Kristie T writes the Home Business Blog and recently put up a post discussing Dan Kennedy's nine critical elements for business success. They included:
Riches in niches
No one gets rich by themselves
Continual education and personal development
The power of direct marketing
Continually get new customers
Learn to write copy that sells
Ask yourself what is next in your business
Sell more to existing customers
And my personal favorite:
There is power in masterminding. If you don't have a mastermind group, you really need to get one!
Kristie knows from experience - she is part of her own mastermind group for moms and I am looking forward to reading more about her experiences!
I've been in mastermind groups for over 15 years. My first mastermind experience was with a group of friends back in San Diego, California where we focused on things like manifesting our marriage partners, finding our career paths and attaining our dream homes.
About five years ago I realized that as an entrepreneur, I needed something more. So I began a new kind of mastermind group that was focused on the challenges that all small business owners face: thinking bigger, moving past fears, learning from others what works in marketing and sales, etc. I quickly realized that I craved my mastermind time as a way to leap forward in my thinking and results.
Today, in addition to being a part of a mastermind for my business, I now also run mastermind groups for my clients. During our last Business Accelerator Mastermind Retreat in Phoenix, Arizona, some of the members were talking after the event about why it works. Here is a recap of the Top 5 Reasons a Mastermind Helps Them Thrive:
Brainstorming is more effective with more than one brain. Often our thoughts are limited to our current and past experiences. When you tap into the power of group experience, opportunities are unlimited.
You can't hide with in person accountability. When we follow our same old routines, it is easy to slip into the habits that have kept us in our current challenges. When you have a retreat to prepare for and you know that people are going to be listening to your updates, it's like a kick in the pants to remember to stay on track.
Other people's ideas can stimulate a healthy challenge. It only takes one new idea to put you on track for million dollar results. When you listen to how others think and strategize, it can help you grow and expand your "box" as well as challenge you to play a bigger game.
The realization that your obstacles are shared by many. It can be comforting to know you aren't the only one who has struggles and challenges. Many times a fellow masterminder's breakthrough can be exactly what you needed to hear.
Overcome isolation to thrive with connection. Dan Kennedy says, "Being an entrepreneur is the loneliest job on the planet." Most of us work alone from home. A mastermind can be a powerful way to stay connected, overcome isolation and a springboard for taking your business into new dimensions of success.
Your mastermind group is a wonderful place to advance your skills, help others and take advantage of the positive power that surrounds the group. It's a place to focus your energy and attain common goals. Different group have different meeting schedules whether it's once a month or once a week each meeting is important.
Actively participating in discussions is very important. It doesn't matter if you're new to the group or are just starting out on your path to your goals. Everyone has something to offer. Each individual is an integral part of the group.
What happens the other days, in between the meetings? Are you applying everything you've learned? Your road, whatever it is must be an ongoing process. Life throws many challenges our way. The difference between success and failure is based on how we handle those challenges.When you are faced with a situation that seems disastrous, with no solution in sight, you need to look to the mastermind within you.
Your mastermind group is with you even when you are alone. When you're involved in a mastermind group you get to know these people intimately. You know how they think, how they face their challenges. Reach into your mind, think about everything you've learned and discussed. You will find exactly the answer you've been looking for or at least a place to start.
Your mastermind might be about marketing, photography, business building or any kind of training. One common thread should be personal development. We are all changing and growing every day. Work on your personal development every day. It can be as simple as spending a little time reading a good book or listening to an audio. It's not only the people around you but the confidence you have in yourself that will help you conquer all the challenges you face.
James Ray, one of the teachers in The Secret, just launched his own coaching program called "Success Certain Coaching". I was on the live preview Teleseminar "Secrets of Success Certain Coaching", and he gave many pearls of wisdom on that call. If you missed his preview Teleseminar with Alex Mandossian on April 5th, you can listen to the replay.
The first and foremost statement James Ray made on the call was:
"The fact is people (in any field) who have good coaches always achieve more than those without."
