Despite some pretty intense weather earlier in the day, the atrium of the SCI building was filled Friday evening. 95 business owners and leaders from across Pensacola gathered to learn more about the Accelerate with SCI: Mastermind Roundtable Program. The excitement was palpable!

Fresh from the Busy Leader Handbook workshop he’d facilitated only hours before, Quint Studer mingled with the crowd before conducting a Q&A. He spoke about the challenges small business owners face; always with clever anecdotes (he’s not one to lose the attention of his audience). Specifically, Quint talked about how it’s so valuable for business owners to work ON their business, instead of always being IN their business. The Accelerate program is designed to help business owners do exactly that: take the time to work ON their business. 

According to the SBA Office of Advocacy, only half of small businesses survive more than five years, with 10-12% closing each year. So, what can be done to change this? What is out there that can reduce that statistic, and help your business thrive? 

SCI’s Leadership Development team’s purpose is to provide the business community with the tools and resources they need to make Pensacola and the surrounding area a shining light of employment. By creating sustainable businesses, we can retain talent that would otherwise hit the road for bigger cities. The Accelerate Roundtable Program was created specifically to connect the leaders in our community with not only a mentor, but with each other. 

Working with a mentor can be a game changer. As shown by a survey done by UPS, 70% of small businesses that received mentoring made it past that 5-year threshold. They showed increased business growth and higher revenues, doubling the survival rate of businesses that didn’t participate in mentor programs. UPS also found that 88% of business owners with a mentor say that having one is invaluable. 

Knowing this, can you afford NOT to participate? 

This program was created after SCI conducted a needs assessment and found a demand. Business owners were looking for a place to share in a safe and supported environment with like-minded business leaders. SCI then surveyed last year’s participants to learn if they found it to be valuable. Here is what we learned:

• 100% were likely or very likely to participate again this year

• 94% found the information useful