When I first started my business I knew I needed help but I had no idea where to go or who to ask. Perplexed, I kept trying networking groups, teleseminar programs, at one point I even considered some of the traditional government-run small business centers.
I felt like Goldilocks. Each option was either too stodgy and “brick and mortar”-based, or felt cheesy. Plus, many of the avenues I researched seemed focused on slow growth, charging by the hour and other business no-no’s that I knew weren’t right.
Finally, while attending an event a few years ago, I was introduced to the idea of joining a high-end Master Mind. I watched in fascination as more than a dozen people signed up for a program that, at the time, seemed “priced to the nines.”
Intrigued, I did my homework and found out why being in a high-end Master Mind pays off. Frustrated at the slow growth in my own business, I gulped, filled out an application and joined a high-end program. Within 90-days I had tripled my income. Coincidence? I don’t think so.
Since then, I’ve been a believer! Now, not only would I never not be in a high-end Master Mind, but I’ve become a recognized expert at leading my own Master Minds, plus teaching my clients how to add this profitable income stream to their business.
Here are my personal, top 5 ways a Master Mind can pay off for you. Plus, the #1 “no-no” you must never do when joining a Master Mind.
Tip #1: Join A Master Mind With Members Who Are MORE Successful Than You
Your ego may not like this but if you’re going to get the maximum value from a high-end Master Mind, you must surround yourself with others who have walked the path ahead of you. And please don’t worry that you won’t “have anything to contribute.” As long as you show up powerfully and authentically, you’ll offer plenty of value to the others in your group.
Tip #2: Choose Your Master Mind Leader Carefully
My mom taught me to always learn from the best. Which is why I carefully choose my Master Mind based not only on the successful track record of the leader but also on whether I resonate with their energy. I need to know they’re going to push me beyond my comfort zone, challenge me to stretch into new levels of success, but do so in a way that feels supportive and collaborative.
Tip #3: The Bigger The Investment The Bigger Game You’ll Play
I’ve always invested more than I thought I could “afford.” Reason is, if the amount you’re investing doesn’t take your breath away (at least a bit!), you won’t take the program, or yourself, seriously. Simply put: the more you invest, the more you implement.
For example: last year I invested 6-figures to be in a Master Mind. Believe me, that took my breath away, big time! Making that leap caused me to immediately step up, raise my fees, launch a new program, then launch a high-ticket info product that had been languishing on my to-do list for months. That launch alone turned into a multi 6-figure pay day.
Tip #4: Be Willing To “Undo Your Knitting”
Being flexible and having a beginner’s mind will help you stay open to the creativity and feedback of your Master Mind group. It’s not unusual to go into a Master Mind with one business but come out with another. What’s both powerful and cool about this is that the business you end up with is the one you knew in your heart you wanted to create in the first place, but were afraid to.
High-end Master Mind members will instantly see what’s possible for you, what your truth is, and where you may be hiding out. Not only will they call you on your “stuff” (ahem), but they’ll help you with ideas and resources to make your product and program launches succeed far beyond your current vision.
Tip #5: Focus On The Transformation You Desire, Not The Amount Of Time Invested
A high-level Master Mind is not the place to be looking for the “super size me” option. While I highly recommend choosing a program that includes private coaching, the amount of coaching included isn’t what will produce the transformation you desire. What will, is the collective ideas, feedback and “pull” forward you get from the group.
The Biggest “No-No” In Choosing Your Master Mind Program…
You must pay to play. Creating a Master Mind where no one pays does not pay off. There is simply no substitute for stepping up and investing in yourself in this way. Stepping up creates a powerful transformation within you that immediately shows up for you in your business.
Last tip on how being in a high-end Master Mind pays off? If you want to offer these types of programs in your business (and I highly recommend that you do), then you must be in one yourself. Otherwise, offering your own won’t give you the experience you need, nor will it be authentic.
Considering that my clients routinely end up bringing in six figures per Master Mind program they launch, the investment in participating in one themselves is truly a wise one!
Article Source
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
11 Tips for Successful Mastermind Groups
Smaller mastermind groups allow for more personal interactions and are less likely to cause conflict.
Don't focus meetings on any individual. Everyone should get equal attention each time you get together. This means its less of a problem if a member doesn't show up too much.