We know that athletes, in any field, will never go to tournaments without a good coach. Most Fortune 500 executives have their own executive coaches, and more and more companies are hiring business coaches for their middle management too. Professionals in performing arts such as singers, dancers, screen play writers also hire coaches to help them improve their crafts. In addition to the acting coach, voice coach and writing coach, more and more people in Hollywood are hiring life coaches to help them manage their lives and get ahead in their careers. In fact, The New York Times printed an article about this new trend. You can also check out what other media have said about coaching and the coaching FAQ.
You might think that you can learn a lot of the same knowledge, principles, and tools from self-help books, seminars and training programs. Why hire a life or business coach?
Have you noticed that some people would tell you, that they've read all kinds of self-help books and gone to all sorts of personal growth programs, and yet, when you look at their lives, they are still "stuck" at the same place, by the same issues? The truth is, knowing something by concept or theory is one thing; but being able to apply it to your own life and sticking to the new thoughts & behaviors is quite a different story. James Ray stated on the call that, "Most self help materials focus on philosophy and concepts rather than thoughts, feelings and action to produce outcomes." And that's why they don't work.
No matter how much you know about a subject, if you cannot take actions to apply what you know in real life, it's not going to work for you. Not only do you have to take actions, in order to make permanent changes in your life and in your business, you also have to do it consistently. In other words, you have to make the new thoughts and behaviors into new habits, your new success habits. And since Dr. Maxwell Maltz has proven that it takes 21 days to form a new habit, you would need some kind of support system to keep you accountable and on track.
That's where life or business coaches come in. A coach can help you get clear about your vision and goals, create action plans, support you, keep you accountable and motivated until you succeed.
Alternatively, you can also join a mastermind group, which also provides support and group accountability. Depending on how the mastermind group is set up, how often you meet, whether there's a clear leadership, agenda and/or a focused common goal among group members, and how committed group members are, your result might differ.
Now, there's another option. Besides one-on-one coaching, group coaching programs are on the rise. Group coaching is a cost-effective alternative for those who would like to work with a coach, but can't afford the private coaching fee. There's also an added bonus of group accountability, in addition to the individual accountability between you and the coach.
Group coaching is a powerful option that works well for people who thrive on the synergy of working with a small group of like-minded people. I've noticed this trend that more and more coaches are offering group coaching programs that combine coaching and mastermind group. For example, Michael Port's Book Yourself Solid 15-Week Intensive Coaching Program includes two weekly conference calls with the coaches, and one weekly mastermind call with Book Yourself Solid Team Leaders, among other things. So you are working with the coach, as well as a small mastermind group as your accountability partners, throughout the coaching program.
Mastermind coaching groups are designed for people who have a similar goal or challenge. For example, get more clients, learn specific business skills, work on relationships, create information products, lose weight, etc. The overall objective for these mastermind coaching groups is the individual success of each and every participant. These groups are interactive and fast paced and are built on the concept of leveraging and growing from the experiences of the other participants. The group shares ideas, techniques and individual success strategies. Participants have found that the mastermind format dramatically increases the success rate for each individual group member.
In addition to the benefits of a regular mastermind group (support, synergy, group accountability, networking, referrals, etc), a mastermind coaching group offers even more because of what a professional coach can bring to the table. A professional coach, as the facilitator of a mastermind coaching group, can serve as an objective sounding board, bring a different perspective, help the group communicate and brainstorm solutions, offer additional resources and tools, and keep the group focused, motivated, and moving forward.
If you have a business or a personal goal that you would like to get support and accountability for, and you enjoy working with a group, then a mastermind coaching group, i.e. a group coaching program with a mastermind group component, might be the right choice for you.
Moving on from Procrastination Station - A person procrastinates, begins to feel guilty about unfinished tasks, and then avoids starting the tasks either to avoid the guilt or to avoid a rapidly growing workload. Fortunately, there are several tips and tricks to help beat the procrastination cycle.
