If you are reading this article, chances are you are an entrepreneur or aspiring one. With that being the case, you either have mentors or are impacting other lives by being one… or both.

In a working world where there is still a significance and necessity placed on formal education and years of experience, mentors are changing the game. Mentorship is becoming the key to success of budding (AND experienced) entrepreneurs.  

By definition, a mentor is: a person or friend who leads a less experienced person by developing trust and exhibiting positive behaviors. In my experience, a mentor is someone more experienced than I who is willing to take me under their wing to coach and guide me and assist me in developing and realizing my true potential.

A few months ago, I co-wrote (actually, with one of my mentors) an article titled 7 Lessons From 7 Millionaire Mentors which covered some of the most substantial lessons I have learned from my experience with mentors.

With most recent college grads struggling to find jobs, let alone one they enjoy, many are abandoning the corporate route and instead, turning to entrepreneurship. While no program, course or institution can truly teach entrepreneurship other than entrepreneurship itself, a large percentage of these college grads are finding that the best way to learn, and in fact, shorten their learning curve, is to link arms with a mentor.

To illustrate the profound impact mentors can have in and on our lives, I thought I would head back to the drawing board…

The following are the 5 ways that having a mentor can and will shave years off of your learning, expand your network, keep you grounded in your journey and propel you towards living the life you dream of. While all of these will certainly leave you longing for a mentor, especially if you don’t have one yet, but be sure to read all the way through as we appropriately saved the best for last!

1. Personal and professional networking

They say, “In life, it’s not what you know, but who you know.” Absolutely true. Who knows you and who likes you also won’t hurt!

When you venture out into the real world of business and entrepreneurship, you realize how much smaller it is than you ever would have imagined. In my case, my last mentor used to coach my current mentor, who used to be business partners with one of my best friends’ mentor!

A great mentor typically has a large circle of influence and is very well connected. It is not the fact that they are so connected which makes them a good mentor, but rather their success in their field and understanding the value of building both personal and professional relationships.

If you develop a true relationship with your mentor, which you unequivocally will want to, the chances are that they will open up doors for you in ways you could only imagine.

One of my closest mentors, who has gone onto become one of my dear friends, is a personal development and business speaker and coach. He travels the United States weekly, speaking to crowds that range from 30 to 1000+, occasionally with world renown experts, authors, speakers and leaders.

Last year, we hosted an event in New Jersey with 850 attendees with one of the all-time best-selling authors, and most connected man in business, as our keynote speaker. I had the opportunity to share a bit of my story along with some of my greatest insights I gained while working with my mentor.

Prior to the event, I had the privilege of spending some quality time with my mentor and the speaker, during which we really connected. He gave me his personal number and told me to stay in touch and if there was anything he could do to help move my career forward, he wanted to help.

This goes to show you that while the concept of 6 degrees of separation does exist, a valuable mentor will often be able to cut that in half!

2. They will tell you the truth, even if it hurts

Mentors are, in many ways, teachers. One of the greatest thing they will ever teach you about is yourself!

Now, you must be thinking… “how could my mentor know more about me that I do about myself?!”

Well, it’s not that they know more than you about yourself, but they are most likely going to tell it like they see it. They are vested in your success on multiple levels so they want to see you grow and develop into the person you deserve to be.

At times, this may not be the most comfortable process, but comfort is the enemy of change. In order to change your results, you’ve got to be willing to change what you’re doing and often times that requires changing your mindset…which can really rattle your skin.

While working for one of my mentors, I was around 18 or 19, I ran into some conflict. I had got into a habit of showing up slightly late for work, about 5-10 minutes or so pretty much everyday. He never called me out on it so I got more comfortable with strolling in late. One day we had an important meeting lined up for 9am and I was supposed to be in at 8 to run through some notes for the meeting. I overslept and was running 20 minutes behind schedule so I gave him a call to let him know I would be late…again.

What happened next taught me a lesson I carry with me to date. I told him I would be in around 8:20 and he said to turn around and go home, take the day off, I was no longer needed at the meeting.

My heart sunk.

I had just let down my mentor who had consistently gone out of his way to pull strings for me and line me up for success. I felt awful.

The next morning I showed up an hour early to greet him and rightfully apologize. When he walked in, I asked him if he had a few minutes to speak with me. I apologized for slacking off, strolling in late consistently and not bringing my best game to the table, he deserved better. I vowed I would never be late again while working for him and would proceed to always show up early for life thereafter.

The moral here is that he called me out and while it hurt, he was 100% right in doing so. If he wouldn’t shake me up, who would? Since that day, I have consistently showed up early for meetings (and practically everything else) and with a will-to-win attitude!

3. They will challenge you

Mentors are there to help challenge you to grow. If they are not challenging you, they most likely are the wrong mentor or you simply work a job. Most of the time, you seek out a specific mentor because they are an expert in your desired field and you know that they can assist you by shortening your learning curve and open some doors for you.

While mentors are there to teach and guide you, a great mentor will push you to pursue your biggest goals. Sometimes this means putting you on the spot and giving you a task you may not have experience with but they have faith you will complete it. The reason they do this is so you grow by necessity. Many times in business and life, we accept jobs or tasks that we are familiar with, remaining in our comfort zone. When we are thrown in the fire, we have no other way out but to learn! Knowing this, your mentor will want to challenge you and see how you handle the unfamiliar…as you will see a lot of it as an entrepreneur.

