Mastermind Group Resources

The New Year and Mastermind Groups

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Carmichael) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:22:00 +0000

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

So as the year winds down, many people are looking back at 2009 and forward into 2010. This is a great idea from both a business and personal perspective.

With that said, this is the time to look at your current mastermind group. Or if you aren't in one, consider joining one that can help you achieve personal and business goals for 2010.

Just like everything else in business and life, you should be measuring results with metrics as you go along in reaching your goals. Questioning whether or not your current mastermind group is still working or if it was working for you at all is important. Whether it was a free peer based group or a paid facilitated group, there is no use wasting your time if you are contributing more to the group than you are getting back, not getting the help you need to reach goals, or you just plain do not click with the group anymore.

If you have never belonged to a mastermind group, now is the time to think about the goals you have and the type of group that can help you get there while also being able to contribute to the other members as well.

So as we make our way through December, check back and see if you reached all of your goals, make your new list, set the metrics to know if you are making your way towards those goals and determine what your next move is going to be with a mastermind group for 2010.

Best of luck to you and your mastermind group(s) for a terrific 2010.

What is a Mastermind group to you?

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Carmichael) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:07:00 +0000

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

Someone asked me the other day what a MasterMind group is. The answer has evolved for me over the past few years I've been involved with one. At the beginning I would have said it was a group of people who were determined to advance their careers and enhance their lifestyles through meeting with other like-minded people. A simple answer, but that is what I believe my MasterMind friends thought of our group too.

Today, I'd say a MasterMind group is an important part of society that influences and affects various parts of culture as much as its members can undertake to become involved.

In other words it is more altruistic as well as self-serving.

Today my MasterMind friends are writing books for children and developing businesses to enhance people's health. I've also written books for children and started a charity to distribute caps to people who lose hair for medical reasons, such as cancer or burns.

Sure, we'd all like to make money while we're doing these tasks, but I know from spending much time with my group that we really see the good in helping others with our talents and interests.

These changes didn't develop overnight. None of us were in the midst of these plans when we started the group. It's pretty exciting to think where we could go if we continue to help people.

Have your goals altered somewhat since joining a MasterMind group? If not, maybe its time to think of how you can help other people with some of your plans. You'll never regret it.

Mastermind Group Focus

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Carmichael) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:48:00 +0000

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

I have to say that with the business coaching I do for technology business owners (IT consultants, engineering consultants, etc) the lean towards marketing and sales being just about the only important thing in a business from an operations standpoint is alarming.

Of course it's understandable as these are very important cogs in the wheel that many people are not very good at since they are completely different animals from the "technical" side of the business that they started the company for in the first place.

That being said, the operations side of a business has many facets that in some way tie into marketing and sales. These ties make marketing and sales easier to understand and more fruitful in the efforts taken to make them better. So it's a terrible mistake to not take into account things like client management, employees/subs, financials, metrics, revenue streams, exit planning and other pieces of the puzzle.

Why am I saying this? Because the mastermind group(s) you choose to be a part of need to address all business concerns. Whether that be one group for marketing and another for other facets or just one group that hits upon everything.

I hate to be the one that tells you this but a marketing or sales breakthrough that doubles your business from one year to the next can be more crippling than losing half of your business.

How? Let's take clients for an example. If you have 10 clients and you explode to 20 or 30 clients in say a month, can your business handle taking care of and managing this new load? Will your old 10 clients end up unattended to make way for the new ones eventually leaving you with 10 again in a never ending cycle? Do you have the in-house person-power and possible financial means to handle double the work load? Can you see where I'm going here?

Not hitting upon the whole big picture is truly doing a great disservice to your business, your personal well being, and your group members.

Please keep in mind that a business is a living, breathing entity that requires all parts to work together. So make sure your mastermind groups allow you to better and grow the entire business and yourself by focusing on the big picture.

Pitfalls of Peer Run Mastermind Groups

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Carmichael) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:14:00 +0000

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

In this post I'd like to talk about something that happened to me just last week with a peer run (unaffiliated) mastermind group I was involved in as somewhat of a warning to a particular pitfall.

I would like to first lead with saying that I have written about the differences between true mastermind groups facilitated by a paid mentor versus completely peer oriented groups. What happened to me last week is one of those things that are always a possibility.

So after being courted for a few months by a friend/colleague to join and participate in his current mastermind group I decided the members may be a good fit and the meeting structure of a half day once a month fit pretty well. The location was on the cusp of being a bit far for me but it seemed the group was worth it.

I attended my first meeting last month. After spending about 4 hours with the group and seeing how they worked with them doing their due diligence on me as well, I was happy and excited to get moving and attend the next meeting.

As required, I filled out the new member forms and exercises as well as began to participate in-between meetings with the other members via email giving feedback and such on the accountability issues of the others. All was good until 3 days before the next meeting.

This is when an email came from the person who started the group. He had decided that his time with the group was done for his own personal reasons. Of course this was a blow to the group but to make matters worse, it was his offices that we were using to hold the meetings.

