A Tale Of Two Women – Business Owners & Friends

“The mastermind principle: Two or more people actively engaged in the pursuit of a definite purpose with a positive mental attitude, constitute an unbeatable force.” Napoleon Hill

Once upon a time on a beautiful spring day two women, who were close friends, celebrated their departure from the corporate world with big plans to start their own businesses. They had savings to last six months to a year. They had decided on the ventures they would pursue. They were all set.

These business women were of similar age and skill sets. They were filled with energy and brimming with hope as they went off on their separate ways with the dream of becoming financially wealthy doing what they loved to do.

Seven years later, they met at an industry conference in a big city. They found out, upon re-connecting, that they still had much in common. They both had bought their own homes. Lived in places they loved. Their family life was happy. As planned, they had both started their own businesses. They had both even done business with some of the same companies and they marvelled at the fact that they hadn’t run into each other coming in and out of those illustrious offices.

But apart from this, there was a big difference …

One lamented that this would likely be her last big conference away from home because she was barely making ends meet. She disclosed to her friend, she would be going back to close up shop. She was already interviewing with a few companies to do what she had always dreaded to do – go back to being an employee – working for someone else.

The other, had a flourishing business and was netting over a $1 million dollars a year. She had not only grown her business to a place where it was taking care of itself but she had branched out into another area of business and was already showing profitability there too.

What was the difference?

We have seen similar stories play out in almost every area of business, between men and women, who seem to have everything they need to be successful. Like me, you have probably wondered – what makes the difference? Here we have smart, innovative, and talented people. They may even be dedicated and passionate about what they do. But some prosper and some don’t.

The difference was this …

Each of those women had a detailed business plan but only one had added a personal growth and development plan. The woman who had created a million dollar business had included in her growth plan:

Reading one book a month – not just in her existing area of expertise but areas that challenged her thinking and opened up new ideas.

Attending workshops – to develop leadership skills, grow her confidence, and expand her knowledge.

Cultivating mentors – connecting regularly through books, podcasts, webinars, and in person, with people who were more skilled in her area or in other areas she was interested in pursuing.

Joining mastermind groups – regularly meeting with other business owners and entrepreneurs who challenged her and held her accountable as well as helped her overcome challenges in her business and to see opportunities that were in her blindspot. It was like having a group of fellow CEO’s helping her run her businesses.

John Maxwell, in his book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, relates that he would not have accomplished the things he has if it had not been for meeting a man who helped him to see the importance of instituting a growth plan, early in life. He has since gone on to write over 70 books on leadership and instituted a global coaching organization where he teaches, through a team of coaches and mentors how to use the power of mastermind groups to attain success while helping others to do the same.

Any motivated and committed business person or entrepreneur can double, triple, or even 10X their personal and business growth by using the power of the mastermind, because it is an incubator for innovative ideas and opens up new ways to phenomenal success.

Why not test it out? Find a mastermind group near you or online and join.

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About Faith

My name is Faith Evan West. I am a coach, a blogger, a speaker, and a writer. Throughout my career, I have experienced the rewards of helping individuals overcome obstacles and develop the confidence to reach their big goals – and I can’t wait to help you achieve yours.

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