Other times, they may seek you out for insight, reversing the roles. This can be exciting and scary all at the same time. You don’t have to be perfect, they are only asking for your advice! A good mentor understands that they don’t know everything, so they choose to surround themselves with people that fill the gaps for them. If they took you under their wing, chances are they like and trust you so they might occasionally ask you for input on a project.

A mentor of mine in the network marketing industry once wanted to challenge me to take on a leadership role within my team more quickly so she called me up one Sunday and asked if I could explain the compensation model on Monday’s team call.

I panicked. Me? What if I messed up in front of the team and gave the the wrong information?

She reassured me that I had been around long enough and showed the plan to enough people that I could do it. So I did. And it went really well! In hindsight, I was glad she challenged me to step to the plate as that not only developed a stronger belief in our team and who they were following, but a bigger belief in myself!

4. You’ll develop a lifelong friendship

A mentor is not only there to guide you in business but in life. Many of my mentors have become close friends and advisors to me.

An effective mentor understands that their role is to be dependable and also authentically engaged throughout the process. You are there to learn and grow while they are there to teach (and learn).

Part of this process is done through building a bond with someone you can trust and consult.

They say “If you don’t understand people, you don’t understand business,” so making your relationships a priority, especially with those who want to see you succeed, such as your mentors, is vital.

One of the greatest joys in business is partnering with like-minded individuals who have become close friends, on big ventures that feel like a dream. Doing so with someone who has guided you and coached you along the way is even more rewarding, knowing you have really elevated your game.

I’ve had about a dozen personal mentors in my life, excluding my parents, five of whom I am still close with, two of whom I speak with multiple times a week. These are people whom I reach out to for business advice, life insight and often just to catch up.

5. Streamline your learning curve

Out of all of my mentorship experiences, this has to be one of the most impactful. There is a saying that goes something like: “You learn the most from your mistakes.,” and While there is merit to that, I believe you can also actually learn more from other people’s mistakes.

Sure, we certainly learn from our mistakes but what if we didn’t have to make that mistake in order to learn the lesson? And drive the ball of success?

A few years ago, I was living in Boston and working in Real Estate. I had the good fortune to be working for a Broker who had 20+ years of experience and knew every nook and cranny of the city in and around Boston. He taught me a lot about sales, service and dealing with clients but the greatest lesson he passed on was qualifying clients.

He had learned the hard way that the first step in working with a client is qualifying them! There were tons of stories of him and other agents he had worked with over time that didn’t really understand this until years had gone by.

Before taking the clients out to go see any unit, he would check their credit, discuss budget and also have them fill out other paperwork – he wanted to ensure that they were serious about moving forward (and were financially able to) if they liked a place they saw.

This allowed me to understand the value of my time, one of our most valuable assets, and not waste it with people who were simply “searching” and tire kickers.

I probably would have learned this lesson over time in my career, but the fact that this was one of his major keys to success that he shared with me from the get go, allowed me to streamline my success in the business and be much more productive with the clients I chose to work with.

My hope for you is that you take what you’ve read here today and seek out a mentor that can aid in streamlining your learning curve and jumpstarting you to success!

In the end, mentors are really just a lending hand on your journey, but can play a vital role in your development and success. I strongly believe every entrepreneur deserves and requires a mentor. If nothing less, it makes the entrepreneurial journey a little less lonely!

We work in a world where you can buy anything. Anytime. Anywhere. So receiving things and providing things has literally become a game, played most diversely and extensively by the digital marketing world.

Think about it. If you want to buy ice trays for your freezer, you might go to Amazon. If you want to buy a lamp, you might go to Overstock. If you want to buy, well, anything, you most definitely go to Google. 

All the things that we could possibly want are available to us at any time. At least in most first world countries.

What does this have to do with setting yourself up for a million dollar day?

Everything.

Only two things are going to make you stand apart from the noise of such an instant gratification driven culture.

And those two things are: YOU and the WAY you do what you do.

In the movie Across the Universe there is a moment and a quote that has been coming to mind a lot lately:

“Surely it’s not what you do but it’s the way that you do it.”

As an entrepreneur in this world, your success does not equal your client list, your bank account or the size of your house. These are all subject to change. Constantly. Your success is and always will be most driven and measured by the YOU that you show up as. Success is in the way you conduct business. Is it your best? Are you proud of it?

The way you conduct your business will determine the people you positively impact. And the quality of work you exhibit. Day in and day out. 

You might be disagreeing with me right now, but hear me out:

My barefoot trimmer is a perfect example. My friend and I have our horses’ feet trimmed every six weeks, as they need proper care even though they do not wear traditional horseshoes.

Many trimmers out there would come, trim, collect their payment and leave.

Not our guy.

He drives his truck carefully onto the property so as not to blow a ton of dust up. He takes his time and greets our horses, assuring them of their safety and his good intentions. Then he asks how the horses have been moving, taking in everything we have to say and asking more questions if he needs to. Then he assesses the way their feet fall to the ground, looks for nicks and chips and hoof health and tells us how he thinks their feet look. And throughout all of this he stays hydrated and takes care of his body while he’s working.

