The Unpaid Board That Changed Everything: Lynn Fruth's 18-Year Journey

Lynn Fruth had a problem most business owners would recognize: he was flying solo. As CEO of The Danberry Company Realtors in Toledo, Ohio—a market-dominant firm with 400 team members—he made decisions every day that affected hundreds of lives. But who was advising him? Who was telling him when he had broccoli in his teeth?

That changed in 2008 when a fellow church member approached him about joining a peer advisory group. Fruth had come to faith in the mid-90s and was "feeling his way through this Christian leadership in the workplace." The invitation came at exactly the right time.

"I'd never been approached to be part of a group like this," Fruth recalls. "He told me some of the other people he thought would be in our group, and I said, count me in. It was probably one of the best decisions I've ever made."

The Board Money Can't Buy

What Fruth discovered in that first meeting 18 years ago was something he couldn't find anywhere else: "an unpaid board of directors of people whose heart and mind and spiritual being are in the right place."

Unlike a traditional board—where members might bring expertise but not necessarily shared values—this group brought both. They challenged how he conducted himself not just in the workplace, but in life. "I think maybe not half of the issues I've dealt with through Kingdom Factor are business," Fruth admits. "I have four kids, so there's four issues in and of themselves."

The group became his sounding board, his accountability partner, and his motivator to let his faith shine in areas where he might have been reluctant. But perhaps most surprisingly, these monthly meetings turned into something deeper: genuine friendship.

"Some of my best friends now are from the group," Fruth says. "This isn't just 'we talk once a month in a meeting.' I got some of these people on speed dial because we're just good friends. We socialize and enjoy our time together."

When Life Falls Apart

The true test of any relationship comes during crisis. For Fruth, that test came when he temporarily moved to Florida, then faced a perfect storm: his wife filed for divorce, COVID struck, and he found himself isolated in a new community.

During this three-year hiatus from the group, something remarkable happened. "Even though I wasn't in Kingdom Factor, my old friends reached out to me—some every week—to see how I was doing," Fruth remembers. "I couldn't wait, when I decided to move back to Toledo, to rejoin Kingdom Factor."

That kind of care doesn't happen by accident. It's the fruit of relationships built on something deeper than networking or business advancement.

The Broccoli in Your Teeth

Fruth has developed what he calls his "broccoli talk" to explain the unique value of these peer relationships. Picture yourself at a cocktail party with broccoli stuck in your teeth. Your "good friends" won't tell you—they don't want to embarrass you or jeopardize the relationship. You go home, see it in the mirror, and wonder what kind of friends let you walk around like that all evening.

Your Kingdom Factor compatriots are emboldened to tell you that you have broccoli in your teeth, and you accept it without embarrassment because you've empowered them to do that. Those kinds of trusting relationships are hard to come by.

Early in his journey, Fruth faced exactly this kind of moment. He'd gotten pushback in the workplace about expressing his faith and wasn't sure if he'd gone too far. The wisdom his group shared didn't make him pull back—it emboldened him to become an even stronger witness.

"Without that encouragement and wisdom," Fruth reflects, "I wouldn't have been able to witness how my faith positively impacted the lives of the people I work with. That's one of the coolest things I've been able to experience."

The Return on Investment Nobody Talks About

Fruth acknowledges that the financial commitment was a concern early on. But looking back over nearly two decades, his perspective has shifted dramatically: "Those relationships and how they impacted my business have well more than paid for Kingdom Factor."

The ROI shows up in unexpected ways. Every month, members come prepared to share their biggest challenge. Even when Fruth doesn't have a pressing issue, he learns from other people's problems—wisdom that helps him avoid similar pitfalls down the road.

Now, having recently retired as CEO of The Danberry Company and launched a new commercial real estate venture called SV Ascension, Fruth's commitment hasn't wavered. In fact, it's grown stronger.

"I would never consider retiring from Kingdom Factor," he says. "Just for the advice I get on personal issues—especially with adult children." He offers a word of warning to younger parents: "You may have younger kids and think it gets better when they become adults. It actually gets more challenging—the problems and the level of issues they deal with."

What You Don't Know You're Missing

Fruth's message to business owners considering a peer advisory group is straightforward: "We think a lot of business owners and independent professionals can handle everything on our own. That's a natural tendency. But you don't know what you don't know until you get into a situation where you have great advisors around you."

He points out what should be obvious but often isn't: if you're a small business without a board of directors, you're making major decisions in isolation. If you have a traditional board, do they share your deepest values? Do they understand what it means to integrate faith and business?

I'm a small business. I don't have a board of directors. If I were a bigger business, I might have a board I pay for. But do they share my values? No. Kingdom Factor board members share my values.

That alignment changes everything—from how you handle difficult personnel decisions to how you respond when faith and profit seem to conflict.

The Enemy of Consistency

After 18 years, Fruth has learned something else: "The enemy doesn't want me to attend these meetings, so he'll throw up roadblocks, create scheduling conflicts." But he's committed. With six or seven groups meeting in Toledo, there's almost always a way to make it work. Even during his recent two-month stay in Florida, he found a way to Zoom in rather than miss the connection.

That kind of dedication speaks volumes. When someone chooses not to miss meetings for nearly two decades—even through relocation, divorce, and retirement—you know they've found something irreplaceable.

For Fruth, the value proposition is clear: wisdom from people who share your faith, accountability that actually works, friendships that last through crisis, and a place where you can bring your whole self—business challenges, family struggles, spiritual questions—without compartmentalizing.

"You're cheating yourself if you don't participate," Fruth says simply. Coming from someone who's invested 18 years in the journey, that's not hype. It's testimony.

The real question isn't whether peer advisory groups work. The question is: are you willing to admit you need one? Are you ready to find out what you don't know you're missing? Because somewhere out there, you might be walking around with broccoli in your teeth—and nobody's telling you.