Could a mastermind be what you need for business inspiration?
Recently, a friend asked me what the number one thing that has recently inspired me in my business was. I knew the answer: having direct, personal relationships with others who help me see opportunity from a fresh perspective.
We tend to be so comfortable right where we’re at. We know our line of work. We know how to provide value to our clients. We know what works to keep us right in the same place.
But most of us dream of more as we grow and change. Without support, it can be a challenge to pursue those dreams.
It’s hard for us to change.
It’s intimidating to get out of our comfort zone.
It’s difficult to feel confident in untrodden waters.
But when we meet people who have overcome these obstacles, are doing amazing things, and who remind us what we are capable of, we have a fresh dose of inspiration that lights a fire under us.
“Really great people make you feel that you, too, can become great” – Mark Twain
The good news is that great people are all around us.
We don’t have to look to someone who is 10 steps ahead of us in business to find inspiration. In fact, business peers who are on the same path can provide some of the biggest sources of inspiration, because in them we can find meaningful, collaborative conversation centered around how we can each do great things.
Sharing with others who have different experiences, success stories and knowledge will help you problem-solve in new ways, find clarity faster, and help you see opportunity in ways you hadn’t before.
The Power of a Small Group
There is something deeply strong and motivating that comes from being part of a small, intelligent group of peers who can inspire, support and help one another with an intimate understanding of the challenges and joys of entrepreneurship.
The Power of a Mastermind?
In the words of Pat Flynn, a mastermind group is a small group of people who regularly meet, online or offline, to talk about goals, growth and success and provide support for each other.
Masterminds are either set and run by one facilitator, or set up by a group with hosting roles traded off within the members. Topics can be pre-set and shared by the facilitator, or open based on member input. There is almost always a dedicated time to discuss unique challenges and successes from participants.
Why a Mastermind?
I have been fortunate enough to be part in two such masterminds myself.
One was a local one and provided an eye-opening experience of how many women who are just like me actually exist right in my own neighborhood. We now meet once a month, but we would not have found one another had it not been for my friend and local business coach, Anne Marie, who set up the group coaching program and brought us together.
Yesterday I participated in my first online mastermind.
I met with five successful, amazing business women who all met at the Pioneer Nation conference earlier this year. From the West Coast to Miami to our host,Kerstin’s home in the UK, we all met online to discuss resources, business challenges, successes, and to support one another in our goals.
In a mastermind, participants may all have a different level of experience and set of skills, but each have their own style, approach, and success stories that each member can apply in a personal, collaborative way to support one another. The results can be amazing.
Unlike learning from some distant expert or in an intense setting like a conference, sharing support in an ongoing, peer-to-peer setting provides an intimate opportunity to get to know one another’s strengths and challenges and collaborate about what’s possible.
The Making of the Mastermind
Masterminds provide an interactive, deep, ongoing exchange of business people who can directly respond and discuss the challenges each member is experiencing on a more personal level.
Could a Mastermind Help You?
One thing can be said for almost all self-employed freelancers. We spend the vast majority of our day alone.
Interactions with others about business building is a powerful way to get out of the isolation of self-employment and gain fresh inspiration, learn from others, and consider alternative approaches to challenges and struggles.
If you’re like me when I joined my first mastermind-style program, you may benefit from a group that’s already been created and planned out for you. I was happily willing to pay for this structure for the benefit of knowing group members would be accountable, show up, and to learn from someone who had a unique set of goals and strategies to share with the group.
In fact, after experiencing such benefit myself from yesterday’s mastermind, I know this is something I want to offer as part of my upcoming entrepreneur’s retreat and workshops.
Make sure you’re on my email list to get more information when this will be offered.
If you’d like to learn more about masterminds or think you’d like to start your own, you can also read more from Pat Flynn here.
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