So not only did the creator leave a huge hole in a small group that just took on 2 new members (I think it was now up to 7 after a year or so in existence), but 3 days before the next meeting we had nowhere to go. The only suggested place to go was brought up by the second in command of the group which now brought the location well out of my area making the group not worth attending any more.

To me, that was a lot of time and effort committed to get very little results. I knew going into it that this could always happen and due to the fact that this was a free peer led group that the possibility of volatility was always going to be there. Unfortunately it happened much quicker than anyone would have figured with no warning signs at all.

Please keep these pitfalls in mind when joining a group. There is no way to know when or if something like this will occur but understand that the possibility is always there without a mentor led group. I'm not telling you that these types of mastermind groups are not worth it, but I am saying that besides the extra accountability and educational pieces found with mentor led groups, these peer led groups are exposed to extreme volatility so be aware of it when joining one.

Obviously I also recommend looking into a participating in a mentor led group to get that extra edge it brings and to not have to worry about abrupt changes. The right group will be well worth the money as you will see it come back to you in many forms.

Visualize Success

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Carmichael) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:44:00 +0000

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

In our MasterMind group we have talked about the importance of visualizing our successes. We encouraged each other to "see" in our mind's eye the best-selling book we would write and "picture" the book signing with streams of people waiting to talk to us.

Hold on - that dream is so good I'm taking a few minutes to "see" it again right now.

(pleasurable moment)

OK, I'm back, full of enthusiasm for "picturing" more personal successes. If you've never done this, give it a shot. Don't leave anything out.

Start with what you'll be wearing. I feel most successful wearing suits, so in my mind's eye, I'm wearing a nice-looking wool, or, if its too hot, linen suit and blouse with comfortable shoes. As much as I like looking fashionable, comfortable shoes is one area I refuse to budge.

I have an ensemble in my closet right now -- one for each season since I'll be successful for more than the month of May! -- that looks good and which I feel good in. They are part of my picture.

Of course, I'll undoubtedly make enough money to have purchased a new suit by then. I could go a step further and find a picture of a suit in a store ad and put my head on the model and then place the revised picture on my visualization board, which sits in my office in plain site.

Next I'm checking my make-up and hair -- flawless. Funny how I critique each professional woman's hair on the news - if its messy, I wonder how neat her desk is. Probably no correlation, except to me.

In my picture I'm smiling at my fans and, though my teeth are not model-perfect, I'm using them to convey a confident spirit and happiness at what I've accomplished. It's okay to be proud of ourselves if we've accomplished something difficult like writing a best-selling suspense novel.

That picture in my mind is so stimulating and exciting I want to keep it there and have it happen in real life. That spurs me to think of new plot angles, perfect my writing, spend more time at it, and be kind to people in general. I think being kind is the root of all happiness and success.

What picture do you have in your mind's eye of your success?

If you don't have one, take a few minutes right now to create one. Don't rush. This is too important to miss a single detail. Enjoy the process.

Until next month, Take care,

Go Broad Or Go Niche?

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Carmichael) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:59:00 +0000

Guest Contributor: Michelle Rumney
Michelle's Posts - Michelle's Blog

This summer I've given a lot of thought to what type of Mastermind Groups I'd like to start or become involved in over the coming months. The question is, is it better to be in a general business group to reach the widest possible range of people, or is it better to narrow down the focus entirely and have specialised groups in particular niches?

Well, that depends mainly on what the purpose of the group is. It's so important when you join or start a group to know why you're joining or starting it. If you don't have a purpose or vision statement for your group, you may find that after 3 or 4 meetings, everyone's just turning up for the coffee - it better be good! Eventually, those who have better things to do will go off and do them and you'll lose the heart of your powerful mastermind.

So between you as a group, make sure you write a short paragraph about what your group's purpose is and read it out loud at the start of every session.

Keep on purpose!

Meanwhile, back to the question of to niche or not to niche. Well, this week, with all that new moon and new season energy around, I'm starting two new mastermind groups - one for photographers and one for writers. The writers want to improve their writing skills and the professional photographers want help with marketing and business development. These are pretty specific groups, niches even. As a coach, it's fairly straightforward for me to prepare some specific exercises and workshop-type activities to get the energy flowing at the beginning.

But will these groups be wide enough to really engage with the spirit of the mastermind, where diversity and difference all adds to the name of the game?

I'm trusting of course that it will - among the writers, there are those that have their work already published and those that are starting from scratch, there are playwrights, novelists, historians and new bloggers... everyone has a unique story and, going back to the group purpose, of course everyone can improve their writing skills, whatever their current level.

The photographers are more of a concern - with their aim of getting help with marketing and business development, even though, like the writers they all have a unique personal story, there's the danger that they will all be at a similar level in their businesses. How many already-successful-in-business photographers are likely to join a group that offers help in making a photography business successful? By defining the group purpose as it is, the ceiling of possibility is already invisibly capped.

