Mastermind

A mastermind group is a peer-to-peer mentoring concept used to help members solve their problems with input and advice from the other group members. —Wikipedia

This post will have to be intentionally vague on specifics, for reasons which will become clear.

In 2001 I was invited to join a mastermind group of online internet entrepreneurs. Doing so changed my life.

Today it seems like everyone and their brother is some kind of internet entrepreneur. Back in 2001, however, things were quite different. Running an online business meant that you were the exception rather than the rule. The group continues to this day, though as the internet and online world has changed so has the flavor and feel of the group.

The mastermind group was created to give an exceptionally wide variety of those entrepreneurs an opportunity to communicate with, learn from, and help each other. With a wide variety of businesses and business models, we still see people approaching problems in different ways, and then discuss those problems and their potential solutions.

We all work to help each other succeed.

We learn about technologies, marketing, product creation, communicating to an audience and more. The marketers, retailers, online publishers, technology geeks, and others all learn from each other in every conceivable combination. It’s rare that an issue in one domain doesn’t spark at least interesting thought and new ideas in another.

Ask Leo! exists because of it. Heck, my experience with Linux and my Mac all happened because of it. My ability to do what I do, learn what I learn, and help who I help, has all been at least initiated by, and to a great extent facilitated by my membership in the group.

I can’t tell you more about it. I can’t tell you who’s in it. The “cone of silence”, as we call it, is one of the fundamental tenets of the group. We all trust each other with our ideas, our plans, and often our very hopes and dreams. The safety to share anything in the group is one of the things that gives it the power that it has. And thus more specifics about it must remain confidential. Well, its website is public, so I can share that at least. 🙂

I’m incredibly grateful to be part of it. It, quite literally, changed my life.