Mastermind groups have been on my mind for a while now. For those not familiar with the concept, it’s essentially a small group of people, usually entrepreneurs, freelancers or independent artists, who meet regularly to discuss their respective craft and business. After listening to a bunch of podcasts and webinars on the topic, I’ve decided to start my own Montreal mastermind group and I’m excited! Why is this important? As a photographer, I don’t have any immediate work colleagues to throw around ideas or discuss issues in my business. Freelancing can be absolutely terrifying. Why not team up with others who are in the same boat? With multiple people tackling a problem at a time, we can grow at a much faster rate than working on our own. I want honest, unbiased advice about my work. I see the value in outside perspectives from professionals in different fields. I know the importance of having an accountability group, to kick each other's asses when we're not meeting our goals, and to celebrate our wins, whether big or small. And I know there are like-minded people out there in Montreal! I posted a long status on Facebook asking if anyone would be interested and had a crazy case of FOCAPFS (Fear Of Crickets After Posting Facebook Status). Thankfully, people were interested, and responses are coming in. My goal now is to form a group of people who 1) can all mutually benefit from one another, 2) who I think would mesh well together, and 3) who have the same expectations in the structure of the group.
Photo intermission for this blog post that is mostly text. Here's an off-topic cup of coffee.
There’s actually a “conventional” structure for mastermind groups. Usually, a 4- or 5- person group meets on a regular interval (could be once a week or once a month), either in person or online, for about an hour. Each meeting starts with a round of updates and wins in our respective businesses, and then the designated person in the hot seat for that meeting presents a problem or topic they want to discuss, while the rest of the group listens and then chimes in to share experiences and advice. Meeting after meeting, the hot seat is passed on to another person, and with time, we learn more and more about each other’s work and grow together.
I have this mastermind fantasy. We all love each other, we help each other out, we develop sustainable ways of doing what we’re passionate about, we find the cure for cancer and we save the world from a zombie apocalypse. Am I too ambitious? I'm sure I’ll find others who share the same vision!
Thanks for reading!
UPDATE: I've found my group! Read more about the 8 members in my mastermind.
