Becoming a Chair - FAQs
You will find many answers below about what it means to be a C12 Chair. We encourage you to speak with a C12 Chair to get more information.
What is C12 Chair?
A C12 Chair is a person who feels called to lead Christian CEOs and Business Owners to be excellent in business and to use that platform for the purposes of God. The chair is responsible for recruiting the members, facilitating a monthly business forum, and meeting each member one-on-one each month. It is a mixture of being an entrepreneur, professional facilitator, leadership coach, and business-as-ministry specialist in three spheres.
Is the C12 Chair role a fulltime job?
Yes, it is.
A C12 Chair views their role as their primary vocation. That means that we do not do part-time consulting or run other businesses while we are C12 Chairs. The practical reason for this is that the work tends to require devoted attention to serving members. C12 is distinctive among executive roundtable organizations for requiring full-time chairs.
Is being a C12 Chair a salaried position?
This is not a salaried position. The C12 Chair earns money from the monthly fees paid by their members. Like the CEOs and owners we serve, this compels us to develop our businesses efficiently and helps to understand the pressures that our members face every day. The upside to the compensation is that it is not capped. The more members, the more compensation the chair receives.
What is the income potential for a C12 Chair?
C12 Members pay monthly fees based on the size of their companies, which allows a successful practice to generate professional income. As C12 North Texas grows, we will have the opportunity to launch multiple business forums to help us further develop this territory and Kingdom impact. Because C12 is a turnkey franchise model, you can build a valuable, sustainable asset with substantial monthly recurring revenue. The systems, processes, models, and curriculum are already in place. Here is how it works after you have been trained and join our team.
We help launch your practice through events, coaching, networking, marketing, and lead-generation activities. Once you have a nucleus of new Members, you begin a C12 Business Forum under your leadership. Member fees are collected each month, and you receive most of that money. As your group grows and you build your practice, you will add more business forums. The maximum load for most C12 Chairs is five full forums (approximately 60 members).
Most successful C12 Chairs have six-figure annual incomes.
Is C12 a business or a ministry?
There are two answers to that question.
We operate as a for-profit business and present ourselves that way to prospects and members. There are good reasons for doing so. Being a for-profit organization means we must deal with the same success measures and pressures our members experience daily. It also means that a C12 Chair can make a professional living focusing only on C12.
We operate as a ministry in that our ultimate aim is to model and encourage faithful stewardship to our members. That stewardship requires us to ask God what His purposes are for the businesses we lead. We know He values people and seeks an eternal relationship with each person. Thus, a C12 Chair helps members develop tangible plans and programs to align with God’s greater purposes. Does that sound like a ministry to you?
Is there help available for a new C12 Chair?
Absolutely!
Every chair first undergoes training with our C12 Headquarters team. The training covers the history, the fundamentals of being a chair, and a set of effective practices and good approaches to presenting the C12 value proposition to prospects (i.e., sales training). In North Texas, a new chair joins an existing team that works together. We provide coaching, event support, lead generation, marketing programs, and weekly check-ins to ensure that a new chair is amply supported. You will also find that experienced C12 Chairs around the country are willing and available to help whenever needed.
Where does a new C12 Chair find prospects?
A C12 Chair finds prospects anywhere in the territory. The C12 North Texas territory includes Dallas County and all surrounding (except Tarrant) counties. This is a huge territory with numerous prospects! The last estimate showed about 16,000+ qualified (by size) businesses in our territory. Networking, territory marketing, workshops, and, most effectively, referrals from satisfied customers are everyday fruitful activities for finding prospects.
What is the difference between a "principal" and "associate" chair?
A “principal” chair is the person who purchased the local franchise rights from C12 Headquarters to build and facilitate groups. C12 Headquarters holds this person responsible for brand compliance and business development. For many territories including C12 North Texas, the potential membership cannot be served by one chair. C12 created the “associate chair” concept to add capacity to the principal chair.
An “associate” chair does not own the franchise. Instead, they work under the franchise of the principal chair. There is an explicit business agreement between the principal chair and the associate chair spelling out the rights, responsibilities and financial arrangements.
Members and prospects treat principal chairs and associate chairs alike. There are no different outside-facing responsibilities.
Will I work for C12 an an employee?
No, you will be an independent business doing business as C12. Many chairs form an LLC to collect their business expenses under it. Others operate as sole proprietors. That is your call. In everyday operations, you will represent yourself as “C12.”
What attracts most members to C12?
Most C12 Members usually join because they need business help – not because they are looking for another Bible study, networking group, or guest speaker forum. They are struggling with issues they have typically faced alone: growth or layoffs, hiring or firing, strategy or execution, ramp-up or succession. They have missed out on learning from others who have been there before. And because many have little formal business training, they just charge headlong through the issues, doing the best they can. When they find C12, they often see their blind spots for the first time. And, in many cases, they find the accountability, benchmarking, and eternal perspective they have been missing.
What business value do members receive through their C12 experiences?
A significant part of a C12 Member’s expanded vision comes through their relationship with their Chair, the structured business curriculum, and their business forum. A C12 Chair facilitates monthly business forums and meets monthly with Members 1-on-1, reviewing real-time challenges and opportunities. The Chair helps them think through building teams, refining processes, vetting opportunities, and solving problems. The results are often astounding, usually through steady, incremental growth across multiple business measures. Men and women who persevered admirably before joining C12 find traction through concepts and insights that were not part of their management thinking and vocabulary. They stay because they get real business help and sharpen eternal perspectives.
Why do member stay in C12 for the "business as a ministry" focus?
