had grown so quickly and was still aspiring to expand. Considering their current size and the  size of their building, I thought it was cool that PPM was thinking this far ahead into the future.

I really enjoyed John Perles's talk with us. I've always enjoyed watching The Profit, and thought it was cool that his business is somewhat related to that line of work. Whenever he talked about programming your mind to create the best possible "you", it greatly reminded of what we heard at Northwestern Mutual about training yourself through the adjustment of habits. I also found his message maturity and responsibility in business to be important, even though it looked bad on my part that I was late for his presentation.

Jacob Gall
Friday, October 27, 2017Learn More About Jacob

This week started the beginning of a new quarter. We are now located at Precision Practice Management. We were able to meet the owner and partner Renae Eichholz, and she showed us a tour of the building.

The tour and talking about the company interested me because Ms. Eichholz started the company without going to college. Usually most businesses owners or successful people have went to college of have a college degree, but she was successful without college. I plan to go to college but this gave me inspiration because even if you do not start out on the same level as most people, you can still find success. So if I ever feel behind I can look to her for inspiration and figure out that there is another way to succeed.

John Perles from The Momentum Builders enlightened me on how effective advertisement and communication is. Without these two elements it would be very hard for a business to make any profit. Mr. Perels relied on advertisement and communication to start his first small business which was making small ear cuffs. He communicated with his wife and other people that had an interest in his product. He then asked for the customers to promote his item for a discounted price, which was a smart way of advertisement in my opinion. From this talk, I have learned that there are many ways to promote yourself. Also, communication can determine your outcome. You want to communicate with our customers, coworkers, and partners in a positive and friendly way but also have boundaries to you can not be talked advantage of.

Our business seems to be going fine but we need to pick up the intensity to reach our top goal. I believe that it is possible but it will take more effort out of us, but from listening to our speakers this week, I know we can do it.

Cam Wicks
Friday, October 27, 2017Learn More About Cam

Our first week at Precision Practice Management went really well. Monday, we met with the head of Art on the Square, Patty Gregory, who explained to us how exactly she went about starting the non-for profit. She and a couple of her friends got together and met with multiple boards in Belleville and figured out the best way to put on a quality art show, and they’ve been in the process for over ten years now.

Tuesday, we got to talk to Renae Eichhoiz. She is the owner and partner of Precision Practice Management, our home base for the quarter. She didn’t tell us her personal story, as she wanted to save that for another day, but she told us about how she started the business and how much time she has dedicated to it over the years. Something interesting she included was that the main reason she decided to sell portions of her self made business was so she could spend time at home, raising her child. This isn’t something that many business owners have talked about with us, about how important it is to have a healthy developed relationship with your child while still actively running your business and the struggles the two ensue.

Wednesday, we got to meet with one of the Midland board heads, John Perles, who discussed with us how he got into business very unexpectedly. He had just finished his golfing season and found an interesting piece of jewelry he could market easily. After making a simple ear cuff and taking it around with him everywhere he went and selling it for profit, he soon realized his product was getting ripped off by small vendors as well as major costume jewelry corporations. He discussed with us how he got a deal with a company to sell his product as well as started making new gold logo products.

Josie Proffitt
Friday, October 27, 2017Learn More About Josie

This week was a new beginning for us. Our classroom has moved from Allsup to Precision Practice Management in downtown Belleville.

Our first guest in the new classroom was Patty Gregory, and she is one of the people in charge of Art on the Square. I never realized how much effort and work goes into putting on the art show. There are many people needed to run the event other than just the artists. Without sponsors and other people who fund the event, there would be no way to have Art on the Square. Also Art on the Square is the number 1 art show in the country and I’m proud that it’s in my hometown. One thing I found very interesting was how much money the art industry creates each year. I would've never guessed it’s a couple billion dollar industry.  

On Tuesday Renae Eichholz, owner of Precision Practice Management, gave us a tour of the entire building, and told us about her business.  It's a historic building that Renae has taken under her wing and fixed up as much of it as possible. She’s done a great job of renovating the building to make it more up to date and comfortable for her employees. Her company deals with medical insurance. There is a lot of coding and “paperwork” in her line of work, and even though Renae is the owner she has still done everything that her employees has to do. After the tour Renae shared a little bit about herself, and went into more details about her business. I didn't realize that the field of work she is in is very female dominated, and how much that can raise the insurance for her business since most are of maternal age.

Our final guest this week was John Perles, and he talked to us about how core beliefs and good morals are what make a company successful. Most companies have mission statements about what their goal as a company is, and he said if a company’s is unclear, then something’s not right with the company. Also good treatment to employees is key to keeping a business alive. I thought all the life lessons he gave us was were extremely interesting and valuable.

