In January 2019, the EO board decided that the organization should undertake a rebranding exercise in conjunction with the development of a new strategic plan. The project would encompass a review of the vision, mission, values and visual identity for the organization.  

The new strategic plan, brand narrative and visual identity were approved by the EO board in February 2020 and presented to incoming tier 1 leaders (the regional council chairs and global committee chairs) and senior staff at EO’s annual planning meeting the same month. The intention was to launch to chapter leaders and all members at the Cape Town Global Leadership Conference (GLC) in April 2020.  

Following the cancellation of GLC and many other EO activities, a decision was taken to put the strategy and brand launch on hold indefinitely. Now that many parts the world are coming out of lockdown and a new slate of member leaders is preparing for our next fiscal year, we are ready to continue our transformation journey.  

We are in the midst of the most challenging renewals season that EO has faced in years. Many members are facing unprecedented challenges in their businesses and some are questioning the value of EO membership. At the same time, we are hearing many stories of how EO has been a vital source of support as members navigate the crisis.  

We now have the opportunity to present a clear, consistent and inspirational brand narrative and identity for all members and Accelerator participants who choose to stay with EO, as well as our prospects, staff, chapter staff and other stakeholders.  

The key evolution in our approach is to put the entrepreneur at the heart of the organization – to focus on growing the member. Our vision was “to build the world’s most influential community of entrepreneurs”. We have shifted from this to our purpose: “to help entrepreneurs achieve their full potential”. By focusing on growing our members, we will deliver an effective value proposition that should also lead to growth of the membership.