Have a cool down period after the bulk of masterminding is done. Go to a local restaurant or just starting blabbing on about random things.
If you don't look forward to a mastermind group you're doing it wrong.
A notebook is a handy tool to have with you even if you don't plan to write anything down.
You should feel 100% comfortable with the people you're masterminding with. Our mastermind group is made up of people I was at school with every day for 6 years. We'd even hang out at recess + lunch and just talk about this kind of stuff.
Bring your expertise to the table. I'm the guy that can make websites (and damn good ones at that). Work on making yourself useful to the group as a whole - it'll make you and other group members feel better.
Share your "secrets". If you don't trust your mastermind group enough to keep your secrets secret then you have a problem. Sharing your secrets signifies trust and will give everyone else the chance to help you.
Mix it up. Don't let meetings become monotonous. We get Thai food and that adds diversity. But we also randomly wandered around the beachfront whilst talking about business stuff. Little things like that make it even more fun.
Have a rough idea of what you want to talk about, but let ideas flow freely.
Try to hold meetings at a time where no one has any commitments for the rest of the day. This gives everyone the chance to share their thoughts and ideas.
Find more articles like this at David Turnbull dot com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Vincent_Turnbull
Don't focus meetings on any individual. Everyone should get equal attention each time you get together. This means its less of a problem if a member doesn't show up too much.
Have a cool down period after the bulk of masterminding is done. Go to a local restaurant or just starting blabbing on about random things.
If you don't look forward to a mastermind group you're doing it wrong.
A notebook is a handy tool to have with you even if you don't plan to write anything down.
You should feel 100% comfortable with the people you're masterminding with. Our mastermind group is made up of people I was at school with every day for 6 years. We'd even hang out at recess + lunch and just talk about this kind of stuff.
Bring your expertise to the table. I'm the guy that can make websites (and damn good ones at that). Work on making yourself useful to the group as a whole - it'll make you and other group members feel better.
Share your "secrets". If you don't trust your mastermind group enough to keep your secrets secret then you have a problem. Sharing your secrets signifies trust and will give everyone else the chance to help you.
Mix it up. Don't let meetings become monotonous. We get Thai food and that adds diversity. But we also randomly wandered around the beachfront whilst talking about business stuff. Little things like that make it even more fun.
Have a rough idea of what you want to talk about, but let ideas flow freely.
Try to hold meetings at a time where no one has any commitments for the rest of the day. This gives everyone the chance to share their thoughts and ideas.
Find more articles like this at David Turnbull dot com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Vincent_Turnbull
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Mastermind Groups in the 21st Century
By admin on January 17, 2010
The mastermind principle, as originally conceived by Napoleon Hill, is about the power of a “third mind” made possible through regular collaboration.
That’s when a small group of co-equal colleagues and contemporaries share experiences and insights that create “Ah ha” moments for each of them.
In a real mastermind group there are no profesional organizers. There are no gurus acting as experts.
And nobody is paying anybody for advice, group management, or facilitation.
In a real mastermind group it’s just you with a few of your colleagues, other people you know, like, trust, and whose opinions you respect. Simply peers with no ax to grind and nothing to sell, with only your best interests at heart.
That’s right – no professional moderators and no organizers are required to have a successful sustainable group that meets regularly over the years.
Many of the old fashioned mastermind groups are the face-to-face variety, like the one that Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone made famous nearly a century ago.
Just think, if you could put together a group of peers, people from your industry, who are far outside of your (and their) traditional marketing areas – you could have all the benefits that come from sharing experiences with people who know what you want to know. People whose insights are directly relevant to you. And since you are not direct competitors there is never any fear of giving away your secrets.
Today, cheap long distance calls, instant online webinar services, and free Yahoo! groups can make your meetings much more effective than the old fashioned face-to-face variety. No time and money wasted getting to and from the meetings and the ability to connect with the other members of your group 24/7 – to deal with the speed of business today.
You can get together in person of course – that’s what your trade association meetings are for.
Using the simple techniques that I later complied into my mastermind group report I established and participated in several peer to peer mastermind groups.
