A couple of weeks ago Gemma and I hosted our first business mastermind. We’d been talking about hosting one for ages but like many things we just kept talking. At the start of the year we decided that 2018 was the year we wanted to execute on all of our ideas. So, after meeting up for dairy free ice cream at Ginger’s we set about organising our first biz mastermind.
First, let me tell you what a business mastermind actually is. It’s a place where you can talk about what you’re working on, any struggles you’re having and to get unbiased feedback on new ideas. Think of it like group-mentoring. Each person puts a question to the group and the other members take it in turns to use their background knowledge to offer tips and advice. The beauty of it is that everyone has different experiences and will approach the questions in a totally different way. This leaves each person with fresh ideas that they may not have originally considered.
The process of setting up our biz mastermind was pretty simple, I’ll share a full post on how to set up your own later this week. In short, we used Meetup to create a group to attract lots of like-minded people. We then picked a date and location and waited for people to RSVP.
Our mastermind was aimed at introverted entrepreneurs. Gemma and I are both well aware that networking can be a little daunting. Entering a busy room and introducing yourself to a big group of people can be quite off putting for some people. So, we wanted to create something specifically for introverted entrepreneurs. We wanted to host a meet-up that would involved networking but in a more relaxed and informal setting.
Our event was limited to 8 people (to ensure it was more inviting for introverted folk) and we were pleased to see that the spaces were snapped up very quickly, we even had a waiting list. At that point we knew we were onto something.
We held our mastermind at Mackie Mayor in Manchester’s NQ. We’d originally arranged it a local coffee shop but when we arrived they were closed. Luckily, we spotted Mackie Mayor just around the corner and popped in there. There’s lots of seating so it’s a fantastic space to hang out and enjoy all the independent food businesses. I really want to try the bao buns from Baohouse next time we go.
The mastermind went really well and we were both very happy with the turnout. We had 6 people turn up on the day with just 2 people who couldn’t make it last minute. Everyone was very friendly and each person had an interesting story to tell. I was delighted that everyone raised a question or concern they were having with their business and each person in the group was ready to listen and give thoughtful feedback. It honestly went even better than we expected and that was totally down to the lovely group of people who attended. So, I want to say a huge thank you everyone who came along to our first mastermind.
We’ll be hosting another meet-up next month so if you’re a fellow introvert in business then please feel free join our group and find out more info.