So You Want To Start A Mastermind Group
Part of our desire for Exhale is to get women plugged into a community of creatives. We do this through the Facebook group and blog hop, but we also know a lot of you are ready to take things to the next level. You’re seeking accountability, regular peer feedback, and want to grow deeper in your friendships with one another.
We say this next part with all the love in the world: no one is going to do this for you. You have to drive your own creative growth, and if you want a group to create with, it is well worth the effort to form one, but there is effort involved.
A mastermind group is an encouraging, peer-to-peer mentoring group designed to help members solve problems and grow in their craft(s) through input and advice from one another.
Here are some of our tried and true tips for forming a mastermind group.
Step One: Make Friends
Get to know one another.
If you’re new to Exhale, the best place to start is by participating in our Friday share threads in the Facebook group. Don’t just post your own content, but try to find a few other people to engage with. Subscribe to their blogs. Follow them on Instagram. Sign up for their newsletters. We believe creativity is a reciprocal act, a give and take. The best way to get to know other Exhale members is to follow their work, and let them see yours. If you’re specifically looking to start a writing group, signing up for an Exhale workshop is an excellent way to get to know other writers on a deeper level. If you’re not on Facebook, follow the #exhalecreativity hashtag on Instagram to find and connect with other members!
Pay attention to who you seem to mesh well with.
Are there other women pursuing similar goals as you? Passionate about the same giftings and genres as you? Think about what kind of group you’d like to start (accountability, general encouragement, peer editing/critique). Consider who might be a good match.
Step Two: Know Your Why
Why do you want to start a mastermind group?
What is the purpose? Are you trying to grow in your craft? Create a ring of moral support? Offer and receive accountability for each other’s goals? Think through what your ideal group would accomplish, and the motivation behind it. We recommend writing this down.
Step Three: Go First
Someone has to go first.
This isn’t one of those rom coms where two people reach for the cinnamon at the coffee shop table at the exact same moment. In real life, one person has to initiate. Someone has to make the first move. That person can be you! After you’ve developed a friendship with the women you’d like to form a group with, approach them. Tell them about your vision. If your vision is flexible, make that obvious. If it’s not, make that obvious, too. It’s important that everyone knows what they’re signing up for. Worth noting: you might reach out to someone who isn’t interested in committing to a mastermind group right now. That’s okay! We’re all busy moms in different seasons of life, and not everyone is going to have the margin or bandwidth to take on additional commitments right now. Don’t let one rejection keep you from trying again.
Step Four: Setting Up The Group
Set the ground rules.
How often will you meet? What will those meetings look like? Are you exchanging work with one another? How often? How will you communicate? (Example: We meet on Zoom once a month with one member in the “hot seat” for 45 minutes. During that time, we brainstorm anything that person needs help with. Additionally, we exchange writing drafts on the 5th and 20th of every month. We talk anytime—about anything—in Voxer.).
Determine how long this commitment will last.
The success of a mastermind group is dependent on the commitment level of its members. We know life happens and plans change. But we encourage you to be careful and intentional with setting up a mastermind group—not only are you depending on them to grow, but they are depending on you. If you're not able to commit to one of the group rules or you're unsure about it, be honest. We recommend a minimum of a six-month commitment, at which point, it’s always good to reevaluate.
Step Five: HAVE FUN
We know the word “accountability” doesn’t necessarily spark images of laughter, but we encourage you to take your mastermind group seriously, without taking it TOO seriously. Remember to laugh. Send each other motivational gifs. A mastermind group should be life-giving to everyone involved.
Once you’re up and running, it’s okay for your group to evolve. You might start out with one goal in mind, and shift throughout the year. As long as everyone in the group is content with the shift, that’s okay!
Other resources:
How to Start + Maintain A Writer’s Group | Exhale resource
Masterminds: How To Create + Structure A Business Peer Group | 10 Things To Tell You Podcast
Girls Night In: Forming A Writing Group (Video - password: GNIOCTOBER) | Exhale resource
Callie’s writing challenges are great to do in a small group for accountability! Check out her 40 Days Of Writing The Everyday
Photo by David Libeert on Unsplash.
