MindMasters Brings the CEO Roundtable To Your Business

December 29th, 2008 | Posted by Debra Simpson in Strategic Planning

When Barbara Eldridge formed a personal mind master group of entrepreneurs, it was to find the support and exchange of ideas she felt necessary to her business success. As a franchisee of Success Motivational Institute, Barbara helped small business owner set goals for their business. Yet, she found they needed more. They needed support, resources, and accountability. MindMasters was born out of that need and has helped many business owners grow their businesses.

Most small business owners tend to be somewhat isolated, especially if they are homebased. They need a place where they can share their accomplishments, a place to come and “pat themselves on the back.” At MindMasters they find that between the sharing of ideas and the input from other members, they could not only prosper in their businesses, but also become more educated in areas outside their realm of expertise. The key factor to MindMasters is having a pool of people, who can share ideas, but also can help envision for you, and with you, that dream or goal you have for where you want to be in your business.

The MindMaster experience is a combination of things, the realization of our needs, and the support and resources needed to accomplish those needs. Through sharing, a member could walk away with just one idea that impacts the success of their business.

Barbara shares a story about her grandfather. Six years before Henry Ford invented the automobile, Barbara’s grandfather fashioned a crude engine and mounted it on the buckboard. He never saw past motorizing his own buckboard to the much bigger picture. He missed the opportunity. If only he had a roundtable of CEOs off of which he could bounce his ideas and see how they reacted to his new mode of transportation. Could he have been the first to invent the automobile? We’ll never know.

While MindMaster is not a networking group, it is a network of ideas and experiences of other people that can enhance what you do in your business. Why reinvent the wheel? If you keep doing what you’re doing, and you keep getting the same undesirable results, it may be that you need to change! Yet, change can be difficult, even challenging. It’s that perspective others can give you, as a small business owner, that may be the key to turning that challenge into an opportunity. You can’t get that just anywhere.

A typical MindMaster meeting begins by sharing accomplishments and achievements from the previous week. The facilitator encourages the members to share because it’s important to build on successes. Then a topic is presented, which is chosen by the facilitator, in any one of the four areas of business; business management, marketing and sales, financial, and leadership.

The “meat” of the meeting is the ten minutes each member is given to share a challenge, an idea or maybe they need a resource. The point is to get input from others in the group. The value is in the free sharing of experiences to benefit others in a safe environment, your own boardroom. Each meeting ends with the members sharing what they learned from the group.

Planning Summits

Planning sessions are held at the beginning of year, then quarterly after that. Each month one meeting is dedicated to monthly planning. It’s a time to set the goals for the month, then break them down into weekly, manageable pieces. Each member determines what he or she needs to do to get the results they are after. Then they commit to an action step, which is what keeps them accountable to their goals. During the week, the facilitator makes coaching calls to see how the member is progressing and if he or she needs any support.

Barbara believes that what holds back most small business owners is their attitude about success, their belief in themselves and what they offer to others. She states it’s the lack of consistency that’s detrimental. “When we are handling so many things as small business owners, we get off track, especially when it comes to building relationships with our clients, states Barbara”. “Building those relationships demands consistency in how we portray ourselves and how we keep in touch. A lot of the times that’s what falls through the cracks. We spend time looking for the next client, when we don’t realize a little nurturing of our current clients would bring us repeat business.”

Barbara’s next business planning summit is January 5, 2009 from 9:30am to 3:00pm. Your next business success could be only a phone call away. Barbara Eldridge can be reached at 858-467-9091, or visit her website at www.mindmasters.com.