You don't need more information.
You need people willing to challenge your thinking.
The Sounding Board® is a private Denver CEO peer roundtable community for accomplished CEOs and business owners who value better judgment, broader perspective, and candid conversation around the decisions that matter most.
The CEO peer group model is proven and powerful, but what deserves the room’s time and attention has changed.
Information, frameworks, resources and functional business advice are now available in seconds through AI and other online tools. That doesn't make a great peer group less valuable. It raises the bar for what we should spend our time discussing.
At The Sounding Board®, we use the room for what technology can't replace: perspective, judgment, challenge, accountability and candid conversation around consequential decisions that don't come with easy answers.
Consequential questions, uncomfortable conversations, and high-stakes decisions don’t often come with easy answers!
Who belongs at The Sounding Board®?
The Sounding Board® is designed for owners, CEOs and presidents of established, growth-oriented companies. Most members lead businesses with approximately $5 million to $50 million in annual revenue and have top-line responsibility for people, capital and strategic decisions.
Of course, revenue alone doesn't determine fit. Character, experience, curiosity and willingness to contribute can matter just as much.
What conversations do members bring to The Sounding Board®?
“Should I fire the inefective executive who's been with me for 15 years?”
“Are we ready to make this acquisition, or am I ignoring the red flags?”
“Should I sell my company?”
“Is my leadership team the problem, or am I?”
“Do I bring my son or daughter into the business?”
“How much growth is enough?”
“Am I building the company I actually want to own?”
“What's this success costing my family, and am I okay with that?”
These aren't information problems. They're judgment problems. And they're exactly the conversations The Sounding Board® is built for.
Business decisions don't stay at the office, and personal challenges don’t stay at home.
They affect your time, relationships, family, identity and future. At The Sounding Board®, business is always the center of the conversation, but anything that influences your judgment as a leader, and personal well being is one the table.
We believe that the most successful CEOs are not just effective leaders, but also great parents, partners, and people.
We're building a community where you can be both ambitious and authentic, driven and present, successful in both the office, and at the dinner table.
We believe business success at the expense of your most important relationships isn't success at all.
Ok. Let’s call out the elephant in the room.
There is no shortage of organizations offering CEO peer advisory memberships, and you've likely been approached multiple times. To be honest, these are proven models and most do a great job.
But many of the issues group members have historically addressed are now answered easily through AI or other online resources.
So, moving forward, the truly effective groups will be the ones bold enough to address the most consequential issues affecting our business, family, relationships, impact, and legacy.
At The Sounding Board® our group members tackle broad challenges, celebrate wins, and hold each other accountable—not just to revenue targets, but to being the best business leaders, parents, and partners we can be.
Who we are. What we believe.
The Sounding Board® Cultural Commitments:
Invested in each other’s success. We are committed to being present, going deep and working hard in the service of each other’s companies and families.
Committed to moral and ethical leadership. We do the right thing for the right reasons — profitably, and hold each other accountable to do the same.
Compassionate candor. We say what we mean, and mean what we say, without being mean when we say it.
We tackle big problems.We know that time is our most precious resource, and we spend our time working on important, complex and impactful issues.
Celebrating our humanity.We create a powerful space that celebrates and honors vulnerability, honesty, humility, and authenticity.
Being present for our families. We believe that success in business at the expense of our personal relationships is failure.
Your Board Chair — David Avrin, CSP, GSF
After leading 500+ CEO group meetings, David Avrin learned something important: the first question is rarely is the real question. The value of a great facilitator isn't having all the answers. It's helping accomplished leaders get beyond the presented issues, challenge assumptions, and lead the conversation that actually matters.
An in-demand international keynote speaker and business strategist, David has served as a catalyst for profound business conversations for over three decades. He has worked with organizations in 30+ countries on 6 continents. (www.DavidAvrin.com)
The author of seven books translated into six languages. David serves as the President and CEO of Ridiculously Easy International, LLC, a global customer experience consultancy. www.RidiculouslyEasy.com
A self-professed “sappy dad and doting husband.” David is committed to building people, celebrating success, and loving hard. A recent empty-nesters (5 grown and gone!), David and his wife Laurel (who recently earned her Masters Degree in Organizational Psychology) live happily in the Denver suburb of Highlands Ranch, Colorado.
We have just one seat per industry. Is your still available?
Each Sounding Board® group is intentionally composed of brilliant leaders from non-competing businesses. Once your industry's seat is filled, it may remain unavailable for years.
That's why membership is a two-way decision. We look carefully at experience, wisdom, character and commitment—not simply who applies first.
Curious whether The Sounding Board® might be your kind of room?
Let's have a conversation. No presentation. No pitch deck. Just a candid discussion about your business, what you aspire to, and whether there's a mutual fit.
If you're a Denver-area business owner or CEO, please share your contact information below and David will reach out personally.
