C12 North Texas
C12 Chair FAQs
Our Promise to
Every Member
We promise to be an example of all we promote, to be accountable to our members and to seek their correction when any deviations appear. We serve as a resource for education, encouragement, challenge, inspiration and accountability.
A C12 Chair is a person that feels called to lead Christian CEOs and Business Owners to be excellent in business and to use that platform for the purposes of God. The chair is responsible for recruiting the members, facilitating a monthly business forum, and meeting each member one-on-one each month. It is a mixture of being an entrepreneur, professional facilitator, leadership coach, and business-as-ministry specialist in three spheres.
Yes, it is.
A C12 Chair views their role as their primary vocation. That means that we do not parttime consulting or run other businesses while we are C12 Chairs. The practical reason for this is that the work tends to require devoted attention to serving members. C12 is distinctive among executive roundtable organizations for requiring fulltime chairs.
This is not a salaried position. The C12 Chair earns money from the monthly fees paid by their members. Like the CEOs and owners we serve, this compels us to develop our businesses efficiently and helps to understand the pressures that our members face every day.
The upside to the compensation is that it is not capped. The more members, the more compensation for the chair.
There are two answers to that question.
We operate as a for-profit business and present ourselves that way to prospects and members. There are good reasons for doing so. Being a for-profit organization means that we must deal with the same success measures and pressures as are experienced by our members every day. It also means that a C12 Chair can make a professional living focusing only on C12.
We operate as a ministry in that our ultimate aim is to model and encourage faithful stewardship to our members. That stewardship requires that we ask God what His purposes are for the businesses we lead. We know that He values people and seeks to have an eternal relationship with each person. Thus, a C12 Chair helps members develop tangible plans and programs to align with God's greater purposes. Does that sound like a ministry to you?
Absolutely!
Every chair first goes through training with our C12 Headquarters team. The training covers the history, the fundamentals of being a chair, a set of effective practices and good approaches to presenting the C12 value proposition to prospects (i.e., sales training).
In North Texas, a new chair joins an existing team that works together. We provide coaching, event support, lead generation, marketing programs and weekly check-ins to make sure that a new chair is amply supported. You will also find that experienced C12 Chairs around the country are willing and available to help whenever there is a need.
A C12 Chair finds prospects anywhere in the territory. For the C12 North Texas territory, this includes Dallas and Tarrant counties plus all of the surrounding counties. This is a huge territory with numerous prospects! The last estimate showed about 14,000 qualified (by size) businesses in our territory.
The common fruitful activities to find prospects include networking, territory marketing, workshops and, most effective, referrals from satisfied members.
A "principal" chair is the person that purchased the local franchise rights from C12 Headquarters to build and facilitate groups. C12 Headquarters holds this person responsible for brand compliance and business development. For many territories including C12 North Texas, the potential membership cannot be served by one chair. C12 created the "chair" concept to add capacity to the principal chair.
A chair does not own the franchise. Instead, they work under the franchise of the principal chair. There is an explicit business agreement between the principal chair and the chair spelling out the rights, responsibilities and financial arrangements.
Members and prospects treat principal chairs and chairs alike. There are no outside-facing responsibilities that are different.
No, you will be an independent business doing business as C12. Many chairs form their own LLC so that they can collect their business expenses under it. Others operate as a sole proprietor. That is your call.
In terms of everyday operations, you will represent yourself as "C12."
Most C12 Members usually join because they need business help - not because they are looking for another Bible study, networking group or guest speaker forum. They are struggling with issues they have typically faced alone: growth or layoffs, hiring or firing, strategy or execution, ramp-up or succession. They have missed out on learning from others who have been there before. And because many have little formal business training, they just charge headlong through the issues, doing the best they can. When they find C12, they often see their blind spots for the first time. And, in many cases, they find the accountability, benchmarking, and eternal perspective they have been missing.
A significant part of a C12 Member’s expanded vision comes through their relationship with their Chair, the structured business curriculum and their business forum. C12 Chairs not only facilitate monthly business forums but also meet monthly with Members 1-on-1, reviewing real-time challenges and opportunities. The Chair helps them think through building teams, refining processes, vetting opportunities and solving problems. The results are often astounding usually through steady, incremental growth across multiple business measures. Men and women who persevered admirably before joining C12 find traction through concepts and insights that simply were not part of their management thinking and vocabulary. They stay because they get real business help and sharpened eternal perspectives. This diagram illustrates the types of value provided to members.
A recent study of C12 Members revealed that during the weak economy of 2008 - 2013, 79% outpaced their peers.
In a ten-year study (2006) of 350 mid-sized American leadership companies, long-term C12 Members with annual sales from $2 - $800 million, outperformed this group by growing their top-line revenue and bottom-line profits more than three times faster.
Some Christian CEOs and business owners come to C12 with deeply held convictions and a clear connection between Sunday and the workweek. For others, seeing their business as a platform for ministry is a completely new perspective.
We regularly see Members with a mild interest in displaying their faith at work evolve into confident Christians engaged in workplace ministry. For C12, ministry means helping our Members see how they can care for people's physical, emotional and spiritual needs. Members realize that as they grow their profits, they are growing capacity to invest in their people, their community, and their world.
The C12 Chair gets a front-row seat to watch God at work in Members’ lives. The Chair is blessed by the first-hand opportunity to implement with their God-given gifts and experience being used to guide leaders in their community for God’s glory!
One of the core values of C12 is "Results Matter." We think that making a difference is a worthy calling. In fact, Jesus’ final directive to his disciples was a command to go achieve results - to make disciples of all nations. Until now, we have largely left this charge up to the church institution to fulfill.
