It's the most important entrepreneurial organization you've never heard of.
Although 11,000 people from 140 countries have been through its programs since
1991, Income Builders International has been going about its mission of changing
the business world underneath most people's radar.All that is to change as IBI introduces its ideas in schools with the active interest of the U.S. Congress. Plus, corporations and over 100 city managers nationwide have asked for help from IBI, which is dedicated to training entrepreneurs and matching them up with investors.
IBI is the brainchild of former Marin county resident Bernhard Dohrmann. Many things make IBI unique. One is the missionary zeal that Bernie, a former importer of art, antiquities, and diamonds, has developed to help others. The Small Business Administration says that three out of four startups fail within the first eight years. To improve that, his tenet is that networking and mentorship will provide win-win opportunities for everyone involved.
Out of their research has come Super Teaching, a method of instructing entrepreneurs using multimedia technologies and insights from the psychology of learning. Every other month at a hotel near Los Angeles International Airport, hundreds of IBI members gather for Super Teaching courses on topics like how to make presentations to investors, recruiting a board, and smart marketing. The next course is April 29 - May 5 at the Sheraton Gateway.
The lecturers at are accomplished people, such as Jack Canfield (co-author of the bestselling Chicken Soup books), marketing legend Jay Abraham (Getting All You Can Out of All You've Got), and Larry Johnson (who helped develop Transmeta Corp.'s Crusoe microprocessor).
Barry Spilchuk (A Cup of Chicken Soup for the Soul), the very first IBI member, has been to all of the conferences. He’s a teddy bear of enthusiasm on stage, and off stage he pitches Let's Talk, a set of interactive CDs to help improve family relationships. Suzie Fields, who teaches capital management, had one of the top beauty salons in the U.S. before she and husband Bert Carter cashed out to form Your Beauty Network. They have enrolled 1,800 salon and spa owners. Recently, someone who heard about Your Beauty Network from an IBI member invested $250,000 without even meeting Fields or Carter.
Not all deals are so moderate. Bernie's son, Tony, started Lasershield, a plug-and-play mass-market home security system. He raised $3.5 million with no special help from dad. But, IBI instructs members not to expect to put anything in cement at the conferences because of legal requirements for a waiting period for contracts and appropriate paperwork.
The lifetime membership isn't cheap, but members swear it's much more expensive to pass up the resources. For those who can't afford the $5,000 to join, there are discounts and IBI provides free training on money management and seed fundraising.
One IBI survey showed that 64% of members reported they earned back their fee with at least 100% profit in 180 days. New members go to the weeklong Free Enterprise Forum, while returnees - about 20% of the crowd - can go to the first couple of days free, the rest at a discount.
In the new era of the venture capital desert for small companies, IBI is a potential oasis of financing and expertise.
For more information about Income Builders International, go to www.ibiglobal.com.
Reach Scott S. Smith via his website: home.eathlink.net/~ssmith29.