The Not-For-Profit Peer Mastermind
Pool money with peers to buy access to an expert you couldn't afford alone
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 82%
Elite masterminds and executive coaching programs are priced to filter for business size, which locks out capable operators who simply lack the cash. This framework flips the model: instead of paying a host to curate a room, you become the scrappy organizer. You gather a small group of peers, everyone chips in an agreed amount, and the pooled budget becomes large enough to hire an expert far ahead of you whose one-on-one time would normally be impossible or unaffordable. The mechanism works because the aggregate fee that no individual could justify becomes attractive to the expert, who also gains content and a room of qualified people. The organizer explicitly takes no profit, which builds the trust that makes people say yes. The investment scales to your level - it can be $100, $1,000, or $10,000 per head - so the same play works whether you're just starting or already established.
Origin
Jasmine Star used this in November 2023 after her friend Stacy Tuthill, whom she met in a $40,000 mastermind, organized an invite-only peer group where about 20 people each chipped in to hire acquisitions CEO Layla Hermosa to consult with the group.
Core principles
- 01Access to high-level rooms is gated by money, but the gate can be split across many people
- 02A group budget makes an otherwise unaffordable expert's time worth their while
- 03The organizer explicitly takes no profit, which builds trust and lowers the ask
- 04Scrappy action beats waiting until your business is big enough to 'qualify'
- 05The invited expert also wins: fair compensation, content, and a captive high-value audience
How to run it
- 1
Gather a group of peers
Reach out to a group of industry peers or colleagues who are at a similar stage and invite them into a not-for-profit mastermind you'll organize.
Pro tip State plainly that you're not making money off it - you're organizing it because you want it as much as they do.
- 2
Set the price and collect
Set a per-person investment amount everyone can afford and facilitate an easy way to collect payment upfront so attendance is guaranteed.
Pro tip The amount can be $100, $1,000, or $10,000 - size it to what your peer strata can actually pay.
- 3
Build the budget, then hire the speaker
Once payment is collected, you have a real budget. Approach an expert a few steps ahead of you with a concrete number rather than a vague request.
Pro tip Showing up with '$50,000 to hire a speaker' gets a very different answer than 'I have $3,000 for a consult.'
Watch out A number that's too low to be worth the expert's time will get you nowhere - aggregate enough to make the ask serious.
- 4
Make the expert's yes easy
Accommodate the expert's terms - location, allowing their videographer, format - so the engagement works for them as well as you.
Pro tip A great expert will value the content and audience as much as the fee; let them strut their stuff.
In the wild
In November 2023, Stacy Tuthill texted Jasmine about an invite-only, peer-to-peer mastermind. About 20 people each chipped in an agreed amount, aggregating enough money to hire Layla Hermosa - an acquisitions CEO whose one-on-one time Jasmine could never afford individually. Layla agreed because the group met in her hometown of Las Vegas, she could bring her videographer to capture high-end content, and she was paid well to spend ninety minutes giving one-on-one insight to a room of serious entrepreneurs.
→ Jasmine got direct, high-level business insight from an expert who doesn't take one-on-one clients, at a fraction of the impossible solo cost.
Common mistakes
Waiting until your business is 'big enough'
People see the sticker price of elite rooms as an impossible number and decide they'll never get there, so they never try. The pooled model means you don't have to hit that number alone.
Approaching the expert with a weak, vague budget
Reaching out with a small or unspecified amount reads as not worth the expert's time. Collect the money first so you can lead with a concrete, serious number.
Is it for you?
Best for
Early or mid-stage founders who want proximity to more advanced experts but can't afford a five-figure mastermind alone.
Not ideal for
Someone seeking a fully vetted, curated cohort with ongoing accountability rather than a one-off pooled session.
From the transcript
“reach out to a group of industry peers or colleagues and then invite them for a not for profit mastermind.”
“set the investment price and facilitate an easy way to collect payment.”
“your investment can be $100, $1,000, $10,000.”
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