The Black Swan Group
The Black Swan Group is a privately held negotiation training and consulting firm founded in 2008 by former FBI lead kidnapping negotiator Chris Voss, offering instructor-led training, coaching, keynotes, and books built around the proprietary Black Swan Method and Tactical Empathy framework for corporate executives, sales teams, and leaders globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Black Swan Group does
The Black Swan Group, Ltd. is a privately held negotiation training and consulting firm founded in 2008 by Chris Voss, the FBI's former lead international kidnapping negotiator, and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada with a primary contact address in Palmyra, Virginia. The company commercializes a proprietary methodology — The Black Swan Method — built around Tactical Empathy and a vocabulary of trademarked techniques (Labels, Mirrors, Calibrated Questions, Dynamic Silence, Accusation Audit, No-Oriented Questions, and Summary) that translate hostage-negotiation tactics into business and personal dealmaking contexts. Its core offerings span five training modalities: in-person Dealmaker Days and summits, self-paced and live online courses, customized coaching, team training, and keynote speaking engagements, supplemented by a content ecosystem of books (notably the 2016 bestseller 'Never Split the Difference'), a weekly live stream called the Black Swan Network, and a topical Negotiation Mastery Newsletter.
The firm serves a horizontal customer base spanning corporate executives, sales and business-development professionals, leaders and managers, and a targeted 'Women in Business' segment, with claimed reach across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany, Japan, Israel, South Africa, and Colombia. Revenue is generated through quote-based, custom-priced training and coaching engagements (with multi-year enterprise contracts available), keynote and speaking fees, and book and e-book sales. The company employs approximately 12 team members, all of whom draw on law-enforcement or FBI hostage-negotiation credentials, with marketing and demand generation driven by content, events, podcasts, and a weekly live community rather than paid acquisition. Notable recent strategic activity includes the 2026 launch of the inaugural Black Swan Global Negotiator Awards and the formalized annual Negotiation Mastery Summit, marking the 10-year anniversary of 'Never Split the Difference' and signaling a push to formalize the firm's community and brand ecosystem.
The Black Swan Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Black Swan Group
- Legal name
- The Black Swan Group, Ltd.
- Website
- https://blackswanltd.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Black Swan Group is a privately held negotiation training and consulting firm founded in 2008 by former FBI lead kidnapping negotiator Chris Voss, offering instructor-led training, coaching, keynotes, and books built around the proprietary Black Swan Method and Tactical Empathy framework for corporate executives, sales teams, and leaders globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Black Swan Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Negotiation Training and Coaching
- NAICS
- Professional and Management Development Training (61143)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Team & Group Executive Coaching (Leadership Teams) (EDABANAF)
Keywords
Where The Black Swan Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Black Swan Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Training Programs: Revenue from in-person training (Dealmaker Days, workshops, summits), online self-paced and live courses, and team training sessions. These constitute the primary revenue stream.
- Customized Coaching: Tailored, consultative coaching services for business dealmaking tactics provided to individuals and organizations.
- Keynotes & Speaking Engagements: Revenue from keynote presentations and speaking engagements for corporate events, conferences, and organizations.
- Bookstore & E-books: Sales of books including 'Never Split the Difference', 'Fight Less, Win More', 'Ego, Authority, and Failure', and 'The Full Fee Agent', plus downloadable e-books and guides.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Custom corporate training packages |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
The Black Swan Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Black Swan Group is a negotiation training and coaching firm that teaches business and personal dealmaking using The Black Swan Method, a proprietary framework adapted from FBI hostage negotiation techniques. It delivers instructor-led in-person workshops (Dealmaker Days, summits), online self-paced and live courses, customized executive coaching, team training, and keynote speaking engagements, supported by published books and educational content.
Product overview
The Black Swan Group is a negotiation training company offering a portfolio of instructor-led and digital learning products centered on The Black Swan Method® and Tactical Empathy® approaches. The core offering consists of five training modalities: In-Person Training (Dealmaker Days, workshops, and summits), Online Training (self-paced and live courses), Customized Coaching, Team Training, and Keynotes & Speaking Engagements. These are supported by a content ecosystem that includes books (Never Split the Difference, Fight Less, Win More, Ego Authority and Failure, The Full Fee Agent), the weekly Negotiation Mastery Newsletter, and a Learning Center with E-Books, Guides, Videos, and Case Studies. The company also produces The Black Swan Network, a weekly live stream, and the annual Negotiation Mastery Summit event.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- In-Person Training Dealmaker Days, workshops, and summits that teach Tactical Empathy and dealmaking skills through interactive, in-person sessions led by former hostage negotiators. Geared toward business professionals seeking hands-on negotiation training.
