Mastermind groups are one of the most powerful ways to network you'll ever experience. In fact you get a very small taste of this effect at our NetStorming events, which I will occasionally refer to as speed masterminding events.

For me mastermind groups have been a significant factor in my success over the years. When I first came to Austin and started networking I'd met a descent number of people over those first few months. As I looked at all of those contacts I narrowed them down to about 10 individuals who I really wanted to get to know. The people who I thought could be the most helpful to me. The problem was being new to town I didn't know how I could help them. The answer was simply bringing them all together to help each other. In a very short period of time we all ended up doing business with each other in one way or another. Plus several partnerships and other long term working relationships came out of that original group.

Over the years I've been a part of at least a half dozen such groups. Each with its own purpose and personality. Nearly all of them effective in their own way.

There's a good book on the topic called: Meet & Grow Rich by Joe Vitale and Bill Hibbler. Not only is this a really helpful read if you're wanting ideas on how to create and operate your own mastermind group. It's also quite an interesting read for those of us in Austin. Joe and Bill both live in Wimberley, Texas. Many of the examples from the book come from their own experiences with a couple of groups both in Austin and Wimberley. You may even recognize some of the other group members who are mentioned.

In my experience there are few better ways to create lasting deep relationships than with mastermind groups. They really embody what great networking is about. A group of people striving to help each other.

Can a mastermind group help you get to the next level? It's absolutely worth considering putting this powerful model to the test.

Happy Networking!