What Happens When Founders Get in the Room Together

Three years ago, Collective 54 hosted its first annual event for founders of boutique professional services firms. It began as a simple idea: bring together leaders who had been collaborating virtually to connect, learn, and grow in person.

Today, The Reunion has become something more than a conference. It is a reflection of what makes this community powerful: founders connecting with true peers, sharing lessons only other firm owners can understand, and shaping the next generation of professional services firms together.

In a world that moves fast and rarely pauses, events like The Reunion offer a reset. They remind founders why they built their firms in the first place and give them the clarity to move forward with purpose.

Before the event

Every meaningful event starts before anyone steps into the room. Preparation determines what you take home.

Greg Alexander teaches that the ROI of live events begins with intentionality. Preparation is not about packing a schedule; it is about setting purpose. Before arriving, decide what success means for you. Who do you want to meet? What problems do you want to solve? What questions can only another founder answer? That clarity turns attendance into investment.

The founders who get the most from events create space to think. They reach out to a few peers in advance, plan a handful of meaningful conversations, and clear their calendars to be fully present. In a distracted world, presence itself is an advantage.

During the event

Once you arrive, engagement is everything. Arrive early. Stay late. Sit with people you do not know. Attend every session you can, but remember that the best insights often come from hallway conversations and shared meals.

This year’s keynote, The Professional Services Industry: Past, Present, and Future, explored how the industry has evolved from credentialed expertise to tech-enabled delivery to AI-powered outcomes. It challenged founders to adapt and lead with purpose in a changing landscape.

Members also joined a Stage and Era compass exercise to map where their firms stand today and where they want to be by 2026. Around the tables, conversations turned candid and specific. Founders compared pricing models, growth challenges, and how they are using AI to enhance, not replace, the human side of consulting.

Andrea Fryrear captured it perfectly: “Some conferences are chores – another checkbox on a long list of to-dos. Others are pilgrimages – rejuvenating journeys that restore your drive and purpose.” She added, “Running a professional services business is hard, and weird, and bumpy, and messy in only the way that a people-driven business can be. Getting in a room with 180+ other people with nearly identical problems reminds me that struggling doesn’t always mean you’re doing something wrong.”

As Kerrie Luginbill explained, “We don’t operate on traditional SaaS signals you can plug into Apollo or lean on Clay to find. It’s more complex than that.” She added, “Our playbook is built on trust. And one of the most critical elements of any B2B ProServ growth engine is positioning.”

Todd Stanton put it best: “We create better things when we’re honest. There’s a fine line between candor and oversharing, but truth builds stronger relationships.” That honesty is what makes founders’ conversations so valuable.

After the event

The real ROI begins once the room empties. The follow-ups, new partnerships, and operational changes sparked by one conversation are what compound over time.

Greg defines four kinds of ROI from in-person events:

• Relationship ROI: deeper connections that lead to opportunity.
• Capability ROI: new ideas and skills that improve performance.
• Access ROI: time with high-performing peers and advisors.
• Identity ROI: renewed clarity and confidence in your role as a leader.

As Jing Johnson reflected, “Deals are born, collaborations begin, and friendships grow.” Those results are not luck. They come from showing up prepared, engaging deeply, and following through.

The human advantage

AI is changing how work gets done, but it also makes human connection more valuable than ever. Technology provides speed and precision. People provide judgment, empathy, and creativity. Founders who blend both will lead the next chapter of this industry.

When hundreds of founders spend two days together, something happens that no algorithm can replicate. They challenge each other, sharpen ideas, and leave with new energy to grow. Tools evolve quickly. Human connection endures.

The lasting impact

Three years in, The Reunion feels less like a conference and more like a milestone. Each year, conversations deepen, relationships strengthen, and ideas move faster from concept to execution.

Andrea Fryrear summed it up: “Thanks to you, I’m back at my desk re-energized and reinvigorated, ready to finish the year on a high note and kick 2026’s a**.”

That is the power of founders getting in a room together, investing in each other, and proving that relationships compound over time, conversation after conversation.