Hey ,

Hope you enjoyed all 28 day of February and are looking forward to all the great things to come in March!

Here's something just for you, just because you're on my email list. Thank You, !

Flowing Solutions: A Live Chat with Thomas Ballard, The Groundwater Guy

The Power of Collaboration in the Water Industry (and Beyond!)

Introduction

Would you drive your car for 300,000 miles without changing the oil? Hopefully not! Yet, many water wells go neglected for years, leading to costly breakdowns. Enter Thomas Ballard, The Groundwater Guy, who’s on a mission to change that. As a member of The Virtual Summiteers Peer Group, Thomas doesn’t just solve water problems—he’s also a champion of small business collaboration.

We’re kicking off a four-part event series featuring Thomas and our incredible community of experts. If you care about collaboration, small business success, and learning from the best, buckle up—this is for you.

TL;DR

🚀 Thomas Ballard is a groundwater expert who believes in maintaining wells (like you would your car).

💡 He’s collaborating with The Virtual Summiteers on four events covering Small Business Collaboration and expertise.

🤖 We discuss AI tools and project management 

🐐 Thomas also has baby goats, because why not?

🔥 Expect a fun, insightful deep dive into business growth, teamwork and technology.

The Virtual Summiteers x Thomas Ballard: A Collaboration Series

We love shining a light on our members at The Virtual Summiteers Peer Group. That’s why Thomas is featured in this four-part event series dedicated to small business collaboration:

1️⃣ Introductory Interview: Flowing Solutions: A Live Chat with Thomas Ballard, The Groundwater Guy

📅 Tues. 02/24/2025 @ 4:50 PM - 6:00 PM CT / 5:50 PM - 7:00 PM ET

🔴 Live-streamed via OneStream Live

This chat covers Thomas’s expertise in groundwater solutions, small business problem-solving, and his innovative approach to water utility asset management. Here's the YouTube Replay!

2️⃣ Event Innovators Insights Session: Better Together: Strategies for Effective Small Business Collaboration

📅 Fri. 03/07/2025 @ 8:50 AM - 10:30 AM CT / 9:50 AM - 11:30 AM ET

📍 Zoom

We’ll explore collaboration strategies that help small businesses grow, innovate, and stay ahead in competitive markets.

Sign Up Here!

3️⃣ Panel Discussion: Teaming Up: Expert Insights on Small Business Collaboration

📅 Tues. 03/11/2025 @ 5:50 PM - 7:30 PM CT / 5:50 PM - 7:30 PM ET

📍 Zoom

Join a roundtable of industry leaders as they share best practices and lessons on effective business teamwork.

4️⃣ Post Event Deep Dive: Flowing Insights: Lessons Learned from Small Business Collaboration Events

📅 Tues. 03/18/2025 @ 4:50 PM - 6:00 PM CT / 5:50 PM - 7:00 PM ET

📍 Zoom

We’ll reflect on key takeaways, next steps, and how to implement winning collaboration tactics in your own business.

Tech Talk: AI and Productivity

During our Introductory Interview, we also dove into some game-changing AI tools and project management hacks, including:

🧠 ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude and Deep Seek – because we like our AI with a side of variety.

📝 Blitzit – a Kanban-style task management tool that’s shaking things up.

⚡ Training AI on custom data – Ever wanted your own AI assistant that actually understands your business? We’ve got the tools.

The Takeaway: Small Business Collaboration is the Future

Whether you're running a business, solving groundwater challenges or just trying to keep up with AI trends, collaboration is key. Thomas Ballard and The Virtual Summiteers are proving that teamwork fuels innovation.

So, what’s next? Join us for this exciting series, get involved and take your business to the next level!

👉 Which event are you most excited about? Drop a comment and let’s chat!

*Keep Moving Forward!

Ericka Bates

Digital Transformation Strategist

Talk Virtual

The Virtual Summiteers Peer Group

P.S.

Hope To See You Friday @ 10am ET. on Zoom!