So a mastermind group is a group of people that meet together on a regular basis. We call them sometimes peer advisory boards, because the people that are meeting our peers with each other, so they're all business owners at a certain level, or business owners who are in certain industries, or they're in a particular region, like they're all retail owners in Chicago, you know, kind of a thing. And there certainly are mastermind groups for other types of people, parents of teenagers and, you know, people going through divorce at all. You know, it's a great support opportunity. Yeah, a lot of ways. So when people are joining mastermind groups, it's different from, say, group coaching or one on one mentoring, because it's the peers who are sharing their collective wisdom with each other. They're brainstorming ideas together. I mean, have you ever had like, lunch with somebody and you say, hey, look, here's my problem, and also the two you start brainstorming solutions, and it kind of escalates. Well, that's what happens when two people get together and try to figure out things and come up with creative solutions. Well, imagine that time six people or eight people or 10 people is just magic. I do one on one work with people. So there's magic in doing one on one work at the deep level that it goes in, but you may find that you're only getting one answer, and instead, in a master a group, you get a whole bunch of people chiming in and supporting you, and the difference is, of course, is that you're also doing the same thing for them. So it's about asking for help, and it's about giving help. And a mastermind group, because of the nature of it, makes you feel like you have the like your tribe. These are people that really understand you and really know what you're going through, because they're going through the same thing. And so you you feel like, okay, these people have any emotional agenda, except for what I'm trying to create in my life. And that's wonderful, because sometimes the people that you surround yourself with, you know, family, friends, they don't they have an emotional agenda. They have their needs they want to get met as well, whereas in a master group. It's all about you and all about the group, and

I think that's really great. Hence know, like, why it's sometimes called, like, having your own board of directors. And I understand what you're saying too, because I have to tell you, when I get together with what I like to call my inner inner circle, that is what happens when we have those conversations. And I have to tell you over time, it used to kind of prip me out a little bit. But now it happens so often it doesn't. But sometimes when I have those conversations, the person that I'm meeting with all of a sudden they got their notebook out, and I'm like, what notebook for? Like, I know we're going to say something great. I want to take notes. And I'm like, I haven't said a thing yet. Robbie, no. Better. They know, but they know, and I know too. So I think that is really good. But if you're right, a brink does make a difference. So how would you say in your term, the collective genius of a mastermind group helps the participants tackle their toughest challenges and uncover innovative decisions that they might not have found on their own, so that they can leverage the expertise under their peers?

Yeah, I so. Let me just talk from a business owner perspective. As a business owner, especially if you are a solo business owner, meaning you don't have you're not you don't have a huge, huge staff under you, or you are at the top rung, and there's something you can't share with your team. It's not appropriate as the as the strategist, as the CEO, as the leader of your business, no matter how big or small you're, in a situation where you can only just go so far, you can all you can only brainstorm just so much before you're like, I really need to be talking to people or at my level and understand what this is, and be able to to tap into their experience, but even more importantly, to tap into their creativity. I'll give you an example. So no business owner knew how to handle the pandemic. All of a sudden, we had this thing. We didn't know what to do. There was no books, there's no articles, there's nothing you know. How did we handle this? But you got connected with your your mastermind group, and you brainstorm creative solutions together, because even if the situation is completely unique to everybody in the group, their background says, well, in the past, what I've had disaster or whatever, or had a technology problem or whatever their situation is, here's how we looked at it, here's how we handled it, and they'll help you to think strategically about things. Why are you making that decision? What is the best decision? What are the pros and cons? And because of that sort of layering effect that every time someone has an idea, another person layers an idea on top of that, I call it piggybacking, that these ideas get more and more creative. Now, sometimes they seem like really creative, like way out of the box, but I love the way out of the box solutions, because even if they're just a little crazy, we can then ratchet them back and incorporate that innovative new idea that just never has been thought before. But only when all these people are talking together do you get that really incredible innovative idea. And it's it's really hard to do that on your own. You are so stuck inside of your head. There's so much stuff swirling around inside of your head, it's really hard for you to think clearly and see clearly and be focused, whereas in a mastermind group meeting, we ask you put everything to the side and focus on what it is you need today, and it's, it's, I call it CEO time. It's time to, you know, let everything go and really focus on what's most important.