What's needed here is a redefined purpose for the group so that it will attract the widest range of experience and diversity among its members as possible. Move the goalposts so that they are a far enough stretch for the people you want to attract and hopefully everyone will benefit.

What are your own experiences of the range within your mastermind groups?
Do you find the broader ones more engaging, or the specialist ones, where common problems are faced?

What have been your negative experiences, if any, within the groups you've been part of?

What have been your most valuable experiences, and what do you think was the most important dynamic within that group?

Please post your comments below...

Thanks, Michelle

Inspire Others

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Carmichael) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:42:00 +0000

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

I've started a new job this month in a public middle school working in the library as an aide. It is a challenge as I'm not used to working with that age group. Part of my duties includes teaching a library class to 5th graders. They seem to have different attitudes than when my kids were that age - more smart alecky! But after taking a few to the principal's office daily for a couple of weeks, we seem to have come to a sort of agreement. They behave and I won't report them. Out of a class of 25 I'm happy to say that other than a few altercations last week that were typical for the age (talking all of the time, tipping chairs), everyone is finally listening to me.

You may ask what this job has to do with a MasterMind blog entry. Just this - I'm using the class to teach the kids to read good books and use the library, both of which hopefully will lead them to clearer thinking and expanding views of life that will help them fulfill their life goals.

I tell them almost daily, "There's a big world out there. You don't have to live in our small town all of your life. Go out and see it. You can always come back if you want. Think of what you'd like to be when you grow up and then start getting good grades so you can go to college to see your dreams come true here or wherever you live."

We have a world map on the wall. Whenever a student in the class reads a book from another country, I allow them to put a push pin on that spot. I also have a globe so they can find out where the country is in relation to the US.

My husband and I told our own three kids that same advice and they are now living in Indonesia; flying airplanes for the Air Force and making the Dean's List at college.

As a side note, I was thrilled - and somewhat surprised -- to find Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill in our school library. This was one of the first books my MasterMind group read to inspire us to set goals. I'm going to re-read it and point it out to several 8th graders at the school.

Are you using your opportunities in life to encourage others to live their dreams? Everyone is in a place where they can inspire others.

Until next month,

Importance of meeting time and use of that time

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Carmichael) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:19:00 +0000

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

Very important aspects of being part of a mastermind group is giving to others in the group, learning in general, and of course getting your chance to speak your mind and get answers to your problems.

You and everyone else in the group need a chance to participate from both the asking and answering side of the table as well as receiving some pure education. A solid group will contain a set time to bring in an outside speaker for educational purposes and/or have the facilitator do this piece. If you are in more of a peer group, then the members should be volunteering for this time slot on a topic that works for at least the majority of the group.

On top of that, everyone should have adequate time to say their peace when it's their turn, without interruption. In my opinion, that would mean at least 10 minutes (2 minutes for an update, 2 minutes to ask/explain the question, 5 minutes to get answers and 1 minutes to state what the next goals are to be achieved for the next meeting). Break these down into percentages of time allotted and that should allow you to find out if a group works well enough to consider joining.

For example, if a group of 9 meets for 2 hours 1 day every month with 30 minutes slotted for education, then they have 90 minutes for group work. That should mean 10 minutes each to say their peace. You would be number 10. That spells trouble unless they are planning on expanding the group time.

See what I mean? Even if this is a free peer group setting, not getting your chance could mean getting slighted every month. Or at least someone will. That would be pointless at any cost.

Personally I like groups that do a half day with 15 people max. Or a 2 hour call per month group with 12 or less and the educational portion outside of the meeting. There are different ways to deliver the educational portions and the best way is to have it available remotely such as in a recorded webinar. That saves everyone time and allows people to ask the presenter questions without losing precious meeting time that is best spent putting your heads together to solve problems that are necessary to achieve goals.

The bottom line is that whatever the cost of the group, your time is valuable and you need to be part of something that's well organized, provides you with everything necessary to achieve your goals, and give you the respect you deserve with equal time to solve your problems as you are helping others as well.

A Change is Coming

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Carmichael) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:49:00 +0000

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

A change is coming for our MasterMind group. I've recently accepted a full-time position with a local school system. This means an interruption to our regular scheduling for our MasterMind group as we have met monthly for the past three years during a weekday morning.

As soon as I accepted the job, I notified my MasterMind members, expressing my regret at the decision but they understood working at a full time job was a good move for my family.

Our MasterMind group has been an important part of my life. My MasterMind friends have helped me grow in ways no other group has ever done. They have pushed me to get rid of fear and doubt. Every time I said I didn't think I was ready for some project or goal, they always said, "Why not?"

By the time I muddled my way through an explanation, it all seemed pointless. I then decided to try and usually ended up accomplishing it.

While suggesting to my MasterMind friends that possibly we could still meet occasionally on a Saturday morning to catch up on each other's lives, I know this may not work and it certainly will not be the same.

We will no longer come together as a small group to report on what we've done and what our goals are. That makes me sad.