Top 4 Opportunities in Domain Investing - With those questions in mind I asked some of my favorite clients, colleagues and peers (a mastermind of domainerati if you will) what they thought are the best opportunities in the domain industry right now.
Business Coaching Success in Miami Florida - Ninety percent of our coaching was done over the phone. We had weekly sales and marketing teleseminars, monthly on-on-one sessions (again via phone) and quarterly workshops with a mastermind group in Miami, Florida.
We will be facilitating our second Mastermind Group meeting in just a few weeks (23rd April) and we are all amazed at just how quickly 90 days pass by.
In my last post I mentioned that our dentists were a little concerned at the lack of formal agenda in the first meeting - so we are introducing a little more control second time around.
Our day will focus on 2 key issues:
1. Financial controls in their personal and professional lives and 2. Creating a support team to whom they can delegate the management of their businesses.
We cover these topics in our core programme at The Dental Business School - but over 9 years we have witnessed a gap between workshop attendance and implementation - they don't do the homework, even though they pay the fees!
So, with a focus on implementation, I recently wrote to my Mastermind Group members as follows:
We are focusing on financial controls and team-building so:
1. attached is a copy of the KPI spreadsheet from the 2004 MMG clients which is long overdue an update - so I'd like your help. I would like each MMG member to send me their corresponding figures from their last published set of accounts - the required figures should be self-explanatory. If you send them to me I will prepare an updated survey of the latest KPI's;
2. I also want to use the meeting to make sure that you are all doing personal and professional cash flow forecasts a la Mother of all Spreadsheets (MOAS);
3. And looking at individual associate profitability where that's appropriate?
4. If anyone needs help with the MOAS and associates then let me know in advance;
5. On the "team-building" front there are two things I would like you to do:
a. Prepare an organisational chart for the meeting (preferably send it to me beforehand) along the lines of the attached;
b. Most importantly (and this will mean you need to invest sometime and money before the MMG meeting) - go to www.kolbe.com and then to https://www.kolbe.com/all_kolbe_indexes/indexquestions.cfm?indextype=kolbe_a where you can take the Kolbe A on-line. This will cost you $49.95 so have your credit card ready for when you have spent the 20 minutes or so to answer the multiple choice questions;
c. Get your Kolbe assessment numbers and either print off the report or send me the results;
d. Your results will presented to you in the form of a set of 4 numbers i.e. 3 7 3 7 - and it's these numbers I am looking for before the meeting - why?
e. Simon and I have been introduced to Kolbe assessment on our Strategic Coach programme with Dan Sullivan's team - and it's a fantastic tool for team building - we want to analyse your own results with you at the MMG and then enable you to use this as a means of building your own team in practice. No messing - we think this is GREAT - so please take the time to complete the on-line assessment ASAP.
So you will gather that I have sent them a small set of Excel spreadsheets:
1. 2004 financial KPI's from the members that year;
2. Personal and professional cash flow forecasts as templates that they can plug their figures into and
3. An analysis of the profitability of the "junior" dentists they may work alongside.
Simon (my co-facilitator) and I know that these figures matter - and we also know that introducing our clients to the Kolbe assessment will be a revelation.
What can you do when there's only two: Is it still a mastermind group if everyone doesn't show up?
Life gets busy sometimes, and it's no different for folks in a mastermind group. While we promise to hold each other accountable if we don't show up, and ask each other for help to be on task and on time, sometimes the inevitable happens: someone misses a mastermind meeting. Sometimes, only 2 of the group show up to the monthly check-in meeting, and then what can you do?
What can you do when only 2 people show up to a mastermind group?
Well, you could pout, and complain about why the rest of the group isn't as committed as you are. Or you could vote the people that didn't show up off the island, Survivor-style. But what good would that do? Isn't the reason you masterminded with these folks is because you value their insights and opinions into your life?
So what CAN you do when only 2 people show up to a mastermind group?
