About the Author: Allen Fishman
9 Elements of Family Business Success
In 1990, Allen Fishman founded The Alternative Board® (TAB), the largest franchise system in the world providing peer board and coaching solutions for business owners. TAB organizes peer advisory board meetings of owners, CEOs and president of privately held companies. TAB members meet monthly to present challenges and opportunities to one another for seasoned, practical advice. TAB-Certified Facilitators coach TAB members using Allen's Strategic Business Leadership® (SBL) system for achieving professional and personal success.
Prior to creating TAB, Fishman was President, COO and co-owner of Tipton Centers Inc., a consumer-electronics chain that issued a successful IPO. Following the sale to Tipton in 1987, Fishman retired to Aspen, Colorado—at the age of 45. During the first three years of his retirement, he wrote a nationally syndicated advice column, Business Insights, distributed by Tribune Media Services. While doing interviews for the column, he identified the factors that were common to those entrepreneurs who, like himself, are extremely successful in business and who appear to have happy lives—Fishman refers to these entrepreneurs as GEMs—Great Entrepreneurial Masters.
Fishman packaged these factors, along with the experience he gained from years in business and non business, into an easy-to-use approach for business owners to make the GEM Power Formula for Success a part of their day-to-day lives. Now, Fishman has written the 7 Secrets of Great Entrepreneurial Masters: The GEM Power™ Formula for Lifelong Success (McGraw-Hill, summer 2006). His GEM Power formula can be used by anyone, from any walk of life, to fine tune their personal vision of happiness and make that vision a reality.
Fishman has also shared his GEM Power formula through his inspiring talks. He has assisted audience members around the world attain the personal and work fulfillment to which they aspire. Through the use of clear, easy-to-use methods and true life success stories, he shows audience members how to lead their lives towards greater success and to find the freedom to balance the personal and work aspects of their lives.
He holds a J.D. law degree from St. Louis University, and has had many successes in private and public companies, including being vice president of a division of May Department Stores while still in his mid 20s.
Fishman has been featured in print media for his entrepreneurial experience and business acumen including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Denver Post, Nation's Work, Profit Magazine and IB-Independent Work Magazine.
Fishman hosted the radio show "Formula for Success" on a CBS affiliate, and is frequently asked to guest on radio and television. His media appearances have included Public Radio International's Marketplace, CNBC, Bloomberg, CNNfn and First Work.
Fishman has achieved great professional and personal success. He is happily married over 40 years and has a close relationship with his children, grandchildren, son-in-law and other family members. He lives in one of the most beautiful places in the world and finds constant pleasure in his life—both professionally and personally. Fishman attributes much of what he is blessed with to the GEM Power Formula for Lifelong Success which has been, and continues to be, an integral part of his life.