Comparison · 22 material differences
Entrepreneurs' Organization vs Small Giants Community
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
Peer advisory
Verified September 2026 Entrepreneurs' Organization
Owners, founders and majority stakeholders of companies with at least US$1 million of annual revenue.
Networking organization
Small Giants Community
Founders, chief executives and next-generation leaders of small and mid-sized privately held companies that deliberately prioritise culture, purpose and quality over growth - the…
What the records say
- Role or title: Entrepreneurs' Organization: No published role or title; Small Giants Community: The community is designed for founders, chief executives and next-generation leaders of small and mid-sized businesses.
- Minimum company revenue: Entrepreneurs' Organization: US$1,000,000 in revenue in the most recent fiscal year; Small Giants Community: No published minimum company revenue.
- Minimum employees: Entrepreneurs' Organization: Minimum 10 employees (venture-backed route only); Small Giants Community: No published minimum employees.
- Minimum capital raised: Entrepreneurs' Organization: Venture-backed alternative: at least US$2,000,000 privately raised, or US$5,000,000 publicly raised; Small Giants Community: No published minimum capital raised.
- Annual dues: Entrepreneurs' Organization: $2,630 a year; Small Giants Community: $0 a year.
Side by side
| Entrepreneurs' Organization | Small Giants Community | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Peer advisory | Networking organization |
| Founded | 1987 (Founded as the Young Entrepreneurs' Organization (YEO) by Verne Harnish with 22 entrepreneurs as founding board members; renamed Entrepreneurs' Organization after the 2005 merger with the World Entrepreneurs' Organization.) | 2009 (The About page states that "The Small Giants Community is officially formed and founded by Bo Burlingham and Paul Spiegelman" in 2009, four years after Burlingham's 2005 book Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big.) |
| Headquarters | Alexandria, United States | United States |
| Geographic footprint | Chapters across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific | Primarily United States. The member directory offers filters for more than 30 countries including Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, India, Japan, Brazil and South Africa; the organization publishes no country breakdown. |
| Members | 20,568as of September 2026 | Not publicly disclosed. The organization publishes a searchable member directory but no total membership figure. The only published capacity number is the annual Summit, which is capped at 250 attendees. |
| Chapters | 226 | No chapters. The community operates online with a single annual summit and cohort programmes. |
| Primary audience | Owners, founders and majority stakeholders of companies with at least US$1 million of annual revenue. | Founders, chief executives and next-generation leaders of small and mid-sized privately held companies that deliberately prioritise culture, purpose and quality over growth - the model described in Bo Burlingham's book. |
| Typical member | Members are business owners rather than hired executives, and must hold controlling or majority ownership. EO states its member companies' median annual revenue is US$4 million, so the typical member runs a company well above the US$1 million entry threshold but far below YPO-scale businesses. | The organization describes members as ranging "from solo founders to growing companies to established purpose-driven organizations", covering founders, C-suite executives and rising leaders. Company memberships bring whole leadership teams into the community. Published member quotes come from operating executives at privately held United States firms. |
| Qualification | ||
| Role or title | No published role or title | The community is designed for founders, chief executives and next-generation leaders of small and mid-sized businessesStated as the intended audience rather than an enforced test.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Minimum company revenue | US$1,000,000 in revenue in the most recent fiscal yearStandard test.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published minimum company revenue |
| Minimum employees | Minimum 10 employees (venture-backed route only)Attached to the funding-based qualification, not to the revenue route.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published minimum employees |
| Minimum capital raised | Venture-backed alternative: at least US$2,000,000 privately raised, or US$5,000,000 publicly raisedApplies instead of the revenue test for venture-backed companies; requires a minimum of 10 employees.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published minimum capital raised |
| Minimum ownership stake | Must be the owner, founder or majority stakeholder of the businessverified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published minimum ownership stake |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | Not documented | No |
