Do you remember the first time you pushed the pedal of a bike and felt it move from the effort? Wasn’t it just pure exhilaration? For me, that moment was my first glimpse into the real meaning of the words “freedom” and “accomplishment.” I truly felt that there were few places I couldn’t go. Now imagine giving the sensation of that feeling to someone else! EO Atlanta did just that.

Our chapter has made a commitment to this organization— to support budding entrepreneurs and the community in which we live and do business. During a recent inter-Forum retreat, we decided to participate in a bicycle assembly contest. If you can envision more than 75 entrepreneurs gathered together in one room assembling bicycles that were all identical, you would know that the competition was tough. 

Many of the teams finished in record time, while others worked until the buzzer sounded. There was no shortage of comedic relief during the presentations, because each team’s spokesperson skillfully made his or her pitch as to why that team’s bicycle was the best. At the end of the day, there was no grand prize or plaque— just a sense of pride in knowing that the newly assembled bicycles would find a home with a young boy or girl at the Boys and Girls Clubs of metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Our goals behind this initiative was to help create a cherished memory filled with the sensations of accomplishment and freedom for these young children. We wanted to provide a sense of exhilaration for those in need. Knowing the children would take to the streets and sidewalks of Atlanta on their new bicycles made our efforts wholly worthwhile.

As entrepreneurs, we often experience a similar sense of exhilaration as we navigate the daily highs and lows of business. The feeling of accomplishment inspires us to seek new ways to increase and improve our businesses and to pursue new ventures. And while it is a tremendous feat to develop a business and nurture it to long-term growth and financial success, for many of us, there is still a need for something else. There is the desire to say, “I made a difference.”

EO Atlanta member Branden Lisi, whose team won the contest, understands the impact of his actions on the community and within his chapter.

“The bicycle project was an excellent exercise to reinforce a core entrepreneurial skill: creating a flexible, cohesive team that can leverage the key skills of each individual to the maximum benefit of the group. I certainly didn’t go to our meeting with the idea that we would need to design, build and market a bicycle, but the experience reminded me that entrepreneurs are faced with unique challenges, and overcoming those challenges depends on our ability to collaborate and execute as a team rather than as a group of individuals.”

Our inter-Forum exercise reinforced the idea that, together, we can make a difference. I challenge every EO member to consider giving back to the community. The personal benefits of the EO network are tremendous, but collectively we have an opportunity to make a tremendous impact on the world.