There Is No Fast Forward For Business

Guest Contributor: Doug Emerson
Doug's Posts - Doug's Blog


My last post was about my mastermind group starting an experiment to review and study a popular internet marketing manual we had all purchased previously. Another form of a study group, the plan is to cover a chapter a week to take advantage of the wisdom printed on the pages of our only slightly used and slightly dusty three ring binders chock full of just under 300 pages . The discipline of the weekly mastermind group meeting is the force designed to pull us through the pages.

Here is the update.

We've made it through the first two chapters and will be discussing chapter three in our meeting this week. I expected us to be further along in the manual at this point and I'm disappointed in our progress in fast forwarding through the manual and putting more of the material to work for our businesses.

So what we have we been doing in our weekly meetings?

• Discussing cash flow crisis
• Announcing member's new book release and publicity
• Website makeover advice
• Pros and cons of various shopping cart providers
• The merits of starting a membership site
• Taking summertime holidays
• Regaining focus on the important things and ignoring the trivia
• Analyzing blog and newsletter numbers and their importance in marketing
• Speaking fees
• How to organize workbooks to accompany workshops
  

While I'm disappointed that we haven't been able to cram more marketing information into our busy brains, a review of the list above reminds me of the value each of us is getting from our membership in the mastermind group.

At first glance it may seem we have distracted ourselves from our earlier "chapter a week" goal to review the marketing material. But, since the purpose of our mastermind group is to be able to freely bring up topics for input, guidance and how-to at our meetings, my thinking was naive to assume the normal business of our meetings would be kept on hold while we dedicated ourselves to massive marketing efforts.

Our experiment proved what has been proved many times before. There is no fast forward in business. Just like building a wall, businesses are best built one brick at a time.