Comparison · 17 material differences
Dynamite Circle vs HBR Advisory Council
This comparison was generated on request from the records. It carries no editorial verdict and is not indexed. The published comparisons are listed on the compare page.
Read down each column for one organization, across a row for the difference. A bronze mark at the left of a cell means the organizations differ on that row. A dash or “not published” means the organization does not disclose the fact; it is not a zero.
Verified September 2026
Invitation-only community
Verified September 2026 Dynamite Circle
Founders of bootstrapped, profitable, location-independent businesses in software, e-commerce, services and media.
Invitation-only community
HBR Advisory Council
Harvard Business Review readers, mainly managers and executives, invited to give structured feedback to HBR's editors
What the records say
- Role or title: Dynamite Circle: Business founder; freelancers, employees, multi-level marketers, C-suite executives, upper management and department heads are excluded; HBR Advisory Council: No published role or title.
- Minimum company revenue: Dynamite Circle: At least US$100,000 per year in business revenue (standard DC membership); HBR Advisory Council: No published minimum company revenue.
- Annual dues: Dynamite Circle: $697 a year; HBR Advisory Council: $0 a year.
Side by side
| Dynamite Circle | HBR Advisory Council | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Invitation-only community | Invitation-only community |
| Founded | 2011 (Founded in 2011 by Dan Andrews and Ian Schoen, who had started the Tropical MBA podcast in 2009.) | Not documented |
| Headquarters | Not documented | Boston, United States |
| Geographic footprint | Members in 50+ countries and 200+ cities, with in-person meetups across seven continents and annual conferences in Bangkok and Mexico City. | Online reader and research panel with no chapters or local groups |
| Members | 1,400as of September 2026 | Not publicly disclosed |
| Chapters | No formal chapters. The organization runs local meetups in cities including Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Tokyo, Barcelona and Portland, and states it holds 200+ in-person meetups a year. | No chapters |
| Primary audience | Founders of bootstrapped, profitable, location-independent businesses in software, e-commerce, services and media. | Harvard Business Review readers, mainly managers and executives, invited to give structured feedback to HBR's editors |
| Typical member | Members are business owners rather than freelancers or executives, running bootstrapped companies with consistent recurring revenue above US$100,000 a year; the premium tier is limited to founders above US$1 million. | Not publicly disclosed. HBR publishes no eligibility criteria, seniority test or member profile for the Advisory Council; membership is by invitation. |
| Qualification | ||
| Role or title | Business founder; freelancers, employees, multi-level marketers, C-suite executives, upper management and department heads are excludedCertain professional categories are also excluded, specifically coaching, consulting and recruiting.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published role or title |
| Minimum company revenue | At least US$100,000 per year in business revenue (standard DC membership)The organization also requires consistent recurring revenue rather than one-off income.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published minimum company revenue |
| Invitation required | No | Yes |
| Sponsor required | No | No |
| Application process | Applicants confirm they meet six published requirements, agree to the code of conduct and submit an application with written answers about themselves and their business. A team member reviews each application personally and notifies the applicant within 48 business hours. DC BLACK adds a discovery call with the founder and revenue verification through a signed profit-and-loss statement, followed by facilitator-led placement into a mastermind group. Referrals from current members are encouraged. | There is no application. HBR invites readers to join the Advisory Council and the FAQ does not describe any way to request an invitation. Members can leave at any time using the unsubscribe link in a council email. |
| Selectivity | "Only a fraction of applicants are accepted", per the requirements page; no acceptance rate is published. | Not publicly disclosed. HBR states only that membership is currently by invitation. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | $697 a yearStandard DC membership: "$697 per year - one-time annual payment", covering the online community, app and free local meetups.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | $0 a yearNo membership fee is charged or mentioned anywhere in the Advisory Council pages or FAQ; the council is a research panel rather than a paid membership.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Event costs | Not publicly disclosed in aggregate. The events page states that local meetups and Juntos are typically free, and that "Global conferences and retreats have ticket prices that are listed on each event page".verified September 2026 · source ↗ | HBR does not charge for Advisory Council membership. Members receive downloadable content, and on some projects the final research report, in exchange for survey participation. |
| Membership term | Annual | Open-ended; members leave by unsubscribing |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | 200+ local meetups a year plus 13+ organised events annually; DC BLACK masterminds meet monthly | Research invitations, generally no more than one survey per month |
| Peer forums | Online community and mobile app for all members; DC BLACK members are placed in facilitated mastermind groups of five to seven peers matched by track | No forums |
| Confidentiality | Not publicly disclosed beyond a published code of conduct | Research is conducted by Beehive Research Ltd, which HBR states is registered with the Market Research Society and ESOMAR |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Roughly one optional survey a month at most, per the FAQ |
| Organized as | Virtual, Event-focused, Forum-based | Virtual |
| Confidential peer forums | Yes | No |
| Local chapters | Partial | No |
| Virtual membership | Yes | Yes |
| Online community | Yes | No |
| Member directory | Yes | No |
| Events | Yes | No |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Partial | Partial |
| Leadership development | Partial | No |
| Retreats | Yes | No |
| Travel | Partial | No |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | Not documented | No |
| Next-generation programming | No | No |
| Investment discussions | Partial | No |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | Not documented | No |
| Networking emphasis | High | Low |
| Social emphasis | High | Low |
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Dynamite Circle · HBR Advisory Council