I'm trying to stay positive about the change. Maybe this will prompt me to form a group in my small town. That would make it easier to meet rather than driving 35 minutes to the meeting. At this point I have no one in mind to form a MasterMind group with. It will have to be people who could meet on Saturday mornings as that will be my only time available.

No matter what happens, my original MasterMind group will always be important to me as I look back on the growth in my life in the past three years. Tammy, Laurie, thanks so much for your support and encouragement all of the times we gathered. You're great ladies and I hope someday to reach your level of achievement. God bless.

Peer Groups Disguised as Mastermind Groups

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Carmichael) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 19:43:00 +0000

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

Ok, so everyone has their own opinion. But from experience here's mine (even if I already told you this as it came up in conversation recently with a colleague).

Yes, the term "master mind" was coined by Napoleon Hill talking about the regular meeting of a group of successful peers to perform a "many heads are better than one" type of pow-wow. That was then though, and this is now. Not to mention the fact that this particular group of gentlemen Hill was referring to were already wildly successful people.

So taking all of these pieces into context, there is a difference between a peer group and a mastermind group. Unlike the small group of very successful people meeting in Mr. Hill's writing, groups today are successful, moderately successful and up & coming people with, hopefully, some kind of common ground looking to better themselves and/or businesses.

With that said, let's separate a peer group from a mastermind group. The main difference between these two terms is that a mastermind group is actually a group of people with a set of common ground meeting regularly (like a peer group) with a facilitator running the show. And I don't mean a facilitator in the context of just scheduling and running the meetings but also as a mentor and teacher.

You see the real purpose of the modern mastermind group is to make breakthroughs and get better. If you are sitting around with people at the same level as you or below you, you can't get any better. You can get some good outside opinions and do a little networking, but you can't get better. If you're thinking "well I'll just join a peer group where I'm the low person on the totem pole so I will get better", then you are correct. But it won't happen since a solid group won't let you in because you bring nothing to the table.

Suffice it to say that a peer group is good, but has tremendous limitations to it. But a mastermind group adds in that mentor/educator that has already been were you want to go and has friends in their circle that are at that level as well. They are there for you to tap that energy and information. That's why a good master mind group costs decent money. And that's also why anything but a very low cost or free peer group is most likely throwing money away. Medium to big bucks do not squarely fit a peer group.

Don't get faked out by a sign that says "mastermind group here". Make sure it's not a peer group in disguise where you are doing a lot more work than you should be for what you're paying for.

Try a well facilitated master mind group after experiencing a peer group and you will quickly see what I mean.

Reinventing Ourselves

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Carmichael) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 20:29:00 +0000

Guest Contributor: Michael Lipp
Michael's Posts - Michael's Blog

Every once in a while our group gets stagnant... Whatever we had stops working. So we basically call a halt. There is no designated halter. But whoever calls it somehow wakes up the rest of us and we begin to question ourselves and then reinvent ourselves and rejuvenate ourselves.

We have periodically lapsed into conversations that seemed to involve basic philosophies. So we modified our current format in the following way: Each of us had a few minutes to express our basic philosophy: our religiosity, our spirituality. Then each of us had 2 minutes to comment. (Given that there are now 7 of us, this will take more than one session.) Fascinating session. We all learned something, probably from each one of us. Certainly we all had formed opinions about each other, but then heard each of our own self evaluations.

The fascinating thing was matching our weekly actions against who we said we were, what our opinions were and so on. We haven't completed our first round, we only went through five of us. Then we'll reinvent a new weekly process. What's clear is that we've all discovered (or rediscovered) that we love one another and cherish the Mastermind.

Social Media Marketing

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Carmichael) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:18:00 +0000

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

At our last MasterMind meeting another member and I resolved to expand our spheres of influence by learning more about social networking. First on our list was Facebook. That very afternoon we both signed up and started adding friends. With my two 20-something daughters home for the summer, I knew I could count on them for advanced lessons.

Thus far, Facebook has been helpful in connecting with people from my past. We've shared photos and information about our lives. There's also in my opinion a lot of wasted information and time spent on this avenue of outreach. I'm not too impressed thus far with its possibilities for advancing my career. But I'm sticking with it monitoring my page regularly.

I did post a short note on it following our last MasterMind meeting, stating what a help this group has been to me. Two friends commented on it and want to know more. I've invited both to our next meeting. One is currently unemployed and available to meet with us for the first time.

My MasterMind friend and I also promised each other to sign up for Twitter. Having done that, I'm still wondering what the advantages here are. I'm not dissing it but realize I must be missing something as it seems to be all the rage.

Has anyone else used their MasterMind groups to delve into the world of social networking through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.? What help has it been to you? I'd be interested in reading your responses.

I hope everyone reading this has a wonderful summer.

Paying It Forward - Masterminding for a Good Cause

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Carmichael) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:33:00 +0000

Guest Contributor: Michelle Rumney
Michelle's Posts - Michelle's Blog

Last month I decided to introduce Mastermind Sessions into the mix within our new Women in Business network. Surprisingly, in a group of around 25 business women with all types of backgrounds and experience, all but one were new to the Masterminding process.