| Application process | Applications go to a local chapter, which reviews the candidate against the eligibility criteria and then schedules an interview to discuss their interest in EO. Accepted members go through onboarding within three months, including orientation, Forum training and placement into a Forum. | Community membership requires no application: prospective members join the free tier online and upgrade to Individual or Company membership when they choose. The cohort programmes are screened. The Leadership Academy runs an application, a Zoom conversation covering cost and curriculum, a fit review and then acceptance and payment, with onboarding ahead of a January launch. Sounding Board uses an in-depth application and assessment followed by an interview. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed | Not applicable to general membership, which is open. For the Leadership Academy the organization says it will "review your application and ensure a good fit before accepting payment", but publishes no acceptance rate. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | $2,630 a yearGlobal dues, due at the start of each fiscal year (1 July); chapter dues are additional. “EO annual dues are US Dollar 2630.00.”verified October 2026 · source ↗ | $0 a yearFree tier: US$0. Includes the Small Giants Scorecard and report, a free book chapter, free virtual events and workshops, the resource library and the newsletter.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | $3,500 one-timeOne-time fee stated on EO's apply-for-membership page.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Paid memberships are billed annually and can be cancelled at any time. The cohort programmes and the Summit are priced separately from membership. |
| Local chapter dues | $5,558 a yearStated by Entrepreneurs' Organization (2026-10-16): EO Chicago chapter (chapter initiation USD 3,500). “EO Chicago annual dues are US Dollar 5558.00”verified October 2026 · source ↗ | Paid memberships are billed annually and can be cancelled at any time. The cohort programmes and the Summit are priced separately from membership. |
| Programme fee | Not publicly disclosed | $12,500 one-timeSmall Giants Leadership Academy: "an investment of $12,500 per participant", all inclusive of programme access, community access, lifetime resource access, a Summit ticket and meals, transport and activities for two in-person experiences; travel and accommodation are excluded. A 10 percent deposit is due on acceptance, with the balance paid up front or monthly.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Event costs | Not publicly disclosed | $1,650–2,265 one-timeAnnual Summit tickets in three releases: US$1,650 for the first 40 registrants, US$1,960 for the next 60, and US$2,265 thereafter. Includes all sessions, a visit to a Small Giant company, meals and receptions and transport between events. Discounts are offered for groups of three or more and for Leadership Academy alumni.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Membership term | Annual renewal; global dues prorated by fiscal month on joining | Annual, billed annually, cancellable at any time; the free tier has no term |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Forum meets on a regular monthly cadence set by each Forum; chapters run additional events, with regional and global events through the year | Ongoing online forums and virtual events and workshops; one annual Summit; Journey runs six two-day excursions a year; Sounding Board meets monthly for twelve months |
| Peer forums | Forum is a small confidential peer group operating under a structured protocol; EO does not publish a standard Forum size on the pages reviewed. | Online forums and chat open to paid members rather than assigned confidential groups; one-to-one mentorship pairs in Sounding Board; cohort groups in the Leadership Academy and Journey |
| Confidentiality | Forum operates under confidentiality; EO publishes membership eligibility procedures and a policies-and-procedures document rather than the Forum rules themselves. | Not publicly disclosed |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Not published for membership. Sounding Board is a twelve-month commitment with monthly one-to-one meetings; Journey involves six two-day excursions over a year. |
| Organized as | Chapter-based, Forum-based, Event-focused | Virtual, Event-focused, Cohort-based |
| Confidential peer forums | Yes | Partial |
| Local chapters | Yes | No |
| Virtual membership | No | Yes |
| Online community | Yes | Yes |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Yes | Yes |
| Retreats | Yes | Partial |
| Travel | Partial | No |
| Family programming | Partial | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | Partial | No |
| Next-generation programming | Not documented | Yes |
| Investment discussions | Not documented | No |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | Not documented | Partial |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Medium |
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Last verified: not yet reviewed
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Entrepreneurs' Organization · Small Giants Community