Membership Information

In order to be considered for membership you must be a trusted advisor to business or to business people, and an experienced professional with a high level of competency. Our members' role with clients is consultative, strategic, and relationship-oriented rather than transactional.

Membership is open to all professional disciplines that meet the above criteria, including but not limited to,

• - Accounting
• - Attorneys
• - Banking and Financial Services
• - Business Insurance
• - Commercial Real Estate and Architects
• - Management and Organization Consultants
• - Marketing, Sales, Advertising and PR
• - Other Specialty Consultants
• - Recruiting/Staffing/Human Resources

Membership is on an individual basis, not a company or corporate basis, so it is the individual who becomes the member, not the company he or she works for.

Council Structure & Meetings

The Council consists of groups of up to approximately two dozen people. The groups are kept small to enable members to build close relationships with the other members of their group. We do not allow direct competitors to be members of the same group, thereby protecting each member's exclusivity within the group.

At present we have groups in San Francisco, Walnut Creek and Palo Alto. Each group meets monthly on a regular day for a breakfast meeting. The San Francisco meetings are on the 1st Wednesday and 3rd Thursday of the month. The Walnut Creek meeting is the 2nd Thursday, and Palo Alto, the fourth Wednesday.

Other professionals who are interested in learning about the Council are included as guests. In between monthly meetings, members and guests also meet in threesomes or on-to-one at a time and place of their choosing. These smaller meetings facilitate members getting to know each other better. Business naturally flows between people who like and trust each other.

In addition to the regular monthly meetings, joint events are held between groups so that members can cross-pollinate and get acquainted with members of the other groups as well.

The Council serves it members by,

• Providing a forum to help them get to know the other professionals at a deeper level and better understand what each member does.
• Creating opportunities for giving and receiving business referrals.
• Developing a broad network of professionals with diverse expertise.
• Members providing valuable resources to each other and to the business community.
• Members being of service to each other.

Membership Criteria

In addition to being an experienced professional who serves executives and the owners/managers of businesses, the Council looks for its members to demonstrate a number of characteristics important to the success of the organization and its members:

• Being likeable and able to build trusting relationships;
• Able to provide introductions and connections with decision makers;
• Mindful and proactive - thinking about and taking action with regard to other's needs;
• Able to engage in discussions regarding client business(es);
• Able to think creatively and provide constructive feedback;
• Able to form strategic partnerships and commitments;
• Capable of demonstrating "high touch" capabilities;
• Add to the diversity of knowledge and skills in the organization.

Please note, people whose primary job is business development do not our membership criteria.

How To Apply

If you are a professional who meets the membership criteria, you are welcome to inquire about membership in the Council of Business Advisors.

The first step is to attend a monthly meeting of a Council group. If you know a current Council member, please contact that person for an invitation. If you do not know a member of the Council, contact us for an invitation. We will try to match you with a group that is convenient for you and that does have a direct competitor.

After attending two Council meetings, guests may apply for membership. Membership applications must be approved by the membership committee. The annual dues are $475.

Download a membership application here.