Because starting and running a business
- takes a lot of time,
- usually takes a lot of money,
- can get pretty stressful if you let it,
- and often feels like you’re in it alone or in over your head,
we’re building something different. With your help, we’re building a national archive of entrepreneurial and executive wisdom, to collect, share and preserve what works, what doesn’t and what we wish someone had told us sooner.
Welcome to America’s biggest boardroom. We’re here to create more and better entrepreneurs, by asking today’s business leaders to share the hard-earned lessons that have changed the way you lead. America needs entrepreneurs who can execute, and that knowledge isn’t learned in the classroom.
If you’ve built something significant, we’d love to hear your story. We’d love to add your name to the archives.
Want to talk? connect with me on LinkedIn. email kurt@theexecutivesinstitute.com. or text me at (701) 541-1073 weekdays 9am-3pm EST.
Thank you for being here.
We’re not selling a program. Everything here is free for anyone who sees problems as opportunities, is willing to roll up their sleeves and do the work. The entire Executives Institute cirriculum will probably take you around one hour per week to study and will cost you $0, forever. There is no “catch”, I promise.
Be upfront. We live by this Rule. We’re all tired of being sold to, lied to and getting halfway into something before realizing there’s a hidden subscription or expensive “premium content”. We’ve tried to make this site and this program as clean and simple to use as possible. No login. No advertising. No email lists. No credit card needed. Nothing. The Executives Institute is a place where you can learn something useful, built on honest conversations and hard truths. That’s it. We remember the days when you could visit a website…and just read.
If you’ve built something significant, we’d love to hear your story.
We believe America’s entrepreneurial wisdom is one of its greatest assets. But that wisdom is scattered across millions of businesses, buried in books, and carried by people who won’t be running their companies forever. If we don’t capture it, share it, and pass it along, much of it will disappear. If you have hard-earned lessons or turning points in the life of your company or career, this is where we capture them. Tell us your story.
The insights you share might be the turning point someone else is waiting for.
Great ideas are a dime a dozen. The ability to execute is rare.
Everybody knows somebody who says they could build a better business. Ideas don’t pay the the bills. Enthusiasm doesn’t make payroll. And a good story doesn’t make a business profitable. This project is intended to make starting, building, leading and exiting a small business less intimidating, more profitable, more fun, and hopefully, a little less lonely.
do the work. Let us know if we can help.
It doesn’t have to be lonely at the top.
the Rules matter.
Every Monday morning,
we’ll put one fundamental rule of business (Your brand is your promise, for example) on the table, alongside a classic business book that embodies the rule (in this case Building Stong Brands, by David Aaker), then have a discussion with Founders, Presidents, CEOs and business owners across America. Because the fundamental rules for building strong companies haven’t changed in decades.
These are our talking points.
When it comes to the rules,
follow, succeed, ignore, repeat, is standard operating procedure for most entrepreneurs. When business is good, our discipline fades and our standards can slip. Everyone at this table understands that. We also understand what it takes to get back on track. Sometimes it’s a simple reminder. Sometimes it’s a hard truth.
These are our turning points.
Anyone can read the rules. The value comes when someone says,
“hey, let me tell you how that played out in my company”.
Starting a business is hard.
Staying in business is harder. And building a business that can thrive without depending on the owner for every decision is harder still. No book, course, or network can eliminate the risks. But gaining the ability to recognize a bad decision before it becomes an expensive mistake will make the difference between a cool idea and a lasting business.
The entrepreneurial challenges.
We’re building a place where every business leader in America can study the proven business principles; learn from the most-respected business books; and exchange the kind of honest, hard-earned experience you won’t find in any business school classroom. This is the place where a first-time business owner can learn from someone who’s been at it for 40 years. Where seasoned entrepreneurs can challenge one another, share their mistakes, and help the next generation avoid a few of their own.
Because, there are really only two types of best practices: the ones we learn from others, and the ones we learn the hard way.
Sometimes you win. Sometimes you get it wrong. Sometimes you make a mess of things and have to clean it up. That’s business. Own it. Learn from it, laugh about it when you can, get back on your feet, and keep moving. We’re here to share some wisdom, challenge each other, enjoy the ride, and leave something worthwhile for the next generation of business builders. No pretense. No nonsense.
our purpose 🏛️ America was built by individuals willing to take a chance, eager to solve a problem, and passionate about building something significant. We’re here to collect, share and preserve their stories. Those lessons create more and better entrepreneurs, that will inspire us to push further than we can imagine today. Together, we hope to leave our profession better and a little safer than we found it. support the work
Tell us your story. It doesn’t have to be polished, it just has to be real.
where to start.
1. ask to join our LinkedIn Group.
Beginning Monday, January 4, 2027, and every Monday morning thereafter (around 8am EST), we’ll put a new question on the table at our LinkedIn Group.
Stop by anytime during the week. Hear how other business leaders are handling the same challenges you’re facing, and share what you’ve learned along the way. Each week, we’ll take on a different Rule, 1 through 100. We’ll ask hard questions, tackle a real business challenge, share ideas that have worked (and some that haven’t), and spend time with a book that has something worthwhile to teach us.
But there’s a bigger reason to participate. We’re building an archive of real business experience for America’s next generation of entrepreneurs. Every discussion, every insight, every book review, and every lesson learned adds another piece to that archive. Over time, the best insights becomes more than a page on a website. They’ll become something every executive can study, question, learn from, and build upon.
Think of it as a free, ongoing coaching course. Check in anytime and ask a question. And that includes coaches. Whether you’ve been running a business for forty years, are just getting started, or make your living helping others build theirs, each of us has something to learn and something to contribute. You don’t have to be an expert. You don’t have to be successful or agree with everyone on the page. And your contribution doesn’t have to be polished. It just has to be real.
Tell us what happened in your company. And if a particular rule, a book or a lesson learned can help another business builder, pass it along. We’re here to learn from one another, preserve what works, challenge what doesn’t, and leave something useful behind. Help us build the Entrepreneurial & Executive Archives.
I hope you’ll join us. — Kurt. If you ever want to talk about your business, get some free advice, want to share an idea or fire up a study group in your city, I’m always happy to hear from you. I’m here to help. kurt@theexecutivesinstitute.com
2. start your own Turning Points Executive Study Group
Start your own Study Group.
Use the 100 Topics to facilitate 100 weeks of study groups or internal leadership team meetings. Contact Kurt, if you’d like help getting a group started in your area.
Become a connector in your community.
Find a Group in your community.
As Turning Points Study Groups are formed across the U.S., we’ll keep an active directory. Let us know if you want to add your local group.
Create big moments. Build something worth leading.
Work with a team or on your own.
No matter how you choose to study the Rules, you’ll build trust in your leadership, clarity in your purpose and direction in your organization.
Just do the work.
Bring your group together, study the rule, discuss the book, add your insights to The Executives Institute’s national entreprenuerial archive.
study the Rules. do the work. Let us know how we can help. kurt@theexecutivesinstitute.com
Ask to join our LinkedIn Group for discussions or connect with Kurt.
These are mostly promotional social pages.