Now that I’m into this social networking thing and have been at it for a little while, I’ve decided Twitter is my favorite resource for connecting with peeps (Twitterspeak for “people”) in my niches. If you have not yet learned the tremendous networking power of Twitter, you are missing the boat!

There are a lot of applications available to enhance your Twitter experience. In fact, marketing extraordinaire Guy Kawasaki posted a link earlier today to a great article published in October by Brian Solis that describes more than 60 apps. that can be used with Twitter—several of which I had never even heard of.

 

There's one app. in particular, though, I'm stoked about that isn't on that list because it was launched only a few weeks ago: Twitter Groups. I started a group for one of my niches, just to check it out. In less than a week I almost doubled the number of people following me in my smallish gardening niche and have added countless resources to my blog! Just this past weekend 33 more people are now following me on Twitter—as a direct result of starting a Twitter group! I’m telling you, your reach can expand exponentially with this tool.

 

According to Twitter Groups creator Brian Lockrey, TwittGroups.com was born on November 27 (Thanksgiving). Since then more than 1,700 groups have signed up, from the Abolish the Death Penalty group to the zyOzy group, dedicated to "activating youth in the global fight against extreme poverty." Believe it or not the fourth most popular Twitter group is Top Conservatives on Twitter.

 

Looks Can Be Deceiving

At first glance, Twitter Groups doesn’t look so special. If you go to http://twittgroups.com, you’ll find a rather plain-looking page with a Twitter Groups header, a bunch of text and some ads and networking links in the right column. Don’t let looks deceive you. You are on the verge of not only finding the people you want to connect with but also giving them a way to find you!

 

The big news is that on Monday TwittGroups.com has joined forces with Google Friend Connect! Now you can connect with peeps all over the social networking universe. My Twitter group now has a Facebook-like wall that comments can be posted to—even videos. I suspect Twitter Group pages will not be "plain-looking" much longer.

 

Signing Up Is a No-Brainer

Here’s how it works: After you’ve poked around on some of the links and see, or maybe even join, some of the other groups, you can easily create your own. Click on Create Group located in the right column, fill in a few boxes and you’re on your way!

 

Twitter Groups automatically creates a totally customizable tweet for you that goes something like this: “I just made a Twitter Group at http://twittgroups.com/[GroupName] for our [Group Name] group. Please Retweet.” In less than a week, my gardening-related Twitter group has 55 members—who are all into gardening! And when they joined the group, they also get to send out an automated tweet to everyone who follows them inviting their friends to join. Are you beginning to see the networking potential?

 

But Wait, There’s More

Not only that but each member also gets his or her Twitter name, Web URL, and Twitter Group profile link displayed on the group's page. AND group members can post links to their favorite articles, blogs, forums, photos, videos and wikis, as well as to events, with the option to send out a tweet that includes a link to the group! Now that Google Friend Connect has been added, your ability to connect with other peeps is even bigger.

 

In case you can’t tell, I am thrilled about this new Twitter tool. My only hope is that as it improves functionality (a Follow link was added over the weekend, which enables you to automatically follow group members without having to go to their profile), it also becomes more aesthetic. This plain little page packs a wallop!

 

I recently won a full scholarship to an intensive month-long coaching program with one of the most respected and talented internet marketers in business today. He is known as the “guru to the gurus.” Although the price tag for this pilot program was reasonable as far as coaching programs go, the value of this scholarship is priceless.

 
Did I say intensive? Make that all caps, fire engine red, with three exclamation points! He is taking a group of students to places many of us have never been before. I have learned more in the past 5 days about running a successful business than in all of my college years combined (I was a business minor and made it about half-way through a grad program in nonprofit management). 

 
Last night, after a packed day of lectures and extended Q&A sessions, I was mentally exhausted. It was the perfect time for my inner “committee” to meet.

 
They were in great form. Barely had they called the meeting to order when they launched into attack mode: Who do you think you are?! You’re not up to “their” standards. These people are way smarter, more talented, prettier (fill in your favorite adjective) than you are. They were practically tumbling over each other to hammer yet another point home: What a joke. You’re holding the rest of the class back. You can’t keep up. On and on they went, ad nauseam. I finally went to bed because I wasn’t getting any work done and I know from previous experience that sometimes sleep is the only antidote.

