The EO Brand Story Winnie Hart

Think of a raindrop. You're probably picturing a teardrop, aren't you? It's a common misconception, but here's the truth. Raindrops are actually not tear shaped. They're perfectly round and very small, only 2 millimeters across. And now picture that single drop of water traveling at 20 miles per hour. And it hits a surface of water. Then the droplet creates a crown. Upon impact, this fills up and the water droplet bounces back up. It then creates ripples that extend up to 100 times its size from the point of impact. 100 times. One drop of water delivers 100x impact. That single drop of water in 1987 was Verne Harnish. Inspired by the growing entrepreneurial spirit, Verne, along with a group of young entrepreneurs, set out to create an organization that would be the bedrock for entrepreneur growth and innovation. From its origins at Wichita State University to the first ACE convention at MIT and its expansion to honor top young entrepreneurs, EO's roots have been about recognizing and nurturing talent. With the backing of champions like Steve Jobs and Michael Dell and the international bridge built with Chinese Young Entrepreneurs Association, EO's growth trajectory was set. EO wasn't always called EO. And in 1987 the transition from that collegiate setting with ACE to a global one was realized and YEO Young Entrepreneurs Organization was founded. This would later be renamed eo. Ray Hickok was the honoree founder. He was also the founder of YPO Young Presidents Organization and his daughter Kimberly Hickok Smith would later become the first elected president of EO and the first chairman of the Global Board. The goal, to create a haven for entrepreneurs worldwide, fostering learning and networking. This is one of my favorite quotes from Verne. Leading can be lonely and entrepreneurship is often the road less traveled. The first event was called Retreat to the sun and the first chapter launched in 1990 in Washington D.C. and over the next three years, eight chapters were launched and a global Board of Directors was formed. The first international forum training took place, becoming the largest such session to date. And in 1993, Yeo teamed up with Ernst & Young for the first Entrepreneur of the Year award and we received our first grant from the Kauffman foundation to help foster entrepreneurship worldwide. IBM became our first official corporate sponsor. The first chapter in Asia was launched in 1995 in Tokyo and it took 10 years to reach 1000 members. And in 1996, we O World Entrepreneurs Organization was created as a graduate program for YEO members. During that time, the Forum program became what we know is forum today with moderator training programs and higher level experience sharing. And in 2002, Yeo surpassed the 5,000 member mark. And it was just two years later, in 2004 that Yeo and Weo would become one single brand EO and a new brand was launched. The positioning was fueling the entrepreneur engine. The images were of race cars, speedometers and spaceships. That brand served us well for over 15 years. It was 2004. This was the year that I joined EO. I actually joined YO and there were 7,000 members. And as many of you have experienced, I was told that when I joined, it was my responsibility to join the local board, which I did. I had no idea what path of leadership was. Obviously. I remember my very first kickoff event and we were listening to Bill Bourne, the CEO of Medicis, a leading provider of home health and hospice services in the US Bill was talking about growth and opportunity. And I'll always remember one point in particular he made. From crisis comes opportunity. Little did I know, the very next day I would evacuate from my city of New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina would hit the coast and the levees would break. 240 billion gallons of water would flood my city and I lost 75% of my business in a weekend. It was devastating. But I remember that one simple statement. From crisis comes opportunity. It was the most difficult time in my life and the most impactful. That first role that I served was Communications Chair and I would continue to serve in that same role for 5 years. EO saved my business and I believe it saved my life. And though the support I received through crisis, I vowed to serve in an EO leadership role through my tenure as a member. And it's been almost 20 years and I've served in over 18 local, regional and global leadership role. My EO journey. It's been a gift to serve. From confronting the devastation of Hurricane Katrina to engaging with leaders who see opportunity in crisis, my EO experience has been transformational. One of my most recent roles has been serving as a Board Director on the Global Board. I had the opportunity to start that service working with Global Chair Jason Z, Hong Kong member since 2011. He asked me, winnie, does our brand reflect our essence? Are we resonating with the world around us and are we thinking big and being bold? And it was Jason, in his term as Global Chair who initiated the rebranding of eo. He said our new brand shouldn't just be a revamped logo, but a testament to our legacy, values and aspirations. He set the tone at GLC, the global leadership conference in 2019 in Macau. And when he took the stage and said, to remain on the leading edge, EO must evolve at the speed of the universe. Nothing should be taken for granted and everything must be conceived consistently re evaluated. He asked us come with a curious mindset and eyes wide open for opportunities for EO to grow and evolve. He shared this artwork by Cameron Gray called Transcension. Incredibly inspiring level of creativity. No boundaries. Elements that flow from one idea to another, transcending all boundaries, becoming new again. Jason said this is the mindset. He said a brand is like that drop of water and the expansive ripples it creates. We are reminded of the influence of seemingly small actions and the impact they make in our world. He asked, what is a brand? A brand isn't just a logo or a tagline. It's a promise, an experience, and the embodiment of our collective aspirations. The brands you see represented here all have an imprint in your experience. Some are thriving and some no longer exist. But they all leave an impression in your mind. The EO brand should embody our members worldwide in their EO journey. It should signify our shared commitment to interconnection, inclusion, transformation and growth. We wear the EO brand with pride, as we know it represents our deep, infinite connections. Almost impossible to describe. This was 2019, and we set out to update our brand, to connect to our purpose and our vision, to move beyond fueling the entrepreneur to leveraging the collective impact we all have on this world. Just as a single droplet can generate ripples across a vast body of water, so can our individual actions combine to create transformative waves in our lives, each other and society. Over the next year, leading up to apm, the annual planning meeting with EO leaders, we interview leaders and members to understand what is it that our future brand should be. That leadership event was held at Multiversity 1440 in California. 