I’ve been around the block a few times in recent weeks. I’ve had to: my business advisor is literally located behind where I live!

And while I obviously respect and value his advice, I’ve discovered two incredible ways to take your business forward that don’t involve the conventional ‘experts’ we’ve come to view as absolutely necessary to our success.

It all comes down to board games.

[mp3]http://wordandmouth.com/audio/board_260909.mp3[/mp3]

Let me elucidate:

If you’re a start-up or emerging business the concept of a board is bordering on the ridiculous. Boards are for stuffy American conglomerates – right?

Well no, actually. At least, not if you think laterally – I’m not advocating you start creating C-level executive suites in your garage or hoik down to Ikea for the biggest table you can find.

Here’s what you do:

1. Walk down your road. Speak to your friends. Go to a networking event or an unconference.
2. Get the business cards of eight to 12 businesspeople that share your energy and genuine love of customer service and success.
3. Call them up a few days later and invite them all to the pub, cafe, Temperance Institute or park. It all depends on the weather, you see.
4. Discuss the concept of meeting once a month or quarterly to bounce ideas off each other about problems and opportunities with business.

Your very own board. Not only that, but everyone in the group benefits. You’re all rooting for achievement; and by being part of a tribe, you’re all rooting for each other.

Now here’s how your board is so invaluable. Every time you all meet:

• Go round the pub table or room with each person given the opportunity to air their problems or views. Get others to pitch in with questions to try and isolate or expand on the issue and find the very best way to solve it or maximise it.
• At the end of each pitch from both sides, ask the source of problem or opportunity to take stock of what he or she has learned and to tell the group what action points they have picked up and will, um, action.

That’s the way to run a business board! I’ve seen this in action a number of times and if there’s one thing that works, it’s having cohorts with creativity and dynamism at their very core. To share strains and successes, to brainstorm positives from negatives and to fix problems you previously felt unfixable. I’ve seen people with businesses of 20 years’ vintage and more come to these meetings, air a grievance about the direction of the organisation, and within half an hour have a stratagem for revolutionising the company’s vision statement and brand values for massive medium-term success.

Talking about virtual boards, I picked up some wise advice from Napoleon Hill. He’s not a close friend of mine, having been dead for a lot of years, but what he suggested was that you think up all the people that have inspired you as the person you are today. For whatever reason.

You sit them round a virtual table in your head, and whenever you have a tough leadership decision to make, you revert to that virtual boardroom. Start the meeting then bounce some ideas around the table.

This. Seriously. Works.

I have that Virgin chap Dickie Branson at the helm, with Napoleon Hill and Dale Carnegie sat starboard and port. Moving closer to me opposite Dickie are Von Glitchen, some creator type who’s always on Freelance Radio and I have a lot of time for. Then Seth Godin, the best marketer in the world apparently. And coming up the rear with a vague contribution towards sexual equilibrium, is Chrissie Hynde. I goddamn love her music, and she would certainly make the guys weep with her musical abilities.

There’d be some girl in a pencil skirt and a grey cashmere sweater tasked with bringing in the tea and biscuits too, but that’s for another day.

Model your table and make it sing. I guarantee you’ll find it worth questioning your sanity.

May success be your everlasting song.