Me and two of my master buddies at the NSA Winter Conference last week.
Wow! It’s been a whirlwind week!
I am just coming back from a jam-packed weekend in San Francisco, California, where I attended the National Speakers Association’s Winter Conference. The focus of the conference was Business Symposium — pulling together 4 foundational pillars of a successful business: Legal, Finance, Operational, and Marketing. To say the least, my brain is full. Content is coming out of my ears.
Now, I don’t know about you, but sometimes I can get a bit overwhelmed from everything I learn at conferences. Overwhelmed to the point where much of the good ideas that I want to implement never go beyond what’s written in my notebook.
This happens to me over and over again. So this year, I decided to change that with the help of my magnificent mastermind group. If you’re not familiar, a business mastermind group is designed to help you navigate through business challenges using the collective intelligence of others. Napoleon Hill introduced masterminds in his book, “Think and Grow Rich”.
Me and two of my master buddies at the NSA Winter Conference last week.
How does the mastermind concept work? A small group of like-minded people meet weekly, monthly or quarterly, whatever works best for the group. They work to support each other, tackle challenges and overcome problems. They provide direction and advice to enhance each other’s businesses.
My mastermind group met right after the conference. We wanted to continue the momentum from the conference– chat about our takeaways and create a level of accountability for the things we want to take action on following the conference.
This can be a game changer for you and your business. I know that it has been for me. I encourage you to consider starting your own mastermind. Here are the three things you will miss if you don’t have a mastermind.
Collaboration and Connection
Entrepreneurship is often a lonely endeavor. A mastermind group provides a forum for you to bounce ideas off other folks who might have experienced a similar struggle. They can offer perspective and insights on your situation. Sometimes we are so close to our business that we can’t see some obvious changes to adjustments that can take us to the next level.
Accountability For Your Goals
Your mastermind buddies want to see you be successful. Part of helping you achieve that success is holding you accountable for what you say you want to accomplish. A good practice is to do a roundtable at the end of each mastermind session focused on the actions you will take before your next meeting. For me, this has been an important benefit of being in a mastermind group. Typically, I only commit to what I know that I can accomplish in between sessions. I don’t want to be the only person during our next meeting that hasn’t achieved my goals from the previous session.
Expand Your Skills
Everyone in a mastermind group is unique in skill, experience and connections. Everyone is an expert at something and as you interact with each other you will always be picking up new skills and talents, working towards a definite purpose, in the spirit of harmony.
Connect with your business buddies, association colleagues or work pals to develop a mastermind group. Choose people you trust. Pick people based upon a skill-set you may lack or are weak in. Commit to a meeting at a designated time each week, fortnight, month or quarter. Mastermind your way to success!
Leave your comment below on your experience with masterminds.