Thanks, Bob. Missing you and your big angry rod already…What’s up, people? Having a great week? I’ve been undergoing a radical transformation in my habitation. From city to coast.

Had a very funny experience with our estate agent yesterday. After leaving the apartment in an unblemished state, going so far as to scrub the u bends of the bogs free of any undigested food particles, I was delighted to receive the following query:

Just a quick one,

I couldn’t find the toilet brush & holder that was on the inventory?

That was the only problem I found, thanks for leaving the apartment clean and tidy – makes my life easier.

If you could let me know about the toilet brush and holder that would be great.

Not one to miss an opportunity to write stuff, I responded. With aplomb:

Now then – the toilet brush and holder… Since it was a piece of furniture that would have looked too expensive in Poundland (in fact I saw the exact same toilet brush and holder in Wilkinsons for 79p) and the fact that, how do we say this, it had been used, we took the liberty of disposing of that.

I’m sure that was a tongue in cheek gag, my fine man, but if you would indeed like to have a replacement I can either bring one in to your offices or supply you with a shiny £1 coin to buy one in. They also have them in jet blue or Liverpool red.For our privileged successor and our most helpful of landlords, we gifted a wonderful rug, a vegetable rack and a brand new squeegee for the windows. I suspect this would more than offset the cost of the toilet brush and holder – however if you want to split hairs, I’ll pick those up and sell them on a street corner to raise the cash.

All was promptly sorted.

In other news, it seems I need a proper kick up the arse. I’ve been taking my business for granted, slaving at the PC but shirking any form of auto-discipline. I’m like an unguided missile that could literally go off anywhere, anytime.

I get the feeling that you’re a bit like that, too.

What we need is a way to master ourselves. To become more focused. To channel our ideas, turn them into action.

One of the best ways I have discovered to do this is to assemble a virtual board for your business, consisting of inspirational people like yourself who can offer advice, help you set goals and feed back on your achievements.

Something like a Mastermind Group.

I’m all over this like cheese on a cheesecake. So’s David Risley, and he makes more money in a day than you did last year. Maybe.

Here’s my take on Mastermind Groups:

1. 

   You're not alone...

   You’re no longer alone. One of the major banes of being a freelance is working in isolation.At times this is a glorious way to operate, at others it can be immensely frustrating. So having someone to chat over your thoughts and hopes with – and more importantly, get valuable insight into things that may or may not be good for you – is gold. This is why you need a Mastermind Group

2. You have a reason to excel. There’s no more potent motivation than having someone rooting for you, and checking your progress. Get yourself together some cool goals, find out from your posse whether they’re real-world-proof (but ultimately it’s your decision, ok? The group is a place to create, not dictate) and once they’re out there, you have to go and grab the golden egg. And you will – we’re all on your side, and we want to hear progress each and every time we meet. There’s no greater motivator than that.
3. It’s an excuse to mine minds. Assemble everyone in the same place at the same time and you can genuinely indulge in a form of cerebral exercise that you just can’t get anywhere else. Think about it – up to 8 people, each hugely driven to  make waves in the world through their respective ventures, capturing ideas and forming plans. Collaborating on the future. Collaboration – it’s the only way to do business today. And there’s no excuse not to, because with Mastermind Groups you can meet up…
4. Anytime, anywhere. It’s motivating enough to tease us out of our comfort zones, so we make the effort. This new regime of anywhere connectivity means your assembly can span territories, not just industries. We’re not playing in our back yard any more – or if we are, our back yard comprises oceans, jungles and vast swathes of desert. Got a PC? Skype everyone in to the group call. Get a forum together, or create a Google Wave, so the momentum is maintained when there’s space between you and the next call. My group-in-the-making consists of folks from the US, UK and Australia. And if I get my way, a prominent IMer who’s relocating to a stylish Greek villa. Even though it’s 6pm in Australia at 7am here in the UK, we can just about figure a way of getting us all together via Skype.
5. Develop your listening ear. We all love to blather on, shout about our successes. But you’ll only grow when you hear what’s happening elsewhere. When I listen to my podcasts, a recurring issue is me jabbering on. I spend almost a minute asking a question, when my wonderfully-gracious interviewee only gets three. Wouldn’t it be better to let them have all four, minus a 10-second gambit? We have two ears, one mouth – use them in that ratio. Being in the company of inspirational people will help you understand the gravitas of that statement as you learn that learning is the most powerful art of all.
6. It’s completely free – but the value is priceless. Imagine recruiting Alan Sugar or an alive version of John Harvey-Jones to take a look at the workings of your business, write down a few bits of irrelevant information, shout at you a bit because you’ve got a bit of sandwich on your tie (tie?! Who wears ties these days?!) and then go drinking, probably on your expenses account. It’s all fun and games but it don’t mean a thing compared to having someone who cares about your business to take a look at what you got and then make a few reasoned suggestions as to how to make it work even better. The nearest you come to a Mastermind Group on telly, I believe, is that Badger thing. By god she’s got some front. And I think therein lies one of the ground rules for any successful Mastermind Group: switch on constructive feedback, and make it a bannable offence to be nice for nice’s sake. The one thing you don’t need in business is nice. What you really need is a kick up the
7. It works. Mastermind groups will change the way you do business, using tested and proven principles. Napoleon Hill kicked it all off with his idea of a virtual board. In your head. You get all your favourite business types together on some comfy chairs, in a wood-panelled room smelling faintly of Scotch and hamsters, and oh – look – Claire Goose is on tea duty, dressed in a tight mohair sweater and pencil skirt and carrying a tray of delicacies. Mmm. We may be over the Hill, and Carnegie ‘Hall’ but gone, alas, but those principles have carried loads of businesses forward and their creators well beyond millionaire status. The idea of having a board room in your head, with Goose pouring you a cup of Earl Grey, may be preposterous, but that’s fine – because your Mastermind Group will be staffed by real people, who will probably be delighted to administer prescription drugs in your direction as you regale them with tales of your Hill-instigated skirt with schizophrenia.
8. It’s Zen for Business. You give, you get back. Nothing feels better in the world than giving someone a good hitch-up. Even if you’re a miserable bugger, in spite of yourself and your mood you can’t fail to raise an inner smile when you find your advice is making a difference to someone else’s life.
9. Set your own agenda for change. If you’re in the right Group, and it’s not possessed by egotistical shouty types (so basically exclude anyone who’s ever been a member of BNI),
10. It’s all about you. It’s about your success. Everyone has everyone’s interests at heart. You just can’t get the same level of focus on your business, anywhere else. I’m sold – are you?

There’s a sole caveat – commitment. And that commitment will ebb the moment the meeting isn’t formulated, concise (though not short – you must know when a subject or issue has run its course, and move along before eyes move to watch to door to the big red button that signals the end of your interest) and interesting.

How do you set up a Mastermind Group? More tomorrow…

PS – a debate seems to be raging about whether blogs should lock down on anonymous commenting because enabling the practice appertains to playtime for trolls. I personally am of the thinking that we should live and let live – it’s flattering to get any comments at all, so if someone’s bothered to fly by and hoof in a few words of encouragement or plain and simple ranting, then it’s a compliment to your marketing and remarkability. So bring it on!

PPS – if you run a Mastermind Group – get in touch and tell me how it’s going, what the best bits are, where you meet and how you found the people in your gathering. We’d all love to hear from you.

Posted via email from 10 for 10