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Welcome readers! In this blog, we will cover how to run a mastermind:

1. Why should you run a mastermind group? What is the purpose?
2. What happens when you run a mastermind group?
3. What makes a good mastermind group?
4. What should you charge to run a mastermind group?
5. What’s it like to be in my mastermind?

What gives me the credibility to write this? I’ve been designing and running group experiences for the last 15 years, including international retreats, group coaching programs, and my own my business mastermind. Of everything I’ve created, I’m most proud of my mastermind program. It’s a support structure based on accountability, compassion, and participants holding each other to their highest potential (please note that this does not always mean working harder or working more).

And, while I’m still learning, I’m delighted to share my knowledge with you on how to run a mastermind.

Why should you run a mastermind group? What is the purpose?

One of my favorite authors, Napoleon Hill, first coined this concept in his book The Law of Success (1925). He then elaborated on the idea in Think and Grow Rich (1937).

The purpose of a mastermind group, Hill said, was to leverage the brilliance of your peers in order to reach your goals.

“No mind is complete by itself. It needs contact and association with other minds to grow and expand.”

Napoleon Hill

According to Hill, when a group of people come together with “a definite purpose” (such as growing a business) and “a positive mental attitude,” they constitute “an unbeatable force.”

To put this to modern-day language, a mastermind is a group of people who know what you’re up to, respect you, offer you feedback/advice, and call you out on your bullshit. You can depend on these people and you meet regularly to discuss your projects. I believe there is tremendous power in this type of community for generating collective success, and that is the reason why I choose to run a mastermind.

What happens when you run a mastermind group?

While structures vary, a good mastermind group will include regular meetings in which people support one another through brainstorming, giving advice, challenging one another and checking in on each person’s progress toward their goal.

In my mastermind group, coaching is also an option.

What makes a good mastermind group?

A good mastermind group requires:

1. A common goal: What, specifically are you all working toward? Is it growing a business? Improving health or self-care? Something else? There must be a shared mission.
   
2. Clear agreements: How often do you meet? Can group members skip calls? Spend time going through the nitty gritty and co-creating your agreements so you have guidelines for participation. The idea here is not to be rigid or create an environment in which people are bad/wrong for breaking an agreement. This will inevitably happen. Instead, decide how you will handle this.
   
3. Regular check-ins on group dynamics: Agreements are only useful insofar as group members embrace them. Regular check-ins can keep agreements top of mind and can help make sure any conflicts or miscommunications are resolved before they grow into a larger issue.
   
4. People who aren’t afraid to challenge one another: Your mastermind members need to know what you’re up to and to remind you of the badass that you are when you feel daunted, disappointed or unsure of the next step. If group members are more concerned about “playing nice,” than being compassionately candid with each other, the mastermind may plateau.
   
5. A solid base of mutual respect and compassion: One of my favorite agreements from my 2021 mastermind is “We assume the best about one another.” Practicing unconditional positive regard and assuming that others are genuinely interested in you reaching your goals is key to building trust and welcoming challenges.
   
6. A good leader who is compensated for their leadership: I’ve run and participated in many masterminds. In my experience, the structure is difficult to maintain unless there is a clear leader and that leader is paid. People typically give their attention and commitment when money is involved. If you are participating in a peer mastermind group, I recommend paying the person who is in charge of logistics. If you are participating in an organized mastermind group with a mentor/coach/consultant, I recommend looking for a group in which you pay the amount that inspires you to show up 110%.

What should you charge to run a mastermind group?

I’ve seen masterminds cost anything from $100/month to $1 million per year. Here are some things to consider with pricing when you run a mastermind program:

1. Who are your ideal mastermind participants?
2. What level of investment will ensure that these participants are ready to show up 100%?
3. Running a mastermind is a serious commitment, and your time is valuable. You will facilitate calls, coordinate with many people’s schedules, and ultimately be responsible for group dynamics. What compensation would have you show up 100% for the people you serve?

What’s it like to be in my mastermind?

Check out this blog post to read what current members have to say about their experience, and my mastermind hub to learn more about how to sign up!

What are you taking away from this blog post on how to run a mastermind? Share below in the comments!

Today on the blog, we’ll discuss how I landed a BIG, unexpected, unsolicited, and free media opportunity. This story will illustrate how you can increase your business’s visibility by generating free media coverage through authentic marketing.

