Where Entrepreneurs Learn How To Start & Grow Their Business.

You asked for it… We created it!

Our
Mission

Our Mission

Our mission at AO is to help entrepreneurs create time and financial independence by helping them learn how to grow their small business. We do this with great business mentoring and coaching as well as trusted networking with other small business owners.

Frequently Asked Questions

01. Have any members joined AO and grown their business to 7 figures?

Absolutely. And we will introduce you to them so you can learn from them!

02. How do I know if AO is right for me?
One thing we have learned is certain entrepreneurs succeed with AO and some don’t. With 4 years under our belt we have it down who is best suited for AO. AO is right for you if you will ask questions via your phone or attend weekly zooms with our mentors to ask questions and learn. You are determined to grow your business and want to learn from people who have done it and can help you with steps and advice or feedback. Believe it or not, some people simply won’t ask for help. Those types don’t benefit from AO. And they struggle more and ultimately succeed less. Statistics prove this.
03. What makes AO unique?
Many things. Let’s start with price. There is no other organization with 15+ Mentors and Coaches of AO caliber with this much access to them that is under $1,000 a year for membership. That is why many people never join organizations. Cost and quality of mentors. We developed AO to fit budgets and provide incredible value. What also makes us unique is how well rounded our mentors are. Every mentor has built, is currently running, or has built and sold a multi-million dollar company that they built from scratch with no funding. They know how to build a company. And the mentors donate their time so we can keep membership fees low. One mentor even built 2 different billion dollar companies. (Tom is very special.) Lastly, we know everyone learns differently. We have every type of learning available. In-person, zooms, virtual, podcast, and the most extensive library of Q&A video sessions in the world! Yes. The world. We have over 400 hours of video content. Don’t believe us, search Accelerators Organization on youtube. We actually make these available to the world at no charge. Enjoy.
04. Why do I need AO vs. learning on social media, books, and podcasts?
We recommend all types of learning. But the one thing books, social, and podcasts don’t give readers, listeners, and viewers is relationships. Relationships are the magic in life. AO introduces you to new relationships where you get advice, share ideas, get feedback and ultimately create lifelong friendships. This is actually the highest value we see our members get from AO.
05. Who are the AO Mentors and how can they help me?
AO Mentors are proven business leaders who all built their business by bootstrapping it, just like you are doing. And now they donate their time to give back. You can see their bios right here on the website as well as see them in action in video in their bio. They come from all different backgrounds and different industries and product/service categories. They will help you by learning about your business needs and sharing wisdom and advice to help you achieve your goals.
How many questions can I ask to the mentors? As many as you need. Every question you ask in our AO portal received a personal video response from Shawn, our Founder, and other various mentors best suited to answer your question. No limit.
06. What kind of ROI should I expect by being an AO Member?
It really depends on your situation. We have seen members grow their business from $100,000 to $1,000,000 in 2 years. We have seen members go from limited mindset to abundant mindset. We have seen members go from having few friends to now having lifelong friends. We have seen members go from being a member to now being a mentor in AO. The ROI you receive will be personal to you. We look forward to seeing how you create ROI from AO.
07. Is this 1 on 1 Mentoring and Coaching?
There is 1-1 mentoring and coaching to group coaching to in-person events (In-person events are option and have cost to attend.)
08. Is this all online or can I talk to Mentors or Shawn?
This is not all online. We know that is a major concern. To keep costs down for membership we have create proprietary processes that make it easy to ask questions and get personal answers. Shawn is also available as well as ability to speak to other members and mentors when needed. AO members are all business owners and we find that the peer to peer relationships bring immense value. You will have no problem speaking to people to develop real relationships.
09. What else will I need outside of AO?

There on three things we as entrepreneurs must be expert: The “business” side of things, our target audience/customers, and our industry (product & service). AO will help you become expert on the business side of thing. We recommend you also belong to trade groups in your industry.This will help you stay on top of being competitive and keeping your advantage.

Testimonials

AO is your GPS For Business Success

AO's Mentors and Coaches have all built 7 & 8 figure businesses. Their experience serves as a GPS for you to build your future business.

