Today, I Tweeted about the couple's MasterMind Group I attend regularly with my husband. I received some replies and emails from people who asked me to share a little about how our group works. For example, Vera Reed @bodyseasonsings wondered whether we belong to a regional or national couple's MasterMind group. We do not. I started our group myself because I love my husband, myself and my customers and I want all of us to be successful. Since I enjoy my professional business MasterMind group, I wondered what it would be like to MasterMind with my husband and other like-minded couples who also run a business and a family together like we do. I took 3 specific steps before starting our couples MasterMind group, and I share them with you in case you are interested in starting a group, but don't know how to start.
(If you are reading this post via email or an RSS reader and can’t see this video, then click here). Written details follow for those without access to the video at this time.
- Educate Yourself. First, research MasterMinding. Find out what it is generally and how it works. If you already know from prior experience, this will be a fairly easy task. If not, you need to know what you may be getting yourself into before you propose it to your spouse. There's no shortage of informative general MasterMinding information on the Web, but since that can overwhelming, I want you to know about one of the best series of articles I've ever enjoyed on the topic. It was written by Indie Beauty Network member Anne-Marie Faiola at Brambleberry, and you can find them here. (Scroll to the bottom of the page, start there and work your way up.) Read those articles in order to get a feel for what kind of commitment is involved in MasterMinding. You may find that it's just what you need. You may find that it's not. But before you take action, educate yourself.
- Tell Your Spouse. If you decide that MasterMinding is for you, and may be for you and your spouse jointly, then tell your spouse. Let him or her know what you have in mind. Pay special attention to the potential sensitivity of the situation, since some people are more comfortable with goal setting and accountability than others. You know your spouse so present the information in a way that will convey your love, sincerity and intention to do something that will build up your marriage, your family and your business.
- MasterMind With Your Spouse First. Before you approach other couples with the idea of MasterMinding as a group, try it first with your spouse. This may be a big production or not. It all depends on your particular relationship. Different couples co-lead their relationships and their businesses in different ways, and each individual is different.How you prefer to MasterMind is as unique as your marriage relationship. Decide as a couple how you will Mastermind. Twice a week? Once a month. How long will each MasterMind meeting be?
All of this will change as you make progress and discover what works best for you. Be flexible but remain focused.
Will your MasterMind be about getting out of debt? Or will it be about building co-owned family business? Will it be about strengthening your relationship? Your sex life? Or will it be about raising the children. Select things that are important to you (as a couple or sometimes, individually), set a time to start meeting and see how things go.
Of course there's a lot more to MasterMinding that just “seeing how things go,” but this post is written for beginners who would like to try it but don't know where to start. For that reason, my first advice is to know what's involved generally, find out whether your spouse is interested and set a time to meet to MasterMind about something specific.
Your first meeting may be awkward. (Ask me how I know.) It may or may not have an agenda. It depends on your relationship and how you like to engage one another.If your first meetings were like our, they were very low pressure. We sat down weekly for about 30 minutes to MasterMind about something specific. Sometimes it was easy. Most times it was not.
Part 2 Is Coming Soon!
I will post another video soon (not sure when) on what to do next, which will involve setting up a more formal structure. For now, stick your toe in the water and feel the temperature.
Update: 8/23/2009: Enjoy Part 2 of How To Start a Couple's MasterMind Group.
Update: 9/30/2009: Enjoy Part 3 of How To Start a Couple's MasterMind Group.
Question: What do you think? Are you ready to MasterMind with your spouse?
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