First, take advantage of the fact that there are only 2 people on the call, and agree to end earlier than usual. Don't feel you need to fill in all the available time "just in case" someone shows up later. Chances are if they're not there at the beginning, they won't make it at all.
Second, spend EXTRA time focusing on the 2 people in the group's unique needs. This is a great time to make a personal connection, and catch up on why some goals may not be met, why some are changing, or what else you might need help with. Maybe it's a new business idea, a new logo, a new website, or just some new people. Instead of the usual 10 or 15 minutes a person, take 20-30 minutes per person, and really listen intently to what the other person needs. Take out your contacts, and see who you know who can help the other person achieve their goals.
Last, but certainly not least, agree that you will both follow-up with the members who were unable to attend the mastermind group. Share the meeting minutes, and remind the others that we are in this together, and that we are there to help, to work together. And that we still care about them, as people, as members of our team, and that we're looking forward to their unique viewpoint at the next month's meeting.
It's funny how a Master Mind group can carry over into personal life.
A good friend in my Master Mind group is a prosecuting attorney. This came in handy lately when I heard my college-bound daughter say she has an interest in law that takes place in a courtroom. In other words, she doesn't want to practice Elder Law or other types that are less confrontational.
(I'd like to take a minute to credit our local Teen Court group for instilling this interest in my daughter. It is a group of high school from different school systems who meet regularly to act as a jury of peers and mock court room for students who have gotten into trouble with the law. A student, for instance, who has a DUI will be judged by his peers as to his guilt and if he should be punished. The punishment is also set down by the jury of peers. It can include anything from 20 hours of community service to counseling with parents to paying back a shop owner for shoplifting good.
The teen standing trial agrees to go along with the punishment set up by the teen court system. The teens taking part in the court agrees to keep all of the information from the trial, including names of students involved, confidential. The court is presided over by a local attorney who volunteers his or her time to the proceedings.
My daughter has been a part of this group for several years and has assumed various positions in the courtroom, including prosecutor. She has never revealed anything about this process of a personal nature to her family.)
I wanted to encourage my daughter to think about pursuing law an an avenue of career. Since I am not a lawyer, nor have a member of the family that is, I looked to my Master Mind friend for help.
"Could I bring my daughter to meet you so you can give her some idea of what it's like to be a prosecutor?" I asked her recently by email.
She immediately wrote back that she would be interested in talking with my daughter and suggested some meeting times. We will be meeting with her soon.
My Master Mind friend is very focused on her career and family and yet, she feels the need to share that knowledge and positive view of life with others. Her one goal developed during our Master Mind meetings is taking physical form and may be available soon for an announcement.
Hopefully, I can help her in some way in the future.
Personal friendships are a great result of Master Mind groups.
Now that you have created a group, invited some like-minded individuals and agreed upon your meeting format, you need to decide on the meeting place and time.
Your selection of meeting place and time is as critical as any other decision that you will make in the formation of your Mastermind Group.It provides the context and a safe environment for the miracle of creativity that will blossom at your periodic meetings. Without the proper space, tools and setting the group will suffer mightily.
Frankly I am surprised to notice the impact that the setting (and tools) have on the process and value of the group. My experience tells me that larger groups function better and seem to require a more formal space.Conference rooms or private meeting rooms in some restaurants can work very well.
When our group was larger, we met in a member's conference room with a whiteboard and flipchart.Better for taking notes, making commitments and enhancing creativity.That worked very, very well.
We have tried almost every possible combination of time and location.We have met in restaurants, homes and offices.We have met in the morning, mid-morning, noon, mid-afternoon and evening.Our meeting time and place has changed as we have learned and to meet the needs of the constantly changing group.Each location and time has its benefits and detriments
For the past several years when my Mastermind Group has been smaller we have chosen to meet for breakfast at a local restaurant.We decided on early so nothing can get in the way.We feel that we are more in control of our time if all we have to do is our morning routine, get in the car and get to the meeting on time.We do not have a whiteboard nor a flipchart.My group is small enough for each of us to take notes make the creative lists described in another post.
