Member Spotlight
This week's spotlight is Don Ellis.  Please keep this member top of mind this week for referrals. 

Attendance
Where is everybody?

Overcoming Challenges

• Ryan - My original goal was to become a professor.  The hurdle...GMAT - a test you need to take to get into good colleges.  I decided to go into business for myself.

• Shawn - I started my practice in Gilbert right out of school.  The situation in general was the hurdle.  Since moving to Tempe everything has greatly improved.

• Don - On my 3rd restaurant and the toughest to get started.  I was driven.  We had a consultant help us out. 

• Fred - I was in retail sales for some time.  The man I worked for promoted his son into my position.  I moved to Arizona and opened up a new franchise store.  It turned my life around.

• Barb - I studied hard for a test only to find all the names of the enzymes I had learned had changed.  I went to law school instead and having a lot of fun where I am.

• Sandro - I opened my first repair shop 40-years ago.  Moving to Arizona was tough.  I had to work for somebody else after being self employed for so long.  Then I opened up my own shop again.  I don't like to take chances.  I go for the sure thing.  This is not necessarily good.

• Terry - I worked for Home Depot for 20-years.  The biggest challenge was opening stores.  But you learn as you go. 

• Phyllis - I've been a single mother which is a huge challenge.  They are the driving force behind everything. 

• Janice - I started Fitness Fest to keep the paychecks coming in after the swim season ended.  I had struggled to find a venues due to last minute decisions by others.  The "others" eventually tried to take over and have now become my competition.  I have learned to be more careful about who I do business and I have become more proactive and determined.

• Erin - For me it is an ongoing struggle to add new products and expand into other countries (big turning point). 

• Mark - I started off slow and wasn't how sure it would turnout.  I was doing catering work on the weekends and flipping burgers at AJ's.  I even worked at the gas station.  I was doing a lot all at once.  Got a few good breaks.  It is definitely all about who you know.

• Nick - I was with one insurance company for the first 12-years.  Then I started my own independent agency.  A few weeks later they files suit against.  I had to hire attorneys and this went on for a couple years and cost a lot of money before we prevailed.  It was a learning experience.

• Nick - School tests always pointed me towards mechanical-type work.  So I went into the Air Force.  I was good at it.  But something was missing.  I had an opportunity to go into a sales positions.  Looking back it was the best move I could have made because I would have never lasted in the mechanical area.

• Jeff - I started during the worst real estate market.  I didn't get paid for the first several months.  We had competitors slander us.  But I had belief in myself and stuck it out. 

• Dave L - The worst thing for me when I started my business was getting a lot of business off the bat.  Training for marathons taught me that it is true that you cannot keep doing the same thing and expect the same results. 

• Andy - Turnover is huge in our industry.  People don't usually last 5 years.  My biggest challenge was when the market began its downturn. 

Buddy Lunches
We drew new names for Buddy Lunches.  They are listed below.  If you did not get last month's Buddy Lunches done please still try to get together.

Andy Jensen, Jeff Sutherlin, Terry Schnelle
Dave Lathrop, Janice Jaicks, Mark Menasci
Joe Burr, Dave Crissman, Nick Mawrenko
Joe Zingale, Joe Arsenault, Nick Carr
Don Ellis, Chris Curran, Ryan Bohlander
Shawn Vigneau, Bob Busch, Barb Luther
Jake Ulrich, Phyllis Prater, Joe Hesch
Herb Stokes, Sandro Menasci, Jim Bache
Fred Vandervort, Stacy Hyder, Erin LaGrassa

Meeting Presentations 
Ryan Bohlander asked for volunteers to speak at upcoming meetings.  He will get with the speaker coordinator to work out a schedule.  Please also let us know if you ideas for and outside speaker that could enrich our group.

We did book Phyllis for a presentation of her product lines on December 2nd.  Come and shop!

Social Event
Jeff Sutherlin announced that we will meet for happy hour next Friday, November 4th at the Elephant Bar.  It is next to the Chandler Mall.