- Online Training Self-paced and live online courses taught by The Black Swan Group instructors, covering negotiation techniques based on The Black Swan Method. Designed for individuals and teams seeking scalable, remote access to training.
- Customized Coaching Tailored, consultative coaching approach for business dealmaking tactics, providing personalized guidance to improve negotiation outcomes for individuals and organizations.
- Keynotes & Speaking Engagements Presentations by Chris Voss and team members providing inspiration, motivation, and practical negotiation takeaways for corporate events, conferences, and organizational audiences.
- Team Training In-person or virtual sessions focused on behavioral changes, social dynamics, and interactive role-play for organizational teams. Tailored to corporate clients seeking to improve team-wide negotiation capability.
- Never Split the Difference Bestselling negotiation book by Chris Voss that adapts FBI hostage negotiation techniques for business and personal contexts, distributed through the company's bookstore.
- Fight Less, Win More Book by The Black Swan Group covering negotiation strategies and tactics, distributed through the company bookstore.
- Ego, Authority, and Failure Book by Derek Gaunt on using emotional intelligence like a hostage negotiator to succeed as a leader, published by The Black Swan Group.
- The Full Fee Agent Book published by The Black Swan Group on negotiation strategies, distributed through the company bookstore.
Quantifiable outcome
- Leaders who excel at listening and responding with empathy outperform peers by more than 40% in areas such as coaching, engagement, planning, organizing, and decision-making
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use The Black Swan Group
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Black Swan Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature8 records
The Black Swan Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Black Swan Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Karrass: Long-standing negotiation training company offering seminars, in-house corporate programs, and customized coaching; directly competes with Black Swan's training, coaching, and team training offerings for the same enterprise customer base.
- Vantage Partners: Consulting and training firm focused on negotiation, influence, and conflict management for enterprises; provides customized corporate programs that overlap directly with Black Swan's coaching and team training lines.
Broad incumbents
- Harvard Program on Negotiation: Academic anchor of the negotiation training field offering executive education, workshops, books, and online courses; competes with Black Swan for senior executive training dollars and thought leadership, with much broader portfolio.
- Dale Carnegie Training: Established global leadership and professional development training franchise covering communication, influence, and interpersonal skills; competes for the same corporate training budget at a broader, less specialized scale.
- FranklinCovey: Large-scale enterprise training provider offering leadership, communication, and execution programs; overlaps with Black Swan's leadership and team training offerings across corporate buyers.
- Huthwaite (now part of Houlihan Lokey / SPIN Selling heritage): Sales and negotiation behavior-change consultancy rooted in research-based methodology; competes for corporate sales-training budgets similar to Black Swan's sales-negotiation use cases.
- Center for Creative Leadership (CCL): Nonprofit leadership development provider offering executive education, coaching, and assessment; competes for corporate leadership development and executive coaching engagements.
Emerging players
- Landmark Worldwide: Personal development and communication training company offering large-group seminars and courses; serves an overlapping individual/professional learner audience with adjacent self-improvement positioning.
- Bargaining for Advantage: Negotiation research, training, and consulting offerings built around G. Richard Shell's negotiation framework; an emerging academic-practitioner competitor for individual executive learners and corporate workshops.
- Maven (maven.co): Cohort-based live online learning platform hosting negotiation and other professional courses; an emerging channel competitor that could either be a distribution partner or a substitute for Black Swan's online courses.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Black Swan Group social profiles
Digital presenceThe Black Swan Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Black Swan Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
The Black Swan Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Black Swan Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Black Swan Group
What does The Black Swan Group do?
The Black Swan Group is a negotiation training and coaching firm that teaches business and personal dealmaking using The Black Swan Method, a proprietary framework adapted from FBI hostage negotiation techniques. It delivers instructor-led in-person workshops (Dealmaker Days, summits), online self-paced and live courses, customized executive coaching, team training, and keynote speaking engagements, supported by published books and educational content.
Is The Black Swan Group a public or private company?
The Black Swan Group is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Black Swan Group founded?
The Black Swan Group was founded in 2008. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Black Swan Group based?
The Black Swan Group is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Black Swan Group make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Training Programs are the primary driver. The others are customized Coaching, keynotes & Speaking Engagements and bookstore & E-books.
Who are The Black Swan Group's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Karrass and Vantage Partners. Broad incumbents are Harvard Program on Negotiation, Dale Carnegie Training, FranklinCovey, Huthwaite (now part of Houlihan Lokey / SPIN Selling heritage) and Center for Creative Leadership (CCL). Emerging players are Landmark Worldwide, Bargaining for Advantage and Maven (maven.co).
Does The Black Swan Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Black Swan Group.
What industry is The Black Swan Group in?
The Black Swan Group's product category is Professional Negotiation Training and Coaching. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDABANAF, Team & Group Executive Coaching (Leadership Teams). Its NAICS code is 61143.