The room matters more than the curriculum.
Most founders of boutique professional services firms make decisions alone. Not because they want to, but because there is no one in their world who shares the same economic model, the same constraints, and the same ambitions.
Generic entrepreneur groups don’t help. The economics of a services firm are nothing like the economics of a product company, a SaaS business, or a franchise. Advice built for those models doesn’t transfer. It distracts.
Collective 54 exists because founders of boutique professional services firms deserve a room built specifically for them.
~250
members
~$5.6B
in total member revenue
~560
alumni
57
exits completed
~12,500
member employees
$1.2B
in total member EBITDA
Founders across professional services,
with one thing in common.
The membership spans nine professional services disciplines: management consulting, IT services, marketing and advertising agencies, accounting and financial advisory, recruiting, engineering and architecture, legal services, research and analytics, and training and development. What connects them is the business model itself. They all deliver expertise through people, manage utilization, price intellectual output, and face the same structural constraints around scaling and exit. A consulting firm and an IT services firm have more in common economically than either has with a product company
What members share is more important than where they differ: they all sell expertise, they all face the structural challenges of scaling a people-based business, and they all want to build a firm worth more than their personal effort, increasingly by rethinking how AI reshapes delivery, sales, and back-office operations.
Most members have outgrown the early startup phase. They are working on harder problems: engineering delivery at scale, distributing leadership, improving margins, preparing for a successful exit, and increasingly, rethinking their firm through the lens of AI.
Founder-led. $5M to $100M in revenue. North America. Boutique professional services only.
A structured rhythm, not a passive membership.
Weekly
Virtual sessions where members work through real problems using the Collective 54 framework. Typically 75+ members in attendance.
Monthly
Expert-led sessions focused on a specific discipline. Led by strategic partners with deep domain expertise. Typically 75+ members in attendance.
Quarterly
In-person Retreats for members who want to go deeper. Attendance is capped at 50. Small group. High intensity.
Annually
The Reunion. A two-day immersive session in Q4 focused on whatever is top of mind for members. Attendance is capped at 150.
Specificity is the reason this works.
Most peer groups fail founders of professional services firms because the room is too broad. When a services founder sits next to a SaaS CEO, the conversation defaults to generalities. The advice sounds right but doesn’t apply. The economics are different. The constraints are different. The decisions are different.
Inside Collective 54, founders are working through the questions that define this moment: how to rethink sales, delivery, and back-office operations as AI-native firms. How to price differently. How to scale without proportional headcount. The frameworks are built for this industry. The benchmarking data is drawn from this industry. The peers have faced the same structural challenges you are facing right now.
That specificity is what makes the advice actionable instead of theoretical.
From founders inside the community.
“Taking on a PE partner for my growing consulting firm was one of the biggest decisions of my life. The Collective 54 community gave me the playbook and support I needed to prepare for a successful transaction. From picking an investment banker, structuring the deal, to choosing the right buyer, the guidance was instrumental in helping me achieve a great outcome.”
Matt Rosen, Founder and CEO, Allata
“When I took over, one of the things I said I wanted to do was I wanted to make sure that we had a direction for growth. I’m glad I got together with Collective 54.”
Todd Rapp, Owner and CEO, Rapp Strategies
“Through my experiences with Collective 54, I’ve learned so much from all of you. I attribute where I’m at today to the journey that I’ve done on with you all.”
Kim Kramer, Founder and CEO, Waterhouse Brands
Collective 54’s thought leadership has been featured in:
Membership is mutual.
Collective 54 is built on four expectations.
Character. Members operate with integrity. This is a confidential environment. What is shared inside stays inside.
Contribution. Members bring experience, knowledge, and willingness to help other founders. The community gets stronger every time someone shares what they’ve learned.
Capacity. Members commit to showing up. Participation is not optional. The value of the community depends on engagement.
Conditions. Members follow the code of conduct. The culture is protected deliberately.