And I only love it because I think that, you know, I've been facilitating and been a part of mastermind for over a decade, right? And I have to tell you, what I love about it is because when it's you who are leveraging the group, and you're asking for the solution. It's like you get to give yourself permission, right? You know, because when you're showing up to serve, like, that's the hat you go along, that's the lens you're looking through, right? Yeah, but when you're receiving, it's okay to be able to say, Oh, this is my time to receive, and then I love it when somebody says something, and then somebody else says, Oh, well, to piggyback on what she said, yada yada yada. And then sometimes I hadn't thought of that. Well, you know what? To piggyback on that. And then you get all these ideas that even each one of them on their own, if you were having a conversation with them, might not even have Yeah, the collectiveness of the group, where we feed each other, and in the end, you're just, Oh, my goodness, those are things I had never thought of. And so to really be able to lean into that, I think it's a gift we can give ourselves. Yeah, that really is just

So powerful. To walk away with 15 possible solutions and have discussed the pros and cons of each of those. That's like a major thing for people to I might have a problem. I might think of one or two possible solutions, but if I run those ideas past other people, like, oh, well, have you thought about this? Have you thought about that? And all of a sudden I get to expand my mind, and I get to expand what's possible. But I think the other thing is. Because the mastery group is all peers. My problem that I bring to the group, everyone else is listening to that. And now, when they ever have that problem, they have the solution. They already had it. And so you'll see everybody taking notes. Even when they're not in the hot seat, they're taking notes about everyone else's Hot Seat, because your peers are all in the same situation together. So the problems or the challenges or the idea generation that needs to happen. It's good for everybody it that's part of the magic of it is that you're not just getting answers in your own hot seat. You're you're getting them from everybody else's hot seats.

I read about too, because I know sometimes when somebody else has been in the hot seat, and I have had them explain what their thing is. And in my mind, I thought, oh my gosh, that's like the next thing I read, we do and after this thing. And so now listening to the answers that everybody use them, and the solutions they come up with actually helped me to actually get there faster, because it kind of laid the foundation for me, and it actually asked questions that now I needed to ask myself, so when I got there, whether it's the time for me to be in the hot seat or just when I'm working it out in my own mind, I was like, Oh, wow. I hadn't thought to ask. That is actually really of the point, because we know that when we're working on our own stuff, we're kind of someone's in our in a cloud, right? You know, we're in this plot hole of what we think, and then all of a sudden, when you're in a mastermind where you get all kinds of things that you really hadn't ever thought before, and you're going to be able to go, oh, and sometimes it's a solution, sometimes it's a perspective or an insight, and it's a shit with that. What I really love when something helps you. So I just think about surviving is just so powerful in so many ways. Yeah, then, you know, I also think it's choosing a mastermind. So when you yeah for Ryan, what would you say are the key factors that participants should consider to make sure that it aligns and offers most value for them?

Well, so there's, there's sort of three areas. The first area is who's the facilitator, the second area is who are the other members. And then the third area is what going to happen in meetings, and what can I expect, and what, what's expected of me? So the first part is, is, you know, who is the facilitator, who's going to be running this group? Is it someone who has a background in running mastermind groups? Because they're different, like group coaching, according to the International Coach Federation, style of coaching is the coach works with one person while everybody watches, but they don't participate in a master group. Everybody participates, and so is the facilitator, skilled in making that happen and taking the conversation deeper and keeping people accountable and making sure that that everything is fair, so everyone gets a balanced amount of time to talk. Because, you know, there's always that person who talks challenge, right? So is the fertility facilitator skilled in working with this type of group? And then also, is the facilitator a mentor? Are they a consultant of this topic? Do they have some expertise? Because even though they're not a member of the group, they're still expected to participate and and share what they know. So a lot of times I suggest to people join a mastermind group with a mentor that you already know that you really are like, Oh, I love to follow this person. I love the way they think. I love the way they communicate, because the whole texture of the group is going to be based on communication styles, and the leader, the facilitator, is going to be the person who very subtly manages how that conversation happens. And so if they have good communication skills as a as an individual, then they're likely to have expectations of that within the group, and the discussion is everything. So the communication skills and styles have to be supreme, right? And then the other thing is, is, you know, do they what is their background in, you know, coaching people for success, and in our case, for business owners, helping business owners grow and manage businesses, what's their background in the mindset side of it? Because it's not just about the practical you know how to run a business, kind of answers, but a lot of stuff, as you know, that comes up in mastermind groups is all about your mindset. Where are you holding yourself back? Where are you sabotaging yourself? Where is your thinking getting you limited into what's possible? Where are you making bad decisions? Where are you assuming things? Where are your biases? Well, is the facilitator skilled in knowing all those things? Because your your other members are skilled in that. They don't. They don't have a background in that kind of psychology, but the facilitator should right. The second thing, then is the peers, who's going to be in a group? Now, if it's a brand new group, the facilitator won't know, because it's a brand new group, but look carefully at their materials. Who is the group focused to? And is it focused towards the kind of people that that you feel would be your peers? So as an example, new business owners would love to be in a mastering group, but people have been in in business 20 years, but for the people been in. Is this 20 years, having a new person in the group doesn't really help them. So you want to know what is the level, what kinds of businesses would be represented. Typically, there's no competitors. So you want to make just double check and triple check that if you own, you know, an upscale restaurant in New York City, that there's not going to be another upscale restaurant owner in New York City in your group, because if you want to share that you've got trouble, you don't want them knowing. And if you're going to come up with, like, a brilliant marketing campaign, and you want to brainstorm with a group around that, you don't want your competitor knowing, so just make sure they're really clear about no competitors, typically also no vendors, because I don't want my vendors to know what's going on in my business, and I don't want my clients to know, so the facilitator has to manage all that. So look to see who their focus is for the group, and does that seem like the right focus? Because you could have a Business Mastermind group. It's all about marketing and scaling and growing. You could have a mastermind group that's about getting ready to exit and sell your business. You could have a mastermind group that's about your team and team communication and team culture. Yeah, sometimes they niche down to a subset of business topics so you want to know, or they got to cover everything, or is it narrowly focused? And is it narrowly focused in a way you want, like, say you really want to take your social media marketing to another level? Well, then get in the mastermind group as well Social Media Marketing and deep dive into it, if you really want to talk more about what's me to be a leader, and how do I set the how do I set the agenda for the for the business, then get into a group that's more strategic. So there's always a group that's right for you, you know. And then the third piece is, what happens in the group? What is the expectation of what I'm going to get out of the group, and what's my commitment, both in terms of time and energy and money, for joining this group, and what is the expectation of how I'm supposed to participate in the group? So if you look at those three things, the facilitator, the peers who are in the group, the other members, and then what happens in meetings, and what's going to happen in the group, and what are the expectations? Those are the things I'd be looking at when I made a decision about which group is the right group for me.

