Guest Blog | The Power of Masterminds for Business Success

Please welcome Gloria Rand to our #ThougthfulThursday guest blog column! For nearly 10 years, Gloria has been a loyal writer and editor for Meredith Communications. We are so thankful and appreciative of her dedication and excellent work. Now it’s time for her to focus solely on her own business. We will miss her but we are so happy for her and wish her nothing but soaring success! Gloria’s blog talks about the power of mastermind groups and I’m so glad she chose to write on this topic. I would not be where I am today without my mastermind groups. Enjoy the blog and be sure to join Gloria’s Facebook Group, Ignite! Circle for Solopreneurs.

Running a small business is no easy task. If it were, everyone would do it! And when you’re the boss, there’s the added responsibility and pressure of having to make good business decisions – whether you have one employee or 20.

You can find information online about nearly any aspect of business these days – from sales and marketing, social media and SEO, to accounting, customer service, and human resources.

But sifting through that information to determine what’s appropriate for your business is no easy feat either. Often times, you’ll find different opinions on a subject, so who do you believe? And who can you trust?

That’s why it’s beneficial to join a mastermind group whose members have faced similar problems that you’re going through now, or who have the expertise to help you solve your challenges.

If you’re not familiar with the concept of a mastermind, the term was coined by Napoleon Hill in his classic book, Think and Grow Rich. He wrote that the guiding principle of a mastermind is, “The coordination of knowledge and effort of two or more people, who work toward a definite purpose, in the spirit of harmony.”

In its purest form, I’ve found that a mastermind is a safe environment that allows all of the members to share their expertise, experience, and wisdom with one another. And each member benefits by tapping into the collective wisdom, experience and network of its members.

Masterminds come in a wide variety of formats, including some that are more like coaching programs. Masterminds also vary in the rules of operation. Some allow anyone to join, while others require an application. Some masterminds insist that you attend every meeting, while others don’t have that requirement.

For instance, I belong to a networking group that includes a mastermind/brainstorming session at our monthly meetings. This type of group can be useful because you get to meet different people each time. So you get a different perspective on the challenges you may currently be facing.

I’ve found that the real magic that happens in a mastermind occurs when the facilitator carefully selects a harmonious group of people who are as committed to achieving their own goals, as they are to seeing that the other members achieve theirs.

When the same people attend the mastermind meetings each time, you get to know each person on a deeper level, and you get to learn about each other’s businesses more fully. This knowledge allows the members to brainstorm more creative solutions, and offer appropriate resources to each other during the meetings.

That was my experience of a mastermind. We acted as each other’s board of directors. We shared our struggles, we brainstormed solutions, we supported one another and helped each other see the blind spots that were in our businesses. Best of all, we had fun in the process. Talk about a win-win!

Joining a mastermind group made all the difference for me. If you want to expand your business, reach the next major revenue level, or simply want a fresh perspective on some of the common day-to-day challenges facing your company, a mastermind group may be the missing ingredient you need to achieve success.

About The Author – Gloria Rand

Gloria Grace Rand is an award-winning SEO blogger, certified high-performance speaker and the owner of Web to Wealth Marketing.

As an internationally known leading expert in internet marketing, Gloria develops innovative programs and masterminds that enable creative entrepreneurs to create an online presence that dramatically improves their leads and sales.

She is a Contributing Author of two best-selling books, “Conceived to Lead,” and “Connect: 100 + Mind-Blowing Strategies to Use Social Media and Drive Business Growth.” Gloria also has a successful Facebook group called Ignite: Circle for Solopreneurs.

Contact Gloria at www.gloriarand.com and join her Facebook group for Solopreneurs.

Categorised in: Career Advice, Guest Blogs, Personal Development, Thoughtful Thursdays