He has respect for us, respect for the horses, and respect for himself enough to take great care in the way he does his job. And in doing so, he sets these horses up for success. And it’s all because of the way he does his work; with care and patience and honor.

And guess what? He’s got a long wait-list of clients, has started to turn away work and is cherry picking the people and horses he really enjoys working with. He has positioned himself where he could easily charge more, too, if he wanted. 

Is this sinking in? The way he does his work is what breeds him more success. And the way he does his work is with care.

So, let me ask you, are you setting your clients and customers up for success? 

More importantly… are you setting YOU up for success? This will directly impact the way you do things and whether or not the best version of you is even available that day. 

Therein brings us back to the five steps to your million dollar day. Because if you set yourself up for success and take care of you, the way you do everything will be impacted. And by default your quality will be your best, you will set yourself apart from others in your industry and you will attract the kind of work you truly want. … And a million will be just the beginning. 

This isn’t to say it’ll be easy. But it most certainly can be simple.

Focus on these five steps and you’re setting a foundation of respect, care and personal authority that will go a very long way.

These are intended to be the very first steps of your day because the mind is in it’s most malleable state in the first few minutes of the day. Think of the following like 5 hacks into living your most successful life possible! 

1 – Got to bed early and wake up early.

Benjamin Franklin is quoted to have said: “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise”. 

He is also quoted as saying: “The early morning has gold in its mouth.”

You’ve been hearing this since you were a kid.

Get your sleep. Your body will thank you. And it’s true. Take enough care to sleep 7-9 hours through the night (again, depending on what YOUR body needs). This not only revitalizes you physically but also mentally. You’re more alert, quicker to problem solve and much more capable of making rock solid business decisions with a well-rested brain.

I’ve discovered through working from home that I prefer to wake up early and get my top priorities done early on in the day. I’m faster and happier when I do so. 

Grinding happens, too. And there are the inevitable late nights that sneak in. But that’s okay! Take naps. Find out just how much sleep your body and brain need to work optimally and consistently get it. 

2 – Make your bed.

“If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.” – US Navy Admiral, William H. McCraven

While this may seem like a menial task…you’d be dumbfounded by the number of struggling entrepreneurs I come across that do not make their bed!

Why make your bed when you’re just going to get back in it later that night?

Making your bed, as simple as it may be, still requires discipline. You wake up to your alarm clock, your mind starts racing about your exciting day ahead, you slip out of bed and off you go. And then there’s some of us that actually stay in bed and just pull out the laptop. 

Dude. GET UP!

Actually getting up and making your bed sets the tone for your entire day. It’s the easiest way to start off with a ‘win’. How do you expect to pull off multi-million dollar deals if you can’t even find time to make your bed?! 

And finally… if all else fails and your day goes awry, at least you have a nice, neat and cozy bed to go to sleep in, preparing yourself for the next day’s adventures.

3 – Finish your day on paper first.

You’ve slept well, made the bed and now you’re at your desk. Or wherever you prefer to work. This next step is critical: map the day.

The great Jim Rohn said, “Don’t start your day until you have finished it on paper first.”

Meaning, you should know, in detail, what your day looks like from start to finish; what you will accomplish and what your priorities are.

Putting it all down on paper (or whiteboard or chalkboard or whatever works for you) and scheduling the day accordingly gets your brain to identify its priorities, and keeps those specific neuro-pathways firing and reminding you all day long. You’re now aware of what you need to do and therefore much more likely to do it.

Not to mention, if you get derailed by an emergency meeting or project, you’re not surprised or thrown off your game. You can on the fly ask for help, re-work your priorities and effectively communicate about those priorities with colleagues and clients.

Success begins with a plan. This does NOT mean that that plan is the only path to success, or that you will even end up following that particular path at all… but it most definitely starts with it.

4 – Fill your cup.

There’s an image floating around Instagram right now that says: “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” – Unknown

This could not be more true for me. And I bet you can relate.

If I don’t do something every day that nurtures me, my day falls apart. Truthfully, for me, it may not happen first thing in the morning, but so long as I can see it in the schedule (AND have blocked it off so no one can try to book me during that time), I’m good. I’ve learned this about myself.

Ideally, many will want to do it first thing in the morning; read a book, journal, workout or make a super delicious smoothie. It could be as simple as making a cup of ice cold, lemon water. SOMETHING. Anything to nurture yourself.

My point is this: find the activities that work for you. And if you can, do them early in your day. Your vibe, the vibe of your business and the success of the rest of your day depend on it. When you are full and feeling good, you’re brain and body are ‘ready.’ 

5 – Reach out to your network.

I love this quote:

“If your business comes from relationships, relationships should be your business.” – Doug Ales

Do not forget to nurture your network, talk to your colleagues and always be meeting people.

This doesn’t mean you have to go to your local grocery store and introduce yourself to everyone there. This really means: asking for help when you’re stumped, sharing a success with a colleague that will appreciate your win, sending out a free resource to your mailing list, saying thanks to a teammate that followed through on that project for you, giving kudos to those you see really kicking butt in your niche, making introductions between people you think could contribute to each other or sending work to a friend when your workload is full.  

