Mastermind Group: What It Is, What It Costs, and How to Start One

If you have heard about mastermind groups online, you probably have many questions, like what happens in the meetings? How often should members meet? Why does one group charge only $25 a month while another asks for $34,000 a year?

Even a slight difference in how a group operates can make or break members’ experience. Some members call their group the best investment they’ve made, while others end up locked into a contract they regret.

This guide explains how mastermind meetings work, what they cost based on our review of 144 groups, who gets the most out of joining, and how to start and run your own paid mastermind.

What is a mastermind group?

A mastermind group is a small group of peers who meet on a regular schedule to help each other solve problems and reach their goals. Group members help with each other’s challenges through advice, feedback, accountability, and shared experiences.

Mastermind groups are different from group coaching in that there’s no coach in the driver’s seat running the sessions. Although a host/facilitator may be present during meetings, their main job is to keep time and the conversation on track.

Here’s an example:

Maya is a business coach in a mastermind group of seven people on Zoom (meetings are held every week). She takes the “hot seat” and shares her problem of low client retention. The group critiques her strategy and shares what works for them. Maya gets two new perspectives to work on and reports back at the next meeting about how they worked out.

How mastermind groups work

In mastermind groups, members check in, listen to one or two people’s problems, and each member gets a task to complete.

The main part of each meeting is the “hot seat.” One member shares a problem, and the whole group works on it together. The group should ask questions first and then give advice. Nathan Barry, founder of Kit, explains in his guide to hosting a mastermind:¹ “It can be easy to jump to solutions, but if people give advice before getting the full picture, it can do more harm than good.”

Karyn Greenstreet’s Leap Year group rotates hot seats so different members get the spotlight each time.² But time constraints make it hard to give hot seats to multiple members in one session.

At the end, each member says what they’ll do before the next meeting. At the next meeting, they report back to stay accountable. You can also ask members to lead the meeting.

Here’s how it all fits into one 90-minute meeting:

How often mastermind groups meet

Mastermind groups can have weekly, twice a month, or monthly sessions. Here’s how real hosts schedule their meetings:

• Every week: Joe Che’s AI Business Mastermind meets for two hours every Wednesday.³
• Twice a month: Karyn Greenstreet’s Leap Year group meets twice a month for 90 minutes.
• Once a month: UNH’s CEO Peer Groups meet monthly.⁴

What mastermind groups cost: free, peer-run, and paid

Mastermind groups can cost anywhere from nothing to tens of thousands of dollars a year. Peer-run groups can be free because members organize them.⁵ Paid mastermind groups charge a median of about $350 a month, with half charging between $200 and $650.⁶ One group even charges a hefty $34,000 a year plus a $5,000 initiation fee.⁷

In a paid group, the host also finds and screens members, runs meetings, and keeps the group engaged and accountable.

To see what paid groups actually charge, we reviewed the websites of 144 mastermind groups in October 2026. Thirty of them publish a price and meet our criteria for a true mastermind.

Here’s a sample of six mastermind groups and their fees:

Monthly figures exclude one-time fees.

Nearly a third of the groups we checked, 47 out of 144, don’t share their price until you apply or book a call (including well-known names like Vistage and YPO).¹³¹⁴

How we checked: In October 2026, we reviewed 144 mastermind groups' websites. We only counted groups whose own site showed a price, said members advise each other, met on a regular schedule, and were open to new members. Thirty groups met all the rules. Groups that publish prices tend to be cheaper, so treat these numbers as a guide, not the full market. See the full list and method.

Is a mastermind group worth it?

You should join a mastermind group if you think the people in the room are at a similar stage to you. For example, a freelance designer earning $60,000 a year would get more from a group of other freelance designers at a similar income than from a group of agency owners.

One of the most important benefits of these groups is the opportunity to meet relevant people. One real estate investor shared his experience on Reddit:¹⁵ “What I did value was the relationships with the other investors I met over the course of the year plus 3-4 in person meetups, and continued meeting with 7-10 of them for the next few years...”

Here’s who tends to get value from joining mastermind groups:

• People at a similar stage to the rest of the group.
• People willing to both give and ask for help.
• People who can show up in every meeting.

Mastermind groups might not work for:

• People who prefer to work alone.
• People who want to be taught. If you want lessons from one expert, group coaching is a better fit.
• People who aren’t comfortable sharing their problems with others.
• People looking for quick fixes.

Many groups allow prospective members to try or sit in on a meeting first. For example, Faster Masters Rowing charges $10 for a trial meeting. If a group doesn’t mention this option on its website, you can still ask.