So, to 'prove' the concept and keep it fair to all participants for the first meeting, we agreed that we would focus for the whole of the 60 minutes available on a non-profit organization rather than someone's business; our hostess happened to be involved in a project in Africa and we reasoned if we were all to experiment in sharing and giving our insights and experience, then putting it into a good cause seemed the best way to start.

It was an amazing first challenge to test our Masterminding capabilities; The Shingirirai Trust is a unique grassroots development project in Zimbabwe, Africa, started by a handful of local women to provide education, food and community (and love) for the growing number of children orphaned by HIV-related illnesses. It's main problem is getting funding to keep all the good work going until they reach their goal of being fully self-sufficient. We decided to focus the Mastermind session specifically on generating marketing ideas for raising awareness globally about the project and securing funding for the Trust.

What could the power of 25 women Masterminding in a small seaside village in Spain do for another group of 30 women thousands of miles away in a rural community in Africa?

For me, as Facilitator, it was a daunting session. As you may have experienced for yourself, getting the number of participants right for a Mastermind session can be challenging - the energy and depth can change dramatically if there are too few or too many. I think an ideal number is 8-10 people. But in this case, I'd decided before we started that I wanted the whole group present so that I could show them how Mastermind sessions work and also so that it would be a shared Mastermind experience, rather than breaking off into smaller, more manageable groups. Was I biting off more than I could chew though?

The energy of 25 focused business women in one space is an incredible thing! Once they got started, there was no stopping them - ideas flooded from every corner of the room, from marketeers, from presentation experts, copywriters, project managers, sales and events organisers, artists and coaches. We worked out that between us we had over 300 years of business experience to draw on!! As the ideas flowed, I ran out of flipchart paper while I was writing them down, then I ran out again, and again... we kept this going for 30 minutes.

We took a brief pause and grouped the ideas into possible areas to focus on and then we started on the next phase - WHO do we know between us who could help with any of this? Contacts and more contacts... again the list was more than a single page of the flipchart could handle.

Finally, we concluded, our group batteries having worked in Supercharge mode for the whole hour - enough already! But what had we really achieved?

Within 48 hours, with the help of a small volunteer group that met after the session to work through all the ideas, three main marketing areas had been selected to focus on. And just four weeks have passed but there is a already a new web 2.0 enabled website/blog for the Trust with plans to enable online micro-donations, a dedicated marketing team in place to keep taking things forward and co-ordinate efforts, and a calendar of events and strategies planned already for the next 6 months. Tonight, there's the first fundraising event to celebrate this new phase of energy and help from outside. Next week the website launches in earnest. How this will affect things on the ground in Shingirirai remains to be seen, but all seems like a step change in the right direction.

Meanwhile, having participated and seen it all in action, I've had repeated requests from many women in the network to do some more Mastermind Sessions - this time on their businesses - as soon as possible, and we've scheduled 2 already for next month's networking meeting. I think then, we proved the Mastermind concept that giving, contributing and sharing your expertise and ideas feels good and does good.

So, what is the Masterminding power of 25 when put to a Good Cause? Try it for yourself - how about a Mastermind marathon? Bring in your own favorite non-profits, 3rd Sector Organizations or NGOs and offer them a Mastermind session entirely focused on them. Or team up with another Mastermind group in a different field and combine your skills. Invite a local charity and simply take your group off-topic for a session to focus on something right here where you are where together you could all make a difference.

The possibilities are infinite...

If you'd like to support or find out more about the Shingirirai Trust, please visit :
http://www.shingirirai.org/

Recession

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Carmichael) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:28:00 +0000

Guest Contributor: Kelly Smith
Kelly's Posts - Kelly's Blog

My husband and I have decided to turn the news stations off for awhile. It's enough that recession is staring us in the face, but to roll ourselves around in it continuously is just being a glutton for punishment in my opinion. We don't have to be oblivious, but it's there and we know it. Watching people lose their homes, their jobs, their finances and live in tents only to end each news story telling us it's not going to get any better just doesn't help.

The point of keeping in the right mindset is more crucial than ever. It's a key factor in building a business, keeping your finances together and helping your personal relationships as well. A mastermind group can be a critical part in keeping this right frame of mind.You are who and what you surround yourself by. If you are surrounded by positive, successful people, chances are you are or you will reach your goals successfully as well. If you listen, read and watch motivational and inspirational material everyday instead of listening to the gloom and doom predictions, you too can make significant changes in your life.

In our Mastermind group one of our core beliefs is the law of attraction and the power of a strong mindset. In fact, the Master Key System - a study guide of the Universal Laws released in the 1800s is just one of the books we recommend to people when joining our Mastermind group. In fact, that was the first thing a mentor of ours in our first mastermind group gave us and it changed my husband and I forever in a positive way. It helped us to understand no matter what challenge you are faced with, you can be what You will to be. If you have seen or read The Secret, the Master Key System is actually quoted continuously throughout to give you an example.

