The Boardroom
Where Non-Woke Leaders Come to Future-Proof Their Small Businesses
The Boardroom Is a Private Online Community Driven by Three Core Assumptions
Advanced Technologies Are the Single Biggest Threat to the Survival of Small Businesses
Small businesses that don’t understand the rapid progress in advanced technologies (such as AI, but also many more) and don’t fully leverage them won’t survive the next five years.
Small Businesses Must Be Fully Optimized in Order to Survive and Thrive
Stay ahead of rapid “tech creep” and thriving through upcoming unprecedented times of change won’t be possible unless your organization is fully streamlined and optimized as many areas as possible.
Not All Business Leaders Agree with Woke Ideology
There is a lack of a platform for business leaders who aren’t in agreement with the woke ideologies that have overtaken companies, schools, and…well…pretty much everything. The Boardroom fills that gap.
Your host, Marina von Bergen. Scroll down to learn a bit more about me and why I started The Boardroom.
The Boardroom provides small business leaders with world-class tools and strategies in the three core areas that most significantly impact long-term resilience:
Advanced Technologies
- RBest-in-Class AI Tools
- RBest-in-Class Advanced Tech
- RWorkforce Automation, 3D Printing, Biometrics, Etc...
- RLatest Advances in Emerging Technologies
- RTruly Advanced Crazy but Relevant Tech
Business Optimization
- RChange Management
- RAgile Methodology
- RStrategic Decision-Making
- RVirtual Team Management
- RStandardization, SOPs & Governance
- RAnd More...
Leadership & Mindset
- RConflict Resolution
- RHabits of Highly Successful Leaders
- RUnderstanding & Improving Emotional Intelligence
- REarning Respect & Influence
- RUsing Role Models to Optimize Mindset
- RSkill & Aptitude Assessments
- REffective Team and Employee Coaching
- RAnd More...
How The Boardroom Helps Leaders Like You
Regardless of where your business is in its growth journey, The Boardroom is your comprehensive one-stop-shop to future-proof your organization.
Community
A place to connect, share, support, request feedback, celebrate small and big successes, debrief on failures, vent, debate, brainstorm, and more. We hold group coaching sessions, co-working meetings, conduct interviews, share ideas in formum discussions, and more.
Tools & Templates
Optimize and streamline your business processes and operations with tools and templates that were developed and are used in some of the top business strategy firms in the world. We focus on advanced technologies but implement a well-rounded approach.
Trends & Strategies
Don’t spend your valuable time culling through countless websites trying to uncover the latest trends and strategies that are having – and will have – the biggest impact on small businesses. We’ll do the heavy lifting for you and deliver it to your digital doorstep.
A Safe Place for the Non-Woke*
Many companies that pride themselves on their diversity initiatives conveniently leave out the fact that they only celebrate diversity that aligns with their woke ideology. Those who don’t tow the line are quickly silenced at best, and pushed out of their jobs at worst.
For those that understand that “diversity, equity and inclusion” actually equates to division, exclusion and inequity, The Boardroom offers a unique virtual space in which to connect with like-minded leaders and obtain helpful resources on this topic.
Tools & Resources
We’ll share videos, books, articles and interviews regarding – and also brainstorm new ways to provide alternative views around – the woke ideologies such as DEI, CEI and ESG that have undue influence within too many of our corporations.
Community Support
It’s easy to feel like an isolated outcast when you’re one of the few people at work who feels like they’re still sane in a corporate environment that has been turned into mini indoctrination camps in what feels like the blink of an eye. Collaborate, support, and share with other leaders who are stuck in the 80’s and 90’s in The Boardroom.
Interviews / Podcast
I will soon begin The Boardroom podcast, which will include interviews with community members as well as external brave leaders and pioneers who have spoken up about the negative impact of woke ideologies on employees and business performance.
* “How do you define woke?” There are many definitions, depending who you ask. For the purpose of The Boardroom, we use a somewhat narrow definition:
An obsession over immutable and irrelevant physical characteristics such as race and gender that ultimately results in increased friction and division between individuals who take advantage of those characteristics to perpetuate victimization and self-entitlement, and individuals who advocate for meritocracy and self-accountability.
How does this manifest in The Boardroom? Well, in addition to what is written above, it simply means that it’s a woke-free environment. General rule of thumb: whatever was acceptable to say or do back in the 80’s and 90’s is acceptable in The Boardroom!
What’s Included in The Boardroom?
Every month, practical and relevant information is shared with the community that helps you and your business thrive in these times of unprecedented change.
Community
Group Chats
Interact with your fellow community members in chat discussions that are centered around topics relevant in The Boardroom. See recent discussion activity, reply, send DMs and follow your favorite peeps.
Monthly Themes
We’ll focus on a relevant topic each month, doing a deep-dive for more thorough knowledge and exploration. We focus on one of the 6 P’s (see below) to help optimize certain internal departments, or we’ll explore a topic that’s dominating the news cycle that impacts small and medium-sized businesses.
