A Coming Together Of Masterminds

Look closely at enterprises that are going places and it's a fair bet the person at the top is hanging out with some cool people.

Surrounding yourself with individuals who inspire, stretch and challenge you --- let's call them masterminds --- gives you little choice but to be constantly immersed in the excitement of opportunity.

This is so important for small business, where even the briefest encounter with such people can be like going to a conference and coming away fired up and motivated.

The big surprise here can be that the best revelations and insights you hear come from your own mouth. It's only when we spend time discussing issues with people who get what we're about that our creative juices really start to flow. And generally speaking they do not flow when you're talking to yourself.

Historically, the world of small business has largely missed the point of masterminding, failing to value what appears a somewhat casual form of networking.

Too frequently the assumption is that such catch-ups should be reserved for weekends (if at all) as they don't really constitute meaningful work.

Happily though, a quick peek through the windows of inner city and suburban cafés and you'll see that times are indeed changing. Inside small clusters of entrepreneurs proliferate, chewing the fat, sharing challenges and experiences and growing as a consequence. I urge you to join them.

An hour a week spent with a small group of handpicked individuals can do wonders for how you feel about your work. Giving and receiving support is good for the soul and good for business.

Take a few moments now to consider who'd be in your mastermind group. Who's really on your wavelength? What skills or knowledge can you bring to the table and where would you particularly like some input?

Taking the lead and pulling together your very own group of masterminds may just be the small start of something big.