Ya’ll know I’m a firm believer in authentic marketing (read my article about brand authenticity here). Thus, it may not surprise you that my willingness to share intimate moments of my life is what led to a recent offer for a live appearance on the UK’s most popular morning show.

While I’ll share more about this momentarily, I first want to reiterate the value of authenticity in business — especially since I’m one of many who have discovered the difference a personal touch can make.

Many of the entrepreneurs I work with have been surprised when posts they make about their personal connection to their brand get the biggest response. Your ideal customers love your origin story. They also love photos of you with your clients/products, the people/places you love or the things you do that align with your brand.

Consider the following example. Let’s say you just launched an annual planner via Amazon and you have the option to make one of two social media posts.

The first: A professional photo of your planner that shares why it’s awesome and has a link to where people can buy.

The second: A photo of you and your planner that shares why you decided to create it and how it feels to be releasing it after all the work you’ve done.

Nine times out of ten, the second post will have the best response. It will also be more likely to get shared on social media or to pique the curiosity of media outlets.

My point here is that your personal story can attract attention and magnetize opportunities. It makes you relatable, which has others see themselves in your experience and may therefore inspire more support.

While it can be scary to put yourself out there and become the face of your brand, it’s worth it. Not only do you have the chance to make a difference in people’s lives, as well as discover your unique brilliance and contribution, you also get (yes, get) the chance to overcome any fears that arise as you become more visible. Entrepreneurship can be a great path to self-actualization, self-love and higher levels of confidence.

With all that said, let’s transition back to how I landed the media opportunity on This Morning in the UK.

It started when I married myself on November 8, 2020.

This was both a beautiful and challenging experience… and it was 100%, authentically me. Since my friends know me as a coach who preaches the values of self-compassion and owning your personal power, they weren’t terribly surprised when they received my wedding invitation.

And, while the event was very personal, I still chose to share about it, believing my stand for self-love could inspire others.

It became my most popular blog of all time.

And then it became my most-commented-on social media post of all time.

Four months later, I received an email from a journalist in the UK. He had found me on Instagram via hashtags (always remember to use your 30 hashtags!) and wanted to share my story with his audience. I’d never heard of his media outlet, so I was suspicious.

“How much will it cost?” I asked, ready to be annoyed by yet another person offering me media coverage for a stupidly-high price tag. (I do my own PR… and I’m really good at it).

When he made it clear that it would be free, and that he often pitched his stories to larger media outlets, I happily agreed to move forward.

Three days later, I got an email back from him. Not only had he written a beautiful account of my wedding, but the largest morning show in the UK wanted to interview me live on their program.

So, what are my major takeaways from this experience about getting free media coverage?

1. Being YOU is good for business: That thing that some other people don’t “get” or think is a little odd? It’s the exact thing your ideal customers want to see or need to hear.
2. You do you… and see what happens: You can’t always predict the blog post or video that will go viral.
3. When you get visible, your ideal audience can find you: Who knew that people in the UK would love my self-marriage? I’ve also heard plenty of stories from fellow entrepreneurs about their books, programs or products making them well-known in unexpected parts of the world.
4. Use your hashtags: Yup, those thirty hashtags on Instagram can make a difference. #doit
5. Trust your gut: I had a feeling that people could benefit from my story and — although it felt vulnerable to share it — I’m glad I did. I hope it makes a big difference in others’ lives.

What are your learnings from this post, dear readers? What ideas did it give you about generating your own free media coverage? Share your thoughts with me below.

Let me tell you a story about how my commitment to brand authenticity was tested.

Six years ago, shortly after launching my business, I began a weekly newsletter called Fuck Yes Fridays.

I remember clicking “send” for the first time.

I was PSYCHED, my branding felt ON POINT and I was ALL IN to support people in leaving the mediocre behind. My mission then (and now) was to help others create a values-based business and lifestyle that went far beyond “good,” or even “hell yes.”

The email went out. 

I waited.

And then the response came: Many people LOVED the branding… and others were appalled by it (I know now that these are not my ideal audience members, but at the time their response made me feel scared about the viability of my business).

After receiving a few nasty comments, I made the decision to silence my voice. Goodbye, brand authenticity.

