When I started Iron Sharpens Iron, one thing I knew about mastermind groups is they’re binding. The level of transparency, authenticity and vulnerability you require will weed out a lot of applicants who aren’t ready to go the distance. You don’t have to “have it all together” to be in ISI, but you do need to prepare for a marathon, not a sprint.

Since we’re studying Brian Moran’s book, The 12-Week Year, I think it’s time we discussed our reluctance to make commitments with time. I read somewhere that a “commitment” is “a state of being bound emotionally or intellectually to some course of action.” The problem with this isn’t the idea itself. It’s how commitments collide with all the other things we have in our lives, like family or faith, that scares us.

I can relate to that, as a lifelong Christ follower in pursuit of a healthy marriage and family. I learned the hard way that putting...

“I already know what I need to do, so I don’t need a plan to get it done.”

“WRONG!” I want to shout, when I read this in Brian Moran’s book, The 12-Week Year. But maybe you’ve caught yourself thinking exactly that. I know I have. How is it we know we need to plan, but can’t bring ourselves to do it?

Over the last several months, including the coronavirus, I’ve had the most productive fitness routine of my life. Believe me, until the last year, working out could hardly have been less interesting to me. I hated going to the gym, and didn’t want to “pay the cost to be the boss” with my physical health. But I’m 60 years old now; some things last a lot longer if you take good care of them. Who would look at the season of life I’m having now, and not want it to go on as long as possible?

One thing that changed for me was realistic planning. I always felt, if I was going to work...

Here’s another concern I hear from entrepreneurs all the time: “Big A! How do I start up an online mastermind group when I don’t know for sure if people will even show up?” 

Well, there’s the obvious truth: if you give away your membership, don’t expect it to last. The old saying goes, “People who pay, pay attention.” Commitment isn’t as hard to come by as you might think. One time, Dave Ramsey and I had a conversation just like this. I was going to teach his Financial Peace class to some people in church for free, and he told me, “Big A, don’t do it for free. You won’t even get half of them to show up.”

Dave was right about my first class, and I’m telling you what he told me, because it’s the same principle. Not only do you get people to show up when you charge a fair price for what you do. You also tend to get the right kind of people. You don’t want to do business...

Do you feel a little awkward starting your own online mastermind group, because you think, “What do I talk about once we’ve started?” That’s a very legitimate concern, and I want to validate it because I’ve been in that situation.

I started out as a business coach. In that setting, it’s usually about all the experience the coach or mentor has accumulated. You’re passing one person’s knowledge to another. Sure, you need to ask questions and make sure you’re giving the right advice for situations clients bring you. But mostly, it’s a game of waiting for them to bring something up, and then answering from your reservoir of wisdom.

The way I designed my masterminds online, however, was to gather everyone on a weekly basis. And that immediately begs the question, “What are you going to talk about once a week, especially with eight to twelve other men on the line at the same time?”

Well,...