Well, it’s day #1 of my new life out of corporate America. Quite surreal!
Looking back on this journey, I can honestly agree with business expert Pat Flynn who once said:
“A mastermind group is mandatory to achieve online success.”
What the heck is a ‘mastermind group?’
The concept is new to most, though Napoleon Hill wrote about it 70+ years ago in his book, Think and Grow Rich.
A mastermind is a group that meets in a structured format weekly, monthly, or even daily — to share advice, tips, strategies, and even do business with each other if appropriate.
It’s peer-to-peer mentoring at it’s finest, and if you’re fortunate enough to get in one, you’ll likely see a marked improvement in you and your business.
My mastermind got me a foot in the door with a major book publisher.
Long story short, I landed a speaking engagement at a conference through my mastermind. In the audience was the president of a legitimate book publisher who recommended I pitch him a book idea. When I was struggling with a title for that book idea, my group came up with the title for me. Wow.
They also gave me strategies to launch a coaching course that yielded over $6,500.
A mastermind group is the gift that keeps on giving. I’ve also benefited from:
- Joining an exclusive community
- Camaraderie
- Accountability
- Rapid acceleration of my network
- Killing my “tunnel vision”
- Cross-promotion
- Bigger belief in myself
How to find a group:
1. Start your own. I’m doing this because I want to add value to other coaches / consultants and help them grow their business. If you’re interested in joining me, click here. Applications open until September 4th.
2. Ask others. Reach out online, or find others in your niche if they know of any you can join. You might be surprised.
3. Use Meetup [dot] Com, a cool place that connects like-minded people from a variety of interests. Search for groups either in your niche or neighborhood.
You can’t afford to play by the old rules.
When I made a ‘career pivot’ in 2012, I was in for a shock:
- No one was willing to ‘mentor’ me for free anymore.
- No one opened doors for me based on my ‘potential’.
- No one voluntarily guided me through these life transitions.
The rules of the game had changed. I needed a new network, new associates, and new mentors.
But I believed it would take a long time to happen organically (that was important to me, I’m a relational person, not a ‘user’ of others). I didn’t think there was a way to expedite this.
The solution: the right mastermind allows you to grow your network organically and quickly. It works because the starting point is much deeper and intentional than most.
All groups are different, and it might take a few tries for you to find one that clicks.
If you have a coaching, consulting, or thought leadership business and are 35+ years old, consider joining my group here.
A number of folks have already applied. If your app looks good, we’ll chat 1-on-1, no obligation, to see if it’s a good fit.
My group isn’t for everyone — the good news is there’s group out there for anyone and everyone. Try the approaches I outlined above.
Make getting into a mastermind group your #1 priority this fall.