Is your consultant or advisor paid for introducing your company to SourceX?

Possibly. If your consultant, accountant or CFO introduced your company to SourceX as a registered partner, they may earn a share of SourceX's fee if your company licenses data and SourceX is paid. That share comes out of SourceX's fee, never out of your price, and a good advisor tells you about it in writing before you apply.

The honest short answer

Possibly, and you are entitled to ask. If a consultant, accountant, fractional CFO or other advisor introduced your company to SourceX as a registered referral partner, they may receive a share of SourceX's fee if your company licenses data and SourceX is paid. One practical sign: a partner's referral link opens the company application at sourcex.si/apply with the partner's referral code attached, which is how SourceX records who made the introduction.

A referral reward is not, on its own, a reason to distrust the advice. Three things matter more: whether your advisor told you, whether the reward changes what your company receives, and whether professional rules limit it. The sections below take each in turn.

What is actually true about the reward

The facts are set by the program, not by the advisor, so you can check them yourself.

What owners ask	What is actually true
Who pays my advisor?	SourceX, out of its own fee. Your company pays the advisor nothing for the introduction.
Does it raise my price?	No. Your company is offered one all-in price with SourceX's fee included and no separate charges; the reward is a share of that fee.
When would they be paid?	Only after a buyer pays and SourceX receives its fee. An application, a meeting or a signed agreement does not trigger it.
Is there a limit?	Yes. The reward is capped at $100,000 per referred company.
Are they paid if we decline?	No. If no licensing deal completes and pays, there is no reward.
Will they see our data?	No. Partners make the introduction and pass on basic fit information; they do not export, upload or describe your confidential records.

Stated in full, partners earn 25% of the eligible platform fees SourceX actually collects from the referred company's licensing deals, capped at $100,000 per referred company, and the reward is never deducted from what the company receives. The rewards page lists the payout conditions, and the explainer on who pays the referral fee shows how this differs from arrangements where the client or a vendor pays.

What does a proper disclosure look like?

A proper disclosure is short, written and given before you act. It names who pays, how the amount is worked out, when it is paid and whether it touches your price. Something like this is enough:

Element of the disclosure	Why it matters to you
Who pays	Shows whether the advisor's interest runs through your company's money
How it is calculated	Lets you judge how much the outcome matters to the advisor
When it is paid	Shows whether the advisor gains from you applying or only from a completed deal
Effect on your price	Confirms the reward is not an add-on to your side of the deal
Other arrangements	Surfaces any second fee, for example one you would pay the same advisor on the same transaction

If you want to see the formula itself, the referral earnings calculator shows how it works using the published program. An advisor whose role ends at the handoff is in a different position from one who stays on to sell; see introduction-only vs co-selling referral fees for how the two differ.

Rules your advisor may have to follow

Licensed advisors carry their own disclosure duties, and some cannot accept a referral fee at all in certain relationships.

CPAs. Under the commissions and referral fees rule, section 1.520 of the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct, a member in public practice may not accept a commission for recommending a product or service to a client when the member or firm also performs an audit, review, certain compilations or an examination of prospective financial information for that client. Permitted commissions and referral fees must be disclosed to the client.
State law. States can add their own requirements. Florida's statute on CPA commissions and referral fees is one example and includes written disclosure of commissions; the linked page is the 2017 version, so the current text governs.
Public recommendations. If your advisor recommended SourceX in a newsletter or a post, the FTC's endorsement guidance for businesses says a paid connection readers would not expect should be disclosed clearly and close to the recommendation.
Lawyers, registered representatives and others. Their state bar, broker-dealer or professional body sets the rules. Ask which ones apply.

This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Your advisor should confirm their own obligations with their counsel or professional body.

Six questions to ask your advisor

Ask these before you apply, ideally by email so the answers are on record.

Are you a registered SourceX referral partner, and will you receive anything if we license data?
Who pays you, and does any of it come out of our price?
When would you be paid, and what has to happen first?
Does your firm, licensing board or employer allow this, and have you documented it?
If you are our CPA, does your firm audit, review or compile our financial statements?
Is anyone else, including us, paying you in connection with this deal?

If you would rather keep it to one line, use this:

An advisor with nothing to hide can answer all six in a single reply.

What to do if the concern is valid

If you find that	Then
The advisor mentioned the reward only when asked	Ask for the disclosure in writing and judge the opportunity on its own facts
Your CPA firm also audits or reviews your statements	Ask the firm to confirm in writing how its professional rules apply before going further
The advisor would be paid twice on the same deal	Ask them to explain both fees, then decide whether you are comfortable
The introduction drew on records the advisor holds in confidence	Raise it with them; partners are expected to pass on basic fit information only
You prefer to proceed without an intermediary	Apply directly at sourcex.si/apply

Whatever you decide about the advisor, the licensing decision stays with you. Your company keeps ownership of its data, licenses it rather than selling it, approves scope and price, and signs only if the terms work. Sell-side and exit advisors have their own fee models too; the explainer on how exit planning advisors get paid shows what to expect from that side of the table.

Next step

If you are an owner, send the six questions, then apply at sourcex.si/apply once you are satisfied. If you are an advisor who was forwarded this page, put your disclosure in writing first, then register as a partner. Owners who know other owners can take part as partners themselves through the referral program for business owners.

Step 1Share your linkSend your personal link to a company you know.
Step 2Company appliesThe company applies itself at /apply.
Step 3Buyer selects and paysThe buyer selects and pays for the data and SourceX receives its fee.
Step 4You get your rewardYour share of SourceX fees becomes payable.

Common questions

Does the advisor's reward come out of my company's licensing price?

No. The reward is a share of the fee SourceX collects, and it is never deducted from what your company receives. Your company is offered one all-in price that already includes SourceX's fee, with no separate charges, and you agree that price before anything goes to buyers. The advisor's reward does not appear as a line on your side of the deal.

Can our outside accountant be paid for introducing us?

It depends on what the firm does for you. Under the AICPA Code, a CPA in public practice may not accept a commission for recommending a product or service to a client whose financial statements the firm audits, reviews or, in some cases, compiles, and permitted referral fees must be disclosed. Some states add stricter rules. Ask the firm to confirm in writing how its rules apply to your engagement.

How can I tell whether my advisor sent a referral link?

A partner's referral link opens the SourceX company application with the partner's referral code attached, which is how the introduction is credited. If you are not sure what you were sent, ask the advisor directly whether they are a registered partner. A plain answer given in writing is the best sign that the arrangement is above board and that nothing else is attached to it.

What happens if two advisors introduce my company?

Credit goes to the first valid referrer whose introduction leads to a verified company application within the attribution window. That rule decides which partner may be eligible for a reward; it changes nothing for your company. You pay neither advisor, your price is agreed with SourceX directly, and no reward is paid to anyone unless a deal completes and SourceX receives its fee.

Should I trust the advice less because my advisor may be paid?

Not automatically. A disclosed interest is different from a hidden one. Judge the opportunity on its own terms: your company keeps ownership, licenses rather than sells, approves scope and price, and is not committed to anything until it signs. If the advisor disclosed the reward up front and the facts check out, the reward is simply how the introduction is paid for.

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By SourceX Partnerships Team · Published 2026-10-09 · Updated 2026-10-09

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