When it comes to success, it's all about who you know.
Hmmm, I thought that only applied to the outside world of traditional business? Nope. This is something my mentor taught me a long time ago.Meeting the right people can get you everywhere. It can help with referrals, specialized training and be the difference between finding ok business partners to excellent business partners who already have solid contacts of their own.
But how do you get to know the right people? Networking. And a mastermind group is networking in its truest form. A mastermind group can really elevate you and your contact list to a new level in this respect. When you join a group of people, you become connected to others and develop incredible partnerships and friendships.
You also develop a trust level with a select few that can really pay off in more ways than one. Although you are in different networking businesses or just different teams outside of the mastermind group you learn to help each other by sharing marketing tools, marketing ideas and a confidence in each other that if you're stuck on a computer program and contact one of your fellow master minders he will help you out. You start to leverage each other by sharing your strengths where your weaknesses may be.
That is such a powerful concept when you're doing business because it can otherwise be very difficult to start and run a home based business by yourself. Let's face it, no one is strong in every area. You don't have to be by yourself when there are so many of us out there also running a home based business. Because of our mastermind group, my business partner and husband, Brad and myself have developed incredible business contacts not just from fellow members in our mastermind group but their contacts as well. Without our mastermind group, we wouldn't have gained half the education we have from all of the incredible partnerships we know have and it keeps going like a domino effect.
Not to mention, it's resulted into some of our closest friendships. Who can replace that? We help each other with developing programs, tips on leads, give referrals, etc. These kinds of contacts are invaluable in the business world and can last a lifetime.
Napoleon Hill, in Think and Grow Rich, taught us that a mastermind can cause you to think bigger and challenge yourself to play on a whole new level. Having a mastermind group is becoming more and more common place for business owners. So why does it work? Here are five ways a Mastermind can help you grow your business.
1. See your opportunities from a different perspective. We often get blocked in our own way of thinking. A mastermind can help you see opportunities from a fresh point of view.
2. Get challenged to play bigger. When you see other people creating big business success, something gets triggered that makes us want to kick our game up a notch.
3. Be accountable. Often we can let ourselves down but to let a group of peers down is unacceptable. A mastermind group is a great forum for knowing that someone will notice if you don't complete your action steps.
4. Access to your peer's resources and referrals. What is a proven resource worth to a business owner? It's priceless. Referrals to tried-and-true resources save time, sanity and money. A mastermind group forms a very tight connection. The commitment to each other's success becomes the bond. You will get access to referrals you won't get any other way.
5. Feel connected to people who "get you." Entrepreneurs just want to feel understood. When you are in a group of your peers who "get you", your confidence increases and so do your results.
I came across a LinkedIn Answers site today about a LA Mastermind Group looking for 2 new members. It got me thinking as to what the best ways are to promote a Mastermind Group.
My first group was started through my existing network of entrepreneurs. They were people who I met with on an individual basis to discuss the idea and see if they had an interest in joining. We had our first 4 members join that group and it has slowly built itself up. We've now created 2 new groups as well.
I think it's a good idea to start with your existing network because you know them and can gauge how well they will work together and what everybody is trying to learn to grow their businesses. You need the right mix of intentions, industry backgrounds, and personalities to make it work.
After creating the founding team of 4 for the first group, we've expanded our promotional efforts to include:
Online - this blog, targeted niche articles on my website, a few related websites that target local groups
Referrals - this is always the best way to drive new members since existing members know who would be a good fit with the rest of the group
Media - I've created an identity as a local expert in Mastermind Groups and have done numerous interviews with the local media about the topic
How else have you promoted your groups or how are you planning on doing it?
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.
Guest Contributor: Kelly Smith
