Faq

Frequently Asked Questions

• 1. What is a CEO Peer Group?

  A CEO Peer Group brings together a group of individuals, in this case CEOs, on a regular basis to discuss and work through business, and where appropriate, personal challenges to maximize their performance and effectiveness.  We strive for you to obtain the greatest impact from your time investment by matching you with ambitious CEOs of other high growth companies of a similar type and at a similar stage to yours.  Your CEO Peer Group will be composed of other CEOs who are going through very similar issues and who will be able to empathize and provide relevant perspective on your challenges, just as you will to them.

• 2. Why should I consider joining a CEO Peer Group?

  Asking for help makes us better leaders.  But who does a CEO turn to?  For just about any other role in a company, there are colleagues and peers that one can turn to for exchanging information and ideas, tips and tactics, making introductions, sharing hopes, fears and frustrations in a confidential and safe space, and leaning on for intellectual and emotional support.

   

  From my experience as a serial founder/CEO, angel investor and advisor, CEO Peer Groups are one of the most effective (and cost-effective) means of helping you become a better leader and CEO.

• 3. What are the benefits I can expect from a CEO Peer Group?

  Here are at least five benefits you can expect:

  • Safe Space:  Sharing with others in a safe and confidential space where you can be open and vulnerable, unlike with your Board or Leadership Team.

  • Perspective:  Invaluable insight on your key issues from other company CEOs at a similar stage to your business to help stir your grey matter and think about your business and issues from a different perspective.

  • Accountability:  Challenge, inspiration and support to achieve your key objectives and get over your doubts and concerns.

  • Confidence:  Increased confidence from validation of your thinking, or surfacing of new possibilities for you to ensure you are not leaving stones unturned with respect to key strategic decisions.

  • Performance:  Increased effectiveness as a leader and enhanced business performance and value creation.

• 4. What is the typical frequency, duration and agenda of your CEO Peer Group meetings?

  We schedule a monthly standing meeting at a time that is mutually convenient for all participants.

  The meetings are between 1.5 hours in duration, depending on the company stage of your group.

  The key components of the agenda include:

  • Check-ins and Accountability Commitments

  • Topic Discussion and/or Best Practice Sharing

  • Member Issue Sharing and Feedback

  • Challenges and Action Items

• 5. Is this CEO Peer Group the right fit for me?

  There are many Peer Groups available, such as TEC / Vistage, YPO, Peerscale, CEO Focus, CEO Global Network, startups.com and SaaStock, to name just a few.  Most of these are costly, time-consuming, and put you into large groups with CEOs of businesses that are not relevant to yours.

  We are focused on CEOs of high tech businesses committed to positive impact.

  All businesses that we accept into our Peer Groups go through a personal interview and vetting process to ensure that we are curating the group for maximum benefit for you and the other participants.

  If, for whatever reason, you do not feel that your group is a great fit for you and your business, we will move you into another group or give you your money back.

• 6. What are the admission criteria?

  • CEO

  • High tech business

  • Revenues / ARR in the range of:​

    • $1M and $5M

    • $5M and $25M

  • Committed to positive impact

• 7. What are you committing to?

  • To start, you commit to one trial session of 1.5 hours duration for a fee of US$345 – US$495, depending on the stage of your business.

    If you see the value from the experience and group, we proceed to quarterly or annual commitments.

    Time is our scarcest commodity.  We are committed to your having a high-value experience.  If you do not feel that you are getting value, we will be pleased to move you into another group of your liking or refer you to other options.

• 8. What are our promises?

  Our Company Promise Statement is as follows:

  Our Purpose:  Positive impact

  Our Mission:

  • To increase the value of our member companies.

  Our Vision:

  • Entrepreneurship as a force for driving innovation, generating jobs and liberating more joy in the world.

  Our Values:

  • Value creation

  • Growth mindset

  • Pragmatic idealism

  • Transparency

  • Gratitude

  Core Beliefs:

  • Impact:  Entrepreneurial ventures are the primary way to bring about positive change and impact on the world.  As the CEO, you have a duty to your team, customers, community and shareholders.  You serve them, not the other way around.

  • Growth:  The best way to measure the growth and success of your business is through sustainable value creation.  Capital is a commodity.  Financings, in the right amounts and at the right times, are one way amongst many to grow your business.  Traction rules.

  • Wisdom:  Time is our scarcest resource.  Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment.  You are grateful for the opportunity to learn from and avoid the mistakes others have made to accelerate and de-risk your business.

  • Humility:  Entrepreneurial creativity, drive and resilience are the key differentiators in growing a great business.  You may be amazing at what you do but you understand that luck and timing may very well play a role in your survival and that you need a great team to achieve success.

  Our Commitments to One Another:

  • Present

  • Open
  • Respectful

  • Engaged

  • Confidential

• 9. Who will be my CEO Peer Group leader?

  Alexander (Alex) Rink will be leading the CEO Peer Group sessions.

  Alex has over 20 years experience as a 3-time B2B SaaS entrepreneur, CEO, Board Director and tech executive who advises CEOs, Boards of Directors, and venture capital and private equity firms on generating growth and successful outcomes for their businesses.

  Currently, Alex advises the CEOs of high growth companies in the areas of company and product strategy, go to market, leadership and culture.

  Previously, Alex was the Chief Growth Officer at Numerator, a Vista Equity Partners portfolio company, where he headed up M&A, led merger integration and forged large-scale strategic partnerships.

  Alex joined Numerator upon the acquisition of 360pi Corporation where as CEO, he turned around an insolvent company and led it to award-winning market leadership, profitability and a successful exit.  Previously, Alex was a consultant at Bain & Company and led production material control for a Ford/VW joint venture in Europe.

  Alex has an MBA from INSEAD, a B.A.Sc. Electrical Engineering from the University of Waterloo, and speaks four languages.

  When he’s not strategizing growth opportunities or sitting in on web calls, Alex will most likely be found cycling, hiking, listening to audio books or spending time with his family.

• 10. How do I get started?

  Easy!  Simply schedule a 30 min call to share more about your business and apply for a spot in one of our groups.

  Your responses will be kept completely confidential and will not be shared with anyone external to the organization.  By the end of the call, we will assign you to a group, put you on a waiting list, or explain why we do not believe you are a fit.

  Please note that it may take a few weeks to find the right group for you and that new people may join your group once the group has started until we hit our optimal group size.