FAQs
What is a Mastermind group?
Who can benefit from participating in a Mastermind group?
Who would NOT benefit from joining a Mastermind group?
How large are Balanced Act Mastermind groups?
How often do Mastermind Groups meet?
What span of time do Mastermind groups continue to meet?
Why are Balanced Act Mastermind groups facilitated?
Who facilitates Balanced Act Mastermind groups?
Can telephone groups be as effective as those that meet in person?
What are Mastermind Group meetings like?
How do I find out when Balanced Act Mastermind groups are forming?
If I have questions or want some input in-between Mastermind meetings, is that possible?
What are typical issues participants bring up in Mastermind meetings?
What will my time commitment be for mastermind work and meetings?
Is there a membership application for Balanced Act Mastermind Groups?
How long does the application process take? What happens after I'm accepted?
Can someone get "fired" from a Mastermind group?
What does it cost to belong to a Balanced Act Mastermind group?
While a member of a Balanced Act Mastermind group, can I also purchase private one-on-one coaching or consulting time with Carol?
What is a Mastermind group?
A Mastermind group is a small collection of individuals committed to helping each other manifest meaningful change in their businesses or in their personal lives. Group members exchange ideas, brainstorm solutions to problems and often hold each other accountable for activities toward creating desired results. Some mastermind groups meet in person but many gather via teleconference. Some Mastermind Groups form to study and discuss a particular book, such as The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Some groups are created to specifically support a particular situation, such as retirement planning, career reinvention, or debt reduction.
Who can benefit from participating in a Mastermind group?
Anyone can benefit from participating in a fully functional, positive and goal oriented Mastermind Group. These types of peer-support groups have for a great number of years been particularly useful for small and home-based business owners and solopreneurs. In today’s complex world, a growing number of individuals are finding the mastermind approach invaluable as support for life changes and for navigating through complicated life issues.
Who would NOT benefit from joining a Mastermind group?
Individuals who are not serious at this time about changing current circumstances for themselves (or their businesses if applicable), or people who prefer to work alone would not find a Mastermind Group valuable. Those not willing to commit to regularly attending and participating in sessions are also not a good fit for the mastermind experience.
How large are Balanced Act Mastermind groups?
Groups are limited to approximately 6 individuals unless the group votes to expand the number and the time allotted for each meeting. By keeping the group small, members can work in-depth on expanding their ideas or addressing their challenges and enjoy getting to know each other as well.
How often do Mastermind Groups meet?
Mastermind groups meet on a regular schedule – set in advance – at a specified day and time. Some are set up to meet weekly, some every other week, some monthly. To attend, participants simply dial an established teleconference phone number at the schedule time. Groups can be set up to meet for an hour, others for 90 minutes depending on the size of the group committed to participate. The length of time for sessions is established to allow everyone the opportunity to participate equally.
What span of time do Mastermind groups continue to meet?
The lifespan of a group varies. Since it may take several meeting for group participation to function smoothly, groups might commit to meeting every other week for at least 6 to 8 sessions. However, it is not uncommon for successful groups to elect to continue to meet – sometimes for months or even years, especially groups with a business focus.
Why are Balanced Act Mastermind groups facilitated?
Forming and sustaining a successful Mastermind group requires administration. The facilitator takes applications, matches individuals to the best groups to meet their needs, distributes and collects confidentiality agreements to provide a safe environment, helps the group establish their format, sends out announcements as needed, and provides the teleconference phone line (or sets up the location for groups that meeting in person.) During sessions, the facilitator does not belong to or participate as a member, but instead keeps track of time and assures that all participants receive an equal opportunity to participate. The facilitator is not the subject matter expert.
Who facilitates Balanced Act Mastermind groups?
Carol Hartman, Balanced Act’s owner, is a consultant and coach who has personally benefited from the masterminding process in both her business and in her personal life. Carol has years of experience working with businesses who want to improve their direction to achieve better results, and with individuals committed to personal life change and/or career reinvention. She is trained as a Mastermind facilitator and administrator.
Learn more about Carol Hartman
Can telephone groups be as effective as those that meet in person?
The power of a group is tied to the participation by the individuals rather than how it meets. Meeting by phone conserves a valuable commodity – time – and allows participation that is not restricted by geography. Many successful tele-groups are comprised of members from a wide array of locations.
Occasionally, Balanced Act forms Mastermind Groups that meet in person.
What are Mastermind Group meetings like?