It’s also better to get the membership terms and the cost of leaving in writing. This can help you avoid situations like this one:¹⁶

“I'm locked into a 12 month contract but I feel deceived, the contract says if you want to leave early its a $4k exit fee but the whole thing is nothing like I expected it to be, she's essentially an expert in running ads but that's about it - I feel like she's over promised and under delivered.”

If you read this list and thought, “I’d be the one choosing these people,” you might be ready to run a mastermind of your own.

How to start and run a paid mastermind group

What’s a benchmark for a successful mastermind group? Members keep coming back to give and seek help. Since you’re not the teacher, you can focus on choosing members and running meetings successfully. Many hosts are consultants who turn their expertise into a paid peer group.

If you want to teach only your own methods and share your experiences, consider group coaching instead.

Choose the right members

Many experts recommend keeping your group small. Karyn Greenstreet aims for four to eight, and Wikipedia cites research suggesting eight to ten.¹⁷¹⁸ Go much bigger, and members will have to wait longer for their turn in the hot seat.

Who you let in the group matters even more than how many members you have. Your first members should come from people who already know and trust you. Good places to start include:

• Past clients who got results working with you
• Your email list, especially people who reply to your emails
• Peers whose work you respect and who are at a similar stage to your ideal members

No past clients yet? Our guide to starting an online coaching business covers finding your first ones.

Set the format and schedule

Most groups use the hot seat format described earlier in this guide, with members taking turns in the spotlight. Some add teaching sessions between peer discussions. ISA’s Elite Mastermind, for example, pairs monthly expert content with a monthly peer discussion. If you add teaching, keep peer sessions at the center.

In our list, 19 of 30 groups meet once a month, and most of the rest meet twice a month. Meeting more often helps maintain momentum, but it also asks more. Monthly meetings are the safest choice for busy members.

If your group will meet online, look for a platform that handles calls, member chat, and payments in one place.

Set ground rules at the first meeting, too. Retirement blogger Fritz Gilbert’s group made everything shared in meetings 100% confidential, helping members feel safe enough to be honest.¹⁹

Set your price and keep the group going

Use the price ranges above as your benchmark, then do the math for your group. Our membership pricing calculator gives a starting range by niche. Eight members paying $350 a month bring in $2,800 a month before costs.

Many hosts also set a fixed term. Leap Year starts with a four-month commitment, while DesignDash runs for six months.²⁰ A set term gives members time to see results and provides you with steadier income.

Most groups that fall apart face a few avoidable problems. Set rules for them on day one:

• Missed meetings: Agree on a limit, such as two missed meetings per term, and follow up personally after the first absence.
• Hot seat time: Use a timer so one member can’t take over the meeting.
• Members who stop contributing: Talk to them privately first. If nothing changes, don’t renew their membership at the end of the term.

When a seat opens, fill it with the same care you took when selecting the first members. Nick Jervis, who runs paid masterminds, also suggests treating your first group as a starting point. The results members achieve can become case studies that help you launch a second, higher-priced group.²¹

Where Heartbeat fits

Heartbeat is built for running a paid peer group in one place. Each mastermind gets its own private group, with channels where members follow up on their hot seat commitments between meetings, and live events with Zoom links, recordings and attendance tracking, so you can see who has started missing meetings. Matchups pairs members automatically every week, two weeks or month for one-to-one accountability calls between sessions.

Checkout is built in, and a waitlist can hold applicants until a seat opens. Heartbeat has a 14-day free trial, with no card required to start.

Frequently asked questions

What does a mastermind group do?

A mastermind group helps members solve problems and reach goals through regular peer meetings, with advice from the group and accountability for follow-through.

How much do mastermind groups cost?

Mastermind groups range from free to tens of thousands of dollars a year. Peer-run groups, where members organize meetings themselves, can be free. Paid groups usually charge a monthly or yearly fee. In an October 2026 review of 29 paid mastermind groups that publish their prices, the median cost was about $350 a month, and half charged between $200 and $650.

Are mastermind groups online or in person?

Mastermind groups meet online, in person, or both. Many meet by video call, like Jenny Melrose’s Business Growth Mastermind.²² Others meet face-to-face, like Durable’s peer groups in Salt Lake City. Some mix both.

Are masterminds only for business owners?

No. Mastermind groups exist for almost any shared goal or role, including rowing coaches, nonprofit leaders, and women in leadership.²³²⁴⁸

How long do you have to commit to a mastermind?

Some mastermind groups bill month to month, so you can leave at any time.¹¹ Others set a fixed term, often four, six, or ten months.²⁵²⁰² Larger membership groups usually charge annual dues, which means you commit for a full year.⁷

Do mastermind groups need a host?

No, you don’t need a host in a mastermind group. Members can share the work themselves, and some groups rotate who leads each meeting. Paid groups usually have a host who screens members and runs meetings.