While the formal church has a large role in spreading the gospel, the reality is there are many more people at work who need to hear the Gospel than there are at church. In fact, up to 70% of Americans in the workforce do not have a regular connection to a pastor, priest, or minister.
This is our mission field. Could it be yours?
One C12 Chair impacts --
A fully developed practice has 5 business forums of 12 Members = 60 Members
An average C12 company has 40 employees = 2400 employees
Each employee has an average circle of influence of 100 people = 240,000 customers, vendors and family members.
240,000 people > 10% of a metro market
What would it mean to influence that many people? We think that the eternal impact potential is huge. And it starts with the hearts of the leaders that a C12 Chair mentors, encourages and inspires.
We have an excellent video that captures the challenge we have in the North Texas area.
All of the zip codes in a shade of blue are part of C12 North Texas. We have the responsibility to create and facilitate groups all over the Metroplex. The opportunity and challenges are large.
Look at what some of our Chairs had to say about their role as C12 Chair.
Chuck Eapen, C12 Chair, Northern New Jersey
Steve McCullough, C12 Chair, Charleston, SC
It is not easy to be an effective C12 Chair. We are looking for a select few that meet the following requirements.
Mature Christ-Follower - Be a hearer and doer of God’s Word, with an unwavering biblical worldview.
Entrepreneurial Attitude - A “can do, never give up” mindset, with the willingness and ability to be in business with us and committed to being full time “owner” of your practice. We think that grit is essential.
Trustworthy Advisor to Peers - Must have the “gravitas” to garner the respect of business peers who will seek your advice and counsel.
Business Leadership Principles Must have strong business leadership acumen and understand how the Bible applies to business.
Ability to Invest Financially - Must also have financial reserves to live on for 12-24 months depending on your monthly needs
C12 Chairs view the workplace as their mission field, serving full-time in their local market. The roles of a C12 Chair can be summarized with the words build, lead, and impact.
BUILD
The Chair builds business forums of Christian CEO’s and business owners (Members). This process includes networking, marketing, and business development. You do not need a sales background, but you do need to be willing to follow a proven, results-driven process, and have the passion, patience, and persistence to grow your practice over time.
LEAD
After you build a group, you lead them by facilitating monthly peer advisory meetings and by engaging in one-on-one coaching, consulting and mentoring. The topics covered range from business to spiritual to personal ones. You will focus on best-in-class content that makes both a near-term and an eternal impact.
IMPACT
The impact on your Members, their families and their companies and communities will be amazing. From healthy, growing businesses, better work-life balance, stronger relationships to eternal impacts around salvations, service and giving, the C12 Chair is uniquely positioned to influence, observe and celebrate great progress.
One of the great joys (and challenges) of being a C12 Chair are the various roles you play for your members. It is a privilege to participate with members in the most important areas of their lives and to be trusted to contribute solutions. Here is a sampling of what is required. While this may sound daunting, remember that you will grow with your members into these roles.
When you are a C12 Chair, you never forget that you are running a business (just like your members). That responsibility keeps the everyday issues that your members face fresh in your mind. It helps you to demonstrate, too, how to apply the many concepts that we cover each month in our business forums. All of the improvements we recommend to members, you get to model. Does that sound exciting?
Perhaps you are intrigued by the prospect of using your God-given business talents to help Christian CEOs and owners move to the next level. But...there is the very practical issue of making a living. Can you feed your family, take care of your obligations, and plan for the future as a C12 Chair?
This is where the C12 model is distinct from many alternatives. All our Chairs view their role as owners and are engaged full-time in their practices. They do not split time with consulting engagements, side businesses or fundraising. They are fully focused on building their groups and taking care of their Members.
C12 Members pay monthly fees, based on the size of their companies, that allow a successful practice to generate a professional income. As C12 North Texas grows, we will have the opportunity to launch multiple business forums to help us further develop this territory and Kingdom impact. And because C12 is a turnkey franchise model, you can build a valuable, sustainable asset with substantial monthly recurring revenue. The systems, processes, models and curriculum are already in place.
Here is how it works after you have been trained and join our team.
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- We help you launch your practice through events, coaching, networking, marketing and lead generation activities.
- Once you have a nucleus of new Members, you begin a C12 Business Forum under your leadership.
- Each month Member fees are collected, and you receive a significant majority of that money.
- As your group grows and you build your practice, you will add more business forums. The maximum load for most C12 Chairs is 5 full forums (approximately 60 Members).
- Most successful C12 Chairs have six-figure annual incomes.
We invite you to begin the exploration process. All your information and our conversations are confidential. Please provide the following information to get our conversation started.
A current resume.
Responses to the following
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- Using what you have learned about the C12 Group from our website, this Opportunity Profile, and any other research you chose to conduct, describe how your life and career have prepared you to serve as a Chair?
- Why is this the right time for you to serve in this role?
- What is your business background?
Contact Tom Hawes ([email protected] or 214-620-9366) at the C12 North Texas(www.c12northtexas.com) to begin the process.
If you would prefer, leave your contact information and we will get in touch with you.
There are three threads in the approval process. A "yes" is required in all three to permit someone to become a C12 Chair. (We are very careful about this process.)
1. C12 Headquarters will interview each candidate to determine if they feel a candidate is a good fit for C12. The interview process will include discussions with the development director and executive staff, financial vetting and completion of multiple assessments.
2. The C12 North Texas principal chair (Tom Hawes) will coordinate interviews with other local C12 Chairs, perform additional assessments, arrange for visits to one or more C12 monthly business forums and determine the team fit with the applicant.
3. And you will perform your assessment of whether or not C12 is a good fit for you.
How can we help you?
If you have additional questions not answered above or you would like to learn how you can get started, we would love to speak with you. Simply fill out the form below and we’ll get back to you in the next 24 hours.
