Great minds don’t think alike – and that’s a good thing. A collection of great minds thinking differently, about the same subject, committed to a productive outcome is better than a group of people yes-ing similar ineffective thoughts and unproductive actions. That’s the benefit of a small business mastermind.

I love being an entrepreneur. Owning my own business allows me to manage my time effectively while maximizing my income. I love it. Until it’s time to market. Marketing is a challenging, taxing everyday component of doing business. It’s unavoidable. Doing it strategically and successfully is paramount to staying top of mind with your target market. Here’s the thing – because it’s an everyday activity, it can quickly become boring, staid and unproductive. What do you, as a small business owner, do when you hit a marketing snag?

Turn to other business owners.

When I’m in the room with a dozen fellow business owners – a small business mastermind – and they’re all putting their collective years of skill and experience along with a fresh perspective – fantastic combination – to work on marketing and sales strategies to grow my business, I feel energized and encouraged. I’ve been amazed at some of the simple marketing ideas and outlets I’d overlooked. I’ve also been impressed by sophisticated strategies I didn’t know I could implement on my own.

Like a powerful small business mastermind group, effective marketing is a team effort. So many business minds looking for the same successful outcome from differing perspectives and stages of life and business is what makes marketing truly sing.

The best part is that, conversely, I get to do the same thing for them. Initiating marketing ideas, assisting in event creation and scheduling, refining a target market and providing a compassionate, listening ear for fellow entrepreneurs on the road to success is a win-win-win situation.

Call it what you will – Mastermind, Think Tank, Meetup – these groups foster accountability, facilitate growth, spark imagination, foster creativity and harness the power of connectivity.