Once you form your group, word will quickly spread and others will want to join. So, how many people will you allow in your pool. Most groups start with 10-12 people. Once others in your office catch on, they will want to join into your group or they may even form a group of their own. This usually happens sometime in the middle of the first year. At this point, your group must make a decision on what the max number of people you will allow into the group. Poll your group and find out what max their comfortable with. You will be surprised at the controversy that will be involved in this single decision.
Here are some of the comments you will hear:
- “Well, they have not paid in all year and now will be considered equal partners in our group!”
- “If we let them in, that will dilute our winnings.”
OUR WINNING NUMBER RULE: Our recommendation is to run your group on a 12 month cycle and begin your start date on the 1st day of one of the quarters of the calendar year. Decide with your group what the max number of people in your group should be. For several reasons which we will not go over in this section, our optimal number is 25 members and the rest go on a wait list to join only when someone drops out or gets bumped for nonpayment. This transaction can only occur at the beginning of the 1st quarter of play or if a member is bought out because they don’t want to play anymore.
You would be surprised how many people decide not to play because the $1 commitment per game is too taxing financially. If $110-$210 a year is going to put you in financial distress, you should NOT be part of this group. Keep in mind you spend $100 on a nice dinner out for two these days. This commitment should not scare you and remember you may be playing with this group for years…or until you win.
