Franchisee Denise O’Neill is Helping Business Leaders Thrive with The Alternative Board’s Unique Approach
Denise O’Neill had built an impressive career as a sales and marketing executive in the Fortune 100 packaged goods industry. Her resume included stints with Frito-Lay, Reckitt & Coleman (now Reckitt Benckiser) and Nabisco, where she served as vice president of sales/customer marketing for the foods division. She also founded an award-winning program called Survivors Offering Support for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients, which was implemented in 18 hospitals in the Mid-Atlantic region.
In 2012, an opportunity arose that would change her career trajectory, enabling O’Neill to help owners and CEOs of privately owned businesses in achieving their own success. Today, as the owner of The Alternative Board (TAB) a business advisory franchise serving the Baltimore-Washington market, O’Neill and her team work with about 80 business leaders and, during the past 22 months have assisted 12 owners to successfully exit their business. O’Neill has grown her business by more than 30% in the past three years and collaborated with TAB owners worldwide in helping businesses navigate the pandemic’s challenges.
TAB provides services far deeper than a peer or mastermind group.
Founded in 1990 by best-selling business author and entrepreneur Alan Fishman, TAB has helped owners of companies in more than 20 countries to grow their businesses, increase revenue and improve their work-life balance.
“TAB provides services far deeper than a peer or mastermind group,” O’Neill says. “TAB anchors in executive coaching, peer advisory boards and adds a special sauce, which is the proprietary Business Builder’s Blueprint, a strategic planning tool that has been developed uniquely for business owners.
“The TAB model provides the ability for TAB business owners to go deeper in serving their members by adding additional services like consulting to build high-performing teams, customer journey mapping or Next Generation Leadership training,” she says.
O’Neill and her husband, then a business consultant, learned of the opportunity to invest in the established TAB Baltimore Washington franchise when that owner, an acquaintance of her husband’s, decided to sell. “TAB offered an opportunity for us to combine our talents and experience and work together,” O’Neill says.
After five years, her husband left TAB to work as COO for one of their member companies. O’Neill purchased TAB from him and runs it as a solo owner.
Strategic Expansion
She attributes the significant growth over the last three years to “finding a sweet spot” in running seven peer advisory boards with four coach facilitators. O’Neill plans to continue expanding services for members this year including adding TAB’s StratPro leadership transformation services and strategic planning workshops, and expanding the Next Generation Leadership program with the addition of Working Genius workshops.
O’Neill believes it’s important to achieve work-life harmony, which varies depending on a person’s life stage. “My children are now in their 20s and I have more free time to spend working in and on the business. In general, I keep the weekends sacred for personal time with family and friends. I exercise and run most mornings before work. I also believe in setting aside time daily for quiet spiritual time.”
As a TAB business owner, O’Neill has the ability to define her own schedule and business-expanding activities. She manages her calendar by prioritizing members’ needs, growing strong coach facilitators and thinking strategically about her TAB Baltimore Washington franchise.
“A typical day involves a mix of executive coaching, running a peer advisory board and/or attending a social event to connect with alliance partners in the business community and future prospects,” she says. “If you are a person who likes variety and thrives in constant interaction with business leaders, TAB is the place for you.”
For more information about TAB, visit https://www.tabfranchise.com/us-canada-franchising/.