Entrepreneurs with a mentor are 5X more likely to start their business

87% of entrepreneurs with a mentor are still in business after one year vs 75% without a mentor

Statistics Prove

Entrepreneurs with Mentors succeed at a much higher rate than those without. But why?

It is because most people are not taught at an early age how to prepare for the difficult challenges of business ownership. Managing all the different facets of business and the roller coaster of emotions of the entrepreneur life is not something that can be learned by simply reading a book or watching a movie. It takes ongoing personal relationships. Successful mentorship gives entrepreneurs a place to learn how to navigate the journey while minimizing mistakes that cost time and money.

Your Mentors

Dan Abbate

Consolidated Clarity Corporation

Dan Abbate is an entrepreneur, thought leader, and investor with a career-long focus in business process optimization and automation through the use of advanced technology, organizational development, and improvement. Dan has a heavy transaction back...

Learn More >

Shawn Thomas

Accelerators Organization

Shawn is the founder of AO. After the successful sale of his previous company, Shawn dedicated his life to mentoring and coaching, small business owners. Never one to let fear of the unknown stand in the way, at the age of 18, Shawn left a small t...

Learn More >

Don Williams

Don Williams Global

Don started selling early, he was the #1 Sales Rep in the US at age 19 & the #1 Sales Manager at age 20. Since 1986, Don has founded a dozen companies and he’s worked with over ½ of the Fortune 500 on marketing, sales & customer experience. He ...

Learn More >

Brad Stevens

Outsource Access

Brad Stevens is a lifetime entrepreneur having built multiple 7 figure businesses in domestic and international markets with distribution in 18 countries. His current company is Outsource Access, an offshore virtual assistant and outsourcing firm in ...

Learn More >

Jonathan Kaberkorn

Intrizen

Jonathan Haberkorn is a visionary enterprise solutions architect who guides clients through high-impact enterprise transformations. He has over a decade of experience creating fully integrated enterprise solutions and transforming enterprise vision i...

Learn More >

SHELLEY MERRELL

Integrated Fire & Safety

As a woman-owned small business, Shelley Merrell’s company knows the territory of oil platforms, big business, and government agencies, and how to fight and prevent fires. Her company deals with special hazards such as protecting vulnerable compute...

Learn More >

KAEL CAMPBELL

Red Seal Recruiting

Kael Campbell is a father, husband, and entrepreneur that helps clients in the manufacturing and construction industries find the people needed to service customers and grow. He has over 20 years of experience starting companies and serving on corpor...

Learn More >

JOEL GANDARA

Morro Capital

They say hard work pays off, and Joel Gandara is the definition of this statement. Born in Cuba, he came to the U.S. in 1980, arriving on an overcrowded boat full of hopes and dreams. Joel grew up with a work ethic that was unmatched. While other ki...

Learn More >

CESAR QUINTERO

EOS Worldwide

Cesar Quintero’s purpose is to empower leaders to build a business by design so that they live a life by design. His core values are to Share Vulnerably, Spark Action, Spot individuality, and Spread Passion. At age 24, in 2004, Quintero moved to...

Learn More >

Jeff Bruno

B.Modelr

The modern CFO is even more critical to manage the intersection of financial strategic planning and growth milestones for a small to medium-sized business. Jeff’s first-hand experiences as a leading figure in a multi-million-dollar acquisition of a...

Learn More >

Tyler McBroom

TRM CPA

Tyler McBroom, CPA, MBA is a tax professional, speaker, and bestselling author with a great passion for helping entrepreneurs understand their numbers and pay as little tax as legally possible while they grow their businesses. As the Tax Partner at M...

Learn More >

Todd Ferguson

Showcase Companies

Todd is the founder and CEO of Showcase Prep, a full-service 3rd party logistics fulfillment center (3PL), specializing in e-commerce fulfillment and storage. Todd has been selling on various e-commerce platforms since 1999 when he started buying an...

