Founding memberships open — 50 spots only — once they're gone, they're gone
THE HUNTER'S PRIVATE LEADERSHIP CLUB

LEADERBOARD

LEADERS BUILDING LEADERS

A private club for founders, directors, CEOs, and operators of the Hunter Region's most ambitious businesses.

$2M+
Revenue threshold
50
Founding spots

YOU BUILT SOMETHING REAL.
BUT WHO DO YOU TALK TO ABOUT IT?

You've scaled past the early chaos. You've got staff, revenue, reputation. But the higher you climb, the fewer people understand your decisions. Your mates don't get it. Your team definitely can't hear it.

You're making million-dollar calls in isolation. And every networking group you've tried is either a glorified leads group, a room full of policy and advocacy types, or people who want to talk about business but have never actually built one.

The best founders and operators in the world don't do it alone. They surround themselves with people who challenge them, hold them accountable, and build them up.

Every major city in Australia has private leadership communities. The Hunter Region has nothing.

The Greater Hunter is an economic powerhouse — over $100 billion in gross regional product, one of the largest regional economies in Australia. The talent is here. The ambition is here. But there's no room where the region's top founders, directors, CEOs, and operators sit together, share what's actually working, and push each other to the next level.

UNTIL NOW.
Leaderboard is built for leaders.

A private, application-only club that puts the Hunter Region's top founders, directors, CEOs, and operators in the same room — not to network, but to build each other up. Leaders building leaders.

THIS ISN'T FOR EVERYONE.

The quality of the room depends on who's in it. Every application is reviewed to ensure the right mix of industry, experience, and ambition.

$2M+
ANNUAL REVENUE
That's not a target — it's the entry line.
FOUNDER, DIRECTOR, CEO OR OPERATOR
The one who signs the cheques and loses sleep over payroll.
THE REGION
Newcastle, Greater Hunter, or Central Coast — this is built for our backyard.
THE MINDSET
YOU SHARE WHAT'S WORKINGAND WHAT ISN'T
YOU SHOW UP TO RAISE THE FLOORNOT JUST YOUR OWN CEILING
YOU PLAY THE LONG GAMEWITH GOOD PEOPLE
YOU LEAD WITH INTEGRITYIN AND OUT OF THE ROOM
YOU'RE NOT JUST MAINTAINING, YOU'RE BUILDINGLEADERS WHO LEARN, SHARE, AND PUSH EACH OTHER

Hit them all.

ONE WORLD-CLASS COMMUNITY.

This isn't a membership card that collects dust. It's a curated operating system for leaders.

01

BOARD FORUMS

It's called Leaderboard for a reason. Closed-door online sessions with 8–12 operators, run like a monthly board meeting for your business. The systems, the strategies, the IP that nobody posts on LinkedIn. Leaders building leaders — every month.

02

PRIVATE NETWORK

The nucleus of the club. Always-on community where members share openly, challenge each other's thinking, and keep the conversation going between sessions. Warm introductions when you need them — but this is about ongoing connection, not one-off favours.

03

CURATED EVENTS

Bi-monthly masterclasses with operators who've built at scale. Quarterly health and performance sessions. An annual Hunter Leaders Retreat that will change your life. Every event is designed to sharpen your thinking — not waste your time.

BONUS

OPERATOR PERFORMANCE

A data-driven performance layer powered by AI. Track your business metrics against anonymised peer benchmarks. See where you lead, where you lag, and where the next edge is hiding.

HOW IT ALL CONNECTS.

Four pillars. One community. Everything feeds into the private network — the nucleus that keeps it all alive.

Private Network
24/7 · THE NUCLEUS
01

BOARD FORUMS

Monthly

02

MASTERCLASSES

Bi-monthly

03

CURATED EVENTS

Quarterly + Annual

04

OPERATOR PERFORMANCE

Ongoing

YOU'RE NOT HERE TO PARTICIPATE.
YOU'RE HERE TO WIN.

Founding memberships are limited and non-renewable once filled.

APPLY NOW

WHAT A YEAR INSIDE LEADERBOARD LOOKS LIKE.

Here's what your membership looks like in practice.

Monthly — 12 per year

BOARD FORUM SESSIONS

Closed-door online sessions with your group of 8–12 operators. Confidential. This is the core.

Bi-monthly — 6 per year

MASTERCLASSES

Closed-door sessions with proven operators. Fireside Q&A. Real playbooks from people who've built at scale.

Quarterly — 4 per year

HEALTH & PERFORMANCE

Expert-led sessions on sleep, nutrition, stress management, and physical performance. Peak operators need peak health.

Annually

HUNTER LEADERS RETREAT

Two-day retreat. Strategy. Connection. The relationships that change your trajectory.

24/7

PRIVATE NETWORK

The nucleus of the community. Always on, always connected. Where members share openly, challenge each other's thinking, and keep the conversation going between sessions.

Ongoing

OPERATOR PERFORMANCE

AI-powered benchmarking against anonymised peer data. See where you lead, where you lag, and where the edge is.

THE TIMING ISN'T ACCIDENTAL.

The conditions have never been more right — or more urgent — for a club like this.

01

BUSINESS IS GETTING HARDER

Rising costs, tighter margins, shifting markets, and more competition than ever. The leaders who thrive in this climate aren't going it alone — they're leveraging the knowledge of people who've already been through it.

02

REGIONAL BUSINESSES ARE SCALING FASTER THAN EVER

The Hunter is producing $100B+ in gross regional product. Businesses here are competing nationally and globally — but the support infrastructure hasn't kept up. The playbooks that got you to $1M won't get you to $10M, and they definitely won't get you to $100M.