 
I woke up to a beautifully warm, sunny fall day. After I dressed, took my dog for a walk, and prepared my favorite morning beverage—a homemade version of an iced mocha latte—I was ready to get back to work. After about an hour at my computer, I realized that those annoying little voices that were making such a fuss the night before were silent. Rest, a vigorous walk on a sunny day, and deliberate action can do wonders for silencing the committee.

 
Later in the day I shared with one of my study partners my experience from the night before. (She’s the smart, beautiful one my committee was comparing me to.) She assured me that we all—especially women—have those self-doubts sometimes and told me about some of hers. We ended our conversation better friends than we were when we started.

 
After taking several hours off to enjoy the day, I was back at my computer this evening. As I was scanning e-mails, one of the dozens of online newsletters I subscribe to caught my eye. It was from business coach Jane Pollak. The subject line “How to Respond to Your ‘Gremlins’” compelled me to take a look. The brief article provided yet another reinforcing message that I am not the only person in the world who has a negativity committee jabbering away in my head, sometimes.

 
Pollak says it’s important to name and claim our gremlins: “When you can embrace that shadow side of yourself, you are free to move forward. The energy required to tamp it down, deny it its head or react to its message is released when it is named and acknowledged.” I call mine the itty-bitty-shitty-committee. I can’t remember where I heard that one first, but it fits.

 
In preparing this post, I found a site that has a long list of gremlin names. My favorites were Monkey Mind, Babba Yaga, the Guilt Brigade and Mom! (The last one made me chuckle out loud.) Does yours have a name? What is it? What do you do to keep it quiet?

 

My dog, Mickey, and I have created a nightly ritual—always with the same results.

I’m a night person; it’s not unusual for me to work at my home office until 2 or 3 in the morning. My 87 lb black lab claims his spot behind my desk chair on his bed, which used to be white and fluffy. He’s content. Sometimes he twitches in his sleep as he chases squirrels through his dream life. Sometimes he snores. All is calm—until about 9:15 pm.

Like clockwork, Mickey starts to fidget. Do you remember watching the Family Classics film Lassie, Come Home as a kid? Every day at the same time Lassie would start to fidget when it was getting to be time to fetch The Boy from school. She would pace back and forth by the door until the mother let her out with a cheerful, “Run along now, Lassie.” The beautiful collie would trot down the road to wait for her Boy by the big tree in the schoolyard. As she made her way through the cobbled village, shopkeepers would check their watches as she trotted by and nod with the certainty that it was 4:00.

Except for the fact that he's a Labrador retriever, doesn't live in Scotland and is not trotting down the road to fetch anyone, Mickey is like that. He switches positions or gets up and walks around, maybe choosing the rug in the foyer as his new resting spot, turns around in a circle a couple of times before plopping down. But it never lasts long. He gets up again, stretches, sits again, maybe reaches a back paw behind his ear to scratch an irresistible itch, stands up, shakes himself out, then comes to rest his head on my leg and stare up at me with his soulful brown eyes. 

It gets me every time. No matter what I’m doing, whenever my good dog rests his head on my leg I have to pet him and scratch him on his favorite spot behind his ears. Sometimes I pet him absentmindedly, my mind on whatever I happen to be working on at the moment. Sometimes, when I need a break, I’ll roll a tennis ball into the living room a couple of times for him to fetch. Then I go back to work. And Mickey settles down again momentarily. 

By now it’s 9:30 pm. Mickey's beginning to work his routine in earnest. Gets up, walks around, sits down, sniffs around for crumbs his careless person may have left on the floor, strolls into the kitchen to lap up some water… If he’s really getting restless, he’ll stand on the center of the rug in the foyer and spin around in circles, trying to catch his tail. When he tires of that, he walks over and nuzzles his wet nose under my forearm for attention. This time he adds a little whine, saying, It’s time, it’s time. Let’s go, it’s time.

And every night, like clockwork, I say, “Mickey, it’s not time yet. Be a good boy and go lie down.” This works for maybe 5–10 minutes. Then he’s up again, pacing around, whining. It’s about 9:45 pm now. I know if I take him out too early, he’ll have to wait a long time for me to drag my butt out of bed the next morning. But Mickey doesn’t care about that. He is all about what’s going on right now! And right now it’s time to go outside! 

I try to hold him off for as long as I can. It’s only been a few hours since his last walk. Surely he can hold it for a little while longer. Besides, I’m on a roll. I’m in my zone. Just wait, Mickey, I tell him. We’ll go out in a minute. 

After about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes of this nightly dance, Mickey brings in the heavy artillery: The Shoe. 

I keep my sneakers by the front door. Last year, I taught Mickey how to fetch them. He’s a retriever, after all; it’s in his blood. He seems so proud of his accomplishment, always presenting my shoe with a furiously wagging tail. But I know he's really happy because getting the shoes means he’s going out soon! 

Little did I know when I taught him this simple trick how far he would take it: Now he brings me a shoe before I ask him to. The first time I noticed him padding around the dining room with my beat up, old sneaker in his mouth, I laughed so hard I almost fell out of my chair. He knew. My good dog knew that if I would just put my shoes on, he would get to go for a walk! 

So The Shoe is Mickey's grand finale, his final signal of intent. He’ll grab a shoe, walk around with it for a minute, and then kind of sidle up to me with an expectant look. I laugh, tell him what a good boy he is, pat him on his furry head, ask him to get the other shoe, then go back to work. 

Undaunted, he happily brings me the other one because now he knows he’s about to get his way. His entire butt starts wriggling in anticipation. Once I actually put the shoes on he’s practically dancing with excitement. Oh boy, oh boy, we’re going for a walk, his body language says. Sometimes his tail starts wagging in a circle he’s so wound up: Let’s go, let’s go, there’s so much for me to explore out there!

This ritual sometimes goes on for an hour—almost every night! It doesn’t faze my good dog one bit, because he knows he will eventually accomplish his objective. 

It dawned on me one evening, after Mickey had deposited one of my sneakers at my feet, that my boy had taught me well a lesson in persistence. Mickey always won. In his joyful, doggie way, he is steadfast in his determination. Resolute, dogged—whatever you want to call it, he simply doesn’t give up.

I’m learning it’s an essential characteristic of successful entrepreneurs, as well, and one of the reasons they become successful. We never give up.

My introduction to the social networking world occurred a few years ago when a friend sent me the following cryptic message: “Phoebe, I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn,” followed by her name. I was confused. I was an editor at the time; my friend is an IT professional. We wouldn't really be in the same network, would we? But I was curious, nevertheless.

When I clicked on the link and saw that I would have to provide personal information, I declined. I wasn't comfortable with this LinkedIn site having information on me. They would probably start spamming me, I thought. And that would have been the end of it, except that I kept getting e-mails reminding me that I hadn’t signed up yet. After checking with my friend to find out what this LinkedIn thing was about, I finally relented. I created a profile, adding just enough information to enable me to exist on the LinkedIn server without taking up space. 

I existed in a sort-of virtual social networking stasis for at least the next year. My little blue network circle had only 3 dots in it with a line from each one running to the center of the circle like three little spokes—I guess the people I hung out with weren’t so hip to the social networking thing, either.

Then one day, out of the blue, I received a LinkedIn invitation from my first-ever puppy love boyfriend. I think we were 12 when we “went out.” I hadn’t seen this guy in years! (We hooked up very briefly as adults, but my love life is not germane to this essay, so let’s move on, shall we?) Of course, I had to check out his profile and see what he was up to. I was shocked to see that he had something like 50 people in his network! Wow, he must be really cutting edge, I thought.

 
Building My Network
Not wanting to appear like a social networking leper, I started searching and inviting, searching and inviting. Before long, my little blue circle had a bunch of dots and lines in it—maybe 25. Now don’t get me wrong; it wasn’t about the guy. I have a bit of a competitive streak, is all. Just ask the guys I used to shoot pool with.

Fast forward to 2007. I was starting up a real estate investment company. I joined an investing club. I was beginning to network professionally in ways I didn’t need to during my publishing career. And I remembered my LinkedIn account. My little blue circle began getting bigger.

Now that I’m into internet marketing, social networking is part of my daily life. I joined Facebook last spring so I could see my niece’s high school graduation pictures. Today, I belong to Facebook groups like the Women of Internet Marketing and the Official Marketing Masters Group. I am connected to like-minded people from all over the world who are helping one another reach their highest potential.

Last month I had the rare opportunity to sit in on my first-ever virtual seminar, called UnSeminar5, streaming live thanks to internet marketing extraordinaire Pat O’Bryan. I chatted with people I’d never met while watching phenomenal, mind-bending presenters such as Joe Vitale and Craig Perrine talk about their respective spiritually based paths to success and how to get there ourselves. I was encouraged that weekend to join Twitter. I was told it was an amazing networking tool that would change the way I build online professional relationships—and my business.

These few networks I mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg. There are also bookmarking sites such as Digg, Reddit, Delicious (which was spelled Del.icio.us until about a month ago), Spurl, Slashdot, Propeller, Furl and Mixx, as well as specialty sites like Fubar (a dating network) and Elftown (for sci-fi/fantasy lovers). I'm hesitant to say anything about Squidoo because I haven't created a lens yet. From what I read on its site, Squidoo is a bunch of Web pages, called lenses, built by members on just about any topic imaginable. A small percentage of the revenue generated from ads and affiliate links goes to charity, some revenue goes to pay for the company's overhead, and the rest goes to members who can either keep it or donate it to their favorite charities.

 And then there’s Ning, which I also learned about while chatting with a bunch of Web savvy entrepreneurs during the UnSeminar. As a result, I now belong to a virtual mastermind group. And the list goes on.

 
The Power of Social Networking
I began dutifully signing up on several of these sites and others like them, not entirely convinced that they were going to help me grow my fledgling internet marketing company. Then I had my first taste of the true power of social networking.

Late one night I couldn’t sleep, but was too tired to do anything that required thinking, so I sat at my computer and invited something like 100 people to join my Facebook network. I went to the Women of Internet Marketing page and simply started inviting members, one click of the mouse at a time.

The response exceeded my expectations. Not only did a lot of people accept my invitation, but some of them also shared helpful information or invited me to join their group. People were promoting their own businesses and writing on my wall, so I went to their profile pages and wrote on their walls, too. I left a calling card, the URL to my Web site, everywhere I went.

Now, here’s the sizzle: One of my new friends checked out my site, liked what she saw and reviewed it on StumbleUpon (which is my all-time favorite site for getting introduced to obscure, content-laden sites that simply won’t show up on the first page of any of the major search engines)!

Although this might not seem like such a big deal to those of you who have thousands of people in your networks or following you on Twitter, to me it was my first real glimpse of the power of these networks. My little innocuous Web site, which isn’t even listed on the major search engines yet (it’s on my get-to-do list for this week), now has a presence on StumbleUpon—just because I decided to begin expanding my Facebook network one night.

The added bonus: I am beginning to connect with some of the most awesome people I have never met! It’s an amazing world out there, and I am thrilled to be a part of it.

 

NOTE: this post was part of ProBlogger's Killer Titles - Groups Writing Project

My accountant, who also happens to be a long-time friend, went into business for herself at age 43. She turned 65 this year. Her business is thriving and she is still going strong. Her daughter, who joined the business 10–15 years ago is poised to take it over. She keeps joking that Sharon will never retire. I started my first business in my 40s. What about you?

For me, the decision to become an entrepreneur was in the form of an epiphany. I had been working in publishing for about 10 years, hated my career path. Every effort I made to advance my career felt like I was beating my head against a brick wall. I was getting nowhere, and had nothing to show for my efforts. I felt most of my adult life that I was one paycheck away from living on the streets. 

Last year when a two-year contract position was winding down at a textbook publisher (and not getting renewed), it finally dawned on me that maybe this wasn’t the right path. Maybe all the proverbial head-on-brick banging was the Universe trying tell me ENOUGH already! I finally listened. It took me every second of those 10 years, though, ‘cause apparently I have a pretty thick skull. 

As soon as I made the decision and closed the door on my publishing career, new doors began flying open. You can read more of my story on the About Us page. 

My new business is internet marketing. My business plan is almost done. This is my first Web site and it is finally up and running. (Please help yourself to a FREE download of my first-ever eBook, Harnessing the Power of the Mastermind. Just click the download button on the banner at the top of this page.) Life is good. 

A huge unexpected benefit of being able to set my own hours was that I had the freedom to spend a lot of guilt-free time with my mom during those last months before she died. I wouldn’t have traded that time for anything. If I were still a wage slave, I would have had to squeeze those visits in after work and on weekends. 

My life, my whole world, is expanding in ways I never dreamed possible even just a couple of years ago. I’m making friends with other like-minded entrepreneurs as we support one another’s efforts. I have more energy. I was even asked recently to interview on a tiny public radio station, vocalo.org. And I accepted. Although I work really hard and haven’t made much money—yet—I am happier than I have ever been. Ever! I wake up grateful and excited every day. I no longer dread Mondays! I finally feel like I’m on the right path, and I believe I am not alone. 