Makes sense? Let's cut a little bit talk about dynamics, right? Because the dynamic within a successful master of mine really matters. So as a participant, what can I do to make sure that I'm contributing effective, so that I so that I, on my part, create a collaborative and supportive environment from the participant point of view, right? So what does that dynamic look like from a participant point of view, when you're talking about

Right? So typically, in a typical mastermind group, some or all the members will be in the hot seat in each meeting. And typically, at least in my groups, we ask those people to prepare what they want to talk about in the hot seat and to give that to people in advance. So as a member, let's just say, Patty, you came to the group, you said, I want to talk about this topic, you send an email to everybody a couple days in advance. Well, my job as the member who's going to serve you during your hot seat is I want to read through what you are asking the group. I want to double check that I understand it, you know, send an email back, Hey, did I get this right? Are you asking about this? And then I'm going to prepare a bullet point list of ideas that I have without before the brainstorming, just on my own. Any resources I have any great books, I know about any great mentors, I know about great websites, I know about great workshops, I know about around this topic, so that I have everything to give you that I have knowing that that's like my entry point. And then during the meeting, my job is to participate fully, to piggyback and brainstorm with other people about, you know, taking that next level higher and to ask questions, both to clarify that I understand what you say, that make sure that I am hearing what I think you say, because communication is difficult, so it's better that we always question whether we got it right, instead of saying, Well, I think she means this, and then asking questions, asking clarifying questions, and also asking like, insight questions, especially the why question. So let's just say you come to the group, you have a problem, you're trying to make a decision between A and B, and you know, everyone's leading toward a and b, and they're saying, Well, you know, it's so I could say, Well, why is this coming up for you now? Why do you think a and b are the only two choices? Because maybe there's another one. And I, you know, if I ask those questions, it just, it's like a drop in a pond, it will send just this ripple effect, and the whole thing just expands and explodes. But if I hold back asking those questions, because I don't want to sound stupid asking, you know, well, why is this important? I lose that opportunity for us to take the conversation deeper. So part of my job is to be fully present and to ask the questions that are on my mind and to say what's on my mind, knowing that the group trust each other enough that I don't I'm not worried about getting rejected by the group or being laughed at by the group. And so the facilitator, that's their job, is creating that level of trust. So I can ask the question, like, why is this important? And why do you only want to choose between A and B without feeling like everyone's gonna be like, Oh, Karen, don't be stupid. You know, the facilitator won't allow that. So that the trust and the group dynamic is huge, and the facilitator does that job.

You know, I think something you said, I think is really gold there, because, you know, there is something about and I'm in marketing. So for me, I'm very decisive, I think, very quickly, and I know that I link on, generate ideas and monetization in my specialty. However, with that said, not everybody is that. So if you're thinking about what you just said, if they don't know those things, what's going to happen is they're going to come up with things off the top of their head, which may or may not be as good as if they put a little bit of timing right. Yes, it's not like we're asking somebody say, I want to go spend two hours. And yeah, because then it wouldn't be their ideas anyway. I mean, that person, whoever it is, we go to Google all by myself. Yeah, so. But I love the idea that they're actually thinking about, what books do they know, what mentors can they have like? So really, they are showing up yet in a really good service mentality. With me. I really love, right, you know, and ability to ask clarify questions. Now, I have been a part of a lot of masterminds that the mastermind was like a side portion, or whatever the program it wasn't the whole thing. And so a lot of times when I've seen that happen, they're like, Okay, yeah, tell us your thing, and then now we're going to give you solutions and no clarifying questions were ever able to be added. Course, really waters down into loops. What can happen because they didn't get to ask those questions. So I actually really love that. But since you did mention trust, I think that is very important. How do mastermind groups foster that sense of trust and openness unlimited heart, and why do you think it's critical for sharing and receiving more valuable?