What does all this have to do with building a business? It teaches you to be in the right mindset of giving, not just receiving and gives you the ultimate tool called perseverance. Goal setting is a focus in mastermind groups and goes hand in hand with determination.

Now, because our mastermind group is focused on working from home and helping others to make money from home, we see this recession as an opportunity instead of a setback to help others to make money from home as well. The power of the mastermind group is to create a positive learning environment that can enable you to overcome any obstacle. But the first step is developing the right mindset and with a mastermind group you are developing that mindset together and surrounding yourself with the success that you set out to be instead of becoming another one of the statistics on a news clip.

True Self

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Carmichael) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:06:00 +0000

Guest Contributor: Kelly Smith
Kelly's Posts - Kelly's Blog

Have you discovered the other self within you? No I am not talking about multiple personalities. Many people call it, your true self. It's a self-actualization process many people go through when taking what others may consider the difficult road in life to access and realize of one's potentialities. I call it the high road to finding out who you truly are through introspection and putting yourself to the test.

Now, don't let me scare you, you may already be thinking, "That sounds a little scary." Yes, it does mean in mind and body you need to put yourself outside of your comfort zone, but there are some things that can help the journey be a little smoother.

The mastermind group can be a part of this intense progress and may actually help you speed up the process or at least make it a little bit easier. People usually join mastermind groups to work on themselves and discover their true potential and find a few surprises, some good and some not so good along the way.

Before we joined our first mastermind group, we truly didn't tap into any of our "hidden" resources yet. I wanted to learn how to speak in front of others and with the help of other members I found a voice and eventually ran company conference calls and found my passion. But, although I always loved speaking and wanted to learn how to tap into it, I never would have without fellow members basically getting me in front of the plate without even volunteering. I was nervous and sick to my stomach and after I was done with my first conference call with hundreds in attendance, I couldn't remember a word I said. But it was sooo worth it! If you are part of a good mastermind group, the others will push you where you need to be pushed and support you when the time comes.

I bet you know a few people in your life who you hadn't seen in years and totally surprised you when you discovered the person they had become. There are people I am sure from your high school class, no one knew or expected anything from who went on to do great things because they had discovered their true self and tapped into their potential or power.

What could be lying dormant in you right now?

How can we all improve?

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Carmichael) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:50:00 +0000

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

At our last MasterMind meeting we talked with a new person (known and recommended to us by 1 member of our group) who may want to join our group.

I noticed as we each provided information about how our group is conducted that one member commented that I tend to jump in with comments throughout the meetings, such as "Oh, and then this happened to me this month." This was usually after I had already had my turn to speak and relate such information.

Ouch!

I take this comment to heart. At our 1.5-hour-long MasterMind meetings, we try to give each person plenty of time to present our month's worth of information - goals accomplished, what's on our current agenda. When I jump in during , I'm interrupting another's thoughts and time allotment.

I'm glad this was made aware to me so I can correct this for future meetings. I also appreciate the other members' patience over the months.

Consider your MasterMind meetings. Are they conducted in an organized manner with each person receiving time to share? Are members respectful of each other's time and thoughts?

I plan to write down my thoughts for the next meeting and present them succinctly (I love that word!). Then I plan to listen well to the other members as they take their turns and keep quiet until an appropriate time to add something.

What part of your MasterMind meetings could members improve on for enhanced time spent together? It is good to learn this type of behavior and know we can do something about it.

Education Within a Mastermind Group

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Carmichael) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:43:00 +0000

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

People have different opinions as to what should or shouldn't be a part of a mastermind group and their meetings. Many of my posts have given my insights on the differences between a completely peer based group versus one that is facilitated by a mentor that has achieved higher level goals you are seeking.

I've also talked about goals being a large part of a group as well as the help to implement what it takes to achieve those goals and the accountability to make sure you follow through. What I thought was a good idea to touch upon today is education.

When looking for a group to join or if you plan on starting a peer based group or facilitate a group as a mentor, education must be part of the mix. Every meeting should have an element of education on a subject related to all members of the group. Or the educational part should be available on a self help basis such as a download on a website that is updated regularly.

A mastermind group is a tremendous source of rallying behind you in whatever you are in the group to achieve. But I promise you that along that path you and your fellow members are going to need to learn a thing or two to make it happen. Especially in a peer driven group with no mentor to facilitate.

This is actually one of the main short falls of a peer based group. Sooner or later, nobody is going to be able to answer your questions especially if you are all sitting at the same level of experience.

If you're in a group now with no educational mode, I suggest making it happen. Take a poll within the group and see what subjects come up as a "I don't know but I want or need to know it". Make the effort to put together material or bring in a guest as constant education is crucial to the owner of any business.

Taking the Next Big Step

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Carmichael) — Tue, 12 May 2009 21:47:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Carmichael) — Tue, 05 May 2009 20:32:00 +0000

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.

