Taking the Next Big Step

Guest Contributor: Kayleen Reusser
Kayleen's Posts - Kayleen's Blog

When my MasterMind group first began, I wrote solely magazine and newspaper articles. Something inside of me rebelled against the thought of writing a book. "It's too big of a project," I told my MasterMind friends when they inquired if I had ever considered it. We had all met as members of a local writing critique group and my MasterMind friends were working on books of
their own.

"I don't want to take on that much research," I protested. "My attention span is too short to stay with a project of that length. I need to earn money that will arrive next month."

My litany of excuses went on and on. I got tired of listening to myself. It wasn't that my MasterMind friends nagged me. It was more like me having to account to them why I was not challenging myself with more difficult projects than magazine and newspaper stories.

Having published more than 1,500 articles, it was fairly easy to come up with a lead sentence, find good quotes, put together a query and perform other pts of article writing.

So I signed up for a children's writing class at a local university. I had never written anything for kids, but thought it was an honorable form of writing. The instructor told the class of a certain publisher that might be willing to give new authors a try.

I thought, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained," and contacted the publisher. Long story short, they liked my sample of work, assigned me a biography of Taylor Swift, the country music star, and my first book entitled "Taylor Swift" was published Summer 2008.

Now I've written five other books for the same publisher (Mitchell Lane) and hope to see them published this year.

The funny thing is, a writing friend and I are now working on a mystery novel. We've never done it before and I don't really know what we're doing, but we're enjoying the thrill of a new genre and new type of project. I love mysteries and would really like to have written a good one during my lifetime.

I give the credit to my MasterMind group for inspiring me to take this next
big step in my life.

Can you think back to a challenge your MasterMind group has offered you that you may have fought, but now know would be a good one for you to embark on?

Enjoy the challenge!

Lonely at the Top

Guest Contributor: George J. Sierchio
George's Posts - George's Blog

In a business of any size, the top dog is often left pretty much alone. In a huge business that may be out of fear of the ultimate leader or inaccessibility in an ivory tower set up or something of the like.

In the small and micro business world it's often because you are probably the only actual executive in the company and/or the biggest stakeholder. You went into business because you wanted to be where the buck stops. But very few people going into business for themselves thinking they will be in isolation.

The people that work for you are not your friends (at least they really shouldn't be). Partners can often not be the best people to lean on especially if the issues you are having are with a particular business partner. Family and friends... well you never know how they will react to certain things related to the business so you can't count on them to talk to.

Well, I guess that's where the term "it's lonely at the top" comes from. If you look at it from a pyramid stand point, there's nobody above you to turn to, nor anybody else around you, in terms of the business. So where do you go to be surrounded by like-minded entrepreneurs on a regular, reliable basis? Mastermind groups.

Keep this in mind when you are thinking of the best expenditure of your time and money (for paid groups led by an expert business facilitator). If you had to pick somewhere that you could spend 1 day a week for a couple of hours or 1 day a month for half to a whole day, a mastermind group is a good choice.

Peer interaction, networking, joint ventures, education, sounding board for ideas, an environment to encourage new ideas, accountability... where else can you really get that on a scheduled basis? I can't think of any.