Learn More >

Dan Abbate

Consolidated Clarity Corporation

Dan Abbate is an entrepreneur, thought leader, and investor with a career-long focus in business process optimization and automation through the use of advanced technology, organizational development, and improvement. Dan has a heavy transaction background including startup financing, mergers and acquisitions, and turnarounds. In the late ’90s, while he was still in college, Dan started an internet company which serviced and eventually sold to Wall Street-funded .coms. Between the years of 2003 and 2013, he started/developed or acquired/ improved and then sold eight companies serving various markets and industries with a total market value over $100,000,000 and were funded using private and public capital markets. He has experience in both B2B and B2C companies and enjoys advising on high-level operational initiatives, including infrastructure design, process re/engineering, and reorganization. As a silent and lead investor in a number of technology startup companies, and with a focus on cryptocurrencies and underlying blockchain technologies, Dan has a unique leadership position in the cross-section of technology, finance, and business. Dan holds a degree from DePaul University in Philosophy and Business, has studied Operations and Financial performance at The Wharton School and Math and Physics at the University of New Mexico, will graduate with a Masters in Finance from Harvard University in 2021, presented his prophetic talk “How Not To Be Replaced By A Robot” at TedXBoca in 2015, and his book “Automation Manifesto” was published and is available via Amazon and other retail book outlets....

Shawn Thomas

Accelerators Organization

Shawn is the founder of AO. After the successful sale of his previous company, Shawn dedicated his life to mentoring and coaching, small business owners. Never one to let fear of the unknown stand in the way, at the age of 18, Shawn left a small town in Alaska where he grew up to move to sunny California. His dream as a kid was to become a rockstar and travel the country as a singer and get on MTV. Within 3 years, while working 2-3 jobs and going to college full-time, Shawn auditioned for a boy band and out of over 10,000 kids, Shawn was chosen to be in N/MOTION. N/MOTION, signed to Warner Bros. Records, traveled the USA by train as a headlining act with Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey Circus. Shawn accomplished his dream and appeared on MTV and played Madison Square Garden. After the gig was finished, like many, Shawn decided to forego going back to college and set out to be an entrepreneur. 
Ten lost years later after many failed attempts, Shawn founded Uniguest, a computer sales and service company. As CEO, Shawn grew the company to over 100 employees and $20,000,000 in annual sales and ultimately sold the company to a private equity group in December of 2013. After taking a few years off, Shawn started Ask A Millionaire on social media to mentor start up entrepreneurs. Shawn now mentors hundreds of thousands of people through his daily live streams on Instagram. Shawn resides in Franklin, TN and is an avid wine enthusiast, world traveler, animal lover, and avid foodie....

Don Williams

Don Williams Global

Don started selling early, he was the #1 Sales Rep in the US at age 19 & the #1 Sales Manager at age 20. Since 1986, Don has founded a dozen companies and he’s worked with over ½ of the Fortune 500 on marketing, sales & customer experience. He is a 4x Best Selling Author and hosts the iTunes New and Noteworthy podcast – The Proven Entrepreneur Show. Don lives outside Ft. Worth Texas with the love of his life Leta and their two chocolate Labrador retrievers Maggie and Tess. He speaks, facilitates and consults around the world. Don’s favorite quote is “You are Far Better, Far Smarter and Far Stronger than You Think” (adapted from Winnie the Pooh)....

Brad Stevens

Outsource Access

Brad Stevens is a lifetime entrepreneur having built multiple 7 figure businesses in domestic and international markets with distribution in 18 countries. His current company is Outsource Access, an offshore virtual assistant and outsourcing firm in the Philippines, that he grew to over 100 staff in less than a year that serves small to medium businesses worldwide. He walks-the-walk every day with expertise on scaling, automation, outsourcing and high-performance virtual teams. For his work with startups to $100 million firms and strategic advisory to civic leaders including Martin Luther King III, he has been featured in Inc Magazine 3 times, the EO Global Innovation Forum, the Wall Street Business Network and was featured on the cover of Small Business Magazine. He is also a recipient of the Top 40 Most Innovative Businesses Award in GA. For his philanthropic efforts, a documentary film featured his business and he was selected to run a think-tank on Economic Growth and Decent Work for All at the United Nations. Brad is also a global advisor and keynote speaker on agility and adapting for rapid change for CEO peer groups, universities, and business organizations including Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO), Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), John Maxwell Ambassadors, SCORE, SIOR, Women Presidents’ Organization, International Entrepreneur Summit, Growth Hacking Conference, Life by Design Summit, Vistage, TAB, and the CEO Brain Trust. Brad is incoming President of the Atlanta Chapter of the Entrepreneur’s Organization and served on the EO East Coast NERVE Committee. He has also served as a board member for Startup Atlanta. Brad attended Harvard University and graduated from the Wharton Business School with concentrations in finance and marketing. He lives in Atlanta, GA with his daughter Ella, son Brayden and wife Cindy. ...