Balanced Act Mastermind Group meeting are facilitated, but they are not training or coaching sessions. Participants agree upfront to the format they wish to follow that allows for equal participation. At each meeting, members share progress/success stories they have achieved between sessions, discuss challenges they are facing, questions they would like to ask the group, or decisions they need to make, or ideas they want to brainstorm. Each individual is empowered to focus on what is most important to them within the context of the groups’ purpose. While each meeting’s format is basically the same, the discussion is fresh, new, and different.
Click here to see formats for Balanced Act Mastermind Groups.
Are Balanced Act Mastermind groups similar to networking or referral groups? No. While networking and shared referrals among Mastermind participants may be a bonus that occurs outside the actually meetings, during the schedule meetings, the sole purpose of a Mastermind group is to accomplish results through brainstorming, support, encouragement and getting/giving advice.
How do I find out when Balanced Act Mastermind groups are forming?
New Mastermind Group – supporting both business and individual interests – are forming on a continual basis. Click here to find out what groups are currently forming.
If I have questions or want some input in-between Mastermind meetings, is that possible?
Yes. Beginning Summer 2011, all Balanced Act Mastermind groups will be able to access a private online message forum where participants can pursue additional discussion, bring up new questions, or share successes with others in their group in between meetings.
What are typical issues participants bring up in Mastermind meetings?
The sky is perhaps the limit, but here are two examples:
Small or home-based Business group members might brainstorm issues like marketing or advertising, innovative ways to drive customers to their websites, how to deal with difficult employees or boost productivity, pricing questions, ways to achieve a more competitive edge, how to balance work and personal life to avoid burnout.
Career reinvention group members might focus on developing their vision of an ideal new job, moving past the fear of change, avoiding procrastination, analyzing and packaging skills, redesigning resumes, using Internet job resources.
What will my time commitment be for mastermind work and meetings?
Phone meetings are strong encouraged. We need you there! They occur every two weeks and are 90 minutes long. Once you are accepted into a mastermind group, open up your calendar and mark those appointments immediately so that you don't forget them or schedule something in their place by mistake. In addition to the phone meetings, your participation in the online message forum is strongly encouraged. If you can plan to spend one hour per week total on the message forum, that would be perfect.
How does a Mastermind group differ from a class or group coaching? While Mastermind groups follow an agreed-upon agenda and are truly educational, they are not at all like a class that has a pre-defined curriculum. Participants decide what's most important to talk about at that meeting based on what's important to them at that particular time. The focus is structured brainstorming among the entire group to solve problems and making decisions, generate creative ideas and build strong action plans.
Even though Balanced Act group’s facilitator is an experienced trainer and coach, she serves in an administrator role during sessions. If the group asks her for an opinion, she is willing to provide her best advice or share an idea.
Click here for more about Balanced Act’s training programs and group coaching opportunities.
Is there a membership application for Balanced Act Mastermind Groups?
Yes, the application process helps assure that group members are truly interested and committed so that the group is cohesive and productive. By having prospective members apply for a membership, Balanced Act is better able to put the right people into the right groups for the right reasons. For instance, the application process helps to alleviate possible situations where there might be a conflict of interest among members.
Each applicant is also required to sign a non-disclosure agreement so that all participants can be assured that their conversations are private. Meetings are never recorded.
How long does the application process take? What happens after I'm accepted?
Applications are approved on a first-come, first-served basis until the upper limit of that particular group is reached. Balanced Act will notify applicants of their acceptance within a week of receiving the application in a Welcome Email.
Once accepted please note the phone call dates/times and reserve space on your calendar for the full length of your Mastermind Group’s meeting schedule. You will also receive a link where you can pay our website via credit card using PayPal.
Once you pay your membership dues, we will send you the call in phone number and passcode by email. For groups forming after July 1 you’ll also be sent a personal login ID and password to y our group’s private message forum. A reminder email will arrive several days prior to the start of the group.
Can someone get "fired" from a Mastermind group?
If a member does not adhere to the group guidelines of etiquette, or if they often miss meetings, they will be asked to resign from the group. Any fees associated with belonging to the group will not be refunded. Balanced Act is looking for people who are seriously willing to commit to participate.
What does it cost to belong to a Balanced Act Mastermind group?
Costs vary depending on the particular group you join. Members handle the fees in advance right here on this website using our PayPal shopping cart – it’s that simple! Members can sign up for payment in several installments or take advantage of the early sign up discounts and bonuses.
While a member of a Balanced Act Mastermind group, can I also purchase private one-on-one coaching or consulting time with Carol?
Yes, during the course of any Mastermind Group, a member can purchase private coaching or consulting time with Carol Hartman and enjoy a discounted rate off her regular private consulting fees.