1440 represents how many minutes we have every, every day to make an impact. Every minute counts. Every connection counts. And we ask, who are we today and who are we becoming in the future? How do we leverage the moments and connections we've made to have a bigger impact? Another interesting fact about Multiversity 1440 is that it is surrounded by a redwood forest. And we had the opportunity to visit what is called the mother tree, a sequoia, a tree that's over 1200 years old. This grove of trees are connected by a series of root systems, and they all lean to allow ample sunlight to each tree. They're a community. They Thrive, they share, they're committed to each other. As we navigate through our individual and collective endeavors, our stories accumulate layer upon layer, much like the rings of a tree. The study of these rings is called dendrochronology. The science of dendrochronology offers an incredible insight into understanding age, growth and environmental conditions during the life of a tree. Each ring tells a story of a year past, of challenges faced, growth achieved, and resilience shown. You can see in this image where a scientist is pointing out a year where there was a fire. Yet the tree continues to grow. Like walking in a labyrinth, a symbol of journey, discovery and reflection starts on the outer edge and meanders towards the center, symbolizing a purposeful journey. It reminds us that despite the twists and turns in life, there's clarity in direction and intention. Because as leaders, we're often alone on that path. As our founder said in 1987, it can take you to great heights of freedom, success and reward. It winds through dark and unchartered terrain, demanding diligence, risk taking, blind faith where blind faith has no place. It's a high risk, high reward path not only to be taken on by the faint of heart. The entrepreneurial path is an individual path, one that can at times become quite lonely. And those who walk it often, often find themselves alone, facing great challenges, tough choices and complex decisions that carry great consequence to themselves and others. Lives are affected, changed and put into the balance by the decisions entrepreneurs must make. The decisions we must make. Much like principles of Taoism, we believe in the delicate balance between individual ambition and collective progress, the interconnected nature of opposing forces, and their harmonious balance. In our brand's essence, we find this balance harmonizing our individual aspirations with the shared goals of our global community. It's like the ripple effect of sound, our voice as a community connecting us through genuine connections that amplify our potential. Much like the growth rings of a tree. Our EO brand today, comprised of interconnected circles, is inspired by the concept of amplification and growth. Each ring in our logo represents the various stages of the entrepreneur's journey, their experiences, growth, and the enduring legacy they leave behind. Our new EO brand is much more than a logo and a visual identity. It's about our members and their EO journey together. It's about interconnection, inclusion, transformation and growth. The logomark is a dynamic circle, bright rounded shapes that stack up together to form a striking whole. It expresses our community, our values and our mindsets. The rings radiate outward from our members as individuals to the impact we have on the world around us. And today, we look at our brand and values and ask, how have we grown together through the challenges we face? What impact have we made to each other, our regions and the world? North Asia is the center of that growth. Each leader here today holds the future of the world in their hands. The impact we make is directly tied to the story we tell. The story of our brand, our story, your story. The story of EO started with the vision, a vern and inspired leaders. And today, EO exists in the story of you, the story of us, and the amplification we have. Like a single drop of water, a single member begins a chain reaction that causes a big result. And in the heart of every entrepreneur lies that story, that journey. And for many of us here today, that journey intertwines with the story of EO. Part of my EO journey was in 2009 when I met Simon Sinek, author of Start with why and the Infinite Game, at a local chapter event. Why do you do what you do? He handed this coin to me, and it changed my perspective in how we tell stories. I had been in EO five years at the time, consuming as much as I could, and I remember sitting in that front row that day, front and center. And up until that time, I thought my role as a leader was to tell people what to do. What I learned that day was great leaders inspire others to take action. And. And I remember writing it down, that statement in my journal and noting the date April 22, so many years ago, and something I still think about every day, holding this coin and something we continually strive to achieve. In eo, great leaders inspire everyone to take action. Why do we do what we do? What is our purpose as an organization? Like Simon wrote about the infinite game, our transformational work as entrepreneurs is not finite. It's infinite. In eo, we innovate, we take risk, and we see opportunity in a challenge. We want to make the world a better place for our teams, our families, our communities, and for humankind. We want to make a difference beyond ourselves, for the people, in our lives, and for a better future for everyone. The question is, what better future are we making? What contributions are we making in the world? We move the world forward by unlocking the full potential of entrepreneurs. This is our purpose. Today we celebrate that single drop of water and the hundred x potential we have to each other. Our forums, our families, our communities, to move the world forward with our very own medallion. This medallion that reminds us of why we're here. I encourage you to hold it in your hand to ask yourself, how am I moving the world forward? What do I need to unlock in myself to achieve my own potential? Carry it with you. Share the story of eo, the story of you, the story of us. We move the world forward by unlocking the full potential of entrepreneurs. Just imagine the possibilities, Sam.