Mastermind Your Way To Business Success
Mastermind Your Way To Business Success
It’s the time that we look back at the carnage left in our wake over the past year and vow to do things a little different, maybe even a little smarter, in the year to come... yeah, right.
In our repentant little minds we believe that we can wreak havoc in our lives 364 days of the year and then on the dawn of the New Year come up with a bunch of resolutions that wash us clean of our sins so we can start fresh for the coming year. It’s like being a human "Etch-A-Sketch;" just turn yourself upside down and shake vigorously to wipe the slate clean.
While I’m a firm believer in goals, I’m not a big believer in New Year’s resolutions; mainly because it has been my experience that most resolutions are repeated year after year and forgotten by the time we sober up on January 2nd. Resolutions sound great rattling around in our heads, but when it comes time for the rubber to meet the road, most of us backslide off into the ditch.
As entrepreneurs, our resolutions often lean toward the business side of life. We vow to make more sales calls, to be nicer to our employees, to keep better records, to spend more time considering the bottomline - they are all resolutions you should be thinking about for the coming year.
One of your resolutions should be to network more; to mix and mingle with other entrepreneurs who are in the same boat you are; to find mentors who are ahead of you in the game and can help pull you up to their level.
One of my resolutions/goals for 2007 is to start a mastermind group. Starting a mastermind group doesn’t mean that I am assembling a team of super villains to plot world domination (that comes in Q3).
A mastermind group is a collection of entrepreneurs who meet on a regular basis to talk about their businesses. They discuss problems, resolutions, marketing, customers, trends, products - anything and everything to do with their businesses. The point is to listen to each other and offer input wherever possible, with the thought being that advice and ideas from other entrepreneurs will help you think of new things, solve problems, and grow your business faster than if you were doing all the thinking yourself.
So how do you start a mastermind group? How do you choose whom to invite into your group? Let me detail the formation of my own mastermind group and you can use that as a guideline for forming your own.
I started by making a list of those entrepreneurs that I did business with in 2006 that had the most impact on my business. For example, Paul Finley of FINS Marketing, has been my marketing consultant for a couple of years now. He not only handles all of my traditional marketing, but has also become my manager of sorts. He works to promote my columns and radio shows on a national scale and will be the point man for promoting my new book when it comes out in the spring. Naturally Paul was my first choice for the group.
Then there’s Jim Houk of DreamMaker Entertainment. Jim is my go-to guy for video recording and editing. Jim managed two large projects and several small ones for me in 2006 and proved himself to be an invaluable part of my team, so asking Jim to join my mastermind group was a no-brainer.
Next was Darin and Marianne Windham, of Windham Entertainment. I met the Windham’s when they were students in my entrepreneurial class at Biztech and we knew our businesses perfectly complimented one another. Windham became the booking agent for my speaking and public appearances and I can even book my travel through their website. Again, a no-brainer.
Then there was Robert Lutrick of VectorSuite Studios. Robert is who I rely on for graphics and photography. And Paige Rucker of Durham Advertising. Paige is an expert at media placement and one of the best marketers I know.
Do you see the thread that runs through here? These are all people who proved to me that they were true experts in their fields and that I could rely on them without hesitation. Each of these businesses also compliments the other; they are different cogs in a common machine.
Part of my goal in bringing these diverse businesses into the mastermind group is that they could also work together on projects that do not include me and thereby increase their own contacts, portfolios, and bottom line.
When forming a mastermind group start with those entrepreneurs you know well and do business with on a regular basis. Choose businesses that are complimentary (not competitive) to your own, that service the same markets and customers.
And just for fun you can add a little diversity by inviting in entrepreneurs that are not in your industry, but are seasoned business vets who are full of good advice on business topics in general. The point is to help each other, to get multiple brains thinking on one topic, and in the end to make everyone’s business stronger and more profitable.
So add starting your own mastermind group to your list of New Year’s resolutions for 2007. And if you only manage to keep one resolution, this should be it.
Mastermind Your Way To Business Success - To learn more about this author, visit Tim Knox's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
This is the time of year when our thoughts turn to ringing out the old and ringing in the new. It’s the time for wiping the slate clean and starting over; a time for new beginnings; a time for making New Year’s resolutions that, while spoken with the best of intentions, are usually forgotten by the time the black eyed peas are gone.
It’s the time that we look back at the carnage left in our wake over the past year and vow to do things a little different, maybe even a little smarter, in the year to come... yeah, right.
In our repentant little minds we believe that we can wreak havoc in our lives 364 days of the year and then on the dawn of the New Year come up with a bunch of resolutions that wash us clean of our sins so we can start fresh for the coming year. It’s like being a human "Etch-A-Sketch;" just turn yourself upside down and shake vigorously to wipe the slate clean.
While I’m a firm believer in goals, I’m not a big believer in New Year’s resolutions; mainly because it has been my experience that most resolutions are repeated year after year and forgotten by the time we sober up on January 2nd. Resolutions sound great rattling around in our heads, but when it comes time for the rubber to meet the road, most of us backslide off into the ditch.
