The Business Doctor provides expert solutions for small business owners throughout the Southeast.

 
   
 

The Institute for Independent Business    

The Institute for Independent Business (IIB) is a not-for-profit research and accreditation organization established in 1984 to give independent businesses direct access to top business people bringing practical advice and timely ideas to the business. The IIB is the largest organization of its type in world with more than 3,000 Executive Associates having now been through the accreditation process.

Mark Fricks, the President and majority owner of the Business Doctor, Inc., is an Accredited Executive Associate of the IIB and is part of this worldwide network, bringing a wealth of expertise and resources from every business imaginable to our clients.  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

What is the IIB and why was it founded?

The Institute for Independent Business was founded in 1984 to provide practical advice and useful information to the independent business sector. Independent businesses often operate in isolation without the networks of contacts and information services available to large companies. They typically lack the fundamental skills in key aspects of management that are required to develop a truly successful business. The organizations purporting to supply help and information were poorly signposted and inaccessible for most small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs). They were also largely governmental, bureaucratic and remote in nature. The Institute attempted to fill this gap by offering a single reference point where SMEs could obtain relevant information and support.

Why Bother with Small to Medium Sized Business?

According to national statistics, nearly 97% of all businesses in the US employ fewer than 250 people; nearly 96% employ fewer than 50 people.

These figures clearly illustrate the importance of caring for small businesses rather than aiming initiatives at larger companies who can already afford to buy expertise and have a full board of professional directors who are available to provide specialist advice and assistance any time it is needed.

Owners of small businesses do not have this caliber of support and are expected to know everything, keep up with everything, and do everything themselves. This is clearly a very unsatisfactory situation, especially when the small business owner cannot be expected to "know what they don't know."

 

The Business Support Program

The Business Support Program (BSP) offers small business owners expert support for up to 12 months, assisting the company in any and every way possible, while being a "business friend" to the owner.

The IIB Executive accreditation is only afforded to top business professionals who meet the Institute's exacting standards. Being an accredited Executive Associate is acknowledged as a privileged position.

The Executive Associate is constantly available to the owner and draws on the unlimited business resources of the Institute to help answer any business issues the company may have. The Executive Associate plans and coordinates with the owner the use of the company's allotted 192 hours of "hand-on" practical assistance from the Institute's professionals.

The Executive Associate and owner have access to more than 3,000 of the Institute's accredited Executive Associates to assist in planning, design, and implementation of any business-related project a small business may need.

Issues for Small Businesses

  • Cash Flow
  • Funding
  • Profitability
  • Marketing
  • Lack of time
  • Sales planning and management
  • Conflict resolution
  • No personal exit strategy
  • Loss of original vision for the business

 

Contact us for more information about the Institute or the Business Support Program

or visit the website for the Institute for Independent Business at www.iibamericas.org

 

  
   
 
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