Select non-competing companies with overlapping but distinct segments to ensure relevance without conflict. Mix roles—founder, CRO, product marketing, revenue operations—so perspectives converge on profitable decisions. Require willingness to share numbers, not just anecdotes. The right composition boosts signal density, minimizes politics, and increases the likelihood that introductions, co-marketing, or partner loops emerge organically from authentic alignment rather than forced networking sessions that waste everyone’s limited time.
Consistency beats intensity. A biweekly ninety-minute core session, a monthly deep dive, and quarterly strategy retros create a drumbeat that keeps experiments alive. Members arrive with pre-reads, metrics snapshots, and asks. The predictable rhythm lowers coordination costs, builds anticipation, and keeps wins and misses fresh enough to matter. Over time, the cadence creates a shared memory that improves judgment and accelerates cross-company collaboration without bloated meetings or endless threads.
A lightweight charter clarifies expectations, confidentiality, and conflict handling. Time-boxed check-ins prevent monologues, and a parking lot captures tangents for follow-up. Rotating facilitation distributes power and sharpens listening. Attendance minimums defend momentum, while clear exit and replacement rules keep the circle healthy. These small structures protect energy, preserve psychological safety, and ensure decisions emerge from evidence and empathy rather than status dynamics or executive impatience.