Some Christian CEOs and business owners come to C12 with deeply held convictions and a clear connection between Sunday and the workweek. For others, seeing their business as a platform for ministry is an entirely new perspective. We regularly see members with a mild interest in displaying their faith at work evolve into confident Christians engaged in workplace ministry. For C12, ministry means helping our members see how they can care for people’s physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Members realize that as they grow their profits, they increase their capacity to invest in their people, community, and world.
The C12 Chair gets a front-row seat to watch God at work in Members’ lives. The Chair is blessed by the first-hand opportunity to implement their God-given gifts and experience, which are being used to guide leaders in their community for God’s glory!
What is the mission field for C12?
One of C12’s core values is “Results Matter.” We think that making a difference is a worthy calling. In fact, Jesus’ final directive to his disciples was a command to achieve results—to make disciples of all nations. Until now, we have largely left this charge up to the church institution to fulfill.
While the formal church plays a large role in spreading the gospel, many more people at work need to hear it than there are at church. Up to 70% of Americans in the workforce do not have a regular connection to a pastor, priest, or minister. This is our mission field. Could it be yours?
What is the impact potential for a single C12 Chair?
One C12 Chair impacts —
A fully developed practice has five business forums of 12 Members = 60 Members.
An average C12 company has 40 employees = 2400 employees.
Each employee has an average circle of influence of 100 people = 240,000 customers, vendors, and family members.
240,000 people > 10% of a metro market
What would it mean to influence that many people? We think that the potential for eternal impact is huge. It starts with the hearts of the leaders that a C12 Chair mentors, encourages, and inspires.
What is the challenge for C12 in the marketplace?
We have an excellent video that captures the challenge we have in the North Texas area. Watch it at https://vimeo.com/384372294.
What are the boundaries of C12 North Texas?
All of the zip codes in a shade of blue are part of C12 North Texas. We are responsible for creating and facilitating groups all over this territory. The opportunities and challenges are significant.
What do experienced chairs say about their C12 experience?
Look at what some of our Chairs had to say about their role as C12 Chair here.
What are the ideal characteristics of a C12 Chair?
It is not easy to be an effective C12 Chair. We are looking for a select few that meet the following requirements.
Mature Christ-Follower – Be a hearer and doer of God’s Word with an unwavering biblical worldview.
Entrepreneurial Attitude – A “can do, never give up” mindset, with the willingness and ability to be in business with us and committed to being a full-time “owner” of your practice. We think that grit is essential.
Trustworthy Advisor to Peers—You must have the “gravitas” to garner the respect of business peers who will seek your advice and counsel.
Business Leadership Principles – You must have strong business leadership acumen and understand how the Bible applies to business.
Ability to Invest Financially – You must also have financial reserves to live on for 12-24 months, depending on your monthly needs.
What are the primary functions of a C12 Chair?
A C12 Chair views the workplace as their mission, serving full-time in their local market. Their roles can be summarized as build, lead, and impact.
BUILD
The Chair builds business forums for Christian CEOs and business owners (Members). This process includes networking, marketing, and business development. You do not need a sales background, but you do need to be willing to follow a proven, results-driven process and have the passion, patience, and persistence to grow your practice over time.
LEAD
After you build a group, you lead them by facilitating monthly peer advisory meetings and engaging in one-on-one coaching, consulting, and mentoring. The topics covered range from business to spiritual to personal ones. You will focus on best-in-class content that makes both a near-term and an eternal impact.
IMPACT
The impact on your members, their families, companies, and communities will be amazing. From healthy, growing businesses, better work-life balance, and stronger relationships to eternal impacts around salvations, service, and giving, the C12 Chair is uniquely positioned to influence, observe, and celebrate great progress.
What roles does a C12 Chair have with their members?
One of the great joys (and challenges) of being a C12 Chair is the various roles you play for your members. It is a privilege to participate with members in the most important areas of their lives and to be trusted to contribute solutions. Here is a sampling of what is required. While this may sound daunting, remember that you will grow with your members into these roles.
What roles does a C12 Chair have while running their business?
When you are a C12 Chair, you never forget that you are running a business (just like your members). That responsibility keeps the everyday issues that your members face fresh in your mind. It also helps you demonstrate, too, how to apply the many concepts that we cover each month in our business forums. You get to model all of the improvements we recommend to members. Does that sound exciting?
What are the steps to explore becoming a C12 Chair?
We invite you to begin the exploration process. Your information and our conversations are confidential. Please provide a current resume and the following information to start our conversation.
Using what you have learned about the C12 Forums from our website, this Opportunity Profile, and any other research you chose to conduct, describe how your life and career have prepared you to serve as a Chair.
Why is this the right time for you to serve in this role?
What is your business background?
To begin the process, contact Tom Hawes ([email protected] or 214-620-9366) at C12 North Texas(www.c12northtexas.com). If you would prefer, leave your contact information, and we will get in touch with you.
What is the approval proccess for becoming a new chair?
The approval process has three threads. A “yes” is required in all three to permit someone to become a C12 Chair. (We are very careful about this process.)
C12 Headquarters will interview each candidate to determine if they feel a candidate is a good fit for C12. The interview process will include discussions with the development director and executive staff, financial vetting, and completion of multiple assessments.
The C12 North Texas principal chair (Tom Hawes) will coordinate interviews with other local C12 Chairs, perform additional assessments, arrange visits to one or more C12 monthly business forums, and determine the team fit with the applicant.
You will also assess whether or not C12 is a good fit for you.