Community Challenges
Community challenges are a fun way to help nudge you a little bit in certain areas that you may not usually have the energy or bandwidth to address. We don’t run these all the time, but when we do, it’s with a sense of purpose and urgency to move the needle in helping future-proof you or your business.
Mixed Resources
Tools & Templates
We provide high-quality, professionaly vetted and sourced spreadsheets, documents, guides and more to help streamline and boost your business’s efficiencies, strategies and operations. As usual, everything in The Boardroom is geared towards future-proofing your business, and our tools and templates reflect that.
Articles, Videos & More
In our various forums and groups, we’ll share just-released articles, videos, podcasts and other content created by industry experts that are worth your time. Kind of like a social media feed, but with content that is truly worth your time!
Case Studies, White Papers
In our various topic feeds, we’ll share just-released articles, videos, podcasts and other content created by industry experts that are worth your time. Kind of like a social media feed, but with content that is truly worth your time!
Live Events
6P Workshops
Each month, we’ll spend a couple of hours together doing a live deep-dive workshop into the 6P of the month (see below for a list of the 6P’s). We’ll examine the trends, strategies and tools driving each one – specifically how they impact small businesses – and create a specific plan for how you can better future-proof your organization in that area.
Podcast / Interviews
Gain insights from your Boardroom peers as well as outside experts in these monthly live interviews. Learn from their successes, find out what’s working for them, what they’re struggling with, what their journey has been, what their roadmap is. Ask questions at the end, and find out how we can support them as a community. These meetings are recorded and made available for replay.
Group Coaching
Join your Boardroom peers once a month to support one another – provide advice, request feedback, broach specific topics, and more. This is YOUR time to come together. These meetings are private and confidential, and not recorded. Topics will be provided as needed, and the converation will be guided as needed.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Book Club
It’s hard to find time to read books these days. This book club will ensure that we stay shart and informed in the range of topics we explore here in The Boardroom – and more specifically, how the books help you and your business become stronger and more resilient.
Co-Working Sessions
We hang out a few hours per month with our cameras and microphones on – chit chat and banter and discuss topics at will. Come and go as you please. Talk about whatever you want, or don’t talk at all – whatever floats your boat. Kind of like being at WeWork, but a lot cheaper and without the pronoun stickers!
What’s Not Included in The Boardroom?
All resources and activities listed above are included in the monthly membership. The only items that aren’t included are participation in seminars or workshops that are open to the external public for a fee.
An example is a half-day Myers-Briggs (MBTI) workshop for leaders. That workshop will be advertised to my entire audience, whether or not they are Boardroom members. Non-members will pay the full fee, and Boardroom members will always receive a 30%+ discount.
The Vault
The Vault is a unique “sub-section” of The Boardroom that’s a bit off-topic and explores unusual concepts and themes that are off the beaten path.
While the content isn’t core to the top three Boardroom topics, it is nevertheless relevant and important to business leaders. Not for the faint of heart, not everyone will want to visit this corner of the community, although all are of course encouraged to do so. For further information, you’ll need to visit The Vault yourself!
Monthly Focus Topics: The 6P’s
Each month, we focus our content and attention on one of the 6P’s, which are the key areas that encompass your business. Diving into one topic per month ensures that we give each one the time required to make measureable progress towards future-proofing your business.
The 6P’s are simply focal points – we don’t exclude other topics!
People
Who you hire, fire, and promote, and why. How you lead, and why. How you structure your organization and manage your people, and why. And much more.
Profit
How you define your pricing strategy to maximize profits. How and when you conduct internal audits. Your billing and collections efficiencies, and more.
Products (Services)
How you select, and how / when you adjust, your product/ service offerings. How you conduct product / service research, and much more.
Promotion (Sales & Marketing)
This broad term encompases your sales and marketing activites, from product scouting to development to customer acquistion and retention.
Predictions (Trends & Strategy)
The extent to which your business is future-focused, taking the time to understand and pivot around potential threats, and jump on upcoming opportunities.
Processes
How you run your business from an operations perspective. Adoption of new tools and technologies. Logistics, SOPs and governance standards, and much more.
Is The Boardroom for You?
Great question! It’s for a lot of people, but it’s not for everyone. This community is for you if…
You're a Decision-Maker in a Business with Under 200 Employees
Calling all C-Suite, VPs, Directors, and other small business leaders! You have very specific business needs and challenges, and similarly, service businesses have different challenges than product businesses. The content, tools, etc…delivered in The Boardroom are tailored to this specific audience.
You're a BUSY Business Leader!
You know that keeping up with the technologies and business practices that are changing businesses so quickly is urgent, but your schedule is a already too full as it is. You’d love to have the information that’s really relevant to you handed to you on a silver platter!
You Need Help with Information Overwhelm
You don’t have any resources that you can dedicate to just keeping up with technology and business trends, and if you wanted to do it yourself, you wouldn’t know where to start. There’s an overwhelming amount of information out there, all clamoring about AI and similar topics. Where do you even start?
You See the Writing on the Wall
You understand that, at the rate and scope that technologies are advancing, there are very few professions and industries that won’t be significantly changed and impacted by artificial intelligence and workforce automation.
