None of us is as smart as all of us. A good mastermind group gives you different perspectives, keeps you accountable and sometimes points out what should have been the obvious. It can be the difference between failure and success.

Who else (from this century) is part of a mastermind group?

Join the Mastermind revolution

“If you are the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.”

Why start a mastermind?

You took the first step towards getting to new heights. A mastermind group will support you; keep you accountable; provide those invaluable different perspectives; and help you grow your company and yourself personally.

Across time, many top entrepreneurs were part of such a group. Even before it had a name.

“No two minds ever come together without thereby creating a third, invisible intangible force, which may be likened to a third mind [the master mind]” – Napoleon Hill

Napoleon Hill was the one of the first to popularise the concept of a Mastermind. Even though it’s an old concept (even Benjamin Franklin belonged to such a group, which he called a Junto), it’s getting more and more traction nowadays because of its pure value.

Many top online entrepreneurs today are part of or have their own mastermind groups:

• John Lee Dumas, the Entrepreneur on Fire, started his online career as a member of Jaime Tardy’s mastermind group. Now he runs Podcasters Paradise, the largest mastermind group for podcasters.
• Pat Flynn, of Smart Passive Income, has also relied on masterminds to grow his business.
• Ryan Levesque started a large group called The Next Level Mastermind to get your most pressing business and marketing questions answered.
• Charlie Hoehn, the guy who helped Tim Ferriss and other top selling authors sell tens of thousands of books, has his own mastermind for entrepreneurs and artists.
• Chris Ducker, who helps people achieve Virtual Freedom and who started Youpreneur.
• ..and many more.

Think only online entrepreneurs are part of mastermind groups? Not at all. All large corporations have advisory boards. And a mastermind group is just that. An advisory board where everybody gets to give and receive advice.

You’ll be in great company. So keep reading.

Who should join your mastermind?

Masterminds come in many forms and sizes but a good mastermind can massively increase the speed at which you develop your business and as a person.

Ideally, the group should have an uncommon commonality. That is something they have in common, but not everybody has it. Like, they are all IT startup founders. Or they all want to have a digital nomad lifestyle. Or they are all gingers. OK, maybe not this one.

There are multiple ways of thinking about what members a mastermind group should have, and here are some of the factors you should be taking into account:

• The industry you’re in – so that you have a common ground. You will be able to share what worked and what didn’t, and might come up with new joint ventures or partnerships. Just make sure you’re not competing with each other.

• The experience level – ideally you should look for groups that are a few steps ahead of you. No point in looking for companies of 100 people if you’re at 2, as their experiences won’t apply to you yet. People at the same level or a bit behind can also help, by bringing their own distinct perspectives and experiences.

• The meeting frequency – no point in joining a group that meets weekly if you can only join in once a month. You can adapt the meeting frequency over time, but you have to set the expectations straight from the start. Otherwise, you can have frustrated members.

• The meeting type – online or offline? What options suit you best? You can also have an online meeting, but try to get together offline as a group from time to time so you can bond even more and have productive meetings.

• The meeting time – does the proposed time frame work for you? Can you always make it at that time? Is the duration long enough to have a productive meeting but short enough so you don’t just drag along and waste time?

• The people – you won’t always be able to tell before joining a call, but your peers should be people you like, trust, and respect. Because at the end of the day, a mastermind group is only as strong as the people in it. There’s no “I” in Mastermind. Oh, there is. Never mind.

Even though you will start out with a particular group, group members can change, especially in the beginning. Don’t be afraid to exclude a member if he or she does not meet your standards. It could be that there’s no fit, or somebody can’t do the time commitment, or you find out there are some conflicts of interest.

You should just start and evolve the team as you go.

How to start a mastermind?

You now know who should be a part of your group. You can join one of my mastermind groups.

But maybe you could not find a group that suits you or, as the natural born leader that you are, you want to take charge and create your own mastermind group. So how should you do that?

Depending on your group, the process of starting it could be more or less formal. If you know everybody already and they know you, it could be as easy as contacting all of them and setting an initial meeting time and place.

