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BrainTrust is a peer-to-peer membership for women business owners intent on growing their businesses, achieving financial independence and wealth, and expanding their influence.
Ideal candidates come from all industries and have significant growth goals for themselves and their businesses. They are driven and curious, possessing a “learn it all” mentality.
To qualify for BrainTrust, your business must be a legal entity already generating revenue, have an established accounting system, and you must own at least 25% of the company. Entrepreneurs who are pre-revenue may join if they are already a legal entity engaging in foundational work for the business (raising capital, building technology, etc.). Further, we look at multiple factors to determine eligibility: number of employees or plans to become an employer organization; length of time in business; revenue growth trajectory; your ability and willingness to provide P&L data; your propensity to be open and vulnerable in sharing such data with your Vault. You must also be committed to meeting monthly for 4 hours and agree to miss no more than 1 meeting per calendar year. Real estate professionals may qualify for membership if they are leading their own team.
If you meet the above criteria, you apply for membership. The application allows the BrainTrust team to learn more about you, your goals and where you are on your entrepreneurial journey. Once your application is reviewed and accepted, the next step is an interview, typically conducted virtually. After final approval, you will be required to attend a training session to learn how to get the most out of your membership.
There are several reasons why you might not be accepted, including the following:
- You are too early in your journey and need more foundational knowledge.
- The interview process reveals that your primary interest is in the social aspect of the group, not in growing your business. We love to socialize too, but the members of BrainTrust are focused on growing sustainable, profitable companies.
- The interview reveals that you’re more interested in teaching or coaching others, exhibiting a “know it all” attitude instead of having a “learn it all” attitude.
- At the sole discretion of the BrainTrust team, your business is not yet viable.
- You are not open to being part of our openly anti-racist organization.
The primary tool that BrainTrust members use to grow and scale their businesses is a process and group called “Vault”. After being trained in the Vault process, each member is placed in a carefully selected group of six other business owners who, together then become a “Vault” – a safe place that holds great value. Following a specific meeting protocol, your Vault meets monthly, with each of you sharing your business challenges and obstacles and learning to navigate that issue by hearing relevant experiences of the other Vault members. The Vault peer-to-peer learning method – learning from the experiences of others – has proven to be the fastest, most effective learning model for adults, dramatically shortening your learning curve.
Unlike most workshops, cohorts, mentor programs, and courses, BrainTrust’s Vault system relies on peer-to-peer learning strategies. This means that you will learn from the experiences of one another, not from coaches or teachers who’ve never been in your shoes.
There is no “graduation” from the Vault. Members quickly become deeply engaged and find their monthly meetings essential to their professional and personal growth.
Vault members hold one another accountable to goals, pushing each other to achieve and grow.
There is no curriculum in Vault meetings, though they have great structure and pre-planned agendas.
Every member must attend a 3-hour training session before being assigned to a Vault, learning how the process works and how to both give and get the most value from the experience. The first 3-4 meetings are moderated by a BrainTrust facilitator, but then become self-led, with members of the Vault serving as moderators in one-year increments. Beyond the Vault meetings, BrainTrust provides additional workshops and other learning opportunities.
BrainTrust carefully curates the group to which you are assigned, assuring diversity of industry, education, age of business, stage of business, and racial/ethnic background. Such curation ensures that there is a wealth of varying experiences around your Vault table – allowing every member to give and get value, not despite their differences, but BECAUSE of them.
Your Vault will not have any direct competitors, key clients, close friends, or family members. If you are in a partnership, your partner may also become a member but will not be in your Vault. Prior to your assignment to a Vault, you will be given the profiles of all suggested Vault members so you can notify BrainTrust if there are any potential conflicts or other reasons why a person should not be in your group.
The initial Vaults are organized by BrainTrust. Once a group is established, it is up to each Vault to schedule their meetings. Since the seven members are in full agreement as to their meeting dates and times, there will rarely be a scheduling conflict. The Vault schedules meetings several months in advance to prevent such conflicts.
The individual Vaults will determine a meeting space, with the offices of fellow members being the preferred choice. If no members of the Vault have such a meeting space, BrainTrust will work with local professional organizations (law practices, accounting offices, banking institutions) to provide a meeting room that affords privacy and comfort.
Vaults meet once a month for 4 hours. Beyond that, the individual Vaults determine any other meeting rhythm that is good for them.
Unlike cohort or curriculum-based learning, BrainTrust doesn’t have an end date or “graduation” as the women are committed to continual learning and growth.
Yes, everything discussed in a Vault meeting remains completely confidential. All members are required to sign a Confidentiality Agreement, committing to keeping all discussions private – and will not discuss them with anyone, including a spouse. The code of confidentiality is unyielding and any member breaching confidence is subject to immediate termination of membership and possible legal action.
No, you will likely stay with your Vault forever. This allows you to build strong bonds with fellow Vault members, making you essential to one another. This also gives you an extra layer of accountability as your fellow members will see patterns and behaviors that are holding you back, bringing those to your attention and holding you liable for the change and growth to which you’ve committed.
Vaults meet in person. However, each Vault has their own Constitution – their own agreements in regard occasional virtual meetings, etc.
- Workshops and webinars feature highly qualified instructors who share their knowledge in 1–2-hour increments. As a member, workshops are always free.
- Community! Through our custom portal (BTAccess), members are able to interact with members of other Vaults and other cities. Whether she is seeking a connection to a woman who is in her industry in another region of the country or is seeking a professional in her area, she’ll be able to do a quick search to find the right person.
- Book Publishing. In partnership with Greenleaf Book Group of Austin, Texas, BrainTrust INK provides a professional team of book experts to help members share their stories and their expertise.
- Discounts – Members are eligible for discounted rates to regional workshops and annual conferences.
- Complimentary annual listing in the BrainTrust Marketplace, allowing potential clients and buyers to find you easily.
There is no cost to apply for membership. Once you are accepted as a member, you will pay an enrollment/training fee of $149. Monthly dues begin when you are placed in a Vault: $249 per month until your revenue reaches $1 Million annually, after which your monthly dues are $349 per month.
You may reach us via our Contact Us tab and visit our Events tab to sign up for our next monthly “Lowdown” – a one hour introduction to BrainTrust which will afford you the opportunity to hear the details of the program and meet other prospective members.
NEXT STEPS
Ready to Find Your Vault?
BrainTrust is expanding, but we’re doing so carefully. It’s not about headcount, it’s about impact. If you’re ready to show up for yourself and others and seriously work on the growth of your business, we invite you to learn more about our community. Click here to receive an invitation to our next Lowdown.
