Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Maximizing Your Collective 54 Membership: A Blueprint for Success

For professional services founders seeking to grow, scale, and exit their firms successfully, membership in Collective 54 (C54) is a treasure trove of resources and connections. But with such a wealth of content — from coaching and Block courses to solution guides and peer meetings — the abundance can feel overwhelming. 

Here, I share my journey of turning their content into a structured system that has transformed how I use C54 to achieve my goals at The AMG Team.

By developing and executing a systematic approach, you too can harness the full power of C54’s resources to scale your firm and realize your vision. I have a ways to go, but I am excited to help you get there even faster!

The “Tortured Genius” Trap: Why Systems Matter

Before joining C54, I had built and sold two companies. Yet, despite these successes, my long-term financial goals remained unmet. A friend and mentor introduced me to the concept of the “Tortured Genius”—the business owner who believes their brilliance alone will ensure success. 

The truth? Talent without a system is like a Ferrari without a driver. Inspired by my friend’s $60 million exit and the success I had heard from existing members, I joined C54 to develop the systems I needed.

Step 1: Commit to Immersion

From the moment my business partner and I became members in December 2022, I committed to immersing myself in C54 content. This wasn’t a casual effort; it was an all-in mindset:

  • Read and Reflect: I devoured The Boutique book, taking every test at the end of each chapter. This exercise revealed where we excelled and where we needed to improve.
  • Engage Deeply: I watched videos, attended Zoom meetings, and reviewed solution guides. I didn’t just consume content; I documented, categorized, and prioritized it.
  • Leverage Podcasts: On a 14-hour drive, I listened to over 30 C54 podcasts. This marathon of insights reinforced key lessons and planted actionable ideas. Within the first 6 months, I had listened to nearly all of them.

Step 2: Build a System for Implementation

Information is only valuable when acted upon. Here’s how I turned insights into actionable systems:

  • Organize Content: I created Google Docs for notes from The Boutique, Zoom meetings, and Block courses. Charts and slides from Zoom presentations were saved and named for easy reference to share and instruct others on my team.
  • Automate Assessments: Using Jotform, we digitized quizzes from The Boutique and tracked results in Google Sheets. This helped us baseline our firm’s performance and prioritize improvements. Each chapter has been assigned a High Potential to own “getting to a perfect score” and we all take each quiz every quarter to evaluate progress.
  • Visual Reminders: Screensavers on my devices rotated through screenshots of C54’s “Chart of the Week” and other lessons. This passive exposure kept lessons top-of-mind.

Step 3: Institutionalize Knowledge

Growth requires distributing responsibilities. To achieve this:

  • Assign Non-Billable Projects: I instituted monthly projects for each team member to implement key lessons. Tasks from C54 content were funneled into Asana projects aligned with firm priorities. Everyone’s non-billable time is applied to making measurable progress.
  • Develop High Potentials: I empowered team members by assigning leadership roles and grouping team members together in implementing the five methodologies outlined by Greg Alexander: Account Revenue Expansion, Referral, Word of Mouth, Content Lead Generation, and Enterprise Sales. I lead each High Potential with 10% of my time.
  • Prioritize Leadership Development: Weekly meetings with my business partner shifted focus from operations to strategic initiatives, such as reviewing and implementing every lesson from The Founders Bottleneck and other key resources.

Step 4: Measure and Benchmark Progress

C54 provides benchmarking data that reveals how your firm compares to others. I used this data to:

  • Identify Gaps: Screenshots of annual benchmark results highlighted areas where we lagged or excelled. Key metrics from benchmark data and the Firm Estimator’s line items to achieve the highest multiple guide priorities.
  • Track Improvements: Comparing our firm’s performance year-over-year revealed tangible progress and justified the priority of our actions being taken.

Step 5: Stay Adaptive, Stay Focused

After two years of membership, we’re now on track within C54’s 15-year framework for scaling, and exiting with everything in place we need to hit our goals. Our system continues to evolve as we:

  • Focus on Relevance: Attend every lesson aligned with priorities for what needs to be implemented as a permanent piece of your firm’s system to scale.
  • Leverage New Lessons and Tools: Blocks courses have provided practical frameworks for addressing existing and emerging challenges. I apprentice High Potentials using content and tools from Blocks and Zoom meetings.
  • “Slow Is Smooth, Smooth Is Fast”: We take our time performing the actions with deliberate control and precision so we ultimately achieve greater speed and efficiency.

Your Call to Action

Are you enabling your High Potentials to avoid being “Tortured Geniuses” and building a system for your success around them? 

Start by immersing yourself in the wealth of resources available through Collective 54. Prioritize, organize, and implement the lessons you learn. 

Remember: the goal isn’t just to grow your firm — it’s to build a scalable, sellable business that achieves your financial and personal aspirations. Reaching $3,000,000 EBITDA annually to sell at the highest multiple possible in a 15 year window requires a plan that’s systematized. 

Read and implement Founders Bottleneck first. You don’t have time to achieve your goals otherwise!

Take the first step:

Success isn’t just about working hard; it’s about working smart with the right systems and support. Collective 54 is the guide you need to get there. I am happy to share anything and everything I have done with any existing C54 member.