Thursday, August 28, 2008

Determining if You Are a Finder, Minder, or Grinder


On Tuesday of this week I held the Alliance Success Group meeting. Instead of our normal format I had a guest speaker, Rick Arthur, present to my group of business owners. The topic of his presentation was Are you A Finder, Minder, or Grinder?

At a previous event I had seen his presentation and thought it was enlightening in helping small business owners to be aware of the different areas of business and to identify where there strengths and weaknesses are. I will try to recap what Rick shared with us but I am sure I will not do as good as job as he did at the time but I hope you will get the message.

A Finder is the idea maker of the organization. This person is very creative and is necessary to bring in the sales of the company. They are an entrepreneur thinking of ways to make more money.

A Minder thinks in the past. This person is more than likely your accountant or bookkeeper in the business. They are minding the numbers or the store. This person is necessary to ensure you are kept up-to-date on information necessary to succeed in business.

A Grinder is the worker. The busy little bee making sure the job is done. They only see what is in front of them today and what must be accomplished.

All organizations are in need of these three types of profiles in business but in most small businesses the owner tends to try to be all three. This model is based upon a book written by Jerry Mills called The Danger Zone. In some ways it reminds me of the Emyth Revisited theory only in different terminology.

I have read both books and find that the presentation brought about a clearer message than either book but then Rick did a fantastic job in relating it to business because he himself was a business owner who went bankrupt due to not allowing themselves to grow. Grow or die was his final statement to our group.

I can relate to that statement because it is the same within the mastermind group, my business, and my relationships. Isn't it true that any of those will die if we do not feed them or grow them?

Grow or Die...Let's all work on growing

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Masterminding + Marketing = Success

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When I started the mastermind group earlier this year, my intentions were:
  1. Offer a venue for brainstorming for small business owners
  2. Grow quickly and close the group
  3. Build relationships and learn from others
I have accomplished my original intention. Since January of this year we are meeting twice a month and have consistently done so.

The group has not grown as quickly as I had planned or expected. Perhaps my expectations were a little unrealistic but I had always heard and thought there were many business owners out there who were lonely at the top and would appreciate the opportunity to join a group as such. Whatever the reasons, we are still in the growing stage.

My third intention has definitely met my expectations. I have three attending regularly at this time and I thoroughly enjoy the time we spend together as a group. I learn from each as they share their experiences, and as a facilitator, I gladly share information and resources that I believe are beneficial to all.

Marketing for Success

Today our meeting was focused on marketing their businesses. I researched and gathered materials for everyone to share effective methods to market online and offline, locally and nationally. One of the most important details shared today was consistency reaped rewards.

One of the members shared how she sent out direct mail letters weekly. She said it is amazing how many calls she will get six months later telling her they saved her information in case they needed her services.

I cannot stress enough the value of masterminding and brainstorming with others of like-mindedness. The other members have already made a plan to start initiating direct-mail letters in their businesses. The rewards are not just in learning but in applying what you learn.