We found that any time other than first thing in the morning caused problems as certain members have challenges in being prompt for appointments.They are either late or need to leave early for their next appointment/meeting.
Take this post to your group and allow them to participate in the decision on meeting time and place.You will be pleased with your new group and home.
Being Perceived As An Expert - By my definition, expertise is just another word for knowledge. How do you acquire knowledge about your field or industry? Two of my favorite ways are: 1- Keeping in touch with others in my field (you can join a mastermind group or online forum) and comparing and exchanging ideas
I met with a new potential member for one of my Mastermind Groups earlier this morning and we were discussing how the groups are really an informal board of advisers for the members. Who do you turn to for advice when you need help? Most entrepreneurs cannot ask their employees and their families are supportive but do not have the business background to provide suggestions.
This is where a Mastermind Group comes into play. Having a group of other business owners who are going through or have already gone through the challenges you are facing is the best way to solve your problem. Learn from the experiences of your peers to help you reach your goals much more quickly.
How often do you feel alone? How often do you have exciting news to share, and yet feel you have no one to share it with-either because the people around you wouldn't understand, or you're afraid they may burst your bubble?
I can't stress enough that it is key to find a MasterMind group. Find one or create your own.
You not only need others who are on the same path, on the 'same page' if you will, to share your successes (and struggles) with, but you also need to surround yourself with people who have been there and whom you can follow in their footsteps.
Just as you are what you eat, you also are what you surround yourself with. Surround yourself with disgruntled employees, and soon you'll be disgruntled. Surround yourself with depressed people, and soon you'll feel depressed. Surround yourself with overeaters, and soon you'll find yourself eating too much and gaining weight.
But surround yourself with successful, rich, happy, creative, and abundant people, and, well... you get the idea!
Closely held businesses and transition issues - Connect with other leaders. You might join a Mastermind Group, a Vistage group or Young Presidents' Organization where you can continue to learn among a group of non-competing peers. Or consider forming an advisory board of business leaders with whom you can test ideas and be accountable for results, and from whom you can receive input.
Has your experience with MySpace been {ahem}…less than positive? - Personal Development Partners is going to change all of that by providing a simple, yet powerful interface that will allow you to find and network only with people who are willing to work together in partnerships and/or "mastermind" groups so that everyone gets what they want out of that relationship.
Master Mind Group for Real Estate Investors (santa cruz) - I am looking for like minded people in the SC and surrounding areas wanting to create a Master Mind Group or Success Team for Real Estate investing anywhere there is an opportunity.
A challenge that many entrepreneurs face is that they spend so much time in the day to day operations of working with suppliers, partners, employees, investors and customers that they are no longer able to think about the big picture and where they want to take the company.
This is one of the advantages of having a Mastermind Group. While some of the questions that come up in our meetings are operations related (how can I handle this problem customer?) most of them are more strategic. We'll talk about launching new product lines, going after investment capital, and getting into new businesses. Because your Mastermind Group members are not involved in the day to day operations of your business they can provide you with an objective view of if your plans make sense or not.
Jim Palmer discussed this idea in a recent blog post of his:
What is a mastermind group? It can best be described as one part board of directors and one part peer-advisory group. A mastermind group is a group of like-minded individuals who come together to contribute to each others' success in a spirit of harmony and partnership. The POWER of the mastermind experience is that it can lift your mind and vision to enable you to see things that you otherwise could not, most likely because you are too close to your business.
Here's the real secret - great minds don't always think alike! That's why the best leaders turn to mastermind groups. Just imagine sitting around a table with successful people from many different fields and walks of life, and having them freely, openly, and confidentially share what they would do to grow your business. My mastermind group is responsible for me starting my third business, which I will tell you about in the near future. So what are you feeding your mind? Drop me a note and let me know; I'd appreciate your recommendations.
Associate with Successful People - Birds of a feather flock together. The rich associate with successful people; the poor often associate with unsuccessful people.