Jonathan Kaberkorn

Intrizen

Jonathan Haberkorn is a visionary enterprise solutions architect who guides clients through high-impact enterprise transformations. He has over a decade of experience creating fully integrated enterprise solutions and transforming enterprise vision into actionable full lifecycle implementations. His approach to is to create systems and process that reduce friction, increase connection, and breathe life into the people and culture of an organization. Jonathan helps industry leaders become change-makers for the highest good and has been the beacon for many of his past clients: Johnson & Johnson, NBC Universal, New York Life, Met Life, Allstate, Coca-Cola, American among others. He leverages creativity, forward-thinking, and strategic problem solving, to create the most positive, impactful, memorable experiences as possible. He believes that we can positively influence the world through conscious design and facilitate happier human connections. This builds the legacy footprint of our work and leaves the lasting impact on the world. Jonathan is located in Naples, Florida....

SHELLEY MERRELL

Integrated Fire & Safety

As a woman-owned small business, Shelley Merrell’s company knows the territory of oil platforms, big business, and government agencies, and how to fight and prevent fires. Her company deals with special hazards such as protecting vulnerable computer networks and marine systems. Her background in fire and safety was in developing the government contracts and relationships that continue to sustain the business. Now, she is being considered as a sole source supplier for contracts which takes a lot of expertise in the world of government contracting. Shelley has been tested by fire and offers her own experience to others. If you create a business that’s process driven, you can take risks with clarity. She became a believer when she learned the hard way not to take your eyes off the daily operations. Now she audits and updates processes continually. She also shares the importance of sticking together with like-minded people, and finding opportunities and insights from women’s business networks, entrepreneurs and small business owners who can share mutually beneficial growth. Opportunities are risks that you can learn to navigate. ...

KAEL CAMPBELL

Red Seal Recruiting

Kael Campbell is a father, husband, and entrepreneur that helps clients in the manufacturing and construction industries find the people needed to service customers and grow. He has over 20 years of experience starting companies and serving on corporate, charity, and non-profit boards. Kael’s expertise in recruitment, running remote teams, and B2B sales/marketing is something he shares through blogging and YouTube, however, is happy to share with startups, corporate clients, and seasoned entrepreneurs. Health, family, and business are things Kael prioritizes in that order and as a result, will often be found outdoors sharing his passions for watersports, cycling and fishing with his family and friends. ...

JOEL GANDARA

Morro Capital

They say hard work pays off, and Joel Gandara is the definition of this statement. Born in Cuba, he came to the U.S. in 1980, arriving on an overcrowded boat full of hopes and dreams. Joel grew up with a work ethic that was unmatched. While other kids were handed money, Joel had to go out and earn it…and that he did, netting $30 a day by organizing his own arbitrage operation. As a fourth grader, he would buy things like stamps and trading cards, and sell them to his classmates. The hustling never halted, in fact it did quite the opposite. After high school, Joel worked up to 109 hours a week, leaving himself just enough time each day to eat and sleep. Joel went on to start his own apparel company, where he was able to turn a profit at flea markets and eventually on Ebay. His business, however, was not enough to count on, and Joel found a steady job with Carnival Cruise lines. Joel enjoyed his job and was on a clear path to a promising career, but felt that something was missing. Joel’s entrepreneurial spirit spoke to him, and he made a life-altering decision. Joel decided to go full steam ahead with his apparel company. The decision was risky without a steady income, but this never stopped him. Joel found a brand from Mexico who offered him distributor pricing, which helped his bottom line tremendously. He would take samples to Las Vegas and began doing tradeshows, offering products to various companies. Over the years, Joel built a following, and began increasing his sales. After years of selling other people’s brands, he successfully created his own underwear brand. Within his first 13 months of business, the brand retailed $1,000,000. From that success, he and his growing team continued to create and develop more brands. Today, they own 21 men’s apparel brands. In October of 2013, Joel made another impactful decision. His company began to acquire their ecommerce customers and competitors, and pivoted from a wholesale company to a direct to consumer brand. Now, forming his own capital company, Morro Capital has acquired 9 businesses to date and is in talks to procure more. They say hard work pays off…and Joel has proved that time and time again, ultimately with creating a company that profits over a million dollars a year, whose inception was in a flea market! Joel and his wife Jessica married in 2002, and together have four children and live in Weston, Florida. After achieving semi-retirement, Joel now has time to do the things he enjoys, such as lifting weights, running, and continuing his education. ...

