Creatis Partner Spotlight:
Allied Executives
Strong Community Equals Business Growth & Success
Unfortunately, there’s no encyclopedia or tell-all secret about running a successful business; no magic lamp that will turn you into an overnight entrepreneurial success. And while there are hundreds of books published each year claiming to possess all the answers (and some of them do offer help), no one-size-fits-all resource alone can make business owners and leaders successful. What can help fill in the gaps and promote sustainable growth? The short answer: Community.
Community is what drives and ignites Allied Executive’s passion for uniting business leaders/owners local to the Twin Cities. Allied provides a unique opportunity for small to midsize business executives to form lasting relationships through carefully constructed peer groups, small and large group education events, one-on-one coaching, and social networking opportunities for members. As President Kurt Theriault puts it, Allied helps “business leaders get off their islands.” The peer groups that Allied offers through memberships are, at their core, about leverage; the leveraging of networks, experience and one another’s expertise as a winning strategy to eliminate blind spots. “Look, we’re all trying to get somewhere,” says Kurt. “[Allied Executives] helps shorten the time-frame to success.”
The key for Kurt and the Allied Execs team is to place the right leaders in the right peer groups, not unlike the way Creatis finds the best resource fit for our clients.
Finding the right fit means doing your homework, no matter who your client or customer is. Allied follows a formal process to match up executives with others at their
level, for example: finding veteran leaders who run mature businesses of a similar market value and grouping those folks together. This helps business leaders/owners most effectively grow together. Kurt returns to a nautical metaphor to best explain, “We’re always thinking [in terms of] who can we get into the same boat?”
(Pictured, above ight: Kurt Theriault, President, Allied Executives)
How Allied Impacts Creatis
Allied Executives also has a hand in the success and growth of Creatis.
President/CEO Kathy Hollenhorst has been a member of Allied Executives since 2017.
The partnership has helped her navigate challenges and find growth. Kathy joined two years into her role at Creatis. On why she
joined, Kathy says, “I knew
I needed a peer group environment and experts who could teach me how to be an entrepreneur…and help move [Creatis] forward.” Kathy felt that Kurt and his team truly cared about her needs and added value to the work she did, providing diverse perspectives. Kathy credits Allied for helping define new business development and sales strategies to help Creatis meet its goals these past two years.
Because these peer groups are like living, breathing organisms the best members are the ones who really “lean in” and do all they can to contribute for the benefit of themselves and others. People who are in it for the long-haul. Kathy fit all those characteristics for Kurt. That’s what Creatis prizes in its leaders and employees, too. Allied’s criteria for membership closely aligns with the Creatis core values, which espouse carrying a pay-it-forward mentality practiced throughout one’s career. Kurt says Kathy is, “always leaning in to learn, grow...quick to shun the status quo. She’s a giver and not a taker [in that] she values others’ experiences and understands she’s not a finished product.”
Kurt takes partial credit for Kathy’s newfound passion for podcasts as a vehicle to provide expert thought leadership content to an extended audience in the marketing industry. Kurt had Kathy as a guest on Allied’s “Lessons Learned Along the Way” video podcast, where Kathy conveyed lessons she’s learned as a business leader. Watch it here.
Are you a business leader/owner? Learn more about Allied Executives Membership.
(Pictured, above: Kurt Theriault & Kathy Hollenhorst at Creatis )
