How to successfully launch a knowledge business group

Some of the most famous Disney moments of all time came from a knowledge business group, packed full of innovative animators. According to historical records, Walt Disney called this mastermind group the “9 old men”, even though the people in it were men in their twenties and thirties.

The group was responsible for classic movies like Peter Pan, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and many more. The same principle about how to organize and run a knowledge business group was also applied in the new online training course by Tony Robbins and Dean Grazisoi called Knowledge Business Blueprint.

It’s not just Disney that saw the benefits of using a knowledge business group either. There were also various other amazing groups throughout history, such as the Inklings – the writers and poets known for some of the greatest works in history, such as C.S Lewis, Charles Williams, and J.R.R. Tolkien. Benjamin Franklin also had a mastermind group called the Junto, a group that established the first lending library in the US.

A knowledge business group even helped the US to navigate the headaches and heartaches of the cold war. The team, known as Sunday Night Supper, included people like Robert Lovett, George Kennan, Frank Wiser, and Stewart and Joe Alsop.

Throughout the years, many knowledge business groups have come and went. Some work, while others don’t. However, if you want your mastermind group to thrive, you need to ask yourself a few simple questions. For instance:

1. Where do you want to end up?

All great journeys begin with a goal in mind. Getting some clarity on where you’re headed with your mastermind group is a great way to get started. Without transparency like this, you’ll struggle to stay on track. Remember, you’ll also need your members to share your vision.

Although a little diversity can be helpful, you need a unity of purpose in your mastermind group to make it work. All of the people in your team need to be focused on one specific outcome, or unified idea.

2. Where will you find your members?

Once you know what the goal of your mastermind group will be, you’ll need to find your members. Think about where you would find someone like you.

Would you track yourself down in a local networking team, or find them in a paid site for members online? Could you track someone down at events that happen in and around your area? You might even find a handful of your members on free forums.

3. How will each member benefit your group?

One of the biggest mistakes a mastermind group leader can make is not vetting his or her members carefully enough. Not everyone will be a valuable addition to your team. You’ll need to think carefully about who can bring real value to your group.

For instance, you might want to ask your team members to fill out a survey before they join your group so you can check they’re the right people for you. Or, consider having an in-depth conversation with them to see what kind of personality you have. Make sure that you only include people who can commit to your team.

4. How will the team support each other?

With your team effectively assembled, you can develop your strategy for success. There are a few things you’ll need to focus on here, including:

• How often you meet: You can either collaborate in person, through a video call or through a conference – it’s up to you. Just make sure that you meet at the same time every week for consistency.
• How you collaborate: Decide how you’re going to communicate. Email is rarely a good idea for an online group. However, an instant chat tool for teams might be more successful. Something like Slack might be a great place to share thoughts, files, and messages.
• How you’ll structure your meetings: Finally, what will your session involve? How will each member hold themselves accountable for what they did that week? Will everyone advise each other and offer guidance? How much sharing time will each member get?

A mastermind group can help you to reach your goals, but you need to have a strategy to guide you.

5. Example mastermind group

An example of how you would bring together your mastermind group through these simple questions can be understood as follows. The goal you would have planned may be a knowledge based business that revolves around bats. The conservation of these creatures would spur you on to create a team of bat surveyors. 

Once you have formulated the common purpose that would band your members together you begin focusing on where you’ll find them. A handful of potential members had been found on forums, National Geographic and WWF ads posted. Once this has been successfully established you begin vetting through the candidates, their experience and references. A project has been conducted where Local Bat Surveyors service ads are sent out to the public to test the efficiency of your choices. With a relative establishment of professional officers, you test the chosen few and effectively assemble them as they pass and know what they are doing.

A work schedule would have been planned out, with emailed and telephonic communications. It would possibly be decided that meetings would involve project briefings being relayed with everyone knowing their delegated positions. Your chosen few have been delegated as part of your thriving mastermind business group.