CESAR QUINTERO

EOS Worldwide

Cesar Quintero’s purpose is to empower leaders to build a business by design so that they live a life by design. His core values are to Share Vulnerably, Spark Action, Spot individuality, and Spread Passion. At age 24, in 2004, Quintero moved to Miami given the economic turmoil in Venezuela to pursue his dream of starting a business and helping others achieve a healthier lifestyle by founding Fit2Go.(The first corporate healthy meal delivery service in Miami). In 2013, Quintero graduated from the MIT Entrepreneurship Masters Program and founded two new companies: RawBar2Go (the first licensed food boats in Florida) and The Profit Recipe, a coaching firm that focuses on empowering entrepreneurs through a journey of focus ON the business and not IN the business by implementing best practices and the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). Cesar has been an active Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) member for over 10 years and has held multiple volunteer leadership positions at the chapter, regional and global level for the organization. His passion for teaching and business have also compelled him to get certified as a Trainer for Traction implementation, Why Discoveries, EO Accelerator Program and EO Forum. ...

Jeff Bruno

B.Modelr

The modern CFO is even more critical to manage the intersection of financial strategic planning and growth milestones for a small to medium-sized business. Jeff’s first-hand experiences as a leading figure in a multi-million-dollar acquisition of a two-store furniture dealer network in NYC in 2010, as the Finance & Business Development Manager for two smaller companies, and as a Financial Advisor at Wells Fargo have helped to give Jeff a clear understanding of how to manage people’s expectations and many of the financial and operational hoops that small businesses must jump through to achieve growth in their competitive markets. Jeff is a happily married, father of three (one boy and two girls). Not only does he come from the Entrepreneur world himself, but continues to manage his growth along with determining the needs of the many small business owners have day to day. In our world, being there for family is even more critical as the pressure of being judged day in and day out is ever more real. The psychology of this truism topped with the growing intensity of managing the growth of a business is a critical part of the WHYs of these owners. Jeff founded YoCFO with the goal of not only supporting the financial goals of the owners, but making sure to tie in all of these pressures for their decision making....

Tyler McBroom

TRM CPA

Tyler McBroom, CPA, MBA is a tax professional, speaker, and bestselling author with a great passion for helping entrepreneurs understand their numbers and pay as little tax as legally possible while they grow their businesses. As the Tax Partner at MMC, CPAs, he works with business owners to increase their cash flow by thousands of dollars per year, through proactive tax planning strategies, getting their books on auto-pilot, and making their businesses more profitable. Whether it’s discussing tax and business strategies or the fundamentals of personal finance, Tyler also has a passion for teaching others. His Instagram page was listed as one of Student Loan Hero’s “& Instagram Accounts that will Inspire you to be Better with Money,” he is a member of the Forbes Finance Council, and regularly contributes articles for the publication. Outside of the accounting world, Tyler loves to cook, spend time traveling with his wife and two kids, and get outdoors as much as possible....

Todd Ferguson

Showcase Companies

Todd is the founder and CEO of Showcase Prep, a full-service 3rd party logistics fulfillment center (3PL), specializing in e-commerce fulfillment and storage. Todd has been selling on various e-commerce platforms since 1999 when he started buying and selling sports cards on eBay for extra cash while in high school and college. Todd has over 10 years in retail management, hiring and training. Todd has worked for retailers such as Just for Feet, Gap, and American Eagle Outfitters, where he became one of the youngest District Managers in company history. Todd started his current business with $700 in 2013 while exploring Amazon as a marketplace and has grown that into a multi-million dollar business. In 2021 Todd’s team grew to over 50 people both internationally and domestically. Todd is passionate about helping others succeed in the areas of business and personal growth and has been coaching in the e-commerce industry for several years. Todd and his wife Paige were married in 2002 and have one child and live in Southern Missouri. Todd enjoys traveling and running and currently is training for his first ultra marathon. Todd is a former board member for Fields of Dreams Uganda and has traveled to Uganda three times to help children in the areas of soccer and education....

