Nashville’s BrainTrust Is Helping Women Build Million-Dollar Businesses Nationwide
Big goals. Real numbers. No sugarcoating. Nashville's BrainTrust is taking its women-focused business network nationwide, and you no longer have to live near a chapter to join. Image: Canva
What started in Nashville is getting a much bigger address! BrainTrust, the women-only membership organization helping entrepreneurs grow their businesses, build wealth, and gain influence, is going nationwide. Thanks to a new virtual membership option, women across the country can now tap into the same powerful peer-advisory network that has helped BrainTrust members thrive since its founding.
The BrainTrust Model
Founded by entrepreneur Sherry Deutschmann in 2019, BrainTrust now has physical markets in Nashville, Charlotte, and, most recently, Atlanta. But the organization operates differently from a traditional networking group, coaching program, or social club. Instead, it’s built around something more candid: women sharing the real numbers, opportunities, growing pains, and lessons behind their businesses.
“Virtual is our way to meet women who need this now, wherever they are,” says Stefanie Diaz, BrainTrust’s Chief Revenue Officer.
During onboarding, new BrainTrust members are matched into groups of up to seven women from noncompeting businesses, known as Vaults and Key Club Vaults. These groups are intentionally confidential, creating a space to skip the highlight reel and get straight to what’s really happening behind the scenes.
“We don’t just place anyone anywhere,” Stefanie says. “We’re really thoughtful in how we curate the best possible cohort that’s going to hold you accountable, that’s going to give you the advice that you need.”
That transparency comes with some impressive numbers. Nearly 30% of members run businesses generating more than $1 million annually, and 7% crossed the $1 million threshold last year. Among members earning less than $500,000, Stefanie says businesses are growing at an average of 60% year over year.
That $1 million milestone matters. Recent studies show fewer than 2% of women-owned businesses reach $1 million in annual revenue — a gap BrainTrust hopes to help close through shared experience, accountability, and access.
Taking It Virtual
The new Virtual Hub brings that same model online. Members will still join a Vault or Key Club Vault and meet monthly; the biggest difference is the time commitment. While in-person Vault meetings last four hours, virtual groups meet for two.
BrainTrust has spent roughly a year piloting the format with women in California, Texas, Arizona, and Nebraska — and, so far, the sense of connection seems to translate seamlessly.
“Our initial virtual group has been loving the new model,” Stefanie says. “They’re thick as thieves!”
Growing (Without Glossing Over the Messy Parts)
The expansion comes on the heels of BrainTrustLIVE, the organization’s annual conference, which brought nearly 450 attendees to Nashville’s Music City Center on October 2.
This year’s theme, “Off the Record,” was fitting for an organization that encourages women to discuss not only what worked for their business, but what decidedly did not.
“There’s a phrase that’s been said: ‘We don’t want know-it-alls; we want learn-it-alls,’” Stefanie says. “Every new goal that you have, and every new level, will require a new version of you that you haven’t been yet.”
Ready For Next Steps?
If you’re interested in becoming an in-person or virtual member, BrainTrust’s website outlines how to get involved. Prospective members can attend a “Lowdown,” BrainTrust’s historically in-person introductory session that shares more about the organization, its founder and origin story, and the Vault experience, while connecting attendees with other business owners … Because sometimes the smartest person to ask about your next business hurdle is a woman who has already climbed over one just like it.
**********
For a daily dose of style + substance delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to StyleBlueprint!
Anne Marie Hanna
An Ole Miss alum residing in Nashville, Anne Marie is passionate about telling the stories shaping the South. Outside of work, you’ll likely find her on a porch with a coffee and a good book, gardening, listening to music, or enjoying time with friends and family.