I personally use a conference call service that allows each member of my group to call a central number and connect over a bridge line. Nothing special about that. Except with the service we use if one of us in not able to be there the call can be instantly recorded and available for the missing member – no extra charge and nothing to do but push the record button.
Recently one of the members was out of the country on vacation. He was able to log on to the call via the Internet and participate in the live simulcast of the meeting. No extra charge for this either.
And using our Yahoo! group we can post documents to be shared confidentially among the six of us. In addition we can create a calendar of upcoming meetings, keep track of who is in charge of the next meeting, post links to the resources to be discussed, an outline of our normal agenda and set reminders for one another some of he previously time consuming activities required to keep a mastermind group vibrant and productive.
A few years ago I suggested to several business owners from across North America, members of the same association, that they create a mastermind over the phone to continue a discussion we had together at their annual meeting.
That was a dozen years ago and they still get together twice a month to share strategies, offer insights from their experiences, and provide support to one another.
If it was possible at the time, Napoleon Hill would have created this type of mastermind group process.
Just imagine how much more Harvey Firestone, Thomas Edison, President Harding, and Henry Ford could have achieved if they had the tools available to you today?
Today I am making the same tips, tools and techniques available to you – so you can create your own board of advocates – your own strategic planning team.
When you purchase the mastermind group report you’ll receive priceless tips, tools, and strategies for creating and managing your own mastermind group. 21stCenturyMasterMindGroups.com
Wayne Messick WayneMessick.com
http://www.freeblogshare.com/general-information/mastermind-groups-in-the-21st-century.html
The mastermind principle, as originally conceived by Napoleon Hill, is about the power of a “third mind” made possible through regular collaboration.
That’s when a small group of co-equal colleagues and contemporaries share experiences and insights that create “Ah ha” moments for each of them.
In a real mastermind group there are no profesional organizers. There are no gurus acting as experts.
And nobody is paying anybody for advice, group management, or facilitation.
In a real mastermind group it’s just you with a few of your colleagues, other people you know, like, trust, and whose opinions you respect. Simply peers with no ax to grind and nothing to sell, with only your best interests at heart.
That’s right – no professional moderators and no organizers are required to have a successful sustainable group that meets regularly over the years.
Many of the old fashioned mastermind groups are the face-to-face variety, like the one that Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone made famous nearly a century ago.
Just think, if you could put together a group of peers, people from your industry, who are far outside of your (and their) traditional marketing areas – you could have all the benefits that come from sharing experiences with people who know what you want to know. People whose insights are directly relevant to you. And since you are not direct competitors there is never any fear of giving away your secrets.
Today, cheap long distance calls, instant online webinar services, and free Yahoo! groups can make your meetings much more effective than the old fashioned face-to-face variety. No time and money wasted getting to and from the meetings and the ability to connect with the other members of your group 24/7 – to deal with the speed of business today.
You can get together in person of course – that’s what your trade association meetings are for.
Using the simple techniques that I later complied into my mastermind group report I established and participated in several peer to peer mastermind groups.
I personally use a conference call service that allows each member of my group to call a central number and connect over a bridge line. Nothing special about that. Except with the service we use if one of us in not able to be there the call can be instantly recorded and available for the missing member – no extra charge and nothing to do but push the record button.
Recently one of the members was out of the country on vacation. He was able to log on to the call via the Internet and participate in the live simulcast of the meeting. No extra charge for this either.
And using our Yahoo! group we can post documents to be shared confidentially among the six of us. In addition we can create a calendar of upcoming meetings, keep track of who is in charge of the next meeting, post links to the resources to be discussed, an outline of our normal agenda and set reminders for one another some of he previously time consuming activities required to keep a mastermind group vibrant and productive.
A few years ago I suggested to several business owners from across North America, members of the same association, that they create a mastermind over the phone to continue a discussion we had together at their annual meeting.
That was a dozen years ago and they still get together twice a month to share strategies, offer insights from their experiences, and provide support to one another.
If it was possible at the time, Napoleon Hill would have created this type of mastermind group process.
Just imagine how much more Harvey Firestone, Thomas Edison, President Harding, and Henry Ford could have achieved if they had the tools available to you today?
Today I am making the same tips, tools and techniques available to you – so you can create your own board of advocates – your own strategic planning team.