If you own a small business, AO will help you.

01. Keep it simple for me, what is AO?
AO is a business mentoring, coaching, and networking organization developed specifically for businesses with under $1m in annual sales. There are plenty of other organizations for entrepreneurs doing over $1m but none for the under $1m crowd, which is the majority of businesses? And there was a reason why. Small business owners need the most help and have the least amount of money to pay for help. That is why our Founder, Shawn Thomas, started AO.
02. Learn your individual strengths
We all have strengths and weaknesses. AO will help you, through profile assessments, to help you understand why you do things the way you do and how to maximize your strengths and learn how to delegate tasks better suited for others in your organization as you grow.
03. Become a better leader

In Stage 1 of our business, we wear every hat in the business. This is usually out of necessity because of cash constraints. But to avoid burnout and begin to scale the business, we must learn how to be a great leader for our team. AO and our Mentors and Coaches have vast experience with Leadership Development and will teach you how to become a great leader. We do this with book and video recommendations, individual coaching, and in-person workshops.

04. Earn more profit from sales

It might surprise you, but we have found that many small business owners have no real idea of what they should charge for their products and services in order to maximize profits. AO gives you access to bookkeepers and accountant to ask questions and learn how to price your products and services to maximize profits.

05. Create scalable systems and processes

As a business grows, the need to document processes and “how” you do things is vital to your business success. We have Mentors and Coaches to help you learn how to document how things are done in order to train new team members and minimize mistakes.

AO gives you everything you need to grow

Divesified Mentors

Divesified Mentors

 

Diversity means knowledge across ALL spectrums of your business. From Branding to Sales and Marketing to Finance and Operations, AO provides a full range of 20+ mentors.

Business Networking

Business Networking

 

AO not only provides valuable networking with peers but it immediately expands your network to over 20+ 7 and 8-figure millionaire entrepreneurs and their network.

Answers on Demand

Answers on Demand

 

From our library of over 300 hours of replay Q&A content, all AO members get personal video responses to their questions directly from AO Mentors.

Weekly Zoom Training

Weekly Zoom Training

 

AO differentiates itself from all communities by providing weekly interactive Zoom workshops to meet every need of our members. Every Zoom provides ample time to get 1-1 discussion
around your needs.

Curated Content Library

Curated Content Library

 

Entrepreneurs face unique and new challenges daily across all areas of their business. AO provides a vast library of
on-demand online resources readily available to tackle any challenge
in any department of your business.

Personal Concierge

Personal Concierge

 

All AO members are paired with an AO Concierge Connection Manager during business hours to call/text/email for immediate assistance.

Accountability Partner

Accountability Partner

 

Need a little accountability? Your AO Concierge can pair you with an AO member accountability partner for ongoing goal and task management.

Live Events

Live Events

 

AO hosts voluntary special weekend retreats throughout the year in Nashville, TN to provide not only social opportunities but also advanced training and coaching on different areas of your business. Additional charges apply for events.

Personal Coaching

Personal Coaching

 

For those that desire 1-1 coaching with a proven business coach who has “been there and done it”, AO has a wide array of business coaches ready to accelerate your business to the next level. Additional fees are required for this service.

Annual Membership

$990 per year

(Monthly Option Available)

Includes access to all AO Benefits and Features.

Ready to Join AO BUT want to talk to us first?

Ready to Join AO But Want a Sneak Peek Behind the Scenes First?

Book a personal online zoom with an AO concierge.

AO was founded to help entrepreneurs struggle less and succeed more. Each AO Mentor donates their time to help our members. The company was founded due to the lack of experienced mentorship available to startup entrepreneurs and the need not only for diversity of Mentors but on demand education to meet the needs of the fast paced entrepreneurial lifestyle.

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