Communicate. Connect. And contribute!

Be generous with your connections. Feed them, build them, talk to them and share with them.

“The currency of real networking is not greed but generosity.” – Keith Ferrazzi

Find ways to be in touch and do it often. And do it early in the day. It will add fuel to your fire you didn’t even know was missing.

And there you have it.

Five steps… not particularly easy, but most definitely simple ways to set yourself up for that million dollar day. 

I wonder what time you’ll get to bed tonight? Who you will talk to and what kind of nurturing activity you’ll do? Please comment below if you’re feeling inspired!

Other than the fact that it’s 2016 and we are living in the most digitally connected age in human history, there are 4 major ways why an online business will completely change your life…TODAY!

Entrepreneurs are a unique breed who are consistently looking for and creating change in the way we live our lives.

With every new platform comes an entirely new world of opportunity. The computer allowed for faster computing and automating processing. The internet created a place for sharing ideas and messages globally and within minutes. Applications have empowered creators to build their ideas into fruition (which there is now an app for). And Facebook opened up a new world of connecting people and targeted advertising campaigns.

If you are an entrepreneur, an employee or simply someone that is looking for a new adventure, here are 4 major ways your entire life is going to change and why you need to pour a glass of water, pull out your laptop, and begin building your online business.

1. Freedom to work from anywhere.

Let’s talk first about the coveted “millionaire internet entrepreneur” lifestyle.

While it is easy to get consumed by the flash, bling and bang of those handful of internet entrepreneur rockstars that CRUSH it, we often don’t see the story behind the glory. These experts, while paving the way for the masses of future online business owners, pour their heart out mastering their craft for years and years before reaching the top.

The breakthroughs these pioneers experience, now allow for the common man, with some inspiration, valuable content and a laptop, to hop online and create a business from scratch in 48 hours or less.

The dream of living that plane, train and automobile lifestyle of traveling the world and living large may not be a day away but it certainly is an idea away. There isn’t much quite like the ability to turn an idea into an automated, money-making machine from the comfort of your backyard hammock.

The good thing about building an online business, is that while you may grow into a 7, 8 or even 9-figure business at some point, technology allows for you to run it from anywhere in the world. You never again have to sacrifice a precious moment with your family. 

Let’s be honest, the other reason you entered into the unchartered waters of entrepreneurship is because you wanted to fire your boss. I can say with certainty that is what did it for me.

Working long hours, being told what to do and even worse, how to do it, just to get slim pickings of an already thin pie, is not what most people’s “dream life” consists of.

Humans are social and creative beings, we are meant to explore, experience and exchange with others. The vast world of owning an online business allows for just that.

If this resonates with you at all, read further. Just be prepared to earn your stripes as you go along the entrepreneurial path and don’t you EVER forget the reason why you got started.

2. You gain access to a global market.

Never before in the history of mankind has it been easier to connect and do business with people all over the world through the click of a button, (or blink of an eye for all you Android users out there). I think this section is rather self-explanatory but I’ll go ahead and dive deeper for the newbies.

With the tools to leverage like Google, Facebook and ClickFunnels (if you are not familiar with at least the first two, an online business probably isn’t for you), starting a business, driving traffic to your site, capturing leads and converting sales has never been a more streamlined process (so long as you have a funnel). 

These types of platforms allow us to zero-in on who our perfect avatar is, how to speak their language and even more importantly, where to find them on the world wide web.

The days of billboards, radio ads and postcard promotions are long behind us. People aren’t looking at your billboards on the highway anymore, they aren’t even looking the damn road! Studies show that 3 out of 5 drivers in the United States text and drive (don’t quote me on that and please stop texting and driving!). Also, please stop spending money on old, mainstream methods of advertising too, thanks.

Just few years ago, a handful of big-box retailers owned the shopping marketplace. Now, because of what online businesses allow for, those stores are dropping like flies while companies like Amazon, eBay and Alibaba are skyrocketing.

The shift in the consumer’s mind to shop online more effectively, conveniently and often cheaper, has created a huge opportunity for internet entrepreneurs to capitalize on.

Anyway, as you begin your online business venture, be sure to build local and within your own community at first, but always think global! 

3. Low overhead and high margins.

About 10 years ago, most small-business owners never saw the benefits of having their own website. Obviously they didn’t have the foresight for what the internet was doing to people’s buying habits, which is a whole other story we can explore over coffee if you ever make it out to Orange County, California.

Websites were expensive, inefficient and consumers hadn’t truly opened their hearts and minds to buying online yet.

If you ask those same small-business owners today if they think a website is useful, I bet 9 out of 10 will tell you they don’t know what they would do without a website.

I can at least say for myself that if I look up a business on Yelp or Google and they don’t have a website, I don’t trust them and probably am not giving them my business.

Starting an online business today can be so inexpensive, literally costing you only a few hundred dollars. With all of the tools I discussed earlier, you no longer have to invest big bucks to create an operational, automated, scalable sales funnel.

At D4Y Brand Builder, and in many of our client’s companies, we use ClickFunnels to create straight forward, functional sales funnels. But definitely don’t take my word for it that it’s simple. You can grab a free month and check it out yourself here. 

