Andrew Carnegie, America’s first billionaire, tasked a man named Napoleon Hill with this whopper:
Discover the universal success secrets shared by the world’s wealthiest men.
(No offense, ladies, this was 50+ years ago, when it was all about the Boys’ Club.)
Twenty years of research later, Hill published Carnegie’s secret formula for success in Think and Grow Rich. According to Hill, successful men shared traits like desire, faith, specialized knowledge, imagination, persistence, planning, sex transmutation (!), and decision-making. One of these shared traits was so vital, Hill dubbed it “The Driving Force.”
This Driving Force? The “Master Mind”: “Coordination of knowledge and effort, in a spirit of harmony, between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose.”
Industry leaders, inventors, revolutionaries, and tycoons would form “Mastermind Groups” to:
- Problem-solve
- Brainstorm
- Help each other think bigger, better, and more strategically
- Leverage their combined experience and insight
- Create a “Third Mind” that was more powerful than anything they could muster by themselves
For the modern day business professional, a Mastermind Group is similar to a Board of Directors or an Advisory Board, usually made up of business leaders in other fields who support and strategize with a company’s senior management.
Unfortunately for microbusiness owners and solo-preneurs, self-led or voluntary Mastermind Groups often don’t work.
They lack accountability, commitment, and organized direction essential to Masterminding success.
So what’s a success-minded solo professional or small biz owner to do?
Make it your business to find a results-driven, marketing-oriented, revenue-obsessed Mastermind Program, ASAP.
More and more, Mastermind Programs are popping up around the Internet. Some are 100% virtual, some are big-ticket events, and some are five- and six-figure day or weekend-long retreats. All strive to deliver quality information, environments, and support. Some succeed, while others fall woefully short.
There’s one catch: To make this secret weapon work for you, you have to be able to tell the difference between a good Mastermind Program and its shoddy, ne’er-do-well cousin. Here are six ways:
1. Look at its bones.
There are plenty of “loose” business groups around, but if you’re looking to move forward systematically and strategically, a top-notch Mastermind Program’s gotta have a solid structure in place. Ideally, it’s goal-focused and results-driven.
2. Ask yourself: “Who’s at the helm?”
A good Mastermind Program should be led by a person or team who’s in the game, walks the walk, leads with vision and purpose, encourages the free-flow of ideas, and knows how to get out of the way of the groups’ progress, too.
3. See that it informs, educates, and inspires, yet doesn’t overwhelm.
Unless you get a huge chunk of time off to learn new strategies and implement them in your own sweet time, the Mastermind Program you choose needs to respect the fact that you’re still running a business. (And you may even have a life outside your business!)
4. Join one that’s all mixed up.
Some Mastermind Programs offer only group sessions, or only home study, or only 1-on-1 support. But if you can find one that incorporates all three, you’ve struck gold.
5. Ask yourself: “Who’s sitting around the Mastermind Table with me?”
If 6-12 stellar business owners all focused their collective wisdom on your business – where your money’s coming from, where you want it to be, and how to get you there – what would that be worth to you? Could you more easily map out your path to profits purposefully, strategically, and confidently? You betcha. Quality Mastermind Programs attract quality business owners. Period.
6. Make sure it gets you out of the “I already know that” trap.
If you already know what you need and want to be doing in your business, why haven’t you done it already? Great Mastermind Programs break you out of the “I already know that” habit, hold you accountable, help you identify the steps you need to take, and get you excited and energized to take those steps.
And possibly, the most important thing for you to keep in mind about Mastermind Programs is this:
7. You get what you pay for.
If a “professional” is offering a free mastermind program, odds are they don’t value their own time, or worse, they won’t value yours. What’s more, free programs attract people who aren’t willing or interested in investing in the growth and success of their business. Are these the kind of big thinkers who’ll help you take your business to the next level?
Signs point to “No.”
Most reputable and effective Masterminds Programs manage member caliber with a monthly or annual investment. So when you invest in a quality, focused, and results-driven Mastermind Program, you’re likely to put much more effort in…which means you’re more likely to get an even bigger benefit on the back-end.
So set your personal bar high, keep your expectations optimistic yet down-to-earth, and make like a billionaire by using a powerful, profit -savvy Mastermind Program to grow your revenue and results!
WANNA USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEBSITE?
Please do! Just kindly include this blurb with it:
Lani & Allen Voivod, aka “The Content Lovers” of Epiphanies, Inc., help lifestyle entrepreneurs and million-dollar businesses “A-Ha Themselves!” in fun, innovative, and profitable ways with business masterminding, content leveraging, and social marketing & success strategies. To learn more about their one-of-a-kind 2009 “A-Ha!” Revenue & Results Mastermind Program – the first ever in the New England area – go to www.EpiphaniesInc.com/mastermind!
– we thought we’d let you know about a couple killer events we’ve got coming up in the next two months, designed to get your prepped for 2009, primed for social media success, and briefed on the secrets of a multi-millionaire biz ‘n marketing guru.