James Wiegers
Friday, October 27, 2017Learn More About James

This week was our first week at our new location, Precision Practice Management. It is a bit different from Allsup, having no sign in and a secretary, nor a lot of furniture, but it is a new experience nonetheless. However, we were able to take a tour of the full beguiling thanks to Renae Eichholz, owner of the business. The building was much larger than I thought I was, as well as much nicer than I initially thought, not at all trying to sound offensive. We found that the area that we hold class in is merely an area that they have not expanded to yet. My favorite part of the tour was when we Renae showed us her office, and explained that having her own personal office has always been a dream of hers, and I can relate in that matter.

We began the week speaking with Patty Gregory, and her business Art on the Square. Her art business was able to make it to the number one position in the country, 6 times at that, and I’d say that is a very big achievement. The most surprising fact that was said in this visit is that she does not even do art herself. We learned that art puts a surprising amount of money into the economy, coming to about $166 billion. Non-profit art appreciation conventions like the one that Ms. Gregory has, provides 4.6 million jobs for people. She also spends around $100,000 per year on advertising and sold about 124,000 pieces of art just last year. It is important to know what sells and what does not, so you can have less people in categories that do not sell that well, and more people in categories that do. This increases your overall profit, and eliminates “liabilities.”

We also were able to speak with John Perles of Momentum Builders. He explained his core belief, that people are more capable than they realize, along with his mission, to help you move from where you are to where you want to be, and his vision,  for people to improve their lives and the lives around them and the world to gain momentum. He promoted the thought that communication is key, along with staying focused and paying attention. He urged us to understand our own abilities and use them to the fullest and live well and live long. I personally want to live a satisfying life, having plenty of money to enjoy myself and support my future family, and enjoy life with them.

Kaleb Leatherman
Friday, October 27, 2017Learn More About Kaleb

Choose your direction; choose something you want to go after! A very intelligent man quoted these words name John Perles. He owns his own business called Momentum Builders. John Perles started to talk about how once you jump into something you have to put all of your effort into it, then you will eventually fall in love with it. Which is very true because whatever you put your all into is something that you going to want to do every day. John also gave a lot of useful tips of the business life. He said in business if you leave out of couple of parts it will not come together. He said you have to understand where you are at, and where you want to go in life and in business. He said you need to start working on you, make you a better you. Which I really took in consideration because I am always trying to better myself in life. I want to improve on a lot of things that I am currently doing. John also said life can be hard. He said you need to find out your abilities and use your abilities to fullest. Which is very key for every human being. Once you find out of what you are good at do your very best at that ability. He also said, Live Well and Live Long. Which is something that I will always keep in the back of my head for the rest of my life.

A very strong women name Renae Eichholz told me and my CEO class her story of how she started her own business and she completely amazed me. She told us that do not ever let anyone tell you what you cannot do. She had a lot of people in her life thinking that her business idea would never work. When I heard her say she never went to college it completely surprised me because she just seems like a person who would went to college and she is very intelligent. She said she was working on her business ever since she got out of high school. Even when she was pregnant she did not let that stop her from working on her business at home. She said every minute counts which is very true because time is valuable. She said she was the type of person who always thinks ahead. I can very much see that by the way she was talking to us. She was always talked about expanding her building and also what things needed to be done. I know that her business will continue to grow and be a steady business.

Patty Gregory started her own Art business which is very successful it is called Art On the square. 4.6 million jobs are created by non for profit businesses. The most expensive art piece sold at Art on the Square was twenty thousand dollars. Patty Gregory explained her vision for Art on the Square and she said that art is a re-builder for communities. Her business has grown over the years by size and profit and will continue to be successful.

Martrell Robinson
Friday, October 27, 2017Learn More About Martrell

As we continue to network with various new people and meet fresh faces there isn’t a doubt that the class and I are learning something new each day. Each person that we meet provides new experiences that teaches us the insides of their businesses.

We got the chance to meet with Patty Gregory. I have been living in Belleville for about eleven years now and I have always heard about “Art On The Square.” However, I have never attended it. Hearing from Mrs. Gregory it sounds like a wonderful event. When you’ve lived somewhere for so long we don’t seem to appreciate the beauty that the city has to offer. That’s how I am living in Belleville. I drive around downtown Belleville so much it’s actually become “ugly” I’ve gotten used to the different shops and restaurants. Mrs. Gregory said that people and artists from all over the United States have traveled all the way to Belleville just to attend this event. Even Hawaii! With hearing her presentation, not only do I really want to attend the event but I look at Belleville with fresh eyes. I take pride in the city that I live in because although I’ve gotten used to same buildings it’s absolutely beautiful. And the people makes it even better! Art on the square is one of the top 25 art shows.