One of the greatest advantages to having an online business is that you can leverage your time by using these kinds of simple, inexpensive applications.

Creating a product or e-course that can be sold online, allows you to tap into the world of doing business 24/7. You can be sleeping in Boston when a customer in China comes to your website and purchases a digital training course for $2000. BAM!

Making money in your sleep is the ultimate state of leverage! 

4. Scalability

While high margins can be hard to come by in brick and mortar stores, an online business can create that scalable, recurring revenue you’ve always desired.

It doesn’t cost you much at all to create a good product that people want. It won’t cost you much to market it either, as we covered before. However, the return on your investment in creating something that will outlive you is immeasurable!

Another reason to think BIG when building your online business is the opportunity for unlimited income, meaning you won’t ever trade time for money again…music to an entrepreneur’s ears. You unequivocally will have to put in tons of hours and effort to create a legacy brand and product, but that should come from inspiration not desperation.

Finally, the best way to scale is to have a brand or product that goes viral. Do your research, create a product people want and need already, be creative in your delivery and let the cyber world take your business to new heights.

As you can see, you can start your online business with very little and for very little. Now is the time to cash in on that big idea you’ve always dreamed of bringing to life. Just be sure to have fun and do good for the world along the way.

‘You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.’

Have you heard this before? Think of the five people you spend the most time with. Now thing about your life and what it looks like and what you spend your time focused on.

Pretty accurate statement, right?

Ever felt like you’d hit a wall in your business and you weren’t quite sure how to overcome it? What if joining a mastermind could make problem solving AND growing your business 100x easier? JUST because you get to expand on those people you’re surrounding yourself with? I am here to tell you: it can.

This is why I join masterminds. I get to surround myself with passionate business owners, with all kinds of experiences, ideas and knowledge under their belts. And this is why the people I have met in the masterminds I am a part of have quite literally changed my life and business… and continue to do so today.

If you aren’t familiar with a Mastermind Group, then it is time that you are!

While many of today’s wealthiest online entrepreneurs are quick to say people like Jim Rohn or Napoleon Hill were the originators of Mastermind Groups, the truth is these groups have been around for a very long time. The group typically has a facilitator who determines what the group’s ground rules will look like; how the meetings will be carried out, where, how and when. 

“Mastermind Groups coordinate knowledge and the efforts of two or more people, who harmoniously are working towards the same project or outcome.”

Another way that you can think about this – your success and wealth depends on the people you hang around with.

What are YOU passionate about? Are the people you spend your time with helping you achieve your passion?

Way back in 1726, Ben Franklin started a Mastermind Group that today is famous. Franklin worked in his print shop from early morning to late at night, but Franklin found the time to organize a group called ‘The Junto,’ which met on Friday evenings to talk about politics, philosophy, morals, and business. Every week there were two questions that Ben Franklin asked the members of the group.

Who is thriving and why?

How can they be emulated?

These are two very smart questions even today.

They can be elaborated on further to:

What’s working in the industry?

Why does it work?

And how can you emulate THAT into your business?

Mastermind Groups let you make connections that you likely wouldn’t make any other way. You get to be with ‘like minded’ people and so often members of the group become endearing, supportive friends.

When you join a Mastermind Group you also get the opportunity to help others and give back.  This often snowballs into different members of the group, who all have different degrees of skills and experience, helping out one and other. The the focus is on sharing – and because of this everyone benefits. Many of these groups are for business owners that want to improve their business and who are serious about growing their business. Are you serious about growing yours?

The rewards from gathering in a Mastermind and meeting people who otherwise might not know, hear from or contribute to you is HUGE. But for the purposes of this blog post, I have whittled these rewards down to 12…

Why You Should Join a Mastermind Group

1. To challenge yourself

Being a member of a Mastermind Group challenges you to grow your business. It is very easy to get side tracked in the day to day activity in your day to day activity. A Mastermind Group helps you to stay on track, learn, and grow. The simple energy you feel from being a part of a group can motivate you to move mountains. 

2. Create deep and lasting relationships

Being an entrepreneur can be lonely at times. It can be difficult to talk about what’s important to you with just anyone because they are not always on the same ‘page’ as you. A Mastermind Group gives the opportunity to share your aspirations, challenges, and dreams with other ‘like minded’ individuals, which means you won’t be nearly as lonely and you will build deep and lasting relationships with. Those middle of the night “oh my gosh, am I really going to be able to do this?” moments suddenly don’t have to be spent in turmoil. Your mastermind buddies are only a phone call, text or Facebook message away. 

3. Brainstorming

The very purpose of a Mastermind Group to get to share and receive new ideas. If you aren’t clear about what direction you should be heading take advantage of the collective powers of your Mastermind Group to get you on track. Not only that, but brainstorming for others can sometimes help YOU a great deal as well. While contributing to a fellow member you may get see and stimulate solutions and ideas for your own business that you otherwise may never have. 

4. Accountability

As each meeting comes to an end there will be objectives and an action plan for each member, which means you are accountable to the group just as all the other members are. This can help you to build the discipline necessary to create a successful business, something so many of us idealists, idea-ists and ‘head in the cloud’ types can struggle with!