You might opt for online or in person group. A mastermind dinner – a concept popularised by Jayson Gaignard or even a second-degree dinner, as per Nat Eliason’s recommendation.

How to find members for your mastermind?

1. Reach out to people you know

Do you already know some people you would love to be part of your group? Invite them.

Depending on the person, the best way to reach out to them might vary. So think about which way would be best: in person; phone call; email; Facebook message; Twitter DM or mention; LinkedIn message; introduction from a mutual friend; old school hand written letter in the post (now that would make you stand out for sure); etc.

Just put some thought into it, and adapt your message and reach out to each person you’d like to invite.

2. Industry events or associations

Many times your industry could have its own associations or events. It’s a good place to find people who share a common interest in your industry. After all, that’s why they joined the association or attended the event in the first place.

Networking groups like BNI, JCI, YPO, and others can also be very helpful, and some constitute larger mastermind groups themselves.

3. Recommendations and referrals

You might already have one or two peers who committed to join your group. So ask them who they would want to invite. After all, the group is bigger than just yourself and as you all have a common ground, the people they will invite will most likely fit your profile too.

4. Promote your group publicly

The mastermind group you created is your ideal hub to find members. So start promoting it publicly. See below how.

How can you promote your mastermind?

Tweet it. Because short is the new long. Your followers might have always wanted to get closer and learn from you. And they might have a lot to offer in return. So start by tweeting about your Peers group.

Facebook it. You don’t need to include a pic of your cat with it. Only if you want to. Some of your friends might be interested. Or know somebody who is interested. Or share your status and help you that way. Promote it on targeted Facebook groups as well. It could be a great source of members for you.

LinkedIn it. Wearing a tie while doing this is optional. You probably already have many connections within your industry that would love to be part of your group. Don’t forget to share the link in relevant LinkedIn groups as well. You can find many interested people that way.

Email it. No, email is not dead yet. Stop saying that. I bet you checked your email at least once today already. Either email people who you would want to join, or connectors who might know somebody who would be a perfect fit.

Now that we covered our bases, let’s get into more options.

Quora. Look for relevant discussions on Quora and post about your new group there. But don’t just shamelessly promote it. Nobody likes a self-promoter. Add value to the conversation and people will want to join your group, as they see you will add value to them.

Instagram. Create a small image (maybe even just a screenshot/pic with your phone) and share it on Instagram. Use relevant #hashtags for your group. That’s where the magic happens.

Slack. Post about it on relevant Slack groups. Find them here, here, or here. Watch the conversations on these channels, hand pick the people you would want to be part of your group, and write them a private message to invite them.

Online communities. Any relevant forums or other online communities in your field? Like Reddit, or StackOverflow. They are great places for finding like-minded people. Don’t be afraid to use them.

WhattsYourInstaSnapFaceAnchor. Yesterday it was Instagram or Pinterest. Today it might be SnapChat or Periscope. Tomorrow it could be WhattsYourInstaSnapFaceAnchor (patent pending). I don’t know what a kid barely out of puberty is working on in his parents’ garage right now. But find it and, if it’s relevant for your space, use it.

What box? Think outside the box. Where else do the people you want in your group hang out?

Random people. Ask random people on the street to come join your group. OK, maybe don’t do this, though.

Bottom line – find out where your target members hang out and promote it there.

How can you get influencers to join?

An influencer. A hot shot. A game changer. You’d want such a person in your group, wouldn’t you?

Well, why don’t you just ask them?

Sure – be thoughtful, considerate, and think about how this could be a win for them when you ask. There’s no harm in asking! So look them up on LinkedIn or send them an email, and ask them to join your awesome group.

Top influencers get asked all the time, so try to find the least crowded channel so you can stand out. The more thought you put into how, where, and when you’ll reach out to them, and the more research you do on them, the larger your chances of success.

Read this great Foundr Magazine article for some inspiration and tips about reaching out to influencers, too.

What’s the worst that could happen? But then again… what’s the best?

Now it’s your turn.

Create your mastermind. Promote it. Fill it with valuable people. Create value for the group.

Or join one of my mastermind groups.

But most importantly: Just start.