50 Professional Services Firms Successfully Sold with Support from Collective 54

Since 2020, Collective 54 Members Have Completed Over $3 Billion in Business Sales Across North America

DALLAS, May 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Collective 54, the first community exclusively for founders of professional services firms, proudly announces a significant milestone: fifty member firms have successfully sold their businesses since the community's launch in January 2020. With a combined deal size of over $3 billion across North America, this achievement validates Collective 54's proven approach to helping founders scale their businesses, maximize firm value, and achieve successful exits.

The member firms represent a broad spectrum of the professional services landscape, including consulting, IT services, marketing agencies, accounting and finance, legal services, architectural and engineering services, design, and software development firms. The buyers in these transactions have been a mix of private equity firms and strategic acquirers, highlighting the strong market demand for best-in-class professional services companies.

"Collective 54 provided a checklist of key questions to ask yourself when you're thinking about selling your firm. What's special about this is that it asks the questions from an investor's perspective, not from an operator's perspective. Without Collective 54, I don't think we could have exited as successfully as we did." Mike Stern, Founder of Connected, a consulting firm.

"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 of Allata, an IT Services Provider.

"Collective 54's fiftieth successful member exit marks a unique achievement that speaks to the financial and operational success of C54 members and the unique preparation those members have received within the community. I've had the pleasure of representing several C54 members on their exits, and in my experience, they come to the deal table with a level of sophistication and readiness far surpassing the average founder. That makes them great clients, and more importantly, ideal partners for their buyers." Emanuel Clark, M&A Counsel at Winstead PC, a corporate law firm.

"In my experience, Collective 54 members approach the market better prepared than most founders. They understand what buyers want, which streamlines the transaction process and consistently leads to stronger outcomes." Greg Fincke, Managing Director, Co-Head Americas of Equiteq, a global investment bank.

"For founders of small service firms, the idea of an exit often feels out of reach. Collective 54's 50th exit is proof that it's not just possible — it's happening. Greg has been a guest on Built to Sell Radio more than once, and his stories consistently inspire founders aiming for the finish line." John Warrillow, Founder, The Value Builder System

Listen Now on Built to Sell Radio https://builttosell.com/radio/episode-492/

How Collective 54 Helps Founders Succeed

Collective 54 is designed for a specific audience: founders of professional services firms in NAICS 54. The community provides its members with access to a peer network of growth-oriented founders, actionable insights, and expert resources that help members scale faster, increase profitability, and successfully exit when the time is right.

What makes Collective 54 unique is its focus on what founders want most: to make more money, make scaling easier, and make an exit achievable. Members gain the wisdom of those who have successfully navigated the journey before them, enabling smarter decisions and faster results.

About Collective 54

Collective 54 is the first community exclusively for founders of professional services firms. Designed to help these founders make more money, make scaling easier, and make an exit achievable, the Collective 54 community has six key features.

1. Network – A curated community of founders who apply and are admitted based on strict criteria, ensuring every member is a peer worth knowing.
2. Content – Actionable learning content with proven best practices, proprietary methodologies, practical tools, pre-configured templates, and on-demand courseware tailored to scaling professional services firms.
3. Data – Insights based on data to value the firm and guide key financial decisions.
4. Coaching – Personalized support through one-on-one sessions, small-group coaching, and structured mentor-protégé relationships.
5. Events – Impactful weekly virtual sessions, monthly deep-dives, local workshops, and the annual flagship event, The Reunion. All designed for real-time learning and connection.
6. Software – Purpose-built member portal featuring a searchable directory, event calendar, meeting archives, and a business exchange for member-to-member referrals.

Collective 54 serves NAICS 54 which includes consulting, IT services, marketing agencies, accounting and finance, legal services, architectural and engineering services, design, and software development firms. With a few hundred members across North America, the community continues to fuel growth and success stories throughout the professional services sector.

Learn more about how Collective 54 works:
https://www.collective54.com/what-is-collective-54/

Listen to the Pro Serv Podcast:
https://www.collective54.com/podcast/ 

Follow us on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/collective54 

SOURCE Collective 54