Working with Builder, we want to enable the world to turn their ideas into reality with software--without technical know-how. But what if you’re just not ready to commit to your entrepreneurial idea? How do you start? How do you make entrepreneurship work? As purveyors and developers of the #BuilderGeneration, we want to share inspiration to move your ideas forward and solve entrepreneurial challenges.One such challenge is feeling alone in creating something new. Often, it seems it's just you and your vision against the world.

Any problems or setbacks you may encounter along the way are yours and yours alone to solve. Sometimes, you get so close to the problem that you just can’t step back to see the big picture.If only you had a like-minded group of advisors to bounce ideas off of, or someone who can see the situation from a different perspective.Luckily, Napoleon Hill foresaw your predicament over 75 years ago, and even came up with a solution: the Mastermind Group.

Hill first developed the concept in his 1937 book, Think and Grow Rich. It’s one of the best-selling self-help books of all time (and still earns a 4.2 rating on Goodreads). So Napoleon obviously had something useful to say.The concept of the Mastermind Group is summarized by Hill as, "The coordination of knowledge and effort of two or more people, who work toward a definite purpose, in the spirit of harmony."His theory was that, "no two minds ever come together without thereby creating a third, invisible intangible force, which may be likened to a third mind." You might hear this referred to as, “the hive mind.” It can be a very powerful tool in guiding you and your vision to a successful outcome.

What is it and how does it work?

A Mastermind Group is basically peer-to-peer mentoring in a group setting. It’s comprised of a collection of smart, like-minded people (at least two, if not more) who meet regularly (usually once a month or more) to support each other in a variety of ways, including:

Challenging each other

Have you ever gone through a period when you just needed to be urged to develop your idea? Or maybe you’ve accomplished something significant, but you’ve been coasting on the endorphins too long, and it’s time to do something new.Mastermind Group members challenge each other to always keep moving forward, raising the stakes, and accomplishing great things. Because even a self-starter like you sometimes needs a jump start.

Brainstorming

You’ve lived with your brain for a while now. You know how it works. You think you know it's tricks and all its shortcuts, but the brain protects its secrets.Sometimes, it just doesn’t supply you with the best ideas or solutions to your problems. This is where the brains of others and the, “third mind” that Hill spoke of come into play. Mastermind Group members work together to brainstorm solutions to each others’ problems and challenges. They augment your brain with theirs to help find answers you may have never thought of on your own.

Goal setting

Setting goals can be a tricky endeavor. They need to be measurable. They need to be challenging (but not too challenging). They need to push you in new directions that you may never have thought to explore. All of that is hard to accomplish by yourself. Your Mastermind Group can help focus your mind, make suggestions, point out flawed goals, and most importantly, hold you accountable once those goals are set.

Share contacts

Mastermind Groups and networking groups are two very different things. But, while the purpose of a Mastermind Group is not networking, if a fellow member or someone they know might benefit from or contribute to your ventures, they share (and vice versa).The breadth of ways in which you can benefit from a Mastermind Group is too great to cover here. Suffice it to say that the Mastermind Group’s benefits are only limited by its members’ imaginations. And if you’ve chosen the right Mastermind Group, limits can be set by the group and its members.

Choosing your mastermind members

In creating your Mastermind Group, seeking out members at a similar level of success or  similar skill level. Members should be driven to achieve their goals (or exceed them).You’ll want highly motivated people who are willing to commit to the time required for group meetings. You might want to find individuals with similar areas of interest, or who pursue similar vocations, but you should steer clear of choosing individuals who are in direct competition with each other, so as not to discourage open sharing of ideas, goals and challenges.Most of all, you want people who are willing to give as well as receive the kind of support that makes Mastermind Groups such a useful tool for personal and professional growth.

Mastermind Groups can meet in person or via conference call (using FaceTime or Zoom, for example) if you can’t meet in person. If you’re looking to connect with other entrepreneurial mastermind members, you can use already established local networks on Facebook groups or Meetup.com.Once your team is assembled, try establishing a communication conduit, such as a group WhatsApp.

Each meeting should be led by a facilitator who can establish a master agenda to aid in the flow of dialogue and allow for more focused sharing and problem solving.Mastermind Groups can be a powerful tool for change and growth as well as an important source of support and fellowship. And in the insular world of an entrepreneur, those are very useful things to have.Get your group together and report back here or across social media to tell us how it goes! And once you’re ready to move from your idea to reality, you know who can help with software development--Builder!

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