Pre-construction Investment | Preconstruction Investing - In addition, we have found that by pooling together the buying power of a group we can get much better access to really good investments. It is for these reasons that we at GetPreConstructionDeals.com have created our "Mastermind Group."
Network The Mastermind - Masterminding involves brainstorming AND networking. For a group to succeed in mining the mastermind principles it must exist in a spirit of harmony.
I recently joined another Master Mind group, this one more structured and professionally facilitated by a wonderful small business expert here in my area of Southern California. It is so different from my other 2 groups, yet similar in all the important ways, that I could not pass up the chance to participate. It is specifically geared toward small business owners who need a support system of like minds to help brainstorm any kind of business issues.
Here how it works: We meet once a week at an appointed time and location and go around the table sharing what accomplishments or big events have taken place over the last week. Then we break into small groups of 3 or 4 and have 10 minutes each to bring up a specific challenge we need help with and have others brainstorm solutions and ideas. At the end of the 10 minutes, we have to commit to an Action Step that we will take by next meeting. Better yet, we have to write that down on paper and turn it in to the facilitator! Powerful stuff. So not only are we like minds exchanging ideas and learning from each other, we're holding one another accountable for making progress in our businesses.
Back in 1937, Napoleon Hill was well aware of this power of Master Mind groups. In his book, Think and Grow Rich, he talked about the richest industrialists of the day who knew about the power of this type of group. Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and Harvey Firestone were all Master Minders. What power they harnessed with each other and what success they achieved!
Today, we have this very same tool available. One of my groups is comprised of entrepreneurs like me in the Career Coaching business, all of us in different parts of the US and Puerto Rico - we talk specifically about our practices and client matters. The other is a group of 3 women locally, who have different career paths, yet similar spiritual philosophies and ways to support each other in whatever life issues we need help with. Now my third group provides even more emphasis on goal setting for my overall business success.
It's simply a matter of finding people who have similar goals as you, are willing to meet regularly to support each other, and build trust through confidentiality. Then creating goals and action steps (preferably writing them down) holding each other to the task of completing them, and then proceeding along the path toward progress. The sky's the limit on what you can achieve personally and in business when you put your head together with others!
So are you part of a MasterMind group? - I have been studying MasterMind groups for more than a decade now and have formed 2 that I participated in as a member and I have helped many executives form and recruit for MasterMind groups of their own.
When Millionaires Talk, Are You Listening? - Be around others who are successful. Find a mentor. Start a mastermind group of people who want to achieve more in life and will challenge and hold each other accountable.
The 10 Habits of Highly Successful Entrepreneurs - An entrepreneur requires the support of others for success. Napoleon Hill refers to this as the "Mastermind Group". I highlighted this characteristic in my recent article "Death of the One Person Startup".
Have A Blast! @ Whizzo.ca - I have also included a presentation I created to promote joining my team. In the spirit of Napoleon Hill's Mastermind Group, I am looking for 4 entrepreneurs with a like-minded focus on profiting from the incredible growth in Wellness products.
Read Your Way to Business Success - Joe Vitale is just plain amazing. He doesn't know it yet, but this guy's in my "Imaginary Mastermind Group." Learn how to master the most important skill for internet entrepreneur's - writing for persuasion. Get the book that started it all, or check out the original ebook version.
An important part in every entrepreneur's goal setting initiatives is to clearly lay out what success means to you. Everyone will have a different answer and the only correct one is the one that fits your business and lifestyle.
Is success running a multi-million dollar company? Is it freeing up your time to spend with your family? Is it being able to give back and support your community?
A great way to leverage your Mastermind Group is to have them help you clarify what success means to you. Bounce ideas around and use their responses as a temperature gauge for what feels right. If you get a clear understanding of what success means for you it will be a lot easier to set your goals and take steps to accomplish them.
Ronald Finklestein recently wrote about success and suggested that there are 6 attitudes that must be present for you to achieve success.
I came across a press release today from the National Association of Women Business Owners who are recruiting for a Mastermind Group initiative.
