Yesterday, I was over in Celebration, FL for a meeting of the minds. It was a mastermind meeting. Several people in internet business gathered in a board room and talked shop for several hours.

The way it worked was this:

1. First, presentations. Nothing formal, but if any of the group members wanted to present some useful information, that would happen.
2. Hot seats. Each of us would take our turn on the hot seat. We could talk about our businesses and our challenges, and get help from the rest of the group.

It is incredibly powerful.

In 2009, one of the biggest contributing factors to my business has been the power of others. I routinely mastermind with folks here in the Tampa Bay area and occasionally from elsewhere in the state.

Forming A Group

I highly recommend that you work to create a circle of people around you who are doing the same things. If you are interested in growing your blog, then find others in your area who share similar interests. Namely, bloggers.

If you don’t know anybody like that, one of the best sources for you is Meetup.com. Find a group in your area. If there isn’t one, FORM ONE.

Seriously, that’s what I did. I was already part of a mastermind group in this area (a private one), but I went to Meetup and formed my own group to help others in the Tampa area. There is a small cost associated with forming a group on Meetup, but it is more than worth it.

Another option would be to take to Twitter or Facebook and find people with similar goals who might want to form such a group. If you guys aren’t in the same geographical area, then you could just schedule conference calls over Skype.

By combining what you learn online with real-world interaction with people of similar interests, you will make progress in leaps and bounds compared to what you’ve done in the past.

Running The Group

You will need to decide what kind of style you want in your group. In the past, some of our masterminds have been loose and more social, with a little business talk. These don’t have the same usefulness.

The best groups are the ones that are ran more like a meeting. With a structure. This way people gain value from the meeting rather than it just being an excuse to goof off.

The meetup I run on Meetup.com is about half-and-half. In the beginning, there is a more structured conversation to help people out. Then, we move into networking and conversation to allow people to get to know each other better. For the private groups I attend, we run them more like a board meeting.

Your Action Plan

If you are not in any group right now, I highly suggest you make this a priority. Go to Meetup.com and find a group in your area. Considering you are a reader of this blog, perhaps a blogger’s group or an internet business group would be appropriate.

If you cannot find a group on Meetup, consider creating one. Being the group organizer automatically makes you a bit of a leader in your area. People will find your group. You’ll meet new people and you never know where those connections will take you.

What we do is inherently alienating unless you make a point to form groups. Staring at the computer in a back bedroom is no way to run a business. This is a people business.

I’ve learned this better than anybody.