#14 The Clarity Sessions Podcast -- Why Sign-Up For A High-Level Mastermind Group

Ever thought about signing up for a high-level mastermind? You might first be wondering: what is a high-level mastermind? Well, generally it's led by a thought leader in your space. This might be an author or a speaker or a marketing consultant -- somebody who has been doing what they do for a while who you can trust because they have the kind of results that you want.

Their mastermind is usually a small group of people that they invest in over the course of a year. So the reason I'm talking about this topic is because we're just launching our own high-level mastermind for our writing community called Hope Writers.

You want to serve one person the same way you would serve 100. I can't serve 3000 people and give them personalized feedback and coaching and encouragement, but I could for 30 people. So the idea is instead of a hundred, how can you focus down to that 1% of your audience. That's what a mastermind does. It's the highest level that you could potentially give to your audience.

A mastermind is something you pay for. It's something that generally lasts about a year, and you get a personal connection with a guru, teacher, speaker, and leader. One of the best parts is you are part of a cohort. You're part of a group that is cheering you on and encouraging you along the way throughout that whole year.

There are three reasons to sign up for a high-level mastermind:

1. Vision

Vision is being able to see into the future. It's being able to know where you want to go and having clarity about the destination. My podcast is called the clarity sessions because a lot of times where people get stuck is they don't really know where they want to go. They know where the pain is, but they don't know where the pleasure could potentially be. They don't know where they want to head and that's one of the benefits of a mastermind group -- being able to see other people have the results that you would like or looking at the teacher or leader of the mastermind and saying, "Wow, I want to be more like that person." Because generally, students become like their teacher.

An example is in the Hope Writer's mastermind, there are people who sign-up because they want to be more like my friend Emily P. Freeman. They want to write several bestselling books. They want to speak at really cool conferences. They want to maybe start their own membership site. And because Emily's done those things, they'll sign up for the mastermind so that they can learn directly from her and become more like her. A student becomes like his or her teacher's vision.

Another way that vision plays into a mastermind is being able to see other members of the mastermind and see the results they get. For example, I got to be a guest in Ryan Laveck's high-level mastermind a few years ago and hung around with the members. They gave me the next-level vision of what's possible for my company. I remember talking to a few of them specifically as they asked me questions about my business and what I do. And I realized I have not been thinking big enough. I need to take my stuff to the next-level. Just talking with them and hearing their visions made me change mine to a next-level mindset.

Another way to get vision is by doing in-person retreats. Our first one is in San Diego, where I used to live, and we're planning on some reflection time -- walking on the beach, dreaming about what's possible for your writing career. With three kids, I struggle getting vision time. Maybe you feel the same way! You need to get out of the house, maybe get out of your own environment, get out of your routine to be able to take the time to think about what's possible so you can learn from the leader, you can learn from your colleagues, and you can also learn from an environment outside of your norm.

Vision is the number one reason to sign up for a high-level mastermind.

2. Feedback

Feedback is so valuable. You need somebody else to read your label. It's really hard for us to see where we are doing really well and where we are stuck. So when you have somebody else who can look at your life, look at your business and say, "Look at this. Pay attention to that. Have you tried (blank)?" It can be invaluable getting that feedback from somebody else. Feedback can often provide the fuel we need in order to overcome limiting beliefs, a stopping point, or a roadblock that we're experiencing in our business. A mastermind provides the ability to open up your computer, show somebody your online funnel or the backend of your website and ask, "What do you think?" And then the other members can look at it and say: "I noticed a few gaps, and here are a few suggestions." You need the feedback. You need somebody to speak into your life.  That can be really powerful in a mastermind. It happens from the coach and it also happens from your peers as well.

3. Collaboration

Collaboration is one of my favorite parts of a mastermind because it's not just me, but it's we. It's us working together. Now the most natural way that collaboration happens in a high-level mastermind is affiliating. And if you're not familiar with the term affiliate, it means that we're going to link arms and we're going to launch something together. So for example, if I'm launching the Amplify Method, my premiere online course, if I'm in a mastermind, I might link arms with my buddy Jonathan Milligan or my buddy Kary Oberbrunner. They have been supporters of the Amplify Method in the past, and they'll send emails on my behalf. They'll say, "Hey, my friend Brian has this new thing coming out. You need to check it out, click the link." And when somebody clicks the link from Jonathan to buy my program, he gets a commission from me. And that's possible for you as well.

Try to collaborate with those in your mastermind and say: "Hey, I love what you're doing. Can we do a joint webinar? Can we send an email campaign together? Can I affiliate for you?" So that's one level of collaboration.

Another way is to start something together, like a brand new project. So maybe that's a new membership site. That's a new course, that's a live event. I've had live events that have been collaborations. My friend Andy Trob and I had a live event together where we decided to invite people to sign up for a one-day businesss boot camp. We called it the Amplify Intensive, and it was a lot of fun. People paid money, they got good results, and we split the profits. So it was a win for everybody involved in that collaboration, and it took place as a result of us building a relationship at another live event, from somebody else's mastermind.

A mastermind can lead to ways for you to work together. Maybe you're going to co-create something or you're going to support each other's work. There are many wonderful things that come from a mastermind that wouldn't come from anywhere else.

Those are the three reasons to sign up for a high-level mastermind. What mastermind are you considering joining? Check out our Hope Writer's mastermind here. 

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