The SBI Mafia and the Collective 54 Mafia: A Legacy of Professional Services Excellence

Introduction

When I was growing up, I watched my uncle, Greg Alexander, do something remarkable. He didn’t just build a successful consulting firm. He built a launchpad.

Sales Benchmark Index, SBI, started as a professional services firm dedicated to sales effectiveness. But over time, it became much more than that. It became a proving ground for ambitious professionals who would later lead and found some of the most respected firms in the consulting industry.

Much like the PayPal Mafia reshaped Silicon Valley, the SBI Mafia has quietly but powerfully reshaped the consulting industry. And today, at Collective 54, we are building on that legacy to create what I call the Collective 54 Mafia, a new generation of founders, operators, and industry-defining firms.

The Birth of the SBI Mafia

SBI wasn’t built in the image of a typical consulting firm. Greg designed it to attract top talent, give them the tools to learn faster than anywhere else, and surround them with a culture that valued results over employment.

From 2006 onward, SBI became a magnet for high performers who didn’t just want a job, they wanted a platform.

And when you put that many driven people in one place, you inevitably plant seeds for something bigger.

Alumni Who Founded Consulting Firms

While many alumni have gone on to lead and build great firms, here are three standout examples of the SBI Mafia in action:

• Dan Bernoske, founder of The Cortado Group, has built a practice known for helping companies accelerate organic growth through precise sales and marketing strategy.
• James Wilton, founder of Monevate, launched a consultancy that has pioneered many of the pricing best practices used by SaaS companies in the world.
• Tim Foster, founder of MapleLeaf Advisors, focuses on guiding mid-market companies through sales transformation initiatives that drive measurable results, which he later sold to a leading private equity firm.

Each of these founders took the lessons learned inside SBI and applied them to create firms that carry forward a shared ethos: measurable impact, client-first mentality, and operational excellence.

The Rise of the Collective 54 Mafia

At Collective 54, we are taking the same blueprint and scaling it to an entire community of founders. Our members aren’t just running firms, they are growing, scaling, and exiting firms that define the future of professional services.

Here are three members who built, and successfully exited their firms. This is proof that the next generation of founders is already leaving its mark:

• Matt Rosen, founder of Allata, who shared on The Pro Serv Podcast:

“The best decision I made was to treat scaling as a discipline. You can’t wing it if you want a premium exit.”

• Mike Stern, founder of Connected.io, who said:

“Building the business was fulfilling, but I learned the real leverage comes when you can productize your expertise.”

• Marc Weiss, founder of Management One, who reflected:

“Collective 54 helped me think bigger about what was possible and prepare for the next chapter of my life.”

These founders are living proof that professional services firms can not only thrive but deliver transformational outcomes for their clients and their owners.

The Ripple Effect of a Founder Factory

The influence of the SBI Mafia and the Collective 54 Mafia is hard to overstate. Together, they have:

• Built firms that redefined their niches.
• Pioneered new service models and delivery approaches.
• Mentored hundreds of future founders and leaders.
• Elevated the professional services category itself.

If you are a founder today, this is your reminder: the company you build can, and should become a platform for others to build on.

Closing Reflection

Legacy doesn’t happen by chance. It happens by design.

My uncle built Sales Benchmark Index not just to serve clients, but to shape careers. He built Collective 54 to turn that legacy into a movement.

If you’re reading this and you’re building a professional services firm, ask yourself:

What will your legacy be?

The SBI Mafia and the Collective 54 Mafia show that the impact of your work can extend far beyond revenue and profit. It can reshape an entire industry.

If you want to be part of the next chapter, join us.

Matt Alexander is Managing Director of Collective 54, the membership organization for founders of professional services firms.