5. Focus

The day to day operations of your business can be distracting. Often times we loose sight of the bigger picture, the reason we’re in business in the first place. Being a member of the Mastermind Group will help to keep you focus on that bigger picture – because that’s the reason you come together at all, to contribute to that passion and purpose. If you find that you are drifting or losing clarity, being a part of a group like that will help remind you of why you are in business. 

6. Feedback

Having the ability to receive feedback on business issues from other successful individuals can feel like a light in a often very dark tunnel. Whether you face financial challenges, inventory concerns, or staffing road blocks, the members of a Mastermind Group can help you solve your concerns. Those issues that you felt like you had to solve all on your own before are not so – you are encouraged in a Mastermind to ask for feedback and give it. No one is alone.

7. Support

I can’t say this enough. It’s a theme throughout all of these points. Owning and operating a business is not without its difficulties and challenges – employees, finances, inventories, legalities, and the list goes on and on – it can sometimes be overwhelming. The good news is that it is likely one or more of your Mastermind colleagues have experienced the same things that are coming up for you. And knowing what each other is going through and providing the feedback you need to get through something? Priceless. 

8. Growing confidence

When you make good decisions and you get feedback about these decisions from your colleagues in your Mastermind Group your confidence grows. Greater confidence within your group inspires everyone to perform better, take more changes and grow! Everyone benefits. 

9. Increasing profits

Many businesses inadvertently leave profits on the table. Actually, most businesses! One of the main functions of the group is to help you make sure you are taking advantage of every opportunity that surrounds you. Your fellow members can help point out areas where you could be moving more product or pricing differently to increase your business success. They all have different approaches to things and putting heads together makes new avenues for profit identifiable.

10. Collaborate and find new business partners

Masterminds create opportunity to work together.

Bottom line, the game is all about collaborating. It’s another common theme throughout this entire post. There may be someone in your group that would be a great fit for a project you have going. Perhaps you are the right person to help out another member. Perhaps you can exchange business? One member who is really great at managing their team but awful at social media may be able to help another member who has the social media efforts dialed in but feel stuck and can’t seem to manage their team effectively. Collaboratively the group works together to attain more together. 

11. Expand your skills

Everyone in a Mastermind Group has unique skills, experiences and connections. Everyone is expert at something and as you interact with each other you pick up new skills and talents all the time. The synergy of the group will create an atmosphere that’s very healthy for brainstorming and supporting each other with honesty and respect – where you get to learn and grow constantly. 

12. Helping Others

You will get a great deal of satisfaction from helping other business owners just as they will get a great deal of satisfaction helping you. None of the members are in the same stage of their life and their interests all differ –  so the contributions you receive from each other can quite literally change and improve the course of one’s life. Truly. I have experienced this myself.

For a Mastermind Group to be successful it must be built on integrity, trust, sharing, and confidentiality. You’ll notice this organically be created in a well nourished and well managed mastermind. These will become people who lift you up and propel your business to new heights. Being part of the right Mastermind Group will take you farther than you ever imagined.

Over the last 10 or so years, I have been fortunate enough to work for, with and alongside a handful of highly successful entrepreneurs, real estate investors and developers, business coaches and internet entrepreneurs. I have networked a lot, learned a ton and grown even more. When you follow around and spend quality time with successful people and leaders, you begin to notice patterns, often emulating them to expedite your road to success. Having had the opportunity to fetch coffee, travel the USA, share stages and sit in on influential meetings, I have gained substantial experience and knowledge along my journey. The following are 7 powerful lessons that I felt would be both relatable and practically applied by all.

1. Say “Hello” and connect

One of the greatest skills I believe every human being should develop, let alone entrepreneurs, is the art of connecting and networking via a simple “hello”. In a world where we are more socially connected than ever before, I feel that there is a rapid increase in those who are actually disconnected. People are Facebook “friends” but don’t say hi to each other when they pass by in the hallways at work. People “follow” others on Instagram but have no photos together of the memories they’ve shared. People “tweet” at celebrities on Twitter but won’t call their best friend to wish them success on their new business venture. People are “connected” on LinkedIn but will never refer business to each other. What’s the point of being so technologically connected if we feel so alone when we go to sleep?

We never know who we are sitting next to at a coffee shop, standing next to in an elevator or walking next to in an airport, which could all change with a simple “hello”. What if that person next to you in the coffee shop happens to be your future Wife’s brother? What if that person in the elevator is your future business’s investor? And, what if that person next to you in the airport is simply someone to tell you a joke and cheer you up on that day?

At one point in our lives, everyone close to us (besides our Mother), was a stranger. We took a chance, began to communicate, established a connection and the rest is history. I believe that everyone has their own philosophy about their social media avatars and online presence – hookup/date, sell something, buy something, simply connect and share memories, etc. When we have no agendas or motives as to why we say “hello”, we often find the simple, hidden pleasures of life, such as a smile, a handshake or maybe even your best new friend. From my experience, if we create a connection out of thin air with someone (pun intended),simply because synchronistically the universe has us on the same metal bird moving through the sky at 500 mph, flying from Los Angeles to Boston on a redeye at 9:35pm on a Tuesday night sitting next to each other, we feel more soulfully connected. In a world where we feel “naked” without our cell phones and “bored” if we have to wait 5 minutes for the bus with nothing to do, taking the time to say “hello” and connect with someone new, just might change your life. It has for me, and continues to do so, over and over again.

