Four Reasons Why You NEED a
Mastermind Group
I want to tell you a quick story about two copywriters, Joe and Melinda.
Both decided they wanted to quit their day jobs, be successful copywriters, and make 6-figure incomes within five years. Both bought and completed the AWAI Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting. They both worked incredibly hard.
Melinda had a special group of people to share her worries with, to look over her copy, and to encourage her all the way through. She could ask her group any question she had, and they would almost always have an answer—or would know the place to look for it.
Joe decided to go it alone. He didn’t have anyone to celebrate with when he landed his first big client. He didn’t know where to look when he got stuck, and there was no one to ask. He didn’t have anyone to encourage him when the same client dropped him halfway through his first big project.
They both succeeded, but Melinda did it a lot faster than Joe. She also had a lot less stress, less confusion, and more direction and drive than Joe.
Why?
A successful freelance career isn’t just about doing the work.
Joe’s biggest mistake was forgetting the other side of freelancing … the human side. It’s the human side that needs a group to help make a successful career. It’s the human side that needs encouragement, support, and guidance.
Here are four reasons why a mastermind group will help accelerate your successful copywriting career:
#1 – Your friends and family don’t “get” it.
Unless your spouse or best friend is a copywriter too, then the people who are closest to you just aren’t going to “get” copywriting. They’re not going to get why your office is off-limits from 9 to 5 … why your train of thought is such a delicate beast … and that they’re not going to be able to help you create the perfect headline. (However, they ARE good guinea pigs to feed your copy to.)
#2 – Sometimes you don’t get it either.
In stressful times, when clients aren’t rolling in or the words just won’t come, another “you” comes in handy. In those times, you need an outside perspective to come in and say, “This is what you need to do!” You need someone who knows you and knows the gig and can see a way that you can’t because you’re “too close.”
You need someone that you trust to guide you in the right direction.
#3 – Your copy is not perfect.
This is a hard one to come to terms with. Yes, you can be an outstanding copywriter. You can get it close to perfect on the first shot. But even Rebecca Matter, Joshua Boswell, Katie Yeakle, and Michael Masterson have their copy edited.
What better resource could you ask for than an entire group of editors?
#4 – You don’t (and can’t) know everything.
It’s impossible to have all the answers all the time. However, if you know where you can get all the answers, then you’ll always know what you need to know.
In Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill shares the story of Henry Ford and his mastermind group. Mr. Ford had been called “an ignorant pacifist” by a Chicago newspaper. In the succeeding libel lawsuit, the lawyers for the newspaper tried to prove their claim was the truth and not libel at all.
After being subjected to a ridiculous line of questioning designed to prove his ignorance, Mr. Ford replied, “If I should really want to answer [that] foolish question … let me remind you that I have a row of electric push-buttons on my desk, and by pushing the right button, I can summon to my aid people who can answer any question I desire to ask.”
Hill closes his story by saying, “Any person is educated who knows where to get knowledge when needed, and how to organize that knowledge into definite plans of action.”
Your mastermind group should function the same way. It should be a place where the group can collectively share information, ask questions, and receive answers.
It should be clear now that going it alone, like Joe, can lead to misdirection, feelings of failure, and even arrogance.
A mastermind group will help you keep going on the hard days, celebrate with you on the good days, and keep you humble.
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Thank you for writing this article. I really enjoyed reading it and appreciate your concerns here.
However, finding a mastermind group is easier said than done.
You want to make sure that the members of that group have the right credentials and background.
You want to make sure that they are supportive and open-minded and objective in order to prevent politics from creeping in or cynicism to rule the proceedings.
It is not always that easy to find such like-minded people, but good luck to all those who are still searching anyway.
Archan Mehta – September 24, 2012 at 1:41 pm
Thank you for this article, Rae, it was well written and provided some excellent examples.
Specifically, your story from 'Think and Grow Rich' about Henry Ford was an excellent illustration.
You are right, one person can't know everything, but knowing where to go to get the information is critical.
This was very timely.
Ann Jordan-Mills – September 24, 2012 at 9:00 pm
I thought it was only my spouse, that didn't understand what I was doing. All I hear from her is did you make any money? Get a real job, we can't afford to have you playing these games!
Guest (Le) – September 25, 2012 at 1:18 am
A question about mastermind groups. If just starting out do you want to find people that are at the same level as you? If not how do you connect with people that have more experience than you that don't mind some of the stupid questions that can come up. I think a mastermind group is a wonderful idea but don't know what level of knowledge to go after as part of your group. Hope this made sense. Thanks
Guest (Mark H) – October 2, 2012 at 4:37 pm