COMPOUNDINGCircles
Questions

Straight answers.
Before you sit down.

Everything owners ask us about circles, grouped by topic. If yours isn't here, ask it when you apply.

The circle

What is a Compounding Circle?

A small online peer group of 10 to 15 owners of established businesses, matched by size, stage and focus, none of them competitors. You meet every month to put AI to work in your businesses, using the same three rituals: the Benchmarking, the AI P&L and the Exchange. Every quarter you also get a full benchmark report and a one-to-one strategy review, and masterclasses run alongside.

What are the benchmark reports?

Each quarter we pool the anonymised AI P&Ls from every circle and compare firms of a similar size and sector: spend per head, adoption, hours saved, and which tools get kept or cut. You see where you stand and what the leaders do differently.

How are the benchmarks worked out?

With the Compounding Index, our own method in five steps: capture the same AI P&L from every member, normalise it per head and by business size, score six areas from 0 to 100, compare you with a cohort of similar firms, then turn the gaps into a 90-day plan. The full method is on the experience page.

What happens in the strategy review?

A one-to-one call each quarter to go through your benchmark: where you're behind, where you're ahead, and a plan for the next 90 days. It's advice, not a sales call.

What is the AI P&L?

A one-page template every owner fills in: each AI tool and add-on, what it costs, who uses it, the hours it saves, what broke and whether you're keeping it. Owners take turns opening theirs and the room gives a verdict on every line: copy that, you're overpaying, or kill it.

How is this different from a course?

A course teaches the same content to everyone once. A circle runs all year, starts from your own numbers, and asks what you changed since last month. The masterclasses are the course part, and they sit inside a room that holds you to using them.

How is it different from hiring a consultant?

A consultant solves one problem for one firm. A circle gives you a dozen peers who've already solved problems like yours, for a fraction of a project fee, and leaves the skill in your business. We don't build anything ourselves, so the advice stays independent.

Is this a networking group?

Partly. Because circles are matched on size and focus, members are well placed to refer work, partner and buy from each other, and that's a real side benefit. But the reason to come back is the P&L and the commitments. Every session should end with something to change on Monday.

Who it's for

What kind of businesses join?

Profitable, established businesses: accountancy and law firms, recruitment agencies, estate agents, dental groups, home services, HVAC and the trades, boutique consultancies, brokers, architects, vets, property managers and similar. If your business is more "high street" than "Silicon Valley", you're in the right place.

How big does my business need to be?

Circles work best for owner-led firms with an annual turnover of roughly €2M to €50M (or the local equivalent) and a team of about 10 to 250 people: big enough to have real software spend and decisions to make about AI, small enough that the owner still makes them. If you're just outside that range, apply anyway and we'll tell you honestly whether a circle fits.

I'm not technical. Will I keep up?

Yes. Most members won't be technical. The circle is about owner decisions: what to buy, what to stop, what to try next and who owns it. Masterclasses are built for people who run businesses, not people who write code.

Does it have to be the owner?

The seat is for a founder, owner, partner or senior leader who signs off the spend: usually the owner, managing partner, MD or a director. A second seat lets your number two join the Exchange and Masterclasses.

How are members chosen?

By application, against our membership criteria. We review each one for fit, seniority and the seat rule, then match you to a circle by size, AI maturity and focus. Seats are limited, and once a sector's seat in a region is taken, it's gone.

Will I be grouped with businesses far behind us on AI?

No. Circles are matched on AI maturity as well as size and focus, so everyone brings something and takes something away. Your fit call, and the AI maturity test if you take it, tell us where you'd fit best.

Are circles mixed sectors or one sector?

Both work. Some circles are one sector across different regions, so everyone shares the same problems. Others mix sectors, so ideas cross over. We'll tell you which kind your seat is in before you join.

Confidentiality and the seat rule

What is the seat rule?

One seat per sector per region. If you join as an accountancy firm in Leeds, no other Leeds accountancy firm joins your circle. You'll never be sharing numbers with a competitor.

Do I really have to share my numbers?

Sharing is what makes the advice worth having, but nobody is forced. You can listen in your first sessions, then share in ranges (for example "£1–5k a year" or "a quarter of the team") rather than exact figures, and go line by line when you're ready. You share AI spend and results, never your client list or your margins. The more you share, the sharper your benchmarks.

How is confidentiality protected?

Every member signs the same confidentiality terms before their first session, and circles run under the Chatham House rule: you can use what you hear, but never say who said it. Sessions aren't shared outside the circle.

What happens to the data in my AI P&L?

It's used to run your circle and to build the anonymised benchmarks. Benchmarks are only shown for groups big enough that no single firm can be picked out. Your data is never sold, never shared with vendors and never published with your name on it. Full details are in our privacy policy.

Do you record the sessions?