In other words, you don’t fall into the “nah, my business / industry / products or services / location won’t be really affected by any of this” trap.
You Understand the Increasing Importance of Exceptional Leadership in Current and Upcoming Times
You understand that the importance of strong leadership in organizations is increasing as the corporate landscape shifts to be more digitally-centric than human-centric. Skillsets required at all employee levels will be different in 5 years than they are today. Exceptional leaders recognize that, and understand what needs to be done to pivot and focus their teams’ skills.
You're Not an Advocate for DEI, ESG & CEI
These initiatives are very popular in many companies that view them as positive influences in their workforces. Not everyone shares that view, however – others disagree and understand their negative impacts. Leaders best suited for The Boardroom are those that don’t advocate for these initiatives in their organizations. These aren’t focal points of this community at all. That said, due to the polarizing effect that these initiatives have, having members be aligned on these topics will help reduce friction when they do arise.
You'd Like to Collaborate with Like-Minded Leaders
It would be a positive and beneficial experience for you to be able to be a part of a supportive community of like-minded leaders, to offer mutual support, feedback, encouragement, and accountability…all while learning critical information for your resilient business!
Your Fearless Leader
Marina von Bergen, MAM, ACC
I’m a seasoned professional who knows what leaders like you need to thrive over the next few years, and am super excited to go on this journey with you!
I’ve worked as a consultant for global firms such as Deloitte, and held consulting positions in more specialized firms such as AeCOM. In those roles, I worked with clients on a wide range of initiatives ranging from human capital strategy to internal and external communications for mergers and acquisitions, to optimizing overall business processes and efficiencies…and lots in between!
In addition to my many professional certifications (see below), I also earned a Masters in Management degree in Global Workforce Collaboration.
In response to the significant impact that workforce automation and AI are having on organizations, I’ve become heavily focused on helping companies optimize their technologies and leadership to future-proof them for the challenges that the future will throw at them.
My team includes a couple of highly talented assistants who help me with a variety of mission-critical activites to ensure the smooth running and delivery of top-notch content. You’ll see them very active in The Boardroom too!
Credentials & Professional Certifications
Professional certifications don’t guarantee that the professional is good at what they do. Nor do they substitute decades of hard work with clients. They do, however, establish a baseline of knowledge in the given topic area. The knowledge gained via these certifications (all current and active) helps me provide even greater value and in-depth expertise to members of The Boardroom!
In addition to these certifications, I also have a Masters in Management in Global Workforce Collaboration.
Any Questions?
We have answers.
When will The Boardroom officially open?
We're working hard behind the scene to create the best launch content and experience for members. The "soft launch" will be for those who wish to sign up as Founding Members (see Q&A below). Four to six weeks after the Founding Member launch, the doors will open for regular members to join.
Be sure to fill out the contact form on this page to receive details on specific launch dates!
What's a Founding Member, and what are the benefits of being one?
Founding Members are the self-selected individuals who will join The Boardroom before it opens for general membership. Founding Members will enjoy a very heavily discounted lifetime membership rate.
We'll rely on Founding Members to provide valuable feedback on the membership experience in terms of content type and quality - what they like and don't like, what they'd like to see more of and less of, and why. How they experience the onboarding process and general membership experience.
If they like The Boardroom, their testimonials will be invaluable in helping the community grow. And if they don't, their feedback will help us make significant improvements before opening the doors to general members.
We'll accept a limited number of Founding Members for the pre-launch phase that will last 4 to 6 weeks. During that time, we'll make improvements to The Boardroom based on Founding Member feedback before opening it to the doors to general members.
If you're interested in being a Founding Member, please submit the contact form on this page to receive email updates!
Where and how will I be able to become a member of The Boardroom?
Community development updates, Founding Member information, launch dates, pricing information and more will be shared via email. Follow us along on this exciting journey by submitting the contact form on this page!
What is the membership pricing structure, and how much will it cost?
Most online communities offer tiered pricing that varies based on what they offer at each level. That gets confusing. The Boardroom pricing is simple: there is only membership level, and everything is included in it, with two exceptions.
The first exception is for Founding Members, who will enjoy a very heavily discounted rate, forever. Their monthly membership price will never change.
The second exception is for longer-form seminars and workshops that will also be open to the general public. Community members will receive deep discounts on those events. An example would be a half-day workshop on virtual team management that non-members can also attend. Non-members will pay full price, and community members will pay significantly less.
All activities and events that are exclusive to The Boardroom members will always be included in the monthly membership fee.
Membership pricing is being developed. Please submit the contact form on this page if you're interested in learning what the cost will be once it's confirmed.
Is there a mobile app?
Yep! Stay connected, receive community notifications, and jump on live streams and meetings right from your phone. Download and login information will be provided when you join.
My business sells products, not services. Can I still join?
Yes, you're welcome to join...just be aware that we won't address topics that focus on product-related businesses such as inventory management and supply chain logistics.
What if I have other questions?
We'd love to answer them! Shoot an email to hello@tfpb.io and someone will get back to you very shortly!