Yeah, so the way we build trust in a group, or the way we build trust with anybody is two ways that showing up consistently. You're always there every meeting, you don't bail. Because how would you feel about someone who says, let's just say you met once a month, and the person's there one month, and then they disappear for two or three months and they show up again, and you're like, Who is this person? They come and they go, how serious are they about the group if they don't make a commitment for showing up? So literally, showing up consistently, consistently, is a massive way to build trust, and so the facilitator should be requiring people to attend the meeting, unless there's blood on the ground, you should be there with that said, sometimes business owners do have a fire they have to put out, or they have a conference they're speaking at that they can't change the date. Then they should let the group know in advance, because, again, building trust is a matter of respect. Am I treating the group with respect and letting them know if I can't be there? Or am I doing my homework when I know who the hot seats are? Did I spend 10 minutes per person doing a little bit of homework, or did I walk in and wing it off the top of my head and not really contribute to the conversation because I didn't do the work I was supposed to do to prepare for the meeting. The second way we build trust is, I know it sounds weird, so showing up consistently and consistently showing up, and by that I mean that you show up the same person each time, and that you show up fully present and fully participating. And you probably met people like this one time you meet them, and everything's great. The next time you meet them, they're like, this super angry person. You're like, who are you? And you're walking around eggshells, because the next time you meet, they're nice again, and the next time you meet, they're angry again. And you just don't know which person is going to show up. So in a mastermind group, you need to let go of the day and show up fully present as your human self. And we wear a lot of masks as humans. So, you know, that's just the that's just part of who we are. It's a facilitators job to help us to feel free enough, it's safe, enough, to let go of some of those masks. So those first few meetings, we're just building trust. Usually by the third meeting of a group that trust should be pretty set if the facilitator knows what they're doing, because then I feel like I can kind of, you know, let down my guard. I can open up my kimono and say, Well, this is what's really going on in my business. First two meetings, I might not be willing to do that, but by the third meeting, I should be willing to do that. And the facilitator has to literally say, I want to hear every idea. I want to hear the craziest ideas. I want to hear the simplest ideas. Even if you say, God is too simple, they already know that people forget stuff. It was in a mastermind group meeting once it was so funny. These are people who have been in business at least 15 years, so a seasoned group of things. And this one woman was working on a new marketing campaign for a new product that she had and. And someone said to her, I know this sounds stupid, but does your audience want this? And you're thinking, Well, of course, she's done. And she's like, Oh my god, I never sat down and really analyzed audience analysis, and I and maybe I need to just stop right now. I need to do that. She had been in business 15 years, but hadn't launched anything or

Four years. Sometimes about our baiting, right? I know we're birthing something, and sometimes somebody has to say something because they go, Oh, wow, I had really accurate laughs

Thing, like the simplest question. So when you build trust in a group, then people feel free to ask those questions and ask the questions of, well, what is your motivation? Where are you holding yourself back? All those kind of questions, those questions are asked when there's safety in the group, when it's safe to ask.

I think that really does make sense. And something you said really made me I want a record second. So when you were talking about not in those long time, things do come up, right? Sometimes somebody is going to be speaking at an event, right? And I know that in a mastermind, there are times when I'm in a hot seat, and I have, you know, built a relationship with people that are in the group. But I know that there's times that whatever the thing is, that I'm coming to the table with that time I'm thinking to myself, Oh, I can't wait to hear how you know Sally is going to answer like because they're similar enough that you got to know them a little bit, and you're really excited to hear what they are going to say. And then you find out that, oh, Sally isn't going to be there that you will only wanted to hear, right? You know, knowing that I had it gives you the ability for you or for them, to say, you know, what Patty, or whatever the case may be, I am going to be gone that time. But just, you know, I really do want to hear about that. So, yeah, maybe we could jump on a call or, yeah, like, do something, right? You know, yeah. So there's are sometimes people that you absolutely know that during different times in the time that you're in the mastermind, that this particular thing, there might be four people that are really, really, although you just never know when somebody's something like, oh my gosh, like, I didn't expect that. Yeah, and that's just fabulous, right? You know? But there are times they can go are really waiting for this one person that you really feel right. And so I love the fact that you said that, because if you know that, it also enables you to be able to say, Hey, Sally, I know you're not going to be there. Here's what I'm thinking, or I really value, you know, what you bring to the table, and I know you're going to be gone. But you know, can I just send you an email, kind of let me know where I'm thinking, or maybe after you know what? Everybody else is sending them an email. Hey, this came up group, you know, whatever. But I'd love that really, yeah. So that's also kind of the commitment to the group too.

