Have you ever noticed that when you’re feeling frustrated, lost, confused or scared, your first reaction is to go to a friend or family member to talk about whatever it is that’s bothering you?
The power of conversation (and how to find a mastermind)
I do it all the time, which is why I know how integral surrounding yourself with the right people is: if you’re trying to have conversations about fear with someone who can’t necessarily appreciate or relate to what it is you’re going through, then that conversation probably isn’t going to go very far.
Surrounding yourself with like-minded people
But when you surround yourself with like-minded people and are able to go to them to talk through your struggles and fears, chances are they’ll be able to help you take the next step – because they understand what it is you’re going through (perhaps because they’ve been through it themselves).
It may not always be by way of giving you a concrete answer, but sometimes it’s not about having a concrete answer right away – it’s about bringing yourself one step closer to where you actually want to be.
That’s why surrounding yourself with like-minded people is so integral on your journey as an entrepreneur, and it’s why we continue to talk about the benefits of joining a mastermind: a group of people who you meet with on a consistent basis to talk through struggles and get feedback from for your business.
Joining (or starting your own) mastermind
So how do you go about joining or starting a mastermind? bonusgrand.com
Well, there are several ways you can go about this. For starters, you’ll want to focus on building relationships and networking so that you’re surrounding yourself with like-minded people.
Relationships don’t build themselves, and so until you open yourself up to the opportunity to become a part of a community, you’re going to put yourself through the same exact struggle every time you approach a roadblock in your business.
Joining online communities and attending in person meet ups where you’ll be surrounding yourself with potential mastermind members is the first step to finding a mastermind you can join.
Once you start building those relationships and networking with others in your industry or niche, it’s likely the opportunity to join an already existing mastermind will present itself if you let others know you’re interested in joining one.
If you’re putting your interest in joining a mastermind out there and still not hearing about any existing opportunities, then it may be time to start one of your own.
The first step in this scenario would be to ask the others who you’re building relationships and networking with if they’re interested in starting one with you.
The structure of a mastermind
Once you’ve rallied a group of at least 3 people, you have the makings of a mastermind, (and you really want to try and limit the group to about 6 or 7 people max to ensure everyone benefits).
Things to consider when creating a mastermind:
Having a shared desired outcome for all members
Dedicating your trust and transparency to the other members
Offering up constructive and honest feedback at all times
Establishing a day and time you all agree to meet
What the flow of your meetings will look like
The length of your meetings
A sample mastermind set up and meeting
I’m personally a part of 3 different masterminds, and each of them serve a different purpose for my business growth and what I can contribute.
As an example, one of my masterminds is with two other women entrepreneurs who are online business owners, but who work in a different industry / niche than me. This is important because it gives me an outside perspective on my struggles and ideas (and allows me to provide the same to them in the return).
To give you an idea of what a mastermind meeting might “look like” for us, we meet every other week for 1.5 hours, giving each of us 30 minutes in the “hot seat” each time.
We each start our 30 minute time block with a “win” – so something we’re celebrating in our business – and then we dive into a project we’re working on, or a struggle or roadblock we’re facing in our business.
This is our opportunity to ask the others in the group for feedback and recommendations – how we can take that next step to bring us closer to where we want to be.
A commitment worth making
Joining a mastermind is a commitment. When you join a mastermind, you’re committing time, trust, transparency and honest feedback to those within, and it’s worth every second of it. Because without the support of like-minded people on your entrepreneurial journey, it’s going to be really tough to make it through those times when you’re feeling frustrated, like giving up, or so stuck that you don’t see any way around it.