“Everyone communicates, few connect.” – John Maxwell

2. Always remain a student

The greatest mentors I have ever had are still students to this day; even if they have mastered their craft, dominated their industries, traveled the world and accumulated millions in riches. Along my journey, one of the keys to success I have discovered, is the idea of always remaining a student. A few years back at a Network Marketing convention,, I had the opportunity to chat with one of my role model leaders in the industry. I read his book, studied his videos and went to every event I could when I was in his area. He told me that as long as I remained a student throughout my life, I would continue to grow and succeed, because “when you ripe, you rot.” That one statement changed the way I look at and feel about remaining a student my whole life. Essentially, when you stop growing, you start dying.

When I started my yoga practice about 8 years ago after breaking my tailbone, I realized how much insight and wisdom I could learn from the ancient philosophies behind yoga. There is a calm, peaceful vibe that fills the air when you walk into a warm studio, which is usually followed by an empowering mantra delivered by the teacher, who is always still a life student. I had never heard the relationship between student and teacher put so eloquently until one day an instructor started class with, “If you want to learn something, read about it. If you want to understand something, write about it. If you want to master something, teach it.”

A great way remain a student in our day-to-day lives is to see every situation and each encounter with someone as a learning experience. What if all they did was provide you with one tip, one story or one formula that changes your life? While it may not come so naturally to all of us, it is certainly a lesson that will assist you in progressing in your life.

“When you ripe, you rotten.” – Ray Kroc

3. Be the quiet one in the room

Growing up, I was always the class clown which would get me in a bit of trouble…learning lessons, right? Fast forward to today, I often surround myself with people who are smarter and more experienced than me (another lesson later in this post), so I do my best to be quiet and listen. We often witness people trying to impress others by consistently making jokes, talking just to talk and rarely attempting to learn from others to improve themselves (if this is you, read on).

After sitting in quite a few meetings with my real estate mentor, I noticed that he rarely ever spoke and if he did, it was short and powerful. I asked him his reasoning to which he responded, “I always like to listen much more than I speak, this way I can hear everyone’s perspective, learn from them and then respond thoughtfully to add value to the conversation…We have 2 eyes, 2 ears and 1 mouth – this is so we observe 4 times as much as we speak.” So simple, yet so profound. At the young age of 21, I had never heard such sage advice. When I thought about it, it made total sense – I was a recent college grad surrounded by multi-millionaire real estate investors and developers, why would I be the one talking when I could be doing all the learning?!

Now when I attend masterminds, networking events and seminars, I am there to learn, take notes and meet people who can share wisdom and experience with me. This one tip has completely changed the way I think about learning from others and shifted my focus to talking less but saying more.

“The ability to speak several languages is an asset, but the ability to keep your mouth shut in any language is priceless.”

4. Surround yourself with people that are smarter than you

They say that you become an average of the 5 people you spend the most time around, so I guess you should choose wisely! Up until 4 years ago, I always spent a lot of time with people that I considered “good friends” and would put myself in situations that were “comfortable”. When I began taking my entrepreneurial career more seriously, I started to notice that these “good friends” were not as close as I had once believed them to be. As a Network Marketing rookie, I didn’t really have a clue on how to build a successful business other than with a lot of excitement and telling all of my friends that they “had to” join me because we were “going to the moon!” Almost every single one of these “good friends” laughed and joked at me, telling me I was a part of a big “pyramid scheme” and that I was wasting my time, money and effort. It became a little uncomfortable for me to be with them as I was really starting to invest my time in my future and stray from the norm, like most entrepreneurs experience at some point or another.

As more and more friends began to doubt me, laugh at me and post hateful comments on my social media, I started to spend more time with fewer friends that had the same beliefs and vision as I did. Like my parents always taught me, go for quality over quantity! We all have a few different groups of friends, and it is important that we prioritize who we spend our most valuable commodity, time, with. Maybe those people we once saw a few times a week, we now see once or twice a month because you feel they don’t have your vision (which they probably don’t!). I quickly realized that the more time I spent with like-minded individuals, the more I was inspired and creating results in my business. Then I attended my first Network Marketing convention, 6,000+ other people that were all inspired to be learning, growing and chasing their dreams as I was! This is when it all changed for me. I was proud to be the bull that was leaving the herd of cows.

Looking back on that first year as a business owner, it certainly was not easy, but it set the pace for my future as a confident, successful, entrepreneur with a vision. I truly believe that one of the main purposes of life here on this planet is to learn and grow to new heights – doing so around people who only want to bring you down (because they are already below you) is not a small task. It is extremely crucial that if you are going to succeed, in any field, that you surround yourself with people who can take you higher and empower you to become the best version of YOU possible!

“If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.” – James Watson

5.Be honest

My parents taught me this one. In my opinion, honesty is not the best policy, it is the ONLY policy. I cannot think back to a time in my life where not telling the truth was the right decision. Honestly, I used to lie a lot. Why? Well, that’s a long story but here it is in a nutshell; as a class clown and rebel, I often found myself in trouble. I hated being in trouble so to avoid it, I would lie. Sometimes so deeply that I would forget to cover up all my tracks and my lies would get exposed – the absolute worst feeling.

