Back in October 2023, I attended an online conference for freelance editors, entered a prize draw – and won!

 

My prize was a free place on a Networking for Editors course, during which one of the things recommended to me was business mastermind groups.

 

These are small groups (usually 3-5 people, as I understand it) of people in the same industry, who meet on a regular basis to discuss their business goals and support each other in achieving them.

 

I thought this sounded like an excellent thing to be involved in, so I contacted one of the other editors I’d connected with at the conference, to ask him if he knew anything about business mastermind groups and whether he might be interested in creating one with me.

 

Whilst I didn’t end up in a group with him (which was a shame), the outcome of that email was arguably even better. He told me he had been in such a group until his schedule made the meetings impractical, and that he thought they would be open to gaining a new member.

 

One of the existing members turned out to be another of the moderating team for an editors’ Slack community I also moderate for! So, I had a chat with her and she said she’d ask the other members if they’d be happy for me to join – and they were. Not only that, but they also agreed to change the timings of their fortnightly meetings so I could attend (we’re spread across the UK, different parts of the US and New Zealand, so time zones are a bit tricky).

 

My first meeting was also the first meeting of 2024, and I immediately clicked with the three other members. At each meeting, we start with check-ins on the stated goals from the previous meeting and end with setting new goals for the next fortnight. In between, we take turns in the ‘hot seat’, where we can raise a particular issue we’re having to get advice and/or support from the rest of the group. One person acts as moderator and another takes notes for the shared Google Drive.

 

And it’s awesome! Every meeting so far has been so much fun and so incredibly useful. I’ve made friends and found kindred spirits. I’ve received and provided wisdom, actionable advice and a shared sense of what it is to be a freelance editor. I’ve also achieved every goal I’ve set – though often not until late on the day of the next meeting… Which shows external accountability is effective!

 

A few weeks into the year, one of the editors I’d connected most with on a different editors’ Slack I’m a member of posted about how her business mastermind group was looking for a new member. I messaged her, we had a chat, and now I’m a member of that one too! That group only meets once per month, and has a theme for discussion at each meeting, rather than setting goals and having ad hoc chats. So, it’s a different vibe and it serves a different purpose, which is great. We also have a dedicated Slack channel, where we’ve been exchanging draft resources for each other’s feedback, which has been really productive.

 

So, as part of the tremendous explosion of networking I’ve been doing in the last five months, I now have two groups of awesome people who are helping me realise my business development goals (a few years ago, I would never have thought those would be words I’d type in a blog post) – and I’m loving it!

 

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