There are two things that I liked about this release.
The first is that they outlined some of the benefits / criteria for joining which were: --wish you had a board of advisors whose expertise and advice you can trust --welcome support from like-minded business owners --wonder if you're making the right business decisions --would like to grow your business but aren't sure how --want to feel re-energized and motivated
The second is the way that they recruit members. They hold an event to introduce the Mastermind concept to people. It's over breakfast where everyone pays for their own meal. Reservations are not required and it's a chance for the potential members to meet the organizers and understand how it works.
I always do my meetings one on one after the candidate has had a chance to review the website. I find that is it more personal and easier to screen to see if the candidate would be a good fit or not but this is an interesting approach and one I thought worth sharing!
Ed Sykes had a great post in his blog on how to create a "Goal Medal" Life. The point of his entry is to follow the example of Olympic athletes and create goals for yourself that you work towards and accomplish. His 5 tips are:
Create Passion with Goal Setting
Believe in Greatness
Embrace Challenges
Don't Ever Give Up!
And my favourite... Create a Mastermind Group
There is a saying, "A wise person learns from his own mistakes, a wiser person learns from other people's mistakes." That is what a mastermind group will do for you. Winning athletes have a mastermind group so that they will make fewer mistakes and take less time achieving their goals. A mastermind group is an assortment of people dedicated to give you the best advice, feedback, training, etc., so that you can achieve your goals faster. The mastermind group also gives you encouragement when needed. In sports, this might be a coach, a trainer, a physical trainer, manager, and agent. In your situation at work, it might be the following:
* A mentor that has intensive corporate knowledge and can maneuver you around "corporate landmines"
* A human resources specialist with thorough knowledge of skills needed for a promotion
* A manager that wants to showcase your skills to impress their manager
*If you are thinking about or have already started a business, it might be the following:
* Lawyer(s)
* Accountant
* Tax expert
* Business associate in non competing field
* Retired executive
* Association leaders
* Customers
Note: Be very careful about whom you allow in your mastermind group. Ask yourself, "Who can help me achieve my goals through skills, knowledge, and honest feedback?" Honest feedback is the key. You don't want "yes" people around you; you want people that will give you positive feedback that will set you back on course for success.
The larger numbers of self employed working solo from home these days are finding the absence of opportunities for thoughtful business conversation often hampers their personal progress.While the environment for concentration on work in the home office can be optimal, short of interruptions by the dog or thoughts about the snack contents of the kitchen cupboards, focus can be hampered with lack of stimulation by new thoughts or a helpful nudge with sticky problems.Chance opportunities for discussion that once existed in corporate jobs, have vanished.
A mastermind group provides an excellent opportunity for a break from routines, a safe and comfortable place to test new ideas and solve problems and the opportunity to have a spirited conversation.And that is a different kind of conversation than the type you have with your customers.
Participating in a mastermind group removes chance and replaces it with certainty for an evolving and improving business.My telephone meeting mastermind group has become my virtual water cooler: a place to take a break, hang out for a few laughs with friends and become refreshed.
S.M.A.R.T. versus I.T.O.C.A. goals - Get the idea out of the abstract and into the concrete. Form a mastermind group and kick around ideas. Make it real.
How To Profit From The Internet - Meet regularly, discuss ideas, questions, problems frankly; support each other. Before you know it, your online business will surge forward because you will no longer be doing it alone.
As I have discussed before, the Mastermind concept comes from Napoleon Hill's book Think and Grow Rich. Anybody considering creating or joining a Mastermind Group should pick up a copy and read it cover to cover.
If you are still unsure, I came across a good book summary by blogger Tang Chea Hian. It gives a chapter by chapter breakdown and overview of the main points covered. There is enough information here to introduce you to the primary concepts and whet your appetite to learn more and get the book.
EvanCarmichael.com is the world's #1 website for small business motivation and strategies. Evan also runs a series of successful Mastermind Groups in Toronto for entrepreneurs.