As I grew older and matured, I began to realize that when you are dishonest, the only person that you are lying to, is yourself. I would get in binds, run late for work, not complete all my tasks and sometimes sleep in late, but I was always honest with my bosses and mentors that it was simply water under the bridge. Sometimes I would have to stay late to finish work or make up for lost time, but this was fair as I was learning the ropes of being a responsible adult. Although it may seem easier at times to lie and get away with something, the universe ALWAYS brings back to you what you put out. Living with that pit of lying in your stomach is so much heavier than the freedom that telling the truth will bring you.

I believe that our world has developed into a society of lies and cover-ups because we lack vulnerability. We are expected to be so perfect, that with all this pressure it creates an environment where we feel we must lie and cheat to retain this “perfect” image. It is unfortunate that children grow up today being told that vulnerability is a major weakness, when in reality, it is actually our greatest strength. When you are honest and vulnerable with those around you, you become open and can create a line of communication where people can see and feel the real you. If we live a life of honesty beginning with ourselves, we will spread love and honesty back unto this world, thereby creating a happier, healthier and more abundant planet!

“Honesty is an expensive gift, don’t expect it from cheap people.” – Warren Buffett

6. Read, Read, Read

When I was young, my Father always used to make me read before doing any extracurriculars – soccer, TV, games, guitar, etc. He immigrated to the United States in his late 20’s and English is his second language. One of his biggest regrets is that he didn’t read as much as he could when he first came to the US so reading English is a slow and uncomfortable process for him. He didn’t care what I read – Sports Illustrated, mysteries, science, novels, he just wanted me to read so I would become a fast reader for my future education. I naturally rebelled because I didn’t see the value in it when it was standing in my way of doing things that were more fun. Later on, I would realize how much the simple pleasure of reading would profoundly impact my life. Interestingly enough, all of my mentors have been huge readers – some read a book a month while others absorb 3 a week!

It wasn’t until I was 21 and starting my first true business endeavor as an entrepreneur, that I really believed in the value of reading. Up until that point, I had always read for other people – school and my Father. I remember it like it was yesterday when I went to my first convention for Network Marketing and heard Darren Hardy speak. By that point, I had read Think and Grow Rich and a few other personal development books, but never really studied the information – in one eye, out the other. When Darren said on stage that the average millionaire in America reads 2-3 books a month, where the average American reads 1 book a year, I knew that reading was exactly what I required! I knew that I didn’t want to be like the general population, which I suppose is why we all are enthralled by entrepreneurship, but I really began to see the value as I dove deeper into the world of personal development and business books.

Enjoying watching myself grow and think differently, I began to consume book after book, that was the exciting part – I finally believed and saw the value in reading! As I worked my way through different internships, jobs and other business opportunities, I noticed that all of my mentors had one major trait in common – they all read, a lot. About 3 years ago, I began to create consistency in my reading schedule, I would read 30 minutes a day and sometimes even more. I became really content with staying home on weekend nights, making myself some dinner and diving into a great book. Reading taught me to be alone and enjoy it! Nowadays, I read for about an hour a day and whenever I am on the go or in the car, I try to listen to audiobooks, immersing myself in as much content as possible. I’d say i’m pretty obsessed with reading now!

“The first thing that reading teaches, is how to be alone.” – Jonathan Franzen

7. Have fun

Way too many times in my life I have had friends and family members tell me about how much money they make but how dead they feel. Life is not meant to be an on-switch, go to school, get good grades, get a good job, make some money, pay the bills, retire, go on a few vacations and then hit the off-switch. Life is meant to explore, experience and be full of excitement. Our current education system sets us up to go into the workplace and be an employee, which there is absolutely nothing wrong with! I feel the real problem is that there is so much pressure on young adults to get a job that will pay them the most rather than lead to their greatest happiness.

In my experience, we all work the best, are most productive and are highly creative when we are having fun. Of course there are going to be times in our lives, especially as entrepreneurs, that not 100% of what we are doing is the most soul fulfilling work, but that’s all a part of being a business owner. We all have areas that make us “tick”, that light us up and in which we lose track of time, often forgetting to eat or sleep – this is the area we should be working in! My advice is that each of us continue to pursue jobs, opportunities and experiences until we find our true passion where we feel the most alive and then find a way to monetize it (yes, we all require money to live in this world).

Lastly, I believe that a large part of having so much fun while “working” is surrounding yourself with people that empower you and embrace you! There is no better feeling than walking in (or calling in if you work from home) to your team meeting on Monday morning and being excited to kick off another week filled with growth and fun, doing what you love. One of my mentors told me that many years ago he left a job paying him $250k as the Senior Vice President in which he felt he had no life, no soul and barely got to see his family. He began a business in a niche which was his passion, taking him a few years to get off the ground, now taking home in a few million a year in profit. The point is NOT that you should go out and seek to make more money than you are making now, as money offers options – not happiness, but to find a job or opportunity that will lead you to feeling soulfully fulfilled every single day of your life!

“If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.” – Katharine Hepburn