The Prospect Journey

Prospecting isn’t about how long you hang around or how many chores you grind through; it’s about who you are when the pressure’s on. Too many guys think the patch comes with time served, like it’s handed out for showing up. Wrong. 

The process is designed to test you, to strip away ego, and to see if you’ve got the grit, loyalty, and mindset to carry the weight of brotherhood. If you’re looking for shortcuts or waiting to be “given” something, you’ve already missed the point. Brotherhood is earned, never handed out.

You may have looked at that title and thought, “I get that I don’t need that,” but you’d be surprised how many times I see this problem, from current prospects to ex-prospects that never made it. Trust me on this, the prospect process is a learning journey, and in no club anywhere is there room for your ego on that journey. Clubs have the perfect test for this, and you probably didn’t even see it coming.

Here’s the test: when a club puts a period on your prospecting journal, let’s say 6 months, and then the 6 months pass and you’re beginning to wonder why you’re still a prospect and why that all-important vote hasn’t happened yet, your reaction in that moment tells them everything, and the worse thing you can do is show your ego, if you demonstrate that you’re frustrated, fed up, if you take your eye of the prize display or worst verbalize that your being used for chores, or disrespected, you blew it, and you missed the whole point!

Okay, sure, no one wants to be a prospect forever, but so many forget in their impatience, ego, and temper that the prospect journey is a learning experience at heart. Think of it as a very long audition, and until you have that patch on your back, it’s not done. The journey is personal and not necessarily linear either. 

Core Values & Skills Clubs Look For

Every club is going to have its own criteria, but there are things that most clubs value and are watching for:

Dedication: being on call 24/7 can be difficult, but the club needs to know you’re gonna be there when they need you, and so we’re clear there is no excuse, that justified you letting your club down at the last minute, not but I have family, not but I have a kid, unless you’re dead or dying no excuse qualifies.

A disclaimer here, I have a strong club-first attitude, and I hung around high-level, old-school values clubs. While they might not be ones for excuses, there are always exceptions to the rule; there are clubs that are more flexible with commitment, and even in the strictest of clubs, there are circumstances that will get you an exception.

Thinking outside of the box: In these times of instant gratification, it’s easy to go for the obvious answer, but there’s not always gonna be an obvious answer in sometimes situations require you to think out of the box, or you’d never react or solve the issue.

There’s a great video from The Biker Protocol that demonstrates this. Please Note. We only recommend resources that we use personally and where we’re sure the sources’ values don’t conflict with our mission.

Follow Through: It’s the art of not promising what you can’t deliver. Look, I get it, you’re new; you want to show up for the members, your sponsors, etc. The problem is that if you make a promise or suggestion that you can’t deliver on, it casts doubt on your ability to follow through, which can make something that was never an issue into a much bigger issue: one of trust and commitment. 

Initiative & Motivational: Clubs love this, especially when you do something that benefits all the members, or is motivational. Now, warning time, motivation is tougher; you need to make sure your motivational act doesn’t upset someone’s ego. But a great example of this is Priority Food Service (club orders were made first and delivered fast). 

I knew a member who had negotiated priority food service with all the best food delivery places for the club; he missed the best sandwich shop in town, so we did that one together. But it was such a win/win, the boys were always grabbing food on the run as they carried out work, and the food establishments didn’t have to deal with lengthy queues of club bikers. Everyone was glad, and it was so simple. 

Learning, Observation & Sponsor Relationship

Everything is a lesson, every chore, every order, the ones that don’t make it can be found in chat rooms, whining about how they did chores for years and it led to nothing, it’s nonsense these a lesson in everything you see and do in your prospecting journey, but the tests won’t be explained to you it’s up to you to figure out, what the test is and how to pass it.

Learn the club rules and history, it’s why you’re here, even if you don’t have full access to the by-laws, you can learn from the rules you are given and learn the club history, mission, values, memorise them like you’re studying for a test – cos there’s likely going to be one, observing the members of your club can also teach you a lot of club rules because they are making sure not the break them, if someone does you normally know, deathly silence, everyone freezes and a consequence is gonna follow.

Learn how to interact with others. You need to learn both how members interact within your club and how your club interacts with other clubs. You’re unlikely to enter your prospecting period with a full knowledge of the relationships between your club and the other clubs around you; the best way to do this is observation; basically, if your hands aren’t busy, you should be quietly observing. This is especially true for social media and other online platforms; if your club allows accounts that state your prospecting, or a member, before you dive in, take some time watching how the more experienced members in your club interact online. 

