Welcome to the Breakthrough Mastermind show. I'm your host Jen Argue, and I facilitate masterminds for women entrepreneurs who want to grow their businesses to help others and create financial independence.
Here we are in the second episode of the Breakthrough Mastermind show where I’m laying the foundation for where we’re going.
Part of looking ahead is knowing where you came from and how that influences the journey you’re on.
I invite you to walk with me today through the twists and turns of what led me here. And maybe you’ll see yourself in some of it and be inspired to lean into the opportunities that come your way!
So, thirty some years ago I started my career as a licensed mental health therapist. I loved what I did and I felt blessed that I could start a career right out of the gate that I loved.
The next 25 years held it’s share of twists and turns. Marriage, kids, and moving to 3 different states. And being a therapist is one of those careers where you need to apply for a license for each new state which entails fun things like board exams that require massive amounts of study. I was licensed in Wisconsin and Michigan and might I add, many board exams differ from state to state. So, those of you with careers like this get me.
About 7 years ago my husband and I had 2 kids in college and one on the way and we got offered the opportunity to move to the Los Angeles area. OK, this was not on my radar at all. I had just designed and built our “forever home” in Michigan and already had visions of empty nest life there.
Needless to say, the opportunity was very exciting, and just having one of the coldest winters in 100 years, we decided to pick up and move across the country with our one kid still in high school and that’s when I had the inspiration to recreate myself and trade my therapy couch for a coaching laptop.
This was pre-pandemic and therapists weren’t really online at this time so it was a novelty for me that I quickly fell in love with. Being able to help others virtually without state line limits felt so much more natural and fulfilling.
But pretty quickly I realized I needed help marketing myself because I was new to California and no longer had insurance companies giving me clients.
So I did what any self respecting person does, I googled,[laugh], I googled, how to get life coaching clients!
I was so naive to this whole world of online learning.
The first course on the first page was about SEO, Search Engine Optimization. Well, that teacher nailed it obviously. And in this course I had more fun than I could have imagined learning all about business principles. In a sense I realized I instinctively already knew a lot of it.
First, I’m a 4 generation entrepreneur. My Dad owned multiple successful product based businesses, his dad, my grandpa, owned a resort, and my grandpa’s dad owned a string of bars. So, I have it on my blood.[laugh]
Second, In Michigan I was a therapist running my own practice. I never thought of calling myself an entrepreneur even though that’s what I was.
And third, when I had my second kid, I took a sabbatical from counseling for a few years to stay home with my babies and because my brain needed a little more, I took up photography and loved it so much. I started taking tons of pictures of my kids of course. And my friends started to notice and ask me to take pictures of their kids, their families and from that I started my own freelance family photography business.
One way you know you’re an entrepreneur other than you’re probably a terrible employee, is that it’s hard NOT to work! And I know that’s not always healthy, but it is a pretty common hallmark.
So, back to this first online course… the part that drew me to be a mastermind facilitator was a bonus section on masterminds where he had his mastermind facilitator come in and teach about how to add that to your business.
I was pretty sure I hit gold. Let me tell you, I was on cloud nine. Learning about masterminds. It married by two favorite loves:
Group therapy and business. That week I immediately called up 4 women entrepreneur friends and invited them to my beta mastermind. To my happy surprise they all said yes!!!
And this wasn't free they are all willing to put some money down to invest in their business in this way.
At the end of the first mastermind meeting, I was high as a kite from the dopamine rush of doing something I absolutely loved. I remember my husband walking into the office after and being floored about the energy that have been so high after 2 hours of leading people. And when you’re in your zone, you know it.
So, From that point, I leaned in and called myself a mastermind facilitator.
At the time I didn’t know about starting with a lower ticket offer that serves as lead generation or a place to warm up a cold audience.
I suppose that gonna goes with my take-charge personality. And I’ve found that those are the types of people that I attract as well. People who know what they want and they go for it.
Have you ever had that experience with what you’re doing? Where you’re taking the next best steps, and then bam! You strike gold in a way you weren’t expecting. Sometimes the gold is an affirmation of a choice you’ve made, or a huge sale as a result of a more aligned action, or something that just hits you hard and fast in a wonderful way!
I’m so thankful for discovering the magic of masterminds early in my coaching career.
So after the beta, I started another mastermind which ran for 5 years with the same people. And I started another mastermind 4 years ago where many of those members renewed their membership every year.
When people feel supported, they feel stronger.
We all need to feel supported.
I still run my life coaching business for professionals because, to me, it’s an extension of my therapy practice which I loved and I also do one on one business coaching.
And my passion in all of that is to support as many women entrepreneurs as possible so no one feels alone. So they all feel stronger to do what it takes to grow a business that serves them beyond their dreams which is how I feel about my business.
And As I wrap up this episode, I hope that you were able to relate some of these things to your own life.
I hope you realized...
First, new opportunities can be a blessing if we let it. Second, you don’t have to be scared about change, that your whole life has prepared you for where you are and wherever the next step is which lead me to... Third, if you just focus on the next step, the next one will appear in the right time. And fourth, do what feels right in your business. It’s your business and you can run it how you want.
I would loved if in the podcast review that you would leave a comment and let me know which of these takeaways you relate to the most. I would loved to hear from you or retalk to me to the DMs on instagram or on facebook.
In the next episode, I’ll go into detail and describe the different types of masterminds that are out there because understanding that will help you know what type you might want to join someday or even start for yourself to help your business serve others in a new capacity.
Alright, and if you're interested in learning more about my mastermind you can find me @jenargue.com or on instagram jen__argue. So, I will see you there!