What skills has your MasterMind group taught you?

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Carmichael) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 19:42:00 +0000

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

Yesterday a friend, Kandice, and I were talking about a mutual friend whose son had recently been in a dirt bike accident and hit his head. the tragic news is that he may be paralyzed. The friend with me and I were trying to think of ways to help the mother and her family during this time. My friend said, "We'll put you in charge of the networking about this. You're good at that."

Really? I had not thought of myself as being especially good at networking or even being known outside of my MasterMind group as a networker. How did she know I networked? As far as I knew, this friend didn't even know I belonged to a MasterMind group, which I met in another city. Our friendship didn't delve into that type of discussion.

Even more interesting, why did she think I was a good networker? I've never really practiced it - I thought-outside of my MasterMind group.

In starting to think about my MasterMind group, I realized it has reaped benefits for me, including networking skills, outside of the time spent with the group.

Through the encouragement of this group, in 2008 I helped organize a volunteer group called Stitches of Hope (www.stitchesofhope.com) that creates beautiful handmade caps for people who have lost their hair due to cancer, burns and other illnesses (coincidentally it was with the same friend whose son was tragically injured). I say the MasterMind group encouraged me because when I told them about the organization, they never told me the idea was too big, too silly, -- too anything -- to attempt. That kind of support is hard to find in this world.

Since July 2008, our Stitches of Hope group has distributed 1,400 items to medical facilities in 7 US states. My co-founder and I have been interviewed on radio, TV, and via Internet. The publicity gained through writing my six children's books, which resulted from the feedback received through my MasterMind group, helped me prepare for these additional networking opportunities. Instead of being nervous so my voice shook during an interview, I thought of my MasterMind friends who thought I could do anything and proceeded calmly to give sensible answers.

I've already contacted our Stitches of Hope volunteers by email to fill them in on this sad development. When I asked for some of them to help me with mailing, stuffing and sorting, someone offered to do several of those tasks. That is a huge relief.

So I guess my friend Kandice was right. I am a good networker. Now I plan to use those skills to help my friend's injured son and her family with organizing the dozens of volunteers who want to help the family. I expect we'll have fundraisers to pay for the cost of transportation for the family to a rehab center across the country. That will take networking and organization, the same type I've used for my volunteer and other writing tasks.

What skills has your MasterMind group taught you that you've carried over to your private life? If you can teach them to others or better yet, use them to help others, you'll gain the maximum effect of the group.

Who You Know

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Carmichael) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 18:47:00 +0000

Guest Contributor: Kelly Smith
Kelly's Posts - Kelly's Blog

"Men take on the nature and the habits and the power of thought of those with whom they associate in a spirit of sympathy and harmony." wrote Napoleon Hill in "Think and Grow Rich."

Napolean Hill was the first to discuss the mastermind concept in this book. In this particular excerpt he was talking about Henry Ford's mastermind group and how Ford's most significant strides in success and achievements came to fruition when he befriended successful people such as Thomas A. Edison, Harvey Firestone, John Burroughs and Luther Burbank.

As a mother of two even though my own children are only 4 and 5 years old, I am already conscious of the influence other children's behaviors on them as children often mimic the children around them. When they become adolescents it will be in the form of peer pressure and as adults it often isn't much different.

Your own parents may have said things to you about certain friends you may have "hung out" with as an adolescent and you thought at the time your parents were being judgemental but in fact your parents were consciously or subconsciously preparing you for the future as we have an innate nature of fitting in with those groups we feel we may "belong with."

In fact, it's possible to elevate your own surroundings which will in turn elevate yourself. Masterminding gives you the control of your own destiny.

A mentor of mine said when you start your business the first thing you should do is eliminate all the negative people around you for at least 90 days. This may sound harsh now, but try it yourself. For 90 days.

Surround yourself only by positive, motivated, successful people. Joining a mastermind can be a great way to do this.

If you have been surrounded by negativity and sarcasm up until now, you will find a huge difference in that successful and positive people want you to succeed as well.

The phrase, "Misery loves company" actually holds merit.

Today is day one. Are you ready to take the wheel and be in control of your success?

What Kind of Mastermind?

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Carmichael) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 20:53:00 +0000

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

Just like many things in life and business, mastermind groups come in many flavors. What you are trying to accomplish will determine what kind to look for and ultimately join.

Of course, inside of the type or goal of a group, you then have to put into play whether or not you personally fit into the group. And that brings along a few other options to look at closely.