Now, I’m no serious artist but I love interior design and I love to draw! That is the reason I am on the decorating committee. For our class business I chose to be on the decorating committee because it gives me an opportunity to design. I have so many cute ideas. I love DIY, which means “do it yourself” it’s super crafty ideas at such a cheap price. Our class business is really exciting as we approach the months of video submissions!

Teonna Davis
Friday, October 27, 2017Learn More About Teonna

This last week it was nice to calm things down a bit in our CEO class. We did not go to many businesses, but had speakers come talk with us and help us with our upcoming business proposition. We are finally able to get on track and have a well-structured outline for the weeks to come leading up to our big class business, Belleville's Got Talent. I think it really helped that Cam and I were able to get a budget sheet formatted and up to date with our financials, so that the class is able to view and understand the credentials that are needed to make this business a huge success. I see the future as looking very bright for our class business, if we stay on track and follow our plans to accomplish the big stretch margin we are shooting for. I am very excited to accomplish and be a part of this project, and hopefully can be a model to future CEO classes as a well ran event.

John Perles was my favorite speaker of the week (even though he forgot about us last time). He spoke of a very positive message about what makes you successful as a person, not just a businessman/woman, but actually what it takes to improve your everyday life. I thought he did an amazing job addressing this issue and teaching all of us how to work and improve our lives more efficiently. If we can address these issues and perfect them, there is no doubt we can become successful and happy businessmen/women.

One of his many points that he got across was to work as a team and to find your rhythm. One person out of four people could be slacking, struggling, or doing all the work, and without a team effort, you will never be able to reach your personal and ultimate goal. So, push each other and push yourselves because we are all always learning, and trying to find our best. Like John said in the end, find a passion, something you have always loved and turn it into something amazing.

James Monken
Friday, October 27, 2017Learn More About James

Lately school has been very overwhelming for me. On top of all the homework I have to do, I have college applications/essays, scholarships, my job, practices for cross country, meetings for clubs and organizations, practice for the ACT, and probably others I am forgetting about. While I am trying to balance all of those, I have been forgetting to make sure to take care of myself. When John Perles came and talked to us, I felt like that was exactly what I needed to be hearing. He gave us a lot of useful advice on how to focus on and accomplish our goals. He had a very engaging personality that made his presentation interesting to listen to and easy to understand.

One of his points that stuck out to me was that with all the energy that we possess, we can spend it either on our frustrations when life does not go as we expected, or we can direct it towards our plans. If we are in a tough situation then the only way to pull out of it is to put positive energy into it in order to obtain a positive output. This is something I can really work on so that I will not be as stressed. Sometimes all it takes to get on the right path is to set your mind straight and make a decision. Just having someplace to start is considered a good start. It is also important to know where you want to be, so you can bridge the gap between your currant stance and your goals, or where you want to be.

Most of the time people do not realize their capability and therefore miss out on achieving their full potential. Creating lists is a good way to free up space in your mind and allow creativity to flourish. I know that if I spend time focusing on a plan for my goals and bettering myself, then it will have a ripple effect on the people around me. It is important to stand your ground, but you do not want to come across as arrogant. Even when others are in the wrong and do not necessarily deserve kindness, it is important to show them compassion. Just because we can justify aggressiveness does not mean we should.

Elizabeth Harla
Friday, October 27, 2017Learn More About Elizabeth

This week in Belleville CEO we started our presence at Precision Practice Management. We had a couple speakers come in who brought in some unique viewpoints and stories. It was a productive week with our class business as well.  

Patty Gregory was our first visitor. She is the brains behind Art on the Square, and gave some really great stories on how to deal with customers, and people who she hired to sell and how to deal with them. She hit the point of doing the best to treat everyone equally, allowing people from all over the world to send in their art, and giving an equal opportunity when deciding who is in or out of the festival. I really liked that whole perspective of equality.

Renae Nichols, the Owner and Partner of Precision Practice Management gave us a full tour of our new building on Wednesday. I and a few other people noticed that it was a major majority of women working there, but Renae had told us that she looks more for qualification rather than having a certain gender. That is what the good businesses do; it must’ve just been a really good coincidence to not have many men there.

Lastly, we had John Perles visit our class on Thursday. He was really interactive with all of the students, and had a great activity to show us how communication and having a plan can make doing things and being successful, much much easier. I really liked all of his points on setting a goal and then achieving it, and the whole how-to process behind doing so. 

To conclude, this week was a very informative week for the Belleville CEO class. We had three different visitors, and only one short class day after all is said and done. Though I liked having visitors, I would like to get some more work done on our class business in the future weeks, as we still having plenty of planning and work to be done.

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John Lewis
Friday, October 27, 2017Learn More About John