Well. Saw groups meet twice a month. So say, you know, the first Tuesday of the month was supposed to be your hot seat, but Sally's not going to be there. You might say, Hey, George, can I swap with you? Because the third Tuesday of the month, Sally's going to be there in my hot seat. I really want her there. So could you do your Can we swap hot seats? So sometimes the format of the group and how often you meet gives you some different opportunities. But yeah, absolutely. I mean, there's there's people in the group who have expertise, and you really want to tap into their brain. And so, you know, sometimes there's a bit of a juggle to make that happen, but you can do it. And the other thing is, as you build these relationships with these people, that between meetings, you are talking with them through email, through phones, through zoom, whatever it is, you're not just seeing him once a month, and then you don't see him again, which

I think it's important. So a minute ago, we were talking about, you know, how you you prep so that you know how to contribute. We were talking about how they send that out and how you want to take some time so that you can show up and serve. So let's kind of flip that a little bit. What are some strategies for participants to prepare for when they are in the hot seat, so that they make them most out of that mastermind group meeting and that hot and so,

Right? So it depends on the group. Some hot seats are 15 minutes. Sometimes they're an hour and a half. I mean, it just depends on how the group runs their group, so that you need to find out much time you're gonna have. If it's a relatively short Hot Seat, let's just say 30 minutes, then you're in a situation where you really, honestly can only talk about one or two things. So the first thing you have to do is ask yourself, right now, today, in this moment, if I had my meeting tomorrow, and I'm preparing for my meeting, what is the most important thing that I want to talk about with them? The thing that, if I can solve it tomorrow. It's going to move the needle forward on my business in an extraordinary way. So don't be lazy and pick just whatever comes to your mind. Five minutes before the meeting, really sit and think about it from strategic perspective. What problem do you have to solve? What decision do you need to make, what idea do you need to bring? Storm around with people to make sure that you're not crazy here. Like I have this idea, I just want to double check that it's not too weird. You know, what is it that you need help with? Sometimes the thing you need help with is accountability. I'm not getting things done. I need you guys to hold me accountable. I want to use my hot seat to walk through what my action plan is for the next month. Sometimes it's that so you need to say, first ask yourself, What's most important to work on? What's holding you back? Because that's the thing you want to work on. The second thing is, whatever the rules are for the group, make sure you get your prep out to the group before the deadline. Don't send it to them 10 minutes before the meeting, and somehow expect them to magically be able to read it and think through it in 10 minutes. It's a huge sign of disrespect to send out your prep 10 minutes before the meeting. A busy you're saying to them, I don't care whether this puts any pressure on you or not. And also, apparently, I don't care whether my hot seat is good, because I didn't put any effort into it. You're gonna get out of your Hot Seat what you put into it.

So I think the others had something did it. I think what you said right there, though, upon attention, that when you said, like most people are thinking, Oh, I have actually heard people say, Well, you know what, I'm not struggling right now. Things are going good in my that's great, I think. But that doesn't mean you're have something to ask or what you just said, I think makes sense. When you're saying, What decisions do you have to make? Doesn't mean it's a struggle. Doesn't mean everything in your business means that something isn't going well. It could be that something is going well, and you're thinking about, Oh, okay, this is going really, really great. Here's some decisions I'm going to have to make because it is and talk about those. I think a lot of times people think that masterminds really are about just solving problems a problem, but I don't think.

No, a lot of hot seats are forward thinking, Where do I want to be in three months? Where do I be in six months? How do I design this? How do or even worse, I scaled my business to a place where we're successful and I am completely overwhelmed trying to juggle it all. What do I do next? It's not about solving a problem, per se, it's okay. How do I rethink redesign my business for the next year? Sometimes, especially like at the end of the year, sometimes all the hot seats are about, what are your goals for next year? What do you get done this year? What do you what's moving into next year? What are your quarters look like for next year? Or sometimes it's all forward thinking.

I think that makes a lot of sense. And when you're thinking about that accountability, right, how do you think that masterminds enhance that accountability? What role do you think that they is helping the participants get committed to their goals?

Every mastering group's a little bit different about how much accountability they do. The real extreme ones, which are sometimes they call themselves accountability groups, is, you know, you get on a zoom with everybody first thing Monday morning and say, here's what my week's gonna look like. And literally, day by day, you have to report in what you've gotten done. That is for people who need that level of support to look I got a big project to do, and I really I need to stay on top of it. If I mess up even a day, it messes up the whole plan. Some mastermind groups, you know, they touch on accountability, just asking people, like, what's your orderly goals? So it's a wide range of accountability, but one of the biggest problems we have as business owners is staying focused and getting things done for any number of reasons. We'd like to go into, like, huge detail, but let's just say that we're busy and we're time constrained, so an account, the accountability portion of a mastermind group meeting basically says, What is it you're trying to accomplish? What are the most important things you need to do, or most important decisions you need to make between now and our next meeting, and then at the next meeting, they're going to ask you, so how did that go? And part of that is they want to celebrate your wins, and they want to keep on track of that. If it didn't go well, we can fix the problem right away. We don't let it fester for six months, and then it becomes like this black hole of of a problem. If we can find out early on that something is not working, we can, we can turn around and fix it right away. So Danny, a lot really is about getting things done and nipping problems in the blood.

And I think that is really important. Well, you talked a minute ago about looking for challenge. Let's talk about that. What would you say are some common challenges that working to face in mastermind groups, and how can they overcome them so that they continue to benefit from the next year?

Yeah, so I you know, one of the biggest challenges that people bring up in a mastermind group is all that mindset stuff, either they know they're holding themselves back, or they're unconscious of it, but the group is starting to notice that they say things all the time like, Well, that won't work. Or I really believe this is the only way to do it, or this is what I've been told is the way to do it. Or, you know, their perfectionism is holding them back, or their procrastination is holding it back. So that's one big, huge area that comes up in mastermind group meetings, because it's not all about the practical stuff, right? So those kind of challenges need to be dealt with, because the person is never going to be able to move forward in their business if they're. Holding themselves back internally. So we need to do that work as well. And then there's all kinds of practical situations that come up, you know, in the in the problem realm, it's anything from, you know, my marketing campaign failed, or my key employees leaving, or I'm trying to get ready to sell my business, and it's not ready, and I don't have anything in place to do a really good exit plan to, you know, my team isn't communicating well, my, you know, my big client is dropping me, you know. I mean, there's a million of these kind of of problems and so, and they come up all the time. That's the nature of business. And so a mastermind group needs to be flexible enough to deal with whatever problem is coming up. That's why I said earlier. If you know you really want to work deeply on social media marketing and find a group is just about that. But if you kind of want to work on the totality your business, find a group is a little bit more generic, and they'll talk about whatever, whatever topic you want to bring up, whatever is most important to you. What you don't want to do is get into like a social media marketing group where you can't talk about your key employees leaving because it's time appropriate.

You know, that makes a lot of sense. No, so Karen, you've been doing this for a long time, and you've been a facilitator. You train facilitator. So with all of that experience that you have, would you be willing to share with us? What are some of the unexpected benefits or transformations that participants have shared with you after being a part of a mastermind beyond just achieving their business which he's willing to share some of that?

Yeah. So first of all, it's, it's this, I want to call it a network of support, but it is the relationships you build with the other people you know. If you have a good friend who runs a business, and they understand what it means to run a business, you can talk to them in a way that you can't talk to family and friends and husbands and wives and all that other stuff. It's just it's completely different kind of relationship, and because of the level of trust. They're going to tell you about cool, new things that are happening. They're going to tell you information about like, how to how to find a certain kind of employee. You might even end up sharing services like, maybe you say you need a part time CFO, maybe a divide you take half that CFOs time, and your your partner, your your master, a group member takes the other half. And so it's that kind of networking that I think is really crucial, because when you have this network of people that you really trust deeply, they're just there for you all the time, and you're there for them as well. And there's nothing like that. The world can feel like a really isolated and lonely place, and to know that you have this group of people that no matter what happens, they're there for you. If you have a great success, they're the first people you think about telling, and if you've got that huge, massive failure, they're the first people you think of telling. That benefit is so massive in an isolating world, so that's probably one of the biggest unexpected benefits, because it's not intended to be a networking group. To be a networking group, but that's what ends up happening. The other thing is, you grow as a human being in a way that you hadn't foreseen when you joined the group. I think part of it is, is that we know, as business owners who we are today, got us the business we have today. But if you want to go to another level, there are things internally in you and externally, about the way you do things that's holding you back, and you have to grow a little bit and change a little bit in order to get to the next level, and your mastermind group is going to encourage you to do that in a very loving and kind way. But your personal growth as a human being is is just huge in a mastermind group. And so if you know you have more human potential in you, it's like, in your gut, you're like, I have more. I can do more. Don't know what it is, but no, I have it. Then joining a mastermind group gives you that opportunity to really blossom. And that's typically an unexpected benefit of a mastermind group.

I love that, right? You know, because most people join a mastermind, because they have this right now, unless I said some mastermind goes specifically, like you said, around whatever that, right? So you have these unexpected benefits and transformation. And in the amount of time, I want to go a little bit deeper now on that. So do you see a pattern, like having, you know, I mean, literally, had hundreds and hundreds and hundreds people, both from your mastermind, just the ones you never mind, the ones that with the facilitator that you count too. Do you see a pattern? Some of the things that people just don't expect, right? These are the unaccepted and transformation really beyond their business goals that come up over and over and over again that people don't even realize that those are the benefits of. Well, you can't say you will achieve this or this will happen, because know that for sure, but yet, you've been in this game a long time, and you see them happen over. Over and over and over again. Yeah, I have seen especially,

