Comparison · 15 material differences
Small Giants Community vs Vistage Australia and New Zealand
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
Networking organization
Verified September 2026 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…
Peer advisory
Vistage Australia and New Zealand
CEOs, business owners, founders and senior executives with decision-making authority in established mid-sized or growing businesses in Australia and New Zealand
What the records say
- Role or title — Small Giants Community: The community is designed for founders, chief executives and next-generation leaders of small and mid-sized businesses; Vistage Australia and New Zealand: CEO, business owner, founder or executive with decision-making authority.
- Geographic restriction — Small Giants Community: No published geographic restriction; Vistage Australia and New Zealand: Australia and New Zealand.
- Annual dues — Small Giants Community: $0 a year; Vistage Australia and New Zealand: Not publicly disclosed. Vistage Australia publishes no price and routes enquiries to a member advisor..
Side by side
| Small Giants Community | Vistage Australia and New Zealand | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Networking organization | Peer advisory |
| Founded | 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.) | 1986 ("In 1986, Dr. Phil Meddings founded TEC Australia in Sydney" per Vistage's March 2024 acquisition release. The underlying TEC format dates to 1957 in Milwaukee.) |
| Headquarters | United States | Sydney, Australia |
| Geographic footprint | 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. | Australia and New Zealand: groups in Sydney, Newcastle, Tamworth, Melbourne, Brisbane, Toowoomba, Adelaide, Perth, Auckland and Christchurch |
| Members | 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. | 1,000as of March 2024 |
| Chapters | No chapters. The community operates online with a single annual summit and cohort programmes. | 10 |
| Primary audience | 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. | CEOs, business owners, founders and senior executives with decision-making authority in established mid-sized or growing businesses in Australia and New Zealand |
| Typical member | 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. | Members are chief executives, owners and senior executives of small and midsize companies. Vistage says the model is designed for leaders managing complexity rather than early-stage start-ups, and that placement weighs leadership role, business size and industry mix. |
| Qualification | ||
| 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 ↗ | CEO, business owner, founder or executive with decision-making authorityFrom the Vistage Australia membership FAQ: "you must be a senior leader such as a CEO, business owner, founder or executive with decision-making authority in a mid-sized or growing business".verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Geographic restriction | No published geographic restriction | Australia and New Zealandverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | No |
| Application process | 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. | Prospective members request a confidential, no-obligation conversation with a member advisor, who assesses fit against leadership role and business size and then places the candidate in a non-competing group with a specific Chair. Nomination or sponsorship is not required. |
| Selectivity | 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. | Not publicly disclosed. Vistage says members are "selected based on leadership role, business size and ability to actively contribute" but publishes no acceptance rate. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | $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 ↗ | Not publicly disclosed. Vistage Australia publishes no price and routes enquiries to a member advisor.verified September 2026 |
| Initiation fee | Paid memberships are billed annually and can be cancelled at any time. The cohort programmes and the Summit are priced separately from membership. | Not publicly disclosedverified September 2026 |
| Programme fee | $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 ↗ | Not publicly disclosed. |
| Event costs | $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 ↗ | Not publicly disclosed. |
| Membership term | Annual, billed annually, cancellable at any time; the free tier has no term | Not documented |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | 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 | One full-day or half-day group meeting a month depending on programme, plus regular one-to-one coaching sessions with the Chair |
| Peer forums | 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 | Confidential peer advisory groups of 12-16 non-competing CEOs and business owners, each led by a trained Chair |
| Confidentiality | Not publicly disclosed | Groups are described as confidential and high-trust; Vistage's founding practice was strict confidentiality among non-competing members |
| Time commitment | 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. | Roughly one meeting day a month plus a coaching session, per the published membership commitment |
| Organized as | Virtual, Event-focused, Cohort-based | Forum-based, Chapter-based, Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | Partial | Yes |
| Local chapters | No | Yes |
| Virtual membership | Yes | Not documented |
| Online community | Yes | Yes |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Yes | Yes |
| Retreats | Partial | Not documented |
| Travel | No | No |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | No |
| Next-generation programming | Yes | No |
| Investment discussions | No | Partial |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | Partial | No |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Low |
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Last verified: not yet reviewed
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Small Giants Community · Vistage Australia and New Zealand