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Being an entrepreneur, running a startup, being your own boss, they’re all awesome. The excitement, the fear, the journey in itself is such a fun ride. I think anyone in the same boat as me would agree.
Downside, though, is that it can get damn lonely. Even worse, it can get empty – when you have questions, where do you go? Are you doing something the best possible way you can? If not, how do you find someone who can tell you how to do it better? And why should you even trust them?
That’s where a Mastermind can come in to help you.
I discovered Masterminds about three years ago, at an event in Bangkok, Thailand, and in one day, my life was radically changed. Not only do I now run a series of Masterminds myself, but I make sure to go to at least one or two of them per year. Why? Because they force you to think differently, they force you to be accountable, and they force you to get your ass in gear when you truly need to the most.
We’ve all been in ruts. As entrepreneurs, however, ruts are even more damaging, because we sometimes don’t realize we’re in them. We coast along, day to day, making money, but not “killing it,” as we could. So what do we do? We need to think differently.
For this blog post, I’ve asked several of the members of ShankMinds what drove them to join a mastermind group, and what keeps them on the alumni list. (We have an alumni list with weekly accountability calls, where members get held to what they said they were going to accomplish in the previous week.)
Here are their thoughts:
From Melanie Curtis, owner of a corporate coaching consultancy, and world-record holding skydiver:
The best reason to join a mastermind group… the support and connection is HUGE.. that I think is the typically unspoken foundation to it really transforming lives and businesses vs. just being a good tool for ideas and info… it’s like that two-handed boost your friend would give you to get up and over the wall or up to the tree branch you needed to reach to be able to have firm footing to climb to the higher branches… with that boost, the great ideas you also get from the group are then most easily and powerfully taken forward because you feel supported in whatever direction you choose. The energy of feeling like your back is gotten and you’re not alone in this world and in all of our purposeful entrepreneurial pursuits… that’s worth every penny and every minute spent.
That’s key – As owners, consultants, and entrepreneurs, we do what we do because we love what we do. But we also know that it’s hard sometimes, to get that burst of energy that keeps us going. A Mastermind group gives you that unspoken power that we all need.
From Kari Gormley, who runs the wildly successful “The Running Life” Podcast:
I joined a mastermind to get the ball rolling because my teammates of me, myself, and I weren’t getting the job done. Thanks to ShankMinds, I was able to launch a top ranking podcast and make priceless connections because of the group. In addition, I have made friends I know I will have for a lifetime.
The weekly accountability calls feel like tiny mastermind sessions with successful entrepreneurs who have become your “business family”.
It’s key to join a group whose leader has similar values to yours. This will insure you will be surrounded by like minded people.
There’s simply a level of trust and camaraderie in the right mastermind that you can’t get anywhere else.
Brett Green, who heads up New Tech Seattle, chimed in with these words about tribes and support – And they make a lot of sense:
I believe that the power of a mastermind group is in having a tribe supporting your success. This includes being honest about the good and bad of what you’re doing and how it will help or hurt your trajectory to reaching your goals.
In the 21st century community doesn’t come as easily as it used to. If you’re not a religious person going to church or synagogue regularly you have to find and build your own tribes. Mastermind mind groups are where you can find your professional tribe that can go deeper to helping you with personal goals also.
Finally, Brad Waller, one of the top marketing brains in the LA area, talks about why Masterminds matter after the event is over:
The biggest reason to join the alumni is to both continue what you started at the local mastermind, and to network. We have a tremendous and growing group of people with a really wide range of experiences, and thus different networks. You can join an industry group for networking, and you may find that everyone knows everyone. When you join this group, you will be sure to have access to a broader group and people you would never have access to otherwise.
Starting to see the picture? At the end of the day, we’re all expected to be superheroes here – and it’s not always that easy. A Mastermind gives you the base, the power, and the support to be that superhero, along with the knowledge that it’s ok to ask for help – As long as you’re asking the right people.
Want to learn more? This winter, join ShankMinds NYC for a small group business mastermind.
If you think you’d make a great contribution by being part of a Mastermind, and even more importantly, if you think you can make a great contribution to others, we’d love to have you!
Have you been part of a Mastermind in the past? Tell me in the comments – I’d love to hear your thoughts on it, and as always, thanks for reading.