–> Oof. Writing that sentence makes me cringe. <–

Can you relate? Have you ever felt like you needed to squash the real you in order to fit in, find clients or otherwise be successful?

This is a lie. Don’t believe it.

Now that I’ve studied marketing, led one of my businesses through the foremost incubator for creative companies in the world, and become a six-figure entrepreneur, I know a few more things about brand authenticity than I did at the time of that story.

Thing #1: You want a memorable brand.

Your job is to stand out and get noticed. This does mean, however, that people will have opinions about you and your work. 

“If you’re remarkable, it’s likely that some people won’t like you. That’s part of the definition of remarkable. Nobody gets unanimous praise–ever.”

Seth Godin, Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable 

But you know what?

People who don’t like you, think you’re weird or don’t understand what the hell you’re doing will often still talk about you. And that’s free promotion. 

Thing #2: Your audience needs YOU, specifically.

You will say things, offer services, etc… in a way that speaks to your ideal clients.

You are meant to serve a distinct population, not everyone. By using YOUR colors, speaking in YOUR voice, and being willing to say things that feel true to YOU (which may or may not include drooping the the F-bomb if you’re anything like me!), the RIGHT people will find you. Even better, these people will be over-the-moon that you’re there. They will feel connected to you. They will feel like you GET them.

Even if they’ve seen others offering the same service or sharing a similar message, it’s possible your people never feel connected to it. 

For instance, three different coaches might talk about reaching your goals in different ways:

Coach 1: We will use the principles of neuroscience to support you in establishing new habits!

Coach 2: Let’s talk about energetic alignment, the law of attraction and quantum physics

Coach 3: It’s time to clarify what you want and then create concrete steps to getting there

And on, and on and on. 

I’ve seen coaches from each of these different categories (and many more) cultivate thriving businesses and raving fans. The same person who goes to coach no. 1, however, may be completely different than the person who goes to coach no. 2. These service providers carve out their niche by being themselves and embracing their unique methodology. 

Being authentic also means less wasted time on calls with potential collaborators or clients, since people will already have a feel for who you are and what you value.

Thing #3: We live in an ABUNDANT world with TONS of people who need different things

You know that influencer who has 1 million followers? There are SO MANY PEOPLE on this planet that there could be 0 overlap between these people and your big, future audience.

If you buy into any story about scarcity, you may try to mimic others out there. This will not be as fulfilling or sustainable as showing up as yourself.

Be yourself and the right people will come to you. You will like these people better. They will like you better. Your relationship with them is based in authenticity and truth.

The process is similar to dating. Put on a mask, and you might get lots of people interested in you that aren’t actually a great match.

Thing #4: Being yourself makes decision making simple

WWID — what would I do?

If you’re trying to be someone else, mimic another person, or do things the “right” way (the “right” way is a complete myth, BTW), decision making can be a challenge.

When you’re you, you know your values, priorities, and goals. Because of this, you can make aligned decisions more quickly (which is key to our next-level of success). You won’t hem and haw wondering ‘What would this OTHER person do?”

Since being an entrepreneur in this world means trying something, seeing what works, and then iterating, fast decision making is absolutely key to moving forward.

Which of these tips about brand authenticity resonates most for you? Share in the comments below.

Also — as you may have guessed — Fuck Yes Fridays are back. Sign up for my mailing list to get my updates in your inbox!

Embrace the Adventure,

Meg

From the time I was little, I knew I was meant to be an entrepreneur. 

I loved creating things. While growing up, I sold lemonade, homemade birthday and holiday cards, and a lot more.

I loved to lead. I started a scary story club when I was 10, a cappella groups in high school and college, and organized gatherings that brought people together.

I valued freedom. I wasn’t made to work for others, in one place or a typical 9 – 5 schedule. I would rather have worked 12 hours a day on my own terms than 8 hours a day for someone else.

Plus, I just felt like entrepreneurship was for me. I knew in my bones that I was destined to have a business.

Nevertheless, starting a company felt terrifying. Why? I was a first-generation entrepreneur, and I had no idea where to start.

What is a first generation entrepreneur?

A first generation entrepreneur did not grow up in a family of entrepreneurs. Most commonly, their close friends, mentors or role models are not business owners. They do not interact with anyone regularly for whom successful entrepreneurship is the norm. They may have interacted with aspiring entrepreneurs who never dedicated themselves to a business idea or who did not succeed and went back to a day job.