As entrepreneurs, our resolutions often lean toward the business side of life. We vow to make more sales calls, to be nicer to our employees, to keep better records, to spend more time considering the bottomline - they are all resolutions you should be thinking about for the coming year.
One of your resolutions should be to network more; to mix and mingle with other entrepreneurs who are in the same boat you are; to find mentors who are ahead of you in the game and can help pull you up to their level.
One of my resolutions/goals for 2007 is to start a mastermind group. Starting a mastermind group doesn’t mean that I am assembling a team of super villains to plot world domination (that comes in Q3).
A mastermind group is a collection of entrepreneurs who meet on a regular basis to talk about their businesses. They discuss problems, resolutions, marketing, customers, trends, products - anything and everything to do with their businesses. The point is to listen to each other and offer input wherever possible, with the thought being that advice and ideas from other entrepreneurs will help you think of new things, solve problems, and grow your business faster than if you were doing all the thinking yourself.
So how do you start a mastermind group? How do you choose whom to invite into your group? Let me detail the formation of my own mastermind group and you can use that as a guideline for forming your own.
I started by making a list of those entrepreneurs that I did business with in 2006 that had the most impact on my business. For example, Paul Finley of FINS Marketing, has been my marketing consultant for a couple of years now. He not only handles all of my traditional marketing, but has also become my manager of sorts. He works to promote my columns and radio shows on a national scale and will be the point man for promoting my new book when it comes out in the spring. Naturally Paul was my first choice for the group.
Then there’s Jim Houk of DreamMaker Entertainment. Jim is my go-to guy for video recording and editing. Jim managed two large projects and several small ones for me in 2006 and proved himself to be an invaluable part of my team, so asking Jim to join my mastermind group was a no-brainer.
Next was Darin and Marianne Windham, of Windham Entertainment. I met the Windham’s when they were students in my entrepreneurial class at Biztech and we knew our businesses perfectly complimented one another. Windham became the booking agent for my speaking and public appearances and I can even book my travel through their website. Again, a no-brainer.
Then there was Robert Lutrick of VectorSuite Studios. Robert is who I rely on for graphics and photography. And Paige Rucker of Durham Advertising. Paige is an expert at media placement and one of the best marketers I know.
Do you see the thread that runs through here? These are all people who proved to me that they were true experts in their fields and that I could rely on them without hesitation. Each of these businesses also compliments the other; they are different cogs in a common machine.
Part of my goal in bringing these diverse businesses into the mastermind group is that they could also work together on projects that do not include me and thereby increase their own contacts, portfolios, and bottom line.
When forming a mastermind group start with those entrepreneurs you know well and do business with on a regular basis. Choose businesses that are complimentary (not competitive) to your own, that service the same markets and customers.
And just for fun you can add a little diversity by inviting in entrepreneurs that are not in your industry, but are seasoned business vets who are full of good advice on business topics in general. The point is to help each other, to get multiple brains thinking on one topic, and in the end to make everyone’s business stronger and more profitable.
So add starting your own mastermind group to your list of New Year’s resolutions for 2007. And if you only manage to keep one resolution, this should be it.
Mastermind Your Way To Business Success - To learn more about this author, visit Tim Knox's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 | |
 |
No article feedback found. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
 | |
| |||
Dianne CramptonDianne Crampton is an executive leadership coach, team consultant, author and president of TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Dianne has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down go here. - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website |
|||
Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
|||
Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
|||
David BarrDavid Barr is the President of Venture Opportunities, Inc. David has been a professional business broker/intermediary since 1980 focusing on General Business Brokerage and Mergers and Acquisitions representing client transaction value from $400,000 to $20,000,000. Mr. Barr has handled the sale of over four hundred and fifty companies. David earned a university degree from the State University of New York majoring in economics and business. David holds the Mergers and Acquisition Master Intermediary and the Certified Business Intermediary designations from the International Business Brokers Association. He is also a Senior Business Analyst and a Texas licensed Real Estate Agent. For more information about David and Venture Opportunities, visit www.bizdealmaker.com. - Visit David Barr's Website |
|||
Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
|||
Casey GollanCasey Gollan, Business Coaching & Mentoring Programs. Add $1 Million to $10 Million in the next 1 to 3 years. Since 1996 Casey has to added hundreds of millions of dollars to businesses. Watch a free video see client results Business Coaching website. - Visit Casey Gollan's Website |
|||
Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
|||
Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
 | |
|  |
Subscribe to Tim's articles
 | |
|
|  |
 |
|
|
 | |||||||
|
 | ||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
| ||
 |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
|
|
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
 |
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"
Click Here To Learn More |
|
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
|
 Vertical Market Ad Network CAN-Spam Checklist Reference Check Form Increase Sales SEO Today |
|
 | ||
 |
Top 50 Productivity Blogs
Top Blogs To Watch In 2008 | |
 |
Email The Reporters
Press Release Builder | |
| ||
 | ||||
| ||||
|
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
|
|
|