When you purchase the mastermind group report you’ll receive priceless tips, tools, and strategies for creating and managing your own mastermind group. 21stCenturyMasterMindGroups.com
Wayne Messick WayneMessick.com
http://www.freeblogshare.com/general-information/mastermind-groups-in-the-21st-century.html
Networking : The Powerful Pillar of the Mastermind Group
If you own a small business, you need to become part of a network, period. All of the most successful people in business have been part of networks and you should to. You can't do it all alone and the benefits are amazing. Read on to find out about the power of the mastermind in networking.
There are three main pillars to a successful small business network:
1. The pillar of service- This is where you unconditionally help other members of your network so that they can grow their business.
2. The pillar of referrals- This is the goldmine pillar where you give and get free business by referring clients to other members without expectation of reciprocity.
3. The pillar of the mastermind- This is the basis of this article. The mastermind is the principle that a group of people working together towards a common goal is more powerful than each individual working towards it.
This principle was coined by Napoleon Hill in his world famous success book called "Think and Grow Rich." Hill used the term Master Mind. In the book he explains to us how the great, successful business owners of the past have used the mastermind principle to achieve unheard of goals against unbeatable odds.
Well, you can use the power of the mastermind as well. Once you establish your small business network, you will select a smaller group of people that you will be able to completely confide in. You need to make sure that these members are dedicated towards helping you achieve your small business goals. In turn, you will become part of other mastermind groups dedicated towards helping others.
Once a group of business owners take their individual expertise and put it together to help others, their power to come up with ideas and solutions is amazing. It's like taking the best part of each person's brain and mashing together to create a better brain, a mastermind.
Your mastermind group should be relatively small. There needs to be limit of 4-8 people so that ideas will not start to clash together. It's the same principle as having too many cooks in the kitchen. Your actual business network can have hundreds of members, but the mastermind needs to be a very small group, a chosen few. This group of people will stick with you for a long time. There are cases where these groups have stayed together for the life of the business.
Joshua Black is an on-line infopreneur, marketing consultant, small business owner and copywriter dedicated to helping the bootstrapping small business owner succeed.
Visit his flagship resource site for entrepreneurs at http://www.UnderdogMillionaire.com for the free Underdog Millionaire Wealth Pack: including 5 FREE e-books and daily wealth building tips for the bootstrapping small business owner- in the areas of sales, marketing, motivation, product creation and more.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joshua_Black
There are three main pillars to a successful small business network:
1. The pillar of service- This is where you unconditionally help other members of your network so that they can grow their business.
2. The pillar of referrals- This is the goldmine pillar where you give and get free business by referring clients to other members without expectation of reciprocity.
3. The pillar of the mastermind- This is the basis of this article. The mastermind is the principle that a group of people working together towards a common goal is more powerful than each individual working towards it.
This principle was coined by Napoleon Hill in his world famous success book called "Think and Grow Rich." Hill used the term Master Mind. In the book he explains to us how the great, successful business owners of the past have used the mastermind principle to achieve unheard of goals against unbeatable odds.
Well, you can use the power of the mastermind as well. Once you establish your small business network, you will select a smaller group of people that you will be able to completely confide in. You need to make sure that these members are dedicated towards helping you achieve your small business goals. In turn, you will become part of other mastermind groups dedicated towards helping others.
Once a group of business owners take their individual expertise and put it together to help others, their power to come up with ideas and solutions is amazing. It's like taking the best part of each person's brain and mashing together to create a better brain, a mastermind.
Your mastermind group should be relatively small. There needs to be limit of 4-8 people so that ideas will not start to clash together. It's the same principle as having too many cooks in the kitchen. Your actual business network can have hundreds of members, but the mastermind needs to be a very small group, a chosen few. This group of people will stick with you for a long time. There are cases where these groups have stayed together for the life of the business.
Joshua Black is an on-line infopreneur, marketing consultant, small business owner and copywriter dedicated to helping the bootstrapping small business owner succeed.
Visit his flagship resource site for entrepreneurs at http://www.UnderdogMillionaire.com for the free Underdog Millionaire Wealth Pack: including 5 FREE e-books and daily wealth building tips for the bootstrapping small business owner- in the areas of sales, marketing, motivation, product creation and more.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joshua_Black
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