A professional referral network give for advisors that competes with no member's service

Why a data licensing introduction is a clean give

In a professional referral network for advisors, a SourceX introduction is a give that takes nothing from anyone at the table. No CPA, attorney, banker or M&A advisor in the group loses an engagement when an owner explores licensing operational records, and several of them may be needed if the owner goes ahead.

Referral groups run on reciprocity: regular meetings, one-to-ones between members and a running sense of who has passed what. The hard part is finding gives that do not step on another member's practice. A data licensing introduction sits outside every member's core service, so it can be passed along without a conversation about territory.

When an owner does proceed, the follow-on work lands with advisers they already use. Counsel reviews the license agreement, the CPA looks at how the one-time payment is recorded, and the M&A advisor weighs how an exclusive license interacts with any planned sale.

Where each member meets eligible owners

Rules differ by profession; the referral fee rules by profession table gathers the primary sources in one place.

For CPA members, the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct's commissions and referral fees rule (ET 1.520) bars a member in public practice from accepting a commission for recommending a product or service to a client when the firm also performs an audit, review, certain compilations or an examination of prospective financial information for that client, and permitted referral fees must be disclosed to the client. State boards can be stricter.

For registered representatives, FINRA reported that the SEC approved new Rule 3290 (Outside Activities) on September 15, 2026, replacing Rules 3270 and 3280, with the effective date to be announced in a Regulatory Notice. Until then the current rules apply, so tell your firm before taking part in any paid referral arrangement.

What lawyer members should know about networking groups

Bar ethics opinions have looked at advisor networking groups directly, and the answers depend on the state. An Illinois State Bar Association advisory opinion, ISBA 12-03, says a lawyer may take part in a reciprocal referral arrangement with nonlawyer professionals only if it is non-exclusive and the client is informed, that the arrangement must not interfere with independent judgment, and that because client identity is confidential, the lawyer needs client consent before sharing a client's name. A Colorado Bar Association opinion, Formal Opinion 106, says lawyers in networking organizations may not contract to refer business to one another for value, but may agree to consider each other and take part in cooperative marketing.

Neither opinion addresses a fee paid by a third party for a business introduction, and each speaks for one state. Attorney members should read their own state's rules and opinions before accepting anything; the page on referral opportunities for business attorneys covers the attorney angle. This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm with your own counsel, tax adviser or professional body before acting.

The pass-along screen

Before you pass an owner to SourceX, run five checks. If any fails, save the owner for a better-fitting give.

• US company, real size: 50+ full-time employees at peak, contractors excluded.
• History on file: several years of documented operations, with records across many systems that can still be exported.
• Clear rights: the company created the records, and its client contracts, employee notices and privacy policy allow licensing.
• Willing sponsor: the owner, CEO, CFO or another authorized representative would consider an exclusive AI-training license for an agreed term.
• Your rules allow it: your profession and firm permit the reward, or you will point the owner to apply directly without registering the introduction.

Who gets credit when two members know the same owner

In a tight group, two members often know the same owner. Credit goes to the first valid referrer whose introduction leads to a verified company application within the attribution window, so a second submission does not split or move the reward.

Simple etiquette avoids friction. Agree in a one-to-one which member has the closer relationship, let that member make the introduction, and count it as their give. If the owner applies using one member's referral link, the application carries that member's code, which settles the question without anyone having to argue it.

How to present it as a give

A 60-second version for the meeting, offered as an idea rather than a name:

Then follow up one to one with any member who names a client. Ask them to check with the client before saying the client's name to you, which is a habit attorney members may be bound by anyway.

How the introduction runs once an owner is passed along

1. The member who knows the owner confirms the owner wants the introduction.
2. That member sends the referral link, so the owner applies at sourcex.si/apply, or submits the referral form with the owner's permission.
3. SourceX qualifies the company with its sponsor: size, history, data breadth and rights.
4. The company's team inventories its systems and how many years each one covers.
5. Price and terms are agreed before AI labs and data buyers review the opportunity.
6. The deal is signed, the data is delivered under agreed redaction rules, and the company is paid; the referrer's reward follows SourceX's receipt of its fee.

No member ever forwards client files, financial statements or descriptions of records. The company deals with SourceX directly from step three.

How rewards work for group members

Partners earn 25% of the eligible platform fees SourceX actually collects from the referred company's licensing deals, capped at $100,000 cumulative per referred company, and rewards become payable only after the buyer pays and SourceX receives its fee.

Two notes for groups. The reward is a share of SourceX's fee and never comes out of the owner's proceeds, so no member's client pays for the give. And no reward is guaranteed: an owner can pass every check and still decide not to sign.

When not to pass an owner along

• The company is outside the US, or never reached the size baseline.
• The client has not agreed to be introduced, or explaining the fit would require confidential client information.
• The records mostly belong to the company's own clients.
• The owner is mid-sale and the deal team has not been consulted; M&A advisors in the group have their own guide to referral opportunities for M&A advisors.
• The company has already licensed these records for AI training.

Diligence providers in the group can read the quality of earnings provider angle, and members who also chair CEO peer groups have a separate playbook for CEO peer group chairs.

Next step

Before your next meeting, run your top three owner relationships through the network opportunity finder and the who qualifies baseline, then register as a partner so your referral link is ready when a member asks.