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BrainTrust is a peer membership community for ambitious women business owners, and members are placed in small, curated groups — called Vaults™ — of six to seven women business owners who meet monthly, hold each other accountable, and share the kind of hard-won experience that actually moves the needle.
Most programs give you a coach or a curriculum. BrainTrust gives you a Vault™.
The difference is where the learning comes from. We use our brain trust – our aggregated experience, expertise, access to networks, markets, and capital. In your Vault, you’re not hearing from someone who has studied what you’re going through. You’re hearing from someone who has lived it. A woman who ran payroll during a slow season, who lost a key client and rebuilt, who doubled her revenue and can tell you exactly how. That kind of peer-to-peer learning is faster and stickier than anything a curriculum can offer.
There’s no graduation from a Vault. Members stay, because the value keeps compounding over time. And our BrainTrust keeps growing.
Because a lot of good happens when you get there, and almost no one talks about what it actually takes.
Only about 1.7% of women-owned businesses ever reach $1 million in annual revenue. At that threshold, you start paying yourself a real salary, employing a team, attracting investors, and building something that can outlast you. BrainTrust exists to close that gap. Not by teaching a formula, but by putting ambitious women in the same room so they can learn from each other’s real experience.
BrainTrust has two membership options. Here’s how to find the right one for where you are:
Vault™ — For women business owners generating $100K–$999K in annual revenue. You’ll be placed in a curated group of up to seven peers. You meet in person, once a month, for four hours.
Key Club Vault™ — For businesses generating $1M+ annually. Same structure as Vault, but your peer group reflects the scale and complexity of where you are. All Key Club members also gather quarterly for workshops focused on topics specific to high-revenue businesses.
We offer both membership options in all of our markets – Nashville, Charlotte, Atlanta, and Virtual.
Not sure which tier fits? Attend a Lowdown or submit an interest form and the team will help you figure it out.
To become a member, you need to meet the following criteria:
- You identify as a woman
- Your business is a legal entity
- You own at least 25% of the business
- Your business generates at least $100,000 annually
- You can commit to a four-hour monthly Vault™ meeting
- You agree to miss no more than one meeting per calendar year
- You can attend an annual business retreat with your Vault™, committing to at least one overnight stay
- You’re open to learning without judgment from women whose lives and businesses look different from yours
- You will keep everything you hear in your Vault™ strictly confidential
- You have the humility to show up fully and honestly
Note: Real estate professionals may qualify if you are leading your own team.
If you’re unsure whether you qualify, the best next step is to attend a Lowdown or submit an interest form.
Membership is selective by design. A few reasons an application may not move forward:
- You’re early in your journey and still building the foundational knowledge that will make a Vault valuable to you and your peers
- The interview suggests your primary interest is the social aspect of the group, rather than the hard work of growing a business
- You show up with a “know it all” mentality with a tendency to give advice instead sharing your experience and being open to learning.
- At the BrainTrust team’s discretion, your business isn’t yet viable for membership
- You are not open to being part of an openly anti-racist organization
If you’re declined now, it doesn’t mean never. Many members first attend a Lowdown, build toward qualification, and apply again when the time is right.
Once your application is submitted, the BrainTrust team reviews it and if approved, you’ll be invited to a Coffee Session, which is what we call an interview. After final approval, you’ll attend a New Member Training session before meeting your Vault.
Want to learn more before you apply? Attend a Lowdown or submit an interest form to connect with the team directly.
Placement timing depends on your market and the availability of a well-matched Vault opening. BrainTrust curates groups carefully, so the process isn’t rushed. The team will keep you informed throughout.
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. For our Virtual community, members generally meet via Zoom or Google Meet.
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.
- Discounts – Members are eligible for discounted rates to regional workshops and annual business conferences.
- Complimentary annual listing in the BrainTrust Marketplace, allowing potential clients and buyers to find you easily.
There’s no cost to apply. If your application is accepted, you’ll pay a one-time initiation fee that includes training and your first 3 months of membership. Dues vary based on your membership tier.
The best way to get the full picture on pricing is to attend a Lowdown or submit an interest form to connect with the team directly.
You may reach us via our Contact Us tab or visit our Locations page 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, hear stories from our team, 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 seriously work on the growth of your business, we invite you to learn more about our community.
