Should I join a mastermind?

After 3 weeks at the beach over Christmas, I've decided that this year I want my business life to be more like a summer holiday - as relaxed and stress-free as possible.

That's quite the opposite to how it was this time last year.

This time last year I was a stressed-out wreck. I was working every spare second I had, laptop on my lap late into the night every night I was at home.

I was exhausted and felt so lost in my business.

I could see my goals and dreams but they felt unreachable.

 

It didn't matter what I did, I just couldn't get to the next level.

I felt so alone.

When I joined my first ever mastermind, everything changed.

I found a group of women who got it, who understood what it was like to have your own business. Women whose brains worked like mine and knew what it was like to constantly be battling with a million-and-one ideas 24/7.

Having a group to turn to when I felt lost or down or just needed an answer to a quick question was a game-changer for me.

They literally changed my life and my business.

It wasn’t an easy decision to join though. The should I join a mastermind question went around and around in my head for way too long. 

It wasn’t inexpensive and to pay for it it required some serious budget re-jigging and savings borrowing but I’m so glad I did it.

If you’ve been considering joining a mastermind here’s I've put together a guide to help you make the decision.

 

What is a mastermind?

Let’s start off with the big question will we? A mastermind is a group of like-minded people, working on something similar (i.e. mine was online entrepreneurs) who get to know the other members and what they are doing, who meet regularly to help each other improve and provide support & accountability for each other. They encourage, cheer on, lift you up to that next level that seemed so far away before. 

Why join a mastermind?

For me, I joined a mastermind because I knew I needed ‘more.’

I didn’t know what that more was but I just knew that I was doing all I could on my own and it wasn’t working how I wanted it to work.

I needed to be around other people who got it. I needed some business friends. I was craving it.

 

Reasons to join a Mastermind:

• You’re feeling stuck in your business or feel like you’ve reached a plateau
• Accountability - telling yourself you’re going to do something just isn’t cutting it anymore. You need a group of people to hold you to it, help you clear any obstacles and start smashing those goals. 
• Confidence - you’re starting to lose confidence in your awesome abilities and need reminding of how awesome you are.
• Inspiration - being in a close-knit group of people just like you, doing amazing things can be just the hit of inspiration to kick you into gear. After I got off one call with my Mastermind group, I launched a new product 3 weeks later thanks to their encouragement.
• You feel isolated - having your own business is fantastic but it can get lonely and joining a mastermind makes you feel a part of a team.
• Help - I can’t name the number of times I’ve been stuck on something so little but it has taken up a whole work day (if not more!). Now I turn to my crew and someone can usually offer a quick solution.

Why you shouldn't join a mastermind.

Of course not everyone is a good fit for a mastermind. Don't join one if...

• You’re not prepared to do the work - being in a mastermind is a supercharging experience but YOU have to do the work. Everyone can give you ideas and advice but at the end of the day, it’s up to you do actually do the work.
• You don’t like helping people - for a mastermind to work, the members need to give and take.
• You don’t take advice, feedback or constructive criticism well.
• You don’t want to take your business to the next level.

How to know when you’re ready to join a mastermind:

• You’re serious about your business. It might not be your full-time thing yet but your goal is to make it full-time.
• You’re ready for help and feedback.
• You’re ready to take your business to the next level and start making your dreams a reality.

It was in a mastermind last year that I met Bek (Rebekah Allan) and we hit it off. We're both closet nerds, online business fanatics and love love love oversharing everything we know about business from our combined 25 years experience, to help others.