Creators, coaches & info products
Books and taxes for mastermind hosts.
Annual dues paid once at renewal, a retreat that costs tens of thousands before a single member arrives, and guest experts paid to speak. Your own bookkeeper sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
February came in at $38,000. Most of that was the spring retreat deposit from members, which I am holding against the venue costs still to come.
- Annual dues, renewal batchMembership dues
- Retreat deposit, venueRetreat costs
- Guest expert feeGuest speaker fees
- Retreat payment, membersRetreat income
- Application software feeSoftware
Why your books are different
A mastermind's books go wrong in a few specific spots.
A generalist sees a big deposit at renewal season and calls it a great quarter. Yours really includes annual dues that cover a full year of value, retreat money collected months before the venue and catering bills come due, and guest speaker fees that need paying whether or not the retreat itself broke even.
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1
Annual dues get spent like a monthly windfall
A batch of members renewing $18,000 annual dues at once looks like a huge month, but that money is meant to fund a full year of calls, resources, and events, and spending it like ordinary monthly income can leave the mastermind short later in the year.
What we doFlags annual dues as covering the full year ahead, so spending decisions account for what the year still needs, not just what landed this month. -
2
Retreat money collected early gets spent before costs land
Members often pay their retreat fee two or three months before the event, while the venue deposit, catering, and speaker fees get paid closer to the date, so it is easy to think a retreat is more profitable than it is before the real bills arrive.
What we doKeeps retreat income and retreat costs linked to the same event, so the true profit or loss on a retreat is not judged until all the costs are in. -
3
A guest expert fee eats into a retreat's margin
Flying in and paying a well-known guest speaker can cost more than a few members' entire dues, and without tracking it against that specific retreat, it is hard to know whether the guest was worth the cost.
What we doBooks guest speaker fees against the retreat or event they were part of, so the real cost of that lineup is visible. -
4
Member churn at renewal hides in a big dues deposit
A renewal season that brings in eight members out of twelve looks like a strong deposit on its own, but it hides that a third of the group did not come back, which matters more than the total dollar figure.
What we doTracks renewals against the prior year's member count, so growth or shrinkage in the group itself stays visible, not just the dues total.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a mastermind.
Set up once for how the group gets paid and what it spends on. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Membership duesAnnual or semiannual dues from mastermind members.
- Retreat incomePayments collected from members for an upcoming retreat.
- Application feesAny fee charged for a prospective member's application.
- Guest sponsorshipA brand or partner paying to be part of an event.
Money out
- Retreat costsVenue, catering, lodging, and event production for retreats.
- Guest speaker feesHonorariums and travel for guest experts.
- SoftwareApplication tools, community software, and scheduling.
- Marketing and applicationsCosts to attract and screen new applicants.
- Group facilitationAny co-facilitator or coach paid to help run sessions.
What we watch for you
- Renewal rate
How many members renew each cycle against how many the group started with.
- Retreat margin
What a retreat actually nets once venue, catering, and speaker costs all land.
- Cost per member
What it costs to run the group and its retreats divided across the membership.
- The set-aside
What will be owed, tracked every month, so a big renewal season does not turn into a surprise bill.
Ask Gus
Things mastermind hosts ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
That dues money is meant to fund the whole year of calls and events ahead. I flag it that way so spending stays paced against what the year still needs.
Too early to say. I am holding retreat income against the venue, catering, and speaker costs still coming, so we will know the real number once everything lands.
I track that against last year's group size, so the drop is visible in the numbers, not just something you noticed at the retreat. What to do about it is your call.
The tax side
The tax side of running a mastermind.
Most of what trips people up here is dues and retreat money collected well before the costs they are meant to cover actually land.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Paying a guest speaker or facilitator $2,000 or moreA guest expert or co-facilitator not on payroll, paid $2,000 or more in 2026, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that running total.
- Self-employment taxA host not on payroll owes 15.3 percent in self-employment tax on top of income tax, up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500.
- The S corp questionOnce profit clears well above a reasonable salary, an S corp election can lower the self-employment tax bill. The accountant runs the numbers on actual profit, not the dues total.
- The pass-through deductionMost mastermind businesses can take up to 20 percent of profit off their taxable income. Above $201,750 single or $403,500 joint, the accountant checks how much applies.
Deductions mastermind hosts miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Retreat venue and catering
- Guest speaker fees and travel
- Group facilitation pay
- Application and community software
- Marketing for new applicants
- Event production costs
- Business phone and internet
- Business liability insurance
- Payment processor fees
- Accounting and legal fees
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A mastermind's year, kept every month.
Retreats and renewals land on their own calendar, but the books stay closed every month between them, all year. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the retreat calendar
Last year's return gets started, guest speaker 1099s are prepared, and a monthly set-aside is planned ahead of the year's first retreat.
- April
Filed before the next retreat
Filed and signed before the next retreat, with nothing owed as a surprise since the set-aside has been building since January.
- July
Group health check
Where the group stands, what will be owed, and whether a spring retreat changed the number.
- October
Before next year's renewal
Many masterminds open applications for the next cohort now. Gus looks at retreat costs planned and anything worth doing before December.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for mastermind hosts. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions mastermind hosts ask first.
Do I owe tax on annual dues the year I collect them or the year I deliver the value?
Generally the year collected, though the details can vary by how the business is set up. Gus flags large dues deposits so the accountant can confirm how they should be reported.
I run two different masterminds at different price points. Can Gus keep them separate?
Yes. He tracks dues, retreat costs, and margins by group so you can see what each one actually earns on its own.
A retreat lost money once all the costs came in. Is that a problem?
Not for the books. Gus tracks the real number either way, so you can decide whether to adjust pricing or format for the next one.
My guest speaker was paid partly in cash and partly by covering their travel. How does that work?
Both count toward what they were paid. Gus tracks the total, including covered travel, so the 1099 threshold is judged on the full amount.
My dues and retreat costs have never been tracked as separate events. Can Gus fix that?
Yes. Send the bank statements and retreat invoices you have. Gus sorts dues from retreat income and cost, the accountant checks it, and most hosts know where they stand inside a week.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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We keep books for the business next door too.
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- Music producers & beatmakers
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- Digital product sellers (templates, presets)
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- Skool & paid community owners
- TikTok creators
- Trading & investing educators
- YouTubers
What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever