How to Start a Mastermind Group, Part 5 – Creating a Community
Mastermind groups are used by the ultra-successful to help them become even more successful. If you're wondering how to start a mastermind group of your own, this 5-part series will show you how to do it!
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If you really want to create a thriving mastermind group, one that will stand the test of time and the challenges that come along with attempting something extraordinary, you have to build a community. On one hand, your mastermind is like the personal trainer at the gym, pushing you further than you thought you could go. On the other, your mastermind group is both the library that holds your research and the energy bar that gives you that much-needed boost of energy.
Today, we're going to look at how you can create a valuable resource for your mastermind members. You'll learn the best ways to store and catalog information. And, you'll discover how to give your mastermind groups the longevity they need so they produce results for months and years to come.
In order to break down this series on how to start a mastermind, I've broken it down into manageable chunks.
Part 1 – Determine Your Purpose
Part 3 – Organizing Your Meetings
Part 4 – Boosting Member Engagement
Part 5 – Creating a Community
If you want to download all five parts, enter your email below and I'll send you an easy-to-follow guide with complete instructions, tools, and resources. Plus, I'll send you an early notice about my next mastermind group!
Click to Download My Mastermind Guide
When I first set out to create this “How to Start a Mastermind” Guide, I knew I needed to answer the question of how to keep and catalog information. As the mastermind host, I do my best to keep a list of resources to help my members. I want a place to send them when they need to download a guide or a template.
When my reader, Larissa, asked for my help to get her mastermind started the right way, I knew we'd get to this point. The un-glamorous, uncool, and sometimes boring bit about storing documents, slides, and the inevitable PDF.
Though I saved this section for last, don't discount its importance. Without keeping files around and creating a library of resources, you don't have a system. If you don't have a system, you're starting new every time. If you start new each time, you can't build momentum and you can't develop a strategy that produces great results every time.
Even though Part 5 is the least “sexy” part about starting a mastermind, it's the final piece of the puzzle. This is the piece that will carry your mastermind into the future and allow you to create something that lasts.
Creating a Community
Do you ever wonder why humans started living in cities? Why did we transition from living alone, to forming a tribe, to eventually living in cities full of people?
The short answer: resources.
Together we provide resources we couldn't gather on our own. You chop the wood, I hunt the meet, and we both barter for those wonderful veggies neither of us seem to be able to grow.
Together, we can do more than we could alone. Together, we stand a chance.
Even though we aren't fighting for our physical lives any longer (I hope), what we are fighting for is the ability to live life on our terms. We're fighting for our dreams, we're fighting for freedom from a j-o-b. We're fighting for something better.
If you create your mastermind the way I'm about to outline, your members can huddle together. They can fend off the ever-present “self-doubt” and get what they need to survive and thrive.
What I'm talking about are resources.
If our members are our shield, our tools, templates, swipe files and guides are our swords. They're the tools with which we go to battle. The sharper our swords, the more likely we are to win.
The Best Ways to Store Your Resources
There are many options for storing the documents and resources for your mastermind groups. If you've kept up and read through Part 3, what follows fill fall right into sync with what we talked about there.
As I mentioned, I created a “Closed” Facebook group to boost the engagement for my mastermind members. It also serves as a great way for me to introduce members from one group to the members of another.
Facebook groups allow members to upload documents for the rest of the group's members to see.
You can also “Create a Doc” but I couldn't get that to work right. When it does, there are limited options and you're stuck with a text-based document.
While this is an easy and convenient solution, Facebook documents aren't a good fit for advanced users. Even though your members, and maybe even you, might not consider themselves “advanced”, we all use spreadsheets and slides.
Facebook's document creator is too limited to be much good for anything other than hosting PDFs. Plus, Facebook uses Microsoft's Windows Live software to open and edit documents anyway.
Why not skip the middleman and go straight to the source…?
Microsoft OneDrive/Google Docs
The folks over at Microsoft often get a bad rap when it comes to their software, but Microsoft Office is some of the best software around. I use Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook every single day and they work perfectly.
If you're not a huge fan of Microsoft, you can use Google Docs. Both Docs and Microsoft's cloud-based OneDrive work similarly, the main difference being the price. Microsoft is more feature-rich, but it's also somewhat expensive if you're not a student.
These cloud-based tools make it easy to share and edit documents from anywhere. When Jason asks for my thoughts on an email series he's working on, I can make changes from anywhere. All he has to do is send me the unique URL for the exact file.
The same applies to Google Docs. One nice feature that I've seen implemented really well with Google Sheets is the multi-user editing function. I've seen up to 10 people editing a spreadsheet at the same time, each user with their own color. That's a pretty cool way to leverage technology for your mastermind.
The Box/Membership Site Combo
Instead of giving you every option and then telling you how I do it, I thought I'd simplify things this time. However, you can replicate my method with almost any software.
Note: Before we get too far down the “cloud” path, if you have questions, please read this blog post first. (New window)
I backup 99% of my spreadsheets, images, documents, and slide decks to the cloud. I use and recommend Box and the Box Sync app for Windows. They're leaps and bounds better than Dropbox; their user interface is easier to navigate, and sharing is much simpler.
Dropbox is a fair solution for personal use; I don't recommend it. Box is a great solution for businesses and personal use; I highly recommend it and rely on it every day.
How I Use Box
To leverage as much cloud storage as possible, I use what I wrote about in this post. I have 50 GB with Box and use the desktop sync app to keep almost all of my files backed up and safely stored in the cloud. I don't even have to do anything, the sync happens automatically.
Whenever I want to send a file to one of my mastermind members, I right-click the file on my desktop, copy the file-specific Box link, and send it to them. I handle all of my optin documents that way too. No 2 MB attachments coming from me!
With a unique file link, I can give my members (or subscribers) access to a file without A) having to send it as an attachment, or B) giving them access to the entire folder. This method also works great on Social media:
I prefer this method of sharing the file's link instead of the actual file itself. As long as someone has the link, they have access to the latest version of the document, spreadsheet, PDF, etc. When I save it on my computer, all changes are synced to the cloud. When I make changes based on the feedback of my members, I know they'll have access to the latest version.
How I Use Box with Membership Software
My membership site runs on OptimizePress and the included plugin, OptimizeMember.
I use the same Box Link principle inside my membership site as I do everywhere else. If I make a change to a PDF download or ebook, I want everyone to have the latest version. I don't want to have to worry about re-uploading new files and changing the download links on a dozen different pages.
Instead of linking to your file which you uploaded to your WordPress site, link to the Box link for download.
Again, this principle would work the same way if you have WishList Member, Paid Memberships Pro, or anything else. The only exception to the rule would be if you had a problem with people downloading your documents and/or sharing links. If that's the case, you may want to upload your files to the WordPress folder secured by OptimizePress. But, that's a problem for another day.
Yes, you can link directly to files stored on Google Drive, OneDrive and Dropbox. But, I stand by my recommendation to use Box.
How Does This Create Community?
Part of what it means to be in a community is being part of a chain. In a community, we can see that there were people before us and we can see what they made and left behind. We also know that what we do and what we create leaves a legacy for the next generation.
If you want to download all five parts, enter your email below and I'll send you an easy-to-follow guide with complete instructions, tools, and resources. Plus, I'll send you an early notice about my next mastermind group!
Click to Download My Mastermind Guide
Just like we transitioned from nomads to city dwellers to gain access resources, our masterminds need access to resources as well. What makes your masterminds great are the resources collected from members over time.
Like a brand-new library, your brand-new mastermind could be short on content. In this case, content comes in the form of outlines, templates, how-to guides, and anything else your members have found helpful and picked up along their journey. And, over time, your library will start to accumulate new and different books (resources). The more time, the more resources.
And, as the controller or moderator of those resources, you can add more value to everyone around you. The more needs you can meet, the more help you can be.