03

LEADERSHIP ISOLATION IS INCREASING

The higher you scale, the lonelier it gets. Remote teams. Distributed workforces. Fewer people who understand the weight of the decisions you're making. The need for a confidential, trusted peer group has never been greater.

04

THE HUNTER HAS THE TALENT — BUT NO FORUM

Every major city in Australia has private leadership communities. Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth — they all have rooms where founders and operators push each other forward. The Hunter has nothing. Until now.

05

YOUR NETWORK IS YOUR NET WORTH

The people around you determine the speed and the ceiling of what you build. The founders and operators who are ten steps ahead of where you are right now have already solved the problem you're stuck on. Get in the room with them — and everything changes.

WHO'S ALREADY IN THE ROOM.

The founding cohort is already taking shape. Here's who's building this with us.

DC

DANE CRAWFORD

Founder · Commercial Collective
PROPERTY & REAL ESTATE
"I built this because I needed it and it didn't exist. The Hunter deserves a room where the region's best operators push each other forward."
?

FOUNDING MEMBER

Director · Construction · Founding Elite
CONSTRUCTION & DEVELOPMENT · $10M – $20M
"Application confirmed. Profile published with permission once onboarded."
?

FOUNDING MEMBER

Founder · Professional Services
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES · $2M – $5M
"Application confirmed. Profile published with permission once onboarded."

Founding member profiles will be published as seats are confirmed — with permission.

THREE TIERS. ONE STANDARD.

Founding members don't just join early — they define the club's culture, programming, and direction. The first 50 set the tone for everything that follows.

FOUNDING ELITE
$10M+ REVENUE
$20,000
/ YEAR + GST — FOUNDING RATE
  • Everything in Founding — plus:
  • Exclusive founding elite recognition and status
  • Direct input on club culture, programming, and direction
  • Priority board forum group placement
  • Access to invite-only elite sessions
  • Shape the standard for who gets in the room
SECURE YOUR PLACE

$5,000 + GST refundable deposit. Credited toward your first year.

FOUNDING MEMBER
$2M – $10M REVENUE
$15,000
/ YEAR + GST — FOUNDING RATE
  • Founding member recognition and status
  • Full board forum placement
  • Private network access
  • All curated events and masterclasses
  • Operator Performance dashboard
  • Founding member recognition
SECURE YOUR PLACE

$2,500 + GST refundable deposit. Credited toward your first year.

STANDARD
POST-FOUNDING
$XX,XXX
/ YEAR + GST — PRICE REVEALED POST-FOUNDING
  • Full access to board forums
  • Private network and introductions
  • All curated events and masterclasses
  • Operator Performance dashboard
  • Available after founding spots fill
  • No founding status. No input on direction.
Founding spots remaining 45 of 50

NOT READY TO APPLY?

Request a call with Dane. No pitch. No pressure. Just a conversation about whether Leaderboard is the right fit.

REQUEST A CALL

THE OPERATOR BEHIND THE CLUB.

DC
Replace with headshot

DANE CRAWFORD

Founder & CEO, Commercial Collective | $5B+ in sales

Dane grew up in Kurri Kurri with nothing — no connections, no network, no one to learn from. Founded and built Commercial Collective into the Hunter Region's largest independent and most active commercial real estate agency. He knows what it takes to win.

READY TO JOIN THE ROOM?

50 founding spots. Once they're gone, they're gone.

APPLY NOW
"

I grew up in Kurri Kurri. I built Commercial Collective from nothing into the largest independent commercial real estate agency in the Hunter. This club exists because every founder deserves a room full of people who understand the weight of what they carry — and who push them to carry more.

DANE CRAWFORD

Founder & CEO, Commercial Collective · Founder, Leaderboard

Watch the 90-second founder video

STRAIGHT ANSWERS.

What if I'm not sure it's worth it?
One insight from one board forum that saves you from one huge mistake pays for a decade of membership. One introduction that leads to a major deal pays for it in a month. The ROI isn't theoretical — it's what happens when you're in the right room.
Is the deposit really refundable?
Yes. If for any reason you decide not to proceed before the first year kicks off, you get it back in full. No questions asked. It's designed to hold your spot, not trap you.
What's the time commitment?
One board forum per month, plus quarterly events. Members will say the forum is the most valuable couple of hours in their month. The events are optional, but nobody will miss them.
What if a competitor applies?
No direct competitors will be placed in the same board forum group. The curation process ensures industry diversity within each group — so you can speak freely.
How is this different from other networking groups?
Leaderboard is about depth. Confidential board forums where you bring your real challenges and get honest perspectives from people who've been through it. No pitching. No selling.
Can I apply if I'm doing under $2M?
Not for the core membership — the revenue threshold ensures members share similar operational complexity. We're building a separate program for earlier-stage founders. Submit your interest and we'll keep you in the loop.
Who runs Leaderboard?
Dane Crawford — Founder and CEO of Commercial Collective, the Hunter Region's largest independent commercial real estate agency. This isn't a side project. It's built by someone who's spent a decade competing against the largest legacy companies in the country and knows what regional founders need to win.
What happens after the founding 50?
Standard membership opens at a higher rate. Founding members retain their exclusive status and advisory input on club culture and direction. The founding cohort is permanently different — that status can never be earned later.

CLAIM YOUR SEAT ON THE LEADERBOARD

This is not a sign-up form. It's the first step in a vetting process. We review every application personally.

All applications are reviewed personally. If you qualify, we'll be in touch within five business days.