Boost Business Performance and Enterprise Value
“We became more profitable and increased enterprise value by focusing on the opportunities our competitors overlooked — with the clarity that comes from the right CEO peer group.”
Reach New Levels of Performance
There is no greater driver of business performance than the performance and decision-making of its CEO.
That’s why The CEO Project exists:
to help CEOs of $50M–$2B companies make fewer, bigger, better decisions — about strategy, growth, capital allocation, talent, and M&A.
We are a confidential CEO peer group and coaching platform built to accelerate the impact leaders have on their businesses.
We conducted in-depth interviews with more than 1,000 successful CEOs and found that exceptional leaders accomplish more in less time — because they operate with greater focus, discipline, and clarity.
These insights are documented in Great CEOs are Lazy by founder Jim Schleckser and inform the structured decision-support model behind every CEO peer group we run.
Results In Action
Our members use The CEO Project to strengthen leadership teams, improve profitability, and navigate acquisitions, exits, and scale transitions with more confidence and less noise.
Result: Acquired by TransUnion (NYSE: TRU)
$638M Valuation
19X EBITDA
Dale Dabbs, CEO
10 Year Member of The CEO Project
“The CEO Project helped me have an accelerated growth strategy which resulted in a phenomenal exit for the business. It was very financially rewarding for myself and several of our key people.”
Result: Acquired by US Acute Care Solutions
23% CAGR Growth
Acquired at a multiple of 8x EBITDA
Mike Cetta, Managing Partner
6 Year Member of The CEO Project
“As MEP expanded rapidly, the challenge of implementing a scalable ownership model became a critical issue. Insights from a CEO peer group prompted a strategic pivot that fostered recognition for both local and founding physicians.”
Members consistently tell us the impact of The CEO Project is profound — not just because of the relationships, but because of the decision clarity that comes from being surrounded by CEOs operating at the same level of scale and complexity.
This is not a generic business advisory group.
It’s a confidential CEO peer group built around outcomes: growth, profitability, capital efficiency, and leadership strength.
The CEO Project is designed for leaders who are facing high-stakes moments such as:
- A significant growth or complexity inflection point
- A specific strategic or operational constraint
- The need to professionalize or upgrade a leadership team
- Board or investor expectations increasing
- Preparing for acquisition, succession, or exit
- Wanting peers who will challenge your thinking — not just agree
You and your business are stuck, and you are not making enough progress.
You need new resources and perspective to take your company to the next level.
Your business is facing a significant, specific challenge.
You could get the insight of some smart people that have been through this before.
You know what you need to do to improve your business but the day to day is getting in the way
You need an objective outsider to help you prioritize and hold you accountable.
Because you are the CEO, your team won't challenge you to make your ideas better.
You need an objective sounding board of peers, that aren’t afraid to challenge you.
You are thinking of selling your business.
You need the right tools and resources to do this right.
Navigating Growth with a Scalable Ownership Model
As MEP rapidly expanded its outsourced emergency department services, its initial ownership model unintentionally sidelined the founding doctors, focusing instead on recruiting new local physicians. In a highly competitive market, this approach risked disengagement from key leaders who had built the company’s foundation. Through insights gained from a CEO peer group, MEP recognized the need for a dual ownership model that balanced local accountability with recognition for founding contributions.
By restructuring its ownership plan, MEP introduced mechanisms to reward founding doctors while maintaining strong incentives for local physicians. This strategic pivot fostered both engagement and operational excellence, ensuring that new physicians were empowered while founders remained integral to the company’s ongoing success. Hospitals benefited from improved physician collaboration, knowledge sharing, and enhanced performance metrics, leading to sustained growth.
The results spoke for themselves—MEP successfully recruited and retained top doctors, strengthened operational efficiency, and created a scalable framework for expansion. With a 23% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), MEP’s success ultimately led to its acquisition by US Acute Care Solutions at an 8x EBITDA multiple, demonstrating the power of a well-balanced leadership and ownership model.
Measured Actions = Measured Results
We use proven diagnostic tools and scorecards to make progress visible and the business board-ready, including:
- Growth Leader Profile™ during your initial Fit + Diagnostic conversation
- Business InSight™ Scorecard to monitor execution and outcomes
- Time Tracker™ to ensure CEO focus stays on the highest-leverage priorities
We also provide practical decision-support frameworks used inside our CEO peer group meetings, such as:
- The Decision Blueprint™ to pressure-test critical choices with experienced peers
- Project Accelerator™ grounded in Theory of Constraints to improve execution or stop the wrong initiatives early
Explore Fit
The first step is a short diagnostic call to confirm whether The CEO Project is the right CEO peer group for your scale, priorities, and current challenges.