I mean, it's not just my mastermind groups. I am privy to hundreds of mastery groups through the people that I've worked with. And some of the things that people tell me is like they have taken their business from, I don't know, 250k to a million or even more. I one guy, he started a business, joined my mastermind group, had been in another business, you know, multi million dollar business, but he wanted to share his business knowledge with other people. And so he said, I want to start a mastermind group and help other people do that. And he took that business from, I want to say something like 240k in the first year or together, we were able to get that up to something like $12 million in about two years. He had 138 members, and he just it just skyrocketed. And he never expected that it was going to be like that. And so it just depends on what you want and and are you open to these kind of transformations that are unexpected? So we, part of what we do in master eye groups is we set, you know, quarterly goals and annual goals, but we try to remain as flexible as possible so that if an opportunity comes along that's going to allow you to go in a different direction, that you feel safe to make that decision, because, you know, you got your group, your group is there. They're supporting you, and they're going to help you to make that leap, whatever that leap is,

That's really important. I know that personally, like I said, you know, I have been, you know, with you for a few years now, up and on right and more than one time. And I can remember specifically one time. I remember many times. That's specifically one time that I was in the group and I were taking on something new, on entire group, and then I came to the river, and I was like, Well, I knew I could do this, this. But I thought, Well, what else like, what else could, could I also do that I wasn't, I wasn't. And I remember coming to the hot seat with them. So much great stuff, like, and a couple of it was pretty simple, right? My like, oh, sorry. But none of it was like, Oh, it was something I hadn't thought about. But then I even remember that this is kind of why you both hear about so Gator is too, because I remember that after everybody else got none, I remember you saying to me, Well, we had everybody telling you and mom, you drop some, like, great stuff. I was like, Oh, my goodness, that was so good. But then, of course, we're all in a time where we have to move on. And I remember you saying, you know, everybody, I'm going to contact you, I'll send you an email and go through some ideas. You ended up getting our call with me, and I have to tell you, like, we didn't have to do that, right, you know, but we had built this relationship. Got on that call with me, and it was a game changer, like, really honestly, a game changer in just a few simple little tweaks of something that I was already doing then, because through your experience, they've done it a little bit, and you were willing to share, where people aren't right, and you were willing to share, but then I've never forgotten, really, how important that was, which, of course, is why, every time you act, I'm like, oh, yeah, yeah, run, you know. And which is, again, an unexpected benefit, yeah, something that you're dealing by, because you do build relationships. And I think that is really important. So what I really want to say, Karen is, like, this is really your jam, right? You are the expert of expert view, as far as I'm concerned. So looking ahead, what exciting trends or developments do you see in the world mastermind group, and how do you think they'll shape the way business owners collaborate

And grow moving forward, one of the huge trends is, is it's expanding. I mean, I see mastermind groups all over the world, and it's a little shocking. Sometimes there's someone from Singapore or the Philippines or Brazil or, you know, contact me like, oh yes, I've heard about mastermind groups. I'm thinking, how are you hearing about this? You know, but thank God for the Internet, right? So more and more people are using it, and they're using it in more and more situations. Like, there are people who, like, teach leadership workshops inside of corporations and then offer offer mastering group to that Corporation's employees. There are people who are running mastermind groups for like I said, parents of teenagers, or parents of new parents with babies, or people who are solo caregivers of a spouse. There's a woman who just joined a mastermind group. She's, I think, 83 and she has creating a whole business at 83 for people who are solo seniors, which are people who are retired and older to don't have a spouse, who don't have children, or the people don't live near them, and they're trying to navigate. Be being a senior on your own. I mean, it's amazing what people are creating, mastering groups around. So one of the big trends I'm seeing is it's like a tsunami wave coming in, you know? And so I'm telling you, we're right the way to get people, because there are more of them, they're all over the world, or in a whole bunch of different topics, besides business ownership. So that's one of the trends I'm seeing the other trend that I'm seeing is as people are attaching them to another offer. Like they'll like I said, they'll go into a corporation, they'll teach a leadership workshop for six weeks, and then they'll run a mastermind group for six months for those students. So I'm seeing a lot of connectivity between your existing offer and your new offer. There's a woman who runs a manufacturing plant who is creating mastermind group for other manufacturers. So think about, you know, the people who are your clients, or the people who are your peers, and do they have a mastermind group? And so I just may love seeing the creativity that people are using in their mastermind groups. It's really, it's really expanding, and they're do all kinds of fun stuff. They do retreat weekends and and cool things like that. And I think that that's really good example of how a mastermind group can learn from other mastermind groups to grow who they are as well.

