Is Coaching, Consulting and Mastermind a Luxury?

Or the One Thing You Can’t Afford Not to Invest In?

There’s a persistent myth in our industry.

That coaching, consulting, mentoring or masterminds are luxuries.

Nice-to-haves.

Things you do when times are good, and there’s spare cash in the bank.

“Once things settle down, we’ll look at support.”

“When cashflow improves, we’ll invest.”

“Let’s get through this bit first.”

We hear it all the time.

And it’s wrong.

This Isn’t a Luxury Purchase. It’s a Distress Purchase.

Let’s reframe this properly.

Coaching, consulting and masterminds are not indulgences for good times.

They are distress purchases.

That phrase can feel uncomfortable. When you’re under pressure, the instinct is to cut, not add. You open the P&L and start drawing lines through anything that looks discretionary.

Subscriptions you don’t use.

Software licences gathering dust.

Marketing experiments that didn’t land.

That makes sense.

But lumping strategic support into that same category is a mistake.

Because when your back is against the wall is exactly when an external perspective matters most.

You Wouldn’t Cut Your Accountant. Or Your Lawyer

Think about it this way.

When things get tight, do you fire your accountant?

Do you sack your lawyer halfway through a problem?

Do you decide you no longer need sales leadership?

Of course not.

Those roles exist precisely because you can’t do everything alone, especially under pressure.

Strategic support plays the same role.

It’s not optional when things are hard.

It’s indispensable.

The Questions You Can’t Answer on Your Own

There’s a point every founder reaches where internal thinking just loops.

Am I overreacting?

Is this cashflow situation actually fatal?

Should I raise prices, or will that finish us off?

Is this client killing the business?

Is this team structure sustainable?

Should I even keep going?

These aren’t tactical questions.

They’re existential ones.

And they are almost impossible to answer in isolation, or with people who are emotionally invested, like partners or staff.

You don’t need encouragement.

You don’t need platitudes.

You need clarity.

You need someone who has been there before.

Why Mastermind Works (Especially Under Pressure)

This is where mastermind, in particular, earns its keep.

Not because it’s inspirational.

Not because it’s motivational.

But because it gives you perspective at speed.

You’re not just hearing your own doubts echo back at you.

You’re pressure-testing decisions with people who’ve faced similar moments.

You’re seeing patterns instead of assuming your situation is uniquely broken.

Coaching, consulting and mentoring do this too, in different ways.

But mastermind adds something powerful: collective pattern recognition.

You realise you’re not mad.

You’re not alone.

And crucially, you’re not out of options.

The Last Thing Before You Shut the Doors?

People sometimes say:

“We’ll invest in support when times are good again.”

But here’s the uncomfortable truth.

This work isn’t the last thing you buy before you shut the doors.

It’s the thing that stops you from shutting them at all.

It’s what creates space.

It’s what enables better decisions.

It’s what helps you choose the next level, whether that’s recovery, reinvention, or a controlled exit.

Final Thought

If coaching, consulting or mastermind only worked when businesses were flying, they wouldn’t be worth much.

They matter when things are messy.

When certainty has gone.

When the stakes are high.

That’s not a luxury.

That’s leadership support… when it matters most.