Your Sponsor & asking questions. When you’re new to something, it can feel daunting to ask questions because of the fear of looking stupid, getting in trouble for asking something you shouldn’t, but it’s better to ask a question than screw up, making a disastrous mistake, if you’re not allowed to know. Know this: your sponsor is your guide, your anchor in this world; they’re your superpower, and they want you to succeed; in fact, they staked their reputation on it. As a community, we have to get over this false narrative floating around that your sponsor or club wants you to fail – why would they? It would mean they wasted their time, and now not only do they need a new prospect, they need to be extra careful not to make the same mistake again. It may take you a while to get into a rhythm with your sponsor, but if you talk to him, you’ll figure out the best times to ask questions and even his favorite topics.

Mindset Development

The Mindset – Why this is the biggest barrier to your prospecting period. We’re gonna be honest, not only do your boundaries need to be rock solid, but you need to have other stuff in order, attitude, your beliefs, your values, how dedicated are you? Who do you want to be in 5 years? Are you buying into “I’m a tough biker BS”? 

Your beliefs are everything not in prospecting but in everything in life, did you know you’re brain can’t support any action that is outside of the belief you have about your own identity, this is where mental health becomes so important, you have to believe in yourself if you believe you’re destined to be a patched member your brain will direct all your actions towards that, but there’s a difference between belief and attitude

Respect is king in this world. 

Mindset, the same way your bike doesn’t go if it’s not got fuel, your brain needs a final destination and belief (genuine belief, true faith you can’t fake this) to achieve what you want. I’ve seen all kinds of prospects in the club; the worst is the one who walks in thinking he’s some kind of superhero, because he made the prospect. 

Here’s the reality: one member put his reputation on the line to sponsor your ass because something he saw in you made him believe you were made for the life. Pretending otherwise does both of you a disservice, so respect that. The two most important things here are knowing thyself, knowing thy boundaries, because agreeing to everything and being overeager isn’t gonna ensure your survival. It’s gonna make you look soft. The limitless dedication grows over time. Belinda started with I’ll give you one hour of my time, to now I’ll walk through fire for any of those boys. 

Understand that part of the process is the club getting to know your boundaries. Now we’re hoping you did a long hangout process because it would prepare you for this next part. Conduct, your moves, body language, your everything is being watched, assessed, and the tests the club throws at you may not be obvious, so you’d better have your conduct locked down, and if you’re bringing your girl around, her conduct too.

 Know what your expectations are going in. Are you ready to put the club first, before everything? How do you currently view the club and your commitment to it? Where do your boundaries lie? Are you willing to adjust them? Ask yourself how you can best serve the club. Where do you fit? 

The Prospect Journey – Daily Journal Sheet

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Practical Mindset Tips

1. Set a personal code, and stick to it. Before the club tests your loyalty, test your own limits. Decide what you will and won’t tolerate. Know where your boundaries lie before someone else decides for you. This isn’t about being rigid; it’s about being resilient. You can’t serve a club if you’re constantly betraying yourself. 

2. Check Yourself Daily, Literally. Start the day with gratitude and end every day with a 5-minute check-in. Ask: How am I feeling? What triggered me today? Did I act out of ego, fear, or respect? If you’re running on autopilot, you’re more likely to crash. Use the journal, remember – no events, names, or situations!

 3. Know Your Why – Know your ideal outcome and exit point. Let’s cut the bullshit; an outlaw motorcycle club is like a family business, and it should be treated as such – this hobby ass approach does not build powerful clubs; the combination of business and family does. The first thing a business decides is why the fuck they’re doing it, and their exit strategy. We all have an expiration date, and we’re here for the prospects that want to put the work in, not the ones that end up on a tell-all broadcast, talking about how terrible life is.

4. Mind Your Thoughts – Leave the baggage at home In an ideal world, you have a wonderful mind full of engine oil and long rides, but this is the real world, but it is your MC all choices, decisions should be made through the lens of the clubs best interest, you don’t need distractions, that’s what you’re there to learn at its core. Learn the method that helps you control your thoughts. It could be a distraction; it could be food, give some stuff a try, see what works for you. 

I don’t share all this because I know a lot, but I help you get your mindset straight from the beginning so you can thrive in your club. I hope it helps.

Summary

At the end of the day, this whole post is about perspective. Prospecting isn’t punishment; it’s a proving ground. Every chore, every test, every silent moment when you’re being watched is about more than work. It’s about showing dedication, learning respect, keeping your word, taking initiative, and proving. Because in this life, nothing worth having is ever given.