My theory is that the U.S. economy is going to lead to more layoffs and businesses tanking, that more and more people 45 and older are going to find it tougher and tougher to find jobs. We already know that the middle class is shrinking. To my way of thinking, the only solution is to strike out on your own. Risky, yes, but I know in my heart that the only way I’m going to be able to sock enough away for my “golden years” is to do for myself, which was another part of the epiphany, but I’ll save that for another post. 

What about you? I’d love to hear stories from any of you who have started your first real business after 40.

If you do not belong to a mastermind group, you are missing out on one of the most powerful tools an entrepreneur can wield. The energy that can erupt from an informal brainstorming session is almost palpable! Not that I'm any great expert, I'm just saying that every time I meet with a small group of business owners for the purpose of supporting one another's entrepreneurial efforts, magic usually happens.

Just ask Anita Edge. She's a Web designer and internet marketer from Denver who formed a Meetup for internet marketers last year. She told me that one turn in the “hot seat” more than doubled her earnings from a small niche Web site she started as a hobby. She says her group is an amazing mix of designers, programmers, marketers (both on- and offline), Joomla experts…the list goes on. You can read more about Anita's masterminding experience in Harnessing the Power of the Mastermind. Download your free copy by clicking on the book cover above and filling out a simple form.In Think and Grow Rich visionary author Napoleon Hill describes the Master Mind as a way to gain POWER (his emphasis). And POWER, he says, is necessary for the accumulation and retention of money. Although TGR was published in 1937, the lessons are more relevant today than ever. He lays out a 13-step process for accumulating wealth that can be applied to just about any goal you set your mind to.

 
My first mastermind experience was a TGR study group. I was thrilled to learn from one of my real estate investor friends that another member of our real estate club was facilitating such groups. I was especially excited because I had started reading the book on my own. (It was a free download that came with some sort of product I purchased. As you may be able to tell, the product is long-forgotten; Napoleon Hill's work is with me forever.)The lessons I was getting from the book were so powerful that when I heard about the study group, I had to figure out a way to participate. I asked my buddy for the coach's number and immediately called him and left a message asking if he would be willing to facilitate another TGR group if I could find enough people. He called me back the next day and said he'd be happy to. And that's how I formed my first-ever mastermind group.

 
Benjamin Smith, an Iraq war veteran, author, and one of Bob Proctor's LifeSuccess coaching students, led me and a few of my colleagues through the masterminding door. We met at his office weekly and discussed the steps outlined in the book. Ben gave us reading, writing, and thinking “homework” each week and showed us methods we could use to work the steps. Studying the book in a small-group setting with a facilitator was a truly powerful experience. I highly recommend it. As we each struggled to stretch and shift our paradigms to encompass these new ideas, we were able to draw upon the strength of the group. We debated, bounced ideas, listened—and grew. There are lessons from the group that I apply daily along my road to financial freedom.

 
I belong to a different mastermind group today. We're pretty new so I'll wait a while before reporting on how successful we are. Our mission is straight out of TGR: We are committed to the “coordination of knowledge and effort, in a spirit of harmony between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose” (Hill, p. 182). In this case our group's purpose is to support each member's efforts in becoming rich, successful entrepreneurs.We are a small group. The experts suggest that five to seven people is optimum. We meet every week and commit 60–90 minutes to our ongoing success. I sometimes get a little tingle up my spine from the energy created during our meetings. Hill calls it a psychic energy. “When the minds of two people are coordinated in a SPIRIT OF HARMONY, [his emphasis] the spiritual units of energy of each mind form an ‘affinity,' which constitutes the psychic phase of the Master Mind” (Hill, p. 183).

 
Hill insists that anyone who has amassed a great fortune has tapped into the power of the Master Mind, knowingly or not. “GREAT POWER CAN BE ACCUMULATED THROUGH NO OTHER PRINCIPLE!” (his emphasis; Hill, p. 184). I believe it because I have experienced it myself. If you want to learn more about the power of the Master Mind, please download my free eBook: Harnessing the Power of the Mastermind by clicking on the book cover above. I also heartily encourage you to form a TGR study group. I'm willing to bet there are LifeSuccess coaches in your area who would be more than happy to set one up. Another great resource is Meet and Grow Rich by Joe Vitale (The Secret and Hypnotic Marketing) and Bill Hibbler or The Success Principles by Jack Canfield (the Chicken Soup for the Soul guy). EvanCarmichael.com has a section of his Web site devoted to the Master Mind—including a blog.

If you get a chance I'd enjoy hearing about your mastermind group experience. You can comment here or send me an e-mail.