Take these questions into account:

Are you looking for a mastermind group that is industry based such as leaders of retail based or technology service based businesses?
Are you looking for one catering to CEO's of businesses with fewer than 20 employees?
How about one that only focuses on sales and marketing for small business?
Do you want a true mastermind group that is facilitated by someone that has already been where you are trying to get to or are you looking for more of a peer group with no real leader?
What about paid groups that cost $50 to $5000 a month versus ones that cost whatever it takes to eat breakfast in a corner of an IHOP?
Are you into face-to-face meetings, telephone meetings, or a combo of both?
Would you rather a mastermind group that meets for a full 2 days quarterly or just once a month?
Does once a month for an hour work or is a half day or a full day better?
How does the mastermind organization handle dealing with non-disclosure from the members?
What about non-competing members?
Do they encourage networking and joint ventures?
Is there a high level of educational material available as a mastermind group member?
What is the maximum number of members allowed in the group?
Once a group is started is the membership locked unless voted on to let new people in?
What's the minimum commitment (6 months, 12 months, 18 months)?

I could probably list out another 10 or so but I think you get the point. Mastermind groups come in all shapes and sizes with different nuances and focuses. For this same reason, those that believe in the power of the mastermind group for learning, support, accountability and camaraderie among like-minded people, often find themselves in multiple groups.

One last note here. Don't be discouraged if a particular group ends up not working for you. There will be questions you may forget to ask before joining a mastermind group before you realize a reason why the group is not for you. Sometime there are just too many personality conflicts to deal with that you could have no way of knowing existed. It take a commitment to make this work so you need to be comfortable in sticking around.

So good luck in your hunt for a suitable mastermind group.

Mastermind Retreat

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Carmichael) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 21:25:00 +0000

Guest Contributor: Anne-Marie-Faiola

Anne-Marie's Posts - Anne-Marie's Blog

Recently, our Mastermind Group went on a retreat. We rented a home (in a lovely warm climate) and went on a trip together. We didn't know what to expect but it turned out to a wonderfully cementing experience for us as a group.

Things that worked out well for us were:

Eating meals together - We found that our conversation was about theories, books we had read and exciting plans we had (rather than gossip or griping)

Working out together - We would go on walks or jogs and find ourselves trying to remember all of our goals from memory and making it a game to see who could shout out all of them, while running. That practice and activity really spiraled the energy up.

Diet - It was amazing to spend all day, every day, with the group and see what our natural diets were. Best practices were shared and now we're all doing goals around improving what we fuel our body with

Reading - The group was all reading different, exciting books and every day ended up like a mini book club lecture series with all of us sharing the best things we had read that day. The discussions that came from these intellectual mind dumps was invaluable.

If you haven't planned a retreat for your Mastermind Group, perhaps now is the time to step your group up to the next level of cohesiveness. It's easy. Rent a house. Plan some activities and let the rest come naturally. You'll be delighted with the results.

Year In Review Thus Far

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Carmichael) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:44:00 +0000

Guest Contributor: Michael Lipp
Michael's Posts - Michael's Blog

This has been an interesting year so far and it's just underway. We've expanded to 7 members and we are still figuring out how to reorganize while still growing in our individual projects. Ira has gotten his multi-million dollar business started. And the reason it will succeed is that it will save lives, making life safer for over a million kids a year. Sandy has re-organized his holistic health center and is busier than ever... Mark has booked significantly more business so far this year than ever before. Ron and Doug are more creative than ever and Mike has just landed a brand new job. I've had an emotionally difficult year, but I am attracting more and more good things into my life.

We are now looking to invent or discover a new project that we can all work on together - not as easy as it sounds. We are in three different states so geography is definitely a consideration. I think a first step will be to have a face to face day-long meeting. I'll keep you posted.

Are We There Yet?

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Carmichael) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 19:35:00 +0000

Guest Contributor: Michelle Rumney
Michelle's Posts - Michelle's Blog

I'm starting yet another new group next month. Is there any end in sight? How on earth am I going to fit it all into normal working hours? Do I have a strange addiction to formal arenas for communicating?

No, it's because I consistently experience the Value in forming and joining and participating in these amazing groups. It doesn't matter who the members are, or what walks of life or experience they come from, you will always learn from others in meeting, exchanging opinions, ideas, points of view and advice. Always.

I now 'belong' to three such groups, one of which was started by someone else, one of which was started by a friend and one of which I started myself. And I'm just about to start a fourth. All are unique, all are incredibly valuable on both a personal and a business level, and all of them demand a commitment in order to reap these benefits - the simple commitment to show up whenever they're on.

So, just as you think your schedule is maxed out and almost bursting at the seams, I challenge you to take another look at it and ask yourself when you could create an hour somewhere within it - maybe monthly, or every two months, maybe weekly or fortnightly - to network, exchange and think with others. It will pay you back tenfold - to step outside yourself and your own universe for just an hour, which is nothing in the Big Scheme of things - and see what comes.

Make your own contribution to solutions to the Global Crisis by co-creating something new, something that has never existed before -totally unique fresh ideas, using a combination perhaps of wisdom, experience (this isn't the first time there's been a crisis), enthusiasm, naive-ity, curiosity, objectivity, listening, questioning, business acumen, creativity, marketing, thinking out of the box, and too many others to mention...

So, even if you're already in a Mastermind group, or running one, think again... Are we there yet? Thank goodness, no.

Make time and enjoy the next bit of your journey.