--- title: The Discipline of Preparation description: Getting the greatest value from your advisory board requires your board members to have a thorough understanding of your franchise business. image: https://blog.johnnyfranchise.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Fotolia_71584055_XS-1.jpg --- [![JF - new logo updated (2)](https://blog.johnnyfranchise.com/hs-fs/hubfs/JF%20-%20new%20logo%20updated%20(2).png?width=338&height=157&name=JF%20-%20new%20logo%20updated%20(2).png "JF - new logo updated (2)")](https://www.johnnyfranchise.com) - [JohnnyFranchise.com](https://www.johnnyfranchise.com/) - [About John](https://www.johnnyfranchise.com/about/) - [Services](https://www.johnnyfranchise.com/services/) - [Schedule a Consultation](https://www.johnnyfranchise.com/schedule/) by John Francis # The Discipline of Preparation Jul 15, 2017 7:38:12 AM [Advisory Boards](https://blog.johnnyfranchise.com/tag/advisory-boards), [Franchising Help](https://blog.johnnyfranchise.com/tag/franchising-help) - [mailto:?body=https://blog.johnnyfranchise.com/the-discipline-of-preparation](mailto:?body=https://blog.johnnyfranchise.com/the-discipline-of-preparation) - This is Part 1 of an 8 Part series that dives into the [eight key benefits of having an advisory board](https://blog.johnnyfranchise.com/blog/why-your-organization-needs-an-advisory-board)and how it can help you, the business owner, achieve greater levels of success.   For more information on the benefits of forming an advisory board, listen to my interview on[Social Geek Radio here](http://socialgeekradio.com/2018/02/21/do-you-need-a-board-of-advisors/). -------------- Getting the greatest value from your advisory board requires your board members to have a thorough understanding of your business: from its current financial situation to its recent successes and challenges. Ideally, this information is provided at least a week before each meeting so that advisory board members have an opportunity to review the materials, think through issues and have time to formulate their own thoughts and questions in advance. And while this information is incredibly beneficial to the advisory board members – and the overall success of the meeting – the discipline of putting together this information benefits the owner, as well. From reviewing the financial statements to putting together an agenda, the process of preparing for each meeting forces the owner to take a comprehensive look at their business more regularly than they often would otherwise. Why is this so important? This regular exercise gives owners an opportunity to think critically about their business, reflect on its recent successes (or failures) and lay out the nagging questions or concerns that are weighing on their minds. Speaking from experience as a board member, I can tell you that a successful board won’t just evaluate the issues as they are given on the agenda, but they’ll carefully dig deeper to make sure there’s not a larger problem sitting below the surface that needs to be addressed first. Without the owner taking the time to prepare that agenda, however, and identify a list of key issues to explore, we’d be ill prepared to take the deep dive needed to fully explore and resolve these issues. Get a board, and get the benefits! If you’d like to know more, connect with me and I’ll share some ideas - anytime! ![John Francis](https://blog.johnnyfranchise.com/hubfs/JF%20Professional_Blog_214x214px-1.png) ### Written by [John Francis](https://blog.johnnyfranchise.com/author/johnfrancis) [❮ How a Board of Advisors Can Enhance your Credibility as a Franchisor](https://blog.johnnyfranchise.com/want-enhance-credibility-business-establish-board-advisors) [5 Growth Benefits For The Franchisee ❯](https://blog.johnnyfranchise.com/5-growth-benefits-franchisee) ### **About the Franchise Expert** ![JohnFrancis_512x512px](https://blog.johnnyfranchise.com/hs-fs/hubfs/JohnFrancis_512x512px.jpg?width=214&name=JohnFrancis_512x512px.jpg) John Francis is an enthusiastic, engaging, and entertaining public speaker because he speaks from experience and he speaks from the heart. Franchising is in his blood, and his parents were true pioneers in the industry, turning their family haircutting business into a 1,000-salon franchise empire. He has been a franchisee and a franchisor, and has a deep understanding of the issues both face. Book John to speak at your event, and you and your franchisees will learn how to look at your business in new, positive, and profitable ways. [**Learn More >>>**](https://johnnyfranchise.com/about/) ### Tags/Categories - [Franchisors (63)](https://blog.johnnyfranchise.com/tag/franchisors) - [Franchising Help (53)](https://blog.johnnyfranchise.com/tag/franchising-help) - [Franchisees (52)](https://blog.johnnyfranchise.com/tag/franchisees) - [Franchise Planning (43)](https://blog.johnnyfranchise.com/tag/franchise-planning) - [Franchise Consulting (30)](https://blog.johnnyfranchise.com/tag/franchise-consulting) ### Latest Posts ### Archives - [March 2017 (2)](https://blog.johnnyfranchise.com/archive/2017/03) - [July 2020 (2)](https://blog.johnnyfranchise.com/archive/2020/07) - [August 2020 (2)](https://blog.johnnyfranchise.com/archive/2020/08) - [September 2020 (2)](https://blog.johnnyfranchise.com/archive/2020/09) - [October 2020 (2)](https://blog.johnnyfranchise.com/archive/2020/10) ### Follow Us ### Subscribe Here ### Sitemap - [Home](https://www.johnnyfranchise.com/) - [About](https://www.johnnyfranchise.com/about) - [Services](https://www.johnnyfranchise.com/services/) - [Contact](https://www.johnnyfranchise.com/contact) - [Blog](https://blog.johnnyfranchise.com/) ### Recent Posts ### Contact: 1930 Oak Street, Mendota Heights, MN 55118 Phones 1-[6](tel:1234567890)12-868-0745 E-mail [john@johnnyfranchise.com](mailto:john@johnnyfranchise.com)   © 2024 Next Level Franchise, Inc. - - - ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "John Francis", "url" : "https://blog.johnnyfranchise.com/author/johnfrancis" }, "dateModified" : "2022-05-03T13:46:22.017Z", "datePublished" : "2017-07-15T12:38:12.000Z", "headline" : "The Discipline of Preparation", "image" : [ "https://blog.johnnyfranchise.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Fotolia_71584055_XS-1.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.johnnyfranchise.com/the-discipline-of-preparation", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.johnnyfranchise.com/hubfs/JF%20new%20logo%20-%20without%20background.png" }, "name" : "Next Level Franchise, Inc." } } ```