You are responsible for your success.  You, and no one else. The Master of your own destiny, if you will.

That can be both a blessing and a curse. You are in complete control of direction and the recipient of the rewards, you also have the burden of providing all of the drive, motivation and the ideas in order to create something of value – in order to reach “success”.

We’re all alone.

You are ultimately responsible for the success of your business.Is it possible to remain independent and still

Every entrepreneur, budding, struggling or successful, faces the same challenges. We’re all alone.

Well – maybe not.

If we’re all in the same boat – and we are - why not help each other along the way?

But, there’s the question… that nagging question…

HOW?

There are several good solutions.

Option 1:  An Accountability Partner

This is a great option… if you can find one. Chances are that most of your friends either don’t understand this “Internet” business, or worse, the don’t see the vision you have for success. An Accountability partner can “hold you to the fire” and help you with focus – but they’re hard to find. And even the best of friends can be distracted by “life” and drop the ball on holding you accountable if there is not an incentive, financial or otherwise for them to do so.

Option 2:  A Mentor

Yes, that’s it –Get a mentor!  Find someone who’s actually “been there, done that, got the t-shirt”. A successful entrepreneur that can show you the ropes, the pitfalls, and encourage you along the way! A strong personality that can meet with you on a regular basis, listen to your challenges and help you work through them.

Hmm… where to find one… and that’s the problem with Option 1.  Successful entrepreneurs are typically very busy – and they don’t just live around the corner. You can probably count on a few fingers the people you would trust to truly be a mentor – and they’re busy teaching you and hundreds or thousands of others already.

Option 3: A Coach

Excellent choice! A coach can certainly take you to the next level! Reviewing and evaluating your business at every step of the way, setting out a clear plan to success and meeting with you each week to ensure you follow through. This option can cut your time to market significantly by engaging the coach’s experience to help you stay on track and reveal the shortest path to your objective.

Oh – there’s the money thing. And, that’s the obstacle to Option 2. Good coaches charge $10,000 per year – or more – and you’re just a bit short right now. After all, you’re just getting started, right?

Enter Option 4:  A Mastermind.

A Mastermind is a group of people who help each other succeed by providing advice and assistance to one another. It’s a sounding board. A brainstorming group. A group of like-minded individuals who understand your struggles – a team that works together so everyone succeeds.

The term “master mind” was coined by Napoleon Hill in his book, Think and Grow Rich.

Hill defines a master mind as follows:  “…two or more people who work in perfect harmony for the attainment of a definite purpose.”

That sounds amazing! Wait – what’s the down-side?

Expensive, right? No. While top-level Masterminds can cost thousands of dollars, that’s not what you need when you’re just starting your business. That’s overkill.  This is a more cost-effective Mastermind.

Hard to find? Good ones are. A good Mastermind not only has willing participants, but a leader and facilitator that can keep the group on the right path.  An experienced marketer who has an extensive history of leading diverse teams to success – not so much by coaching, but by helping the team stay on track and keep moving forward, while helping the group avoid “land mines”.

Okay – so, it’s available and affordable.  How can it help me?

The Perfect Answer:   Great Beginnings Mastermind

A small group of focused Internet Marketers willing to help and support each other on the path to success. This is not a group coaching call – the idea is to small community that can build relationships as they build their business. It’s not one brain coaching 4, 5 or 7 others – it’s a collection of brain power helping to more each other toward success!

Here are just a few of the benefits of joining a Mastermind group…

A small group – at least 3 but no more than 8 people.

Focus – every session geared toward the next step each member should take in their business.

Goal-Oriented – create short-term goals in each session to keep you on track

Accountability – share your goals with the group, and they’ll help you accomplish it.

Fresh Ideas - we all see things differently, and sometimes we’re too close to the work and can’t see the bigger picture. You don’t have to implement every suggestion – you make the decision that’s best for your goals.  But, you can get solid feedback from people who have different perspectives and want you to succeed.

Support - even with differing goals you’ll be able to lean on each other for support.  Many times when progress has slowed on a specific goal, the members of the mastermind may be the only people who really understand what has been going on behind the scenes, and give you support to resolve your issue areas.

Barter Opportunities – Trade your copywriting skills for the WordPress talent of another group member. Test someone’s site in exchange for them testing your new product

Leadership – I’ve been leading successful teams for decades, and I am fiercely motivated for US to succeed!