What are the unique challenges of a first-generation entrepreneur?

1. Entrepreneurship is not normalized: They didn’t grow up hearing their parents talk business around the dinner table. In fact, business ownership may be feared or has a stigma. The people who surround first-generation entrepreneurs often have negative stereotypes about entrepreneurship… and this is what the would-be entrepreneur hears about day in and day out. Because of this, it’s hard for the first-generation entrepreneur to know the difference between interpretation and fact. Is starting a business truly inherently risky? Or are there tried-and-tested ways to mitigate risk? Can a businesses only be a side hustle or hobby for people like them? Or can anyone who is courageous and hardworking follow steps and best practices that will dramatically increase the chance of success?
2. They can’t just go to business school: It would be great if an MBA prepared you to be a successful entrepreneur… but it doesn’t. In fact, it might just leave you with debt that makes it even scarier or impractical to start a company. I’ve heard so many entrepreneurs battle with the question of whether or not they should get an MBA, and this is an experience I know well. In my desperation to avoid starting a company, I applied for business school. Ultimately, I received a full ride… and turned it down. I wanted to start my business NOW and I realized pursuing my MBA would require me to learn a lot of things that didn’t directly apply to my company. In short, more school would have made me feel safe, but was ultimately just a clever form of procrastination. Six years into being an entrepreneur, I see ways that an MBA could have benefitted me, but I still believe I made the right choice not to pursue this path.
3. Mentors are not built in: A big reason I didn’t start my business earlier (in fact, it took me 10 years) is because I didn’t know who to turn to for support. When I met entrepreneurs, they were willing to answer a few questions, but not to discuss business with me every week. I couldn’t call those entrepreneurs when I was scared and have them say “I really understand” and look at my numbers, marketing strategy, etc… Instead, I had to find my own mentors and hire them so I could get the amount of support I truly needed. This leads to my next point:
4. Their first years in business are not just about starting a company: The first-generation entrepreneur often balances their launch with assuaging the fears of or educating their families and friends. What does it mean to be an entrepreneur? And is it really a good idea to invest in your dream or in yourself? Many people are confronted by the idea of investing in themselves via a massage once a month or buying organic food. It makes sense, then, that the idea of a first-generation entrepreneur hiring a life or business coach (or both, as I did in my first year) could seem crazy. And yet… many first-generation entrepreneurs need this level of support.
5. The learning curve is steep: Because they weren’t exposed to entrepreneurship early on, first-generation entrepreneurs often have to learn their lessons by trying new things, making mistakes and then re-adjusting or pivoting. This process may be terrifying, since — per point no. 1 — it’s not normalized. In many cases, the learning process is so far outside their comfort zone that they ultimately give up.

What can the aspiring first-generation entrepreneur do to support themselves?

1. Stop asking for advice before you start: While having some conversations can be supportive, having conversation after conversation as a way to avoid failure or stall your learning curve is not helpful. Commit to the learning curve and ask for advice after you’ve really started to apply yourself to the entrepreneurship process. It will make your conversations much richer and you will earn the respect of the entrepreneurs you encounter.
2. If you feel fear, get support: It took me 10 years to start my business because I was scared. I wish I’d met a life or business coach earlier who understood the value of mindset and could support me with fear-related self-sabotages. Plus: Accountability. Anyone who is stalled by fear needs someone who knows how to lovingly hold them accountable and challenge them around facing the underlying fears or limiting beliefs that keep people stuck.
3. Find a community: You may find solace is being around other entrepreneurs. My own community, The Thriving Creator, is one amazing place to get connected to fellow business owners.
4. Do something, anything: Again, any action you take will lead to lessons learned. As long as you’re paying attention and cataloguing those lessons, you will gain invaluable wisdom and experience. The action you take will also better prepare you to apply to business incubators, if that’s a type of support you choose to seek later on. I did this for my company Dance Adventures and it was a total blast!

Are you a first-generation entrepreneur? What’s your business? Share below!

Embrace the Adventure,

Meg

P.S. I will be riffing about first-generation entrepreneurship more soon. Stay tuned on the blog!