Masterclasses are recorded for members. The AI P&L and the hot seat are not, so people can speak freely.

Time and format

How often do circles meet?

Online every month, so twelve sessions a year, plus a benchmark report and strategy review each quarter. Everything is online, so there's no travel.

How long is a session?

Sessions are planned at about three hours, with breaks. Exact timings will be confirmed with each circle.

How much time is needed between sessions?

Most owners will spend an hour or two a week, most of it on their monthly commitment. There's no homework for the sake of it.

What if I miss a session?

You'll get the write-up, the masterclass recording and the benchmarks. Your circle will still ask about your commitment next time.

Where are circles based?

Online, so you can join from anywhere, though most members will be in Europe and the US. Circles are grouped so sessions fall in everyone's working day, for example Europe with the US East Coast.

When do the first circles start?

Founding circles are forming now. We confirm your start date once you're matched to a circle.

Membership and pricing

How much does membership cost?

Membership is an annual investment of £4,500 (€5,250 or $5,750) per seat at founding rates. That covers the full year: twelve monthly circles, four quarterly benchmark reports, four one-to-one strategy reviews, the AI P&L template, the masterclass library and the members' channel. A second seat for your number two is £1,500 (€1,750 or $1,950). Private circles for a group or network are priced on application.

Is it worth the money?

It should pay for itself quickly. One tool you stop overpaying for, or one workflow that gives the team back a few hours a week, covers the seat. As an illustration, ten hours a week saved across the business, at £45 an hour, is worth about £20,700 a year, around 4.6 times the seat. Unlike a consultant's project, the know-how stays in your business, and the benchmarks keep telling you where the next gain is.

Can my business pay for it or expense it?

Yes. Membership is invoiced to the business, so it sits alongside other professional memberships, training and advisory costs. It can usually be treated as a business expense, but your accountant can confirm how it applies to you. If your firm is sponsoring a partner or senior leader, we'll send the invoice and a one-page summary of what membership includes for your finance team.

Can I pay quarterly?

Yes. You can pay annually or quarterly, invoiced to the business. VAT may apply.

Why is it priced per year, not per month?

Because the value compounds. Your AI P&L becomes a useful benchmark after a few months, and the reports and strategy reviews come quarterly. A year gives the circle time to change how your business works.

Are there any extra costs?

No. Everything listed for your seat is included. Programmes for your wider team, such as hackathons and innovation programmes, are quoted separately and only if you ask for them.

When does my year start?

From your first session, not from the start of the calendar year. You join the circle's rhythm wherever it is.

What if it isn't for me?

Every seat starts with a fit call so neither side is surprised. Cancellation and refund terms are in our terms and conditions.

Will the price go up?

Founding members keep their rate while their membership continues. Later circles may be priced higher.

AI, tools and vendors

Are you tied to any AI tools or providers?

No. We're independent and tool and service-provider agnostic. We don't resell software, build systems or take referral fees from vendors or implementers, so the only question is what works for your business.

Which AI tools do you recommend?

Whatever works in your business. We're vendor agnostic and work with the tools you already pay for, from ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot and Gemini to the AI features inside your practice or CRM software. The circle's benchmarks do most of the recommending.

Do you take commission from software companies?

No. No commission, no referral fees, no reselling. That's what lets the room say "you're overpaying" and mean it.

Will vendors be pitching to me?

No. Vendors can't pay to reach members. If your circle wants to hear from a supplier, members decide who, and it's clearly labelled.

What about client data and AI risk?

Responsible use sits inside every masterclass: what data can go where, when a person must check the output, and what your clients, insurers and regulators will expect. For owners and leaders, the AI governance for executives briefings go deeper.

Beyond the circle

Do you build or implement AI for members?

No. We stay independent: we don't build systems, resell software or take referral fees. When you need a tool or a builder, the circle's experience and our vetting help you choose one on the merits.

What is AI enablement?

Practical training for your team on their own work, with role-based playbooks and prompts, so AI use spreads beyond the few keen people already using it.

What is AI tool and provider vetting?

Independent checks on the tools, vendors and implementers you're considering, informed by what members have actually used. We have no stake in what you choose.

What is AI governance for executives?

Briefings for owners and leaders on AI risk, policy, client data, supplier terms and rules like the EU AI Act, in plain English, so you know what to ask and what to put in place.

Can my team get involved?

Yes. Your number two can take a second seat, AI enablement trains the wider team, and hackathons and innovation programmes get staff building on a real brief from your business.

Can we run a private circle for our group?

Yes. Franchises, buying groups, multi-site groups and trade bodies can run a circle for their own members on the same rituals. Get in touch to talk about it.

Still wondering?

Ask us directly.

No deck, no pitch. Your business, your AI spend and whether your seat is free.