Mastermind - an important reason to belong to Minnesota NAWBO.

One of the biggest issues all women business owners face is that it is really lonely at the top! As a result, the Minnesota Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners created the Mastermind program for members.

The Purpose of Mastermind:
The goal is to help each other through the various obstacles that women business owners are faced with daily. Mastermind is like having an ad hoc advisory board for your company – and it is all included in your NAWBO membership!

How Mastermind Works:
Once a month various groups of 8 to 10 NAWBO members meet at a regularly scheduled time and place, based on the members’ availability and convenience. Topics of concern are presented to the group to help in problem solving. Common issues discussed include employment issues, strategies for financing growth, succession planning, marketing strategies etc.

Your first step to get involved with Mastermind would be to attend an Informational Session. To better ensure success within the groups, these sessions introduce the concept of Mastermind as well as provide guidelines on what group makes sense for you.

The next step is to find the right group for you. Perhaps you’ve already found a group to join through another NAWBO member, if not, this website is a great resource. You can search members based on their experience, what they have to offer and areas they want advice. Once you’ve found a good fit, you can contact them various ways – including sending them a personal message. Make sure you keep checking the Members page, as we are continually adding new people.

My mastermind group is invaluable. I have owned a successful business now for over ten years, and I was graduated with honors from Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. Yet the wise advice I receive from my group each month over the past two years dwarfs the formal education I received over four years. And maybe even more importantly, Mastermind is really, really fun!

Mastermind has given me something unique. It has allowed me to spend time with a group of professional women and bounce off ideas and suggestions on my business. During that time we have gotten to know each other professionally and personally. These women have become some of my best friends. It has been a gift.

I joined NAWBO several years ago, when my business was facing several new challenges. Even though at that time I had already been in business for over 20 year, something was missing. I found it in NAWBO. The women I met, particularly those in my Mastermind group, provided a valuable sounding board and crucial advice. Now, six years later, those women are dear friends, and their support and advice has helped my company grow to never-before achieved sales levels and profitability. I would highly recommend NAWBO any women in business, or considering going into business.

Every month I have the undivided attention of six smart, savvy and motivated women dedicated to helping me grow my business, develop initiatives that have been in the “planning phase” for way too long and identify new venues for personal and professional growth. The facilitator extraordinaire keeps the group on-task, moves the sessions from discussion to action steps and holds us accountable to the goals we’ve set for our businesses. It’s a good thing!