A few months ago, I hired a PR company for three reasons:

1) To help me promote my book Dance Adventures
2) To see if I could outperform them when it came to PR
3) To practice investing in myself at a higher level (this company’s services cost about $3,000/month)

Now in the final phases of our contract, I feel grateful for what I’ve learned and also excited that I DID outperform them.

What I valued about this experience

Working with the PR company allowed me to cast a wider net with my publicity efforts, as I spent my time reaching out to publications that they did not contact. It was also a great accountability structure. I checked in with one of the women assigned to my book once a week about what we both had accomplished and outstanding articles I needed to write. The PR company’s efforts also landed me some opportunities I’m not sure I would have secured otherwise. This included my interview with an NBC affiliate, the chance to have a journalist at 60 minutes read my book, and features in publications that I had never heard of (but who have many readers). I wrote for Confetti Travel Café, Business Done Write, Thought Leaders LLC, and several other publications.

What I learned (and what you can apply to your own PR efforts)

1. 1. It starts with a good press release: No surprise there. While I have experience writing press releases from my time in journalism school, working as a writer/editor in NYC, and working in business development/fundraising, I thought the PR company brought some cool new ideas (you can see the full press release here — note that this is the template, rather than the custom versions they sent to each media outlets). The PR company included quotes from my advance readers and descriptions of a few stories from the anthology they thought would get the most attention from major media outlets. Finally, they customized each press release with a few titles of stories I could write for a given publication, based on its unique interests.

2. Know your dream placements: I spent 20 – 30 hours creating my “PR Wish List.” This included more than 150 news outlets — from podcasts to newspapers to magazines — where I thought the book could be featured. I made sure these publications would have an interest in the subject matter, based on previous stories they published. I also created a list of all of the universities/organizations/companies that I and the other authors featured in the anthology were connected to. I knew these could also be great allies for book promotion. My point person at the PR company said it was the “most exquisitely organized” media outreach list she’d ever seen. I felt proud of this, since I wanted to make sure I did everything I could to support the PR company’s efforts.

3. It’s great to get others involved: Using my PR Wish List, I scoured Linkedin to find my connections to various publications. Sometimes, I knew someone who worked there (thanks, j-school!). Other times, I had to ask a friend for an introduction. Sometimes asking for these introductions was easy. Other times it felt vulnerable and challenging. In the end, I secured many intros and a few cool opportunities. When you ask, people can always say “no,” but you might be surprised at how often they say “yes.”

I also got the authors and Dance Adventures’ early readers involved. I sent them the press release, examples of emails to send out to their alumni magazines or other networks, and volunteered to support them in writing letters to any media outlet they wanted to contact. We also did some very fun author interviews, which you can check out here.

And, last but not least, there was my mom! She wanted to try to secure publicity for Dance Adventures on NPR, Ellen and in a few other places. One Sunday morning, we sat down together and typed those out. We thought about what would inspire and delight the editors/hosts, and came up with the subject line: “Proud Mama Reaching Out.” We were delighted when, not long after, NPR reached out for an interview.

4. I looked at current events: When it comes to pitching ideas, many editors are looking for things that are timely. In other words, they want you to have a good idea and for it to fit in with current events or trends. I went with pitches (such as my story on equitable editing, which will be out in early 2021) that would further conversations already happening in the United States.

5. Don’t be afraid to follow up: If I didn’t see a clip that was promised, or didn’t hear back about a pitch, I reached out. If I still didn’t hear back, I would contact the editor again a week later. I decided on the mindset that my follow up emails (as long as they were spaced reasonably far apart) were supportive to extremely busy editors. This kept me going, even when it felt like there was radio silence.

While there were other lessons, I will pause here for now. I am excited to share more about this process with my clients, as they work to get the word out about their own projects. I am also delighted that my diligence, organization and vision created so much opportunity. It is a testament to the inner work I’ve done (which has taught me to keep going even when I feel daunted) and to my skills as a writer and editor.

I would love to hear your takeaways from this post! Please comment below.

Some of the publicity we secured for Dance Adventures:

• “Meet The Women Behind the Dance Travel Trend” on Unearth Women
• Interview on NPR‘s “City Lights” (forthcoming)
• A great feature on author Kara Nepomuceno in the Del Mar Times
• A blog for the National Dance Education Organization
• Watch all my YouTube interviews with the authors
• A Book Review from Divine
• Long-form, nonfiction story in Hidden Compass (forthcoming)