That is really important, because I know that when I'm making a decision like I can't, I don't think I've not been in a mastermind for 10 or 15 years, for sure, I mean, and I'm always in at least one, and then I facilitate them as well, right? But with that said, I know that one of the things for me, when I'm thinking about it, because I always want to know that I want to be able to contribute to right? And that's in everything, and not just in that. I'm not, I don't want to be a part of any organization. Of any organization unless I know I paid that's something that's important to me, and so I love it when, when I get to serve in that way, and I get to believe a master Bible meeting really feeling like, you know, my mom used to say to me all the time that didn't give you these still keep them in your living room, right? You know? And I love that I get to be perfect. And sometimes I walk away and I'm like, Oh, I was really thankful. And it makes me feel good to know that I could help somebody else in a way that, no, they're not my client. They're not like, no, and probably sometimes may never be my client, or that type of industry, or whatever would never be my client, but that I was able to contribute, it kind of keep press sharper, and it just suddenly feel good. And I love that, and I love how you can take masterminds and put them with your other offers, right? And I think that for a long time you didn't see, thanks so much, but people are being really creative now. Yeah, it wasn't just a couple years ago when I thought, oh wow, Patty. You do retreats and you do mastermind, but oh my gosh. Well, they can just put them together. And yes, and you know how to master, why that included every tree, right? You know. So I think that there are a lot of ways we can do that. And again, I do think that if that is something that somebody is interested in, again, you want to think about who that facilitator and are they going to be about women? That's critical. Yeah, and so I think that's really important. And I really, I really, really love that you are such an expert in this area, and you're such an expert that they didn't even come empty. When did? We brought a gift with you for the audience, and I love that, so feel the audience a little bit about that gift.

So myself and some of my senior students wrote an ebook called find your perfect mastermind group, and it is basically a buyer's guide of how to choose the right mastermind group for you. So I'm happy to share that with people. I know you're going to put it in the show notes so people have that because how do you make that decision? What? What is the criteria that you should be considering when you're looking at maybe two or different or two or three different mastermind groups? This way you can, like, get it all out in front of you and then make a really wise decision. I think

that's really good. So if you're listening to the podcast or watching it with Deborah, maybe look below. There's a button right there, so we will make sure that you can get that, because it is fabulous. I've had it for a while, and I really love it, and it was instrumental in me. And really kind of shifting a little a few thoughts that I thought about going, Oh, I hadn't really thought about that. One on too many, which mastermind is for me. So I think that is very good if you happen to be somebody who is facilitating mastermind. Guess what? Having a book like that, that kind of tells me what should they be thinking about when they're choosing here's a marketing tip from picking one. You might well look at some of those things and think, oh, are some of those things in the mastermind that I'm thinking about facilitating? So it's a good way to reverse engineer as well, marketing, yeah, and abuse, yeah. This is a benefit, whether you are choosing or whether you're thinking of putting one together. This is just a phenomenal gift. So thank you so much for being so generous. Karen. Oh, you're welcome, Patty. So I know everybody's going to want and that you so can you tell everybody? Like. What is the best way? And before you do, I want to tell you, if you don't do anything else, I just have to tell you, we're all so busy. But I will tell you she is numeral, you know the first vlog Ivy that you want to make sure you get on our wrist, so that she sends you her stuff. Because I have to tell you, she probably has the most comprehensive, most interesting, most valuable blog ever. I just want to say that, okay, really so love them. So Karen, then it sounds outfit they Yeah, I'm all excited,

Because I already planned out my next 12 months of blog posts, so I'm not ready for you. Patty, all right. Rhino, the best place to reach me, of course, is at my website, the success alliance.com it's all about mastermind groups. A huge blog out there, a bunch of tutorials and videos and all kinds of stuff that can get you started in this world of mastermind because for me, my whole goal in life is to share this whole message about mastermind groups to as many people on the planet as possible. I'm thinking at article next, you know, because they're very lovely down there. They need a mastermind group. But anything that I can do to help people to either figure out which is the right group for them to join or to start a group, I am totally there, and

I love that, and she has lots of good stuff there on both of those. So that's good. I also know that, like for me, like we're connected everywhere for the scene, what social media platform Do you spend the most?

Mostly Facebook and LinkedIn are the two places where I talk to the most people, and typically, especially LinkedIn, because it tends to be the professional network and business owners are out there and stuff, but I put stuff on both sides.

Thank you so much, Karen. I appreciate you so much for for being here. I've been looking forward to this podcast. I can't wait to share you you missed the first few seconds when I told you that not only is she going to be here on this podcast, but by the time you listen to this know that there will be few more weeks before she will be writing in our marketing medium on manual zoom, where she is going to switch it up and talk about, what are all the things. If you thought this ever served with valuable and I'm sure you did, she's going to really kind of break that down for you. As far as that's still getting your running masterminds too. So you're going to get kind of both sides of the story right there, which I think is very wonderful. So I love that you were going to be so willing to share both sides of that. So again, Karen, thank you so very much. Thank you, Patty. I tell my audience thank you so much for shutting up. Week after week. I really appreciate you being here. I'd love to be able to serve you. And if you enjoyed today's episode, I'm sure you did, please like subscribe and review the podcast on your favorite listing platform. We've already talked about the magazine you haven't gotten yet. If you're trying to watch and get a hold of it, it is free. You can go to www.m3digitalmag.com grab your copy there. Until then, we will see you again next week. You have a wonderful thank you so much. Bye. Now.