# ACES Mastermind — Cohort 26-27 **The inner circle for serious IT consultants.** A private back-room of peers who actually understand your business and will push you to move it forward. _Now entering its 10th year. 25+ IT consultants have come through the program._ - Program: 11-month peer mastermind, June 2026 – April 2027, plus a private group dinner during ACES Conference week in May 2027 - Audience: Established IT consultancy and MSP owners; especially tailored for ACES Conference attendees. - Price: $449 USD per month, billed monthly - Includes: Free ticket to ACES Conference 2027 ($949 value) - Hosts: Justin Esgar (Host & Diamond Dog Emergency Support), Melanie Curtis (Peak Performance Coach & Accountability Director) - Enroll: https://acesmastermind.com (Stripe Checkout subscription) - Parent program: ACES Conference — https://acesconf.com ## What it is Running an IT consultancy or MSP is a unique challenge. Generic business advice doesn't apply, and your friends don't understand what you do. ACES Mastermind is a year-long peer group designed specifically for established operators. It's a structured, high-accountability environment where you can bring your real challenges and get real answers from people who have been there. The 26-27 Cohort is an elevated group — built for operators committed to working ON their business rather than just IN it, on an ongoing basis. If you are ready to step out of the day-to-day and treat your company like the asset it is, this is your room. ## The Format Structured for maximum impact. No fluff, no wasted time. ### 1. Accountability Meeting One hour, small-group format with Melanie Curtis. - Review monthly wins and challenges - Declare your targets for the month - Get held directly accountable to your goals ### 2. Roundtable Meeting One hour, full-group format focused on problem solving. - 20 minutes: follow-up on last month's hot seats - 2 × 20 minutes hot seats: 3-minute presentation, 17-minute group strategy - "Next in line" takes notes so you stay present ### "Diamond Dog" Emergency Sessions Business emergencies don't wait for the next scheduled meeting. When you are stuck and need immediate strategy, grab Justin Esgar directly for an emergency 1-on-1 session to navigate the crisis. ### Private Slack Community The conversation doesn't stop when the Zoom call ends. Continuous access to the cohort in a private Slack channel for quick questions, vendor recommendations, and daily camaraderie. ### ACES Conference 2027 Ticket A free ticket to ACES Conference 2027 ($949 value) is included with your membership — the perfect capstone to your year, where the cohort comes together in person for the closing group dinner. ## Who runs it ### Justin Esgar — Host & Diamond Dog Emergency Support Founder of the ACES Conference (12 years running) and CEO of Virtua Computers, a growing Apple-first MSP. Justin has built, acquired, and scaled multiple IT businesses — and still operates one every day. He's not a coach watching from the sidelines. He's in the same trenches as you, solving the same problems, and he brings that real-time operational experience to every conversation. Justin also hosts the All Things MSP Podcast and directly handles the emergency strategy sessions when your business hits a wall. ### Melanie Curtis — Peak Performance Coach & Accountability Director Keynote speaker, performance coach, world-record skydiver, and author. Melanie works with high-achievers on the gap between ambition and execution — confronting the fear, uncertainty, and quiet self-doubt that stall driven operators. She leads the accountability meetings and makes sure the targets you set are the ones you actually hit. Personal site: https://melaniecurtis.com ## Pricing - $449 USD per month, billed monthly - 11-month program, June 2026 – April 2027 - Cohort wraps with a private group dinner during ACES Conference week, May 2027 - Free ticket to ACES Conference 2027 ($949 value) - Enrollment is processed via Stripe Checkout ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What are the dates for the cohort? The 26-27 Cohort runs as an 11-month program, kicking off in June 2026 with monthly meetings through April 2027. The cohort wraps with a private in-person group dinner during ACES Conference week in May 2027. ### What is the time commitment? Expect to spend 2 hours per month on scheduled calls (one Accountability meeting, one Roundtable meeting), plus time engaging in the private Slack community and executing your monthly goals. ### How do the Diamond Dog emergency sessions work? If you face an urgent, business-critical challenge between meetings, you can request a Diamond Dog session. Justin Esgar will get on a 1-on-1 call with you to map out an immediate action plan. ### Is this only for ACES Conference attendees? While the curriculum and community are heavily integrated with the ACES Conference ecosystem and highly recommended for attendees, it is open to any established IT consultancy or MSP owner. ### Can I cancel my membership? The mastermind is designed as an 11-month journey where the value compounds over time. When you enroll, you are committing to the full program at $449/month from June 2026 through April 2027, plus your free ticket ($949 value) and closing group dinner at ACES Conference in May 2027.