Entrepreneurial group seeks growth

The area chapter of Entrepreneurs' Organization, recently named one of a dozen organizations entrepreneurs need to join by Entrepreneur magazine, has dream-large plans for the Gulf Coast in 2015.

The Central Florida chapter, which covers Orlando and the entire Gulf Coast, seeks to grow its membership base by at least 50% in 2015, says EO Central Florida President Jane Bolin. The group doubled its membership count last year, and now has 25 people in the chapter. The chapter was founded in 2008 and expanded to Orlando in 2012. “We are looking for entrepreneur leaders,” Bolin tells Coffee Talk. “We are looking for people who are willing to push it.”

Entrepreneurs' Organization is similar, in some ways, to groups like the Gulf Coast CEO Forum in the Sarasota-Bradenton market and the CEO Council of Tampa Bay. EO holds meetings and seminars where it brings in national leadership speakers. The chapter also has confidential executive roundtable sessions, called Forum, where members chat about business issues with their peers. EO meetings and sessions, like some other organizations, aren't for sales and lead generation.