The Business Start-up Mastermind Group

Confused about how to get started, or what next step to take?  Struggling to find answers about running your business? Feel alone and need support?

It’s not just you. Starting a business is complex.

You attempt to find your target audience. You’re uncertain about pricing your products or services. You’re overwhelmed by which marketing method will increase sales. As soon as you solve one question, the next one pops up. And making all those decisions is wearing.

A Mastermind is a Powerful Tool

A  Mastermind is a small group of peers who share similar interests and goals and meet on a regular basis.  The purpose of their meetings is to discuss an issue or problem members are facing, find answers, and help each other succeed.

The group functions as your Board of Directors. Different strengths, wisdom, and experience of the members allows you to brainstorm, support, and advise each other. As part of this alliance, everyone becomes smarter and empowered by the synergy created.

“This process, called masterminding, is one of the most powerful tools for success presented in this book (The Success Principles). I don’t know anybody who has become super successful who has not employed the principle of masterminding.” ˜ The Success Principles– Jack Canfield

Here’s how it works. At each meeting, everyone shares their accomplishments since the last meeting. Then each member gets a chance to be in the “hot seat”. The hot seat participant brings up an issue and explains what help they need. The other members ask questions, delve deeper into a problem, brainstorm ideas and offer a solution.

Here’s an Example of a Hot Seat:

The magic happens, when members contribute ideas. Two (or more!) heads are better than one.

The Many Benefits of Joining a Mastermind

A mastermind group allows you to tap into the common wisdom of a group of entrepreneurs. You get exposed to different perspectives, and draw on diverse skills and experiences. This is different from coaching where you work with only one coach or mentor.

Here’s how you benefit:

Brainstorming—When you’re not sure what to do, when you’re looking for answers, you share it with the group. The group’s collective abilities, insights, and outside the box thinking often produces results greater than you can achieve on your own.

Looking for a new product idea? Your peers can offer suggestions.  Need help pricing your services? The team can offer you advice. They can help shorten the learning curve, so you see quicker results.

Solve problems—When your peers help you solve problems, they identify obstacles and ask questions. It focuses your thinking so you gain clarity and come to a resolution.

Here’s an example:

• • In a recent mastermind meeting, one member was struggling to grow his business; sales had been flat for the last three years. After some probing and questioning, the problem became clear. His marketing had not kept up with his competition. He had no social media presence, his website was out-of-date, without any relevant content, and he did no e-mail marketing. He realized what he needed to do, he created an action list and starting looking for people to implement it.

Critical insights—Members of the mastermind group have diverse talents and interests. They bring fresh perspectives and experiences. And they help you see the blind spots and flaws in your plans so you can make better decisions.

For example:

• You’re looking for help with evaluating a new idea, like launching a new service, creating an on-line course, or publishing  a series of e-books. The group can examine its feasibility, the pros and cons, and offer their experiences.

With the team you gain deeper insights into your own issues. You stretch beyond your current thinking which results in additional possibilities and faster progress for you and your business.

Goals & Accountability—Because your fellow members expect you to accomplish the tasks and goals you set for yourself, you take them seriously. You stay focused and determined; and you get things done. Imagine admitting to the group that you did nothing since the last meeting.

Support—You can’t become a great success all alone. Every successful person has a team to support and encourage them. As part of a mastermind group, you are no longer isolated and searching for direction. You know you have somewhere to turn where you feel connected and can get honest and helpful feedback.

The right mastermind will turn good into great. Your best ideas, no matter how good, are always better when the mastermind is through with them. Not only will they perfect your resources and accelerate your journey to your goal through accountability and camaraderie, I wouldn’t build my business without one.
~ Todd Tresidder, founder of FinancialMentor.com and an investment advisor who’s been featured in the Wall Street Journal

Many Masterminders

Many famous and successful people have been part of a mastermind group.

• In 1727, Ben Franklin formed a mastermind with twelve tradesmen, named The Junto.
• From 1915-1924 The Vagabonds was a mastermind that included Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, John Burroughs and Harvey Firestone.
• In the 1930’s, The Inkling was a mastermind group that included writers C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.
• In the 1950’s, Warren Buffet started the Graham group with other business leaders.

Carnegie, the steel-tycoon knew nothing about the steel industry. He built his empire by tapping into the knowledge of others:

We have here in this business a mastermind. It is not my mind, and it is not the mind of any other man on my staff, but the sum total of all these minds that I have gathered around me that constitute a mastermind in the steel business.

Today, successful bloggers, freelancers, laptop entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, small business owners, and corporate executives take part in mastermind groups. And you can too.

Is This Mastermind Group Right for You?

The Business Start-up Mastermind is for entrepreneurs who are either just starting an on-line business or have recently started one. It helps you shorten the learning curve so you can go forward with clarity and confidence.

You Should Participate in This Group If:

• You want to get your business up and running
• You want to grow both professionally and personally
• You want to increase your income and reach your goals
• You want an encouraging team working on your behalf
• You want to be supported and are willing to be supportive to the other members too
• You want to break out of your box and reach new levels of success
• You can commit to attending and participating in the meetings

You Should NOT Participate If:

•  You already have a successful business and don’t need to increase your income or your business
•  You don’t want to commit the time and energy to achieve greater goals
•  You can’t give support nor want to receive support from others in the group
•  You can’t commit to attending the meetings
• You work better by yourself
• You already have a group of people who give you all the support you need
• You are not willings to change, grow or explore new situations

A mastermind group is mandatory to achieve online success.
~ Pat Flynn of SmartPassiveIncome.com, Pat runs a successful on-line business where he teaches other to create a cash flow through passive income.

Meet the Facilitator

Hi, I’m Yvonne Gerard. I have started and successfully run two businesses in the last 25 years, and am still a partner in one of them. I have an MBA and I’ve been a trained mastermind facilitator for several years. I both run and participate in mastermind groups.

Why I do This

It is my passion to help aspiring entrepreneurs start and grow their own business. I want them to be free from a 9-5 job, have financial freedom, and live the life they want. Mastermind groups are the best way to help people become successful when they are struggling to get answers and feel alone.

Important Details:

The Business Start-up Mastermind runs for 3 months, twice a month for two hours each meeting, and is renewable.

For pricing and a current schedule, click here.

It meets by both video conference and teleconference, so no matter where you are you can access the meeting.

There will be a maximum of eight members in the group.

I’ll ask you to sign a confidentiality statement, so everyone can feel secure that their ideas, conversations and documents remain private.

What You Get When You Join The Business Start-Up Mastermind Group:

•  Access to a group of peers to help brainstorm and evaluate ideas
•  Relevant information and learning around starting and growing a business
•  Honest feedback to get unstuck, solve problems, and make decisions faster
•  Personal accountability to ensure you implement your plans and reach your goals
•  An opportunity for open communication with mutual respect and trust
•  A private message forum for members to communicate between meetings
•  A trained Mastermind facilitator who knows how to help you create success, and has been a business owner herself for 25 years.
•  Meetings run in a professional manner, so you get the best experience.

Mastermind Group Members are Hand Selected

• serious about personal and business success
• open to new ideas and brainstorming
• looking to be held accountable to set and reach goals
• willing to help other members