The Traits That Tell You Everything Before You Even Ask Most people build their mastermind backwards. They think about who they know and then try to convince themselves those people are the right fit. That's how you end up six months in with a group that feels more like an obligation than a lifeline. The question is never "who do I know?" The question is "who have I watched?" There's a difference. Knowing someone means you have history together. Watching someone means you've seen how they behave when they think nobody's grading them. That second category is where your candidates come from. Here's what you're actually looking for. They Show Up Before They Have To: You're in a webinar. Most people are lurking, camera off, half-paying attention. But one person is in the chat early, asking sharp questions before the presenter even hits the first slide. They're not performing. They're genuinely there. That behavior tells you something. They don't need external pressure to engage. They bring their own. That's the first trait. Self-generated momentum. People who are already moving before anyone asks them to. They Ask Better Questions Than They Give Answers: In any group setting, the people who rush to give advice are usually the ones you want to be careful with. The person who asks one really precise question that reframes the whole conversation, that's who you want in your room. Good questions are a skill most people never develop because ego gets in the way. Someone who listens long enough to ask something genuinely useful has the kind of intellectual humility that makes a mastermind function. Without that, every session becomes a competition for airtime. They Talk About Their Failures As Comfortably As Their Wins: Pay attention to this one closely. When someone shares a story, do they only tell you about the times it worked? Or do they give you the real version, including the part where they got it wrong and what they actually learned from it? Polished people are exhausting in a mastermind. You can't help someone who's always presenting their highlight reel. The person who says "here's where I completely blew it and here's what I'd do differently" is someone you can work with at a real level.

You're Building Events. You're Not Building a Circle. After 26 years in masterminds and 22 years producing events for 2,000 to 5,000 people in San Francisco, I can tell you with complete certainty that the loneliest people in this industry are the ones who think they can figure it all out alone. They hustle. They grind. They burn out. And then they wonder why the people who seem to have less talent are somehow moving faster. Here's what those people have that you don't. A room. A small, tight, deliberately chosen room of people who tell them the truth every single week. That's what a mastermind is. And if you're serious about building a real career as a party organizer or event promoter, you need one. Not someday. Now. Who Do You Actually Want to Be a Hero To Before I walk you through how to build this, I need you to sit with a question that my friend Joe Polish put in front of me years ago and it never left. Who do you want to be a hero to? Not who can you help. Not who needs your skills. Who do you WANT to show up for, week after week, year after year, and genuinely pour yourself into? My entrepreneurial skills could technically help anyone. But I don't want to help everyone. Because spreading yourself across everyone means you're showing up at 20% for everybody instead of 100% for the people who actually matter to you. Joe puts it plainly. Your number one job as an entrepreneur is to get checks. So figure out who cuts those checks, and make sure those are also the people you're passionate about serving. Be a hero AND get paid. Those two things are not in conflict. For you, as someone who teaches people how to run events and build nightlife careers, your students are your people. They're trying to break into a world that nobody hands you a roadmap for. They're figuring out vendors, venues, promotion, crowd psychology, liquor licenses, DJ contracts, and a hundred other things simultaneously. And most of them are doing it completely alone. That's your opening.

...It's not about how much money you make... it's about how you think about money... Most people were raised with a scarcity mindset... "Money doesn't grow on trees"... "Rich people are greedy"... Sound familiar... These beliefs run deep... and they quietly sabotage everything you try to build... You can learn all the strategies in the world... ....but if your mindset is broken... nothing changes... The shift happens when you start seeing money as a tool... ....not something to fear or chase desperately... Wealthy people think differently... they invest in themselves first... they take calculated risks... they play the long game... "It's not about having resources. It's about being resourceful." — Tony Robbins ...What money belief did you grow up with that you had to unlearn... PS. Share it below... I bet a lot of us had the same ones...

Everyone's making their 2026 goals list. But here's what nobody's talking about: WHO you build with matters more than WHAT you build. You all know I am SUPER passionate about MasterMind groups and I am LIVING proof that it is something that I have made work REALLY, REALLY well for me in my own life.... ....but what is much more important...is the FACT that All Successful people... Every Single Mentor of mine... they all have a MasterMind that they belong to. 2026 is going to be an amazing year for ME... I cannot speak for you just yet...as I have to learn more about each and every one of you...I just know that my focus has narrowed and it is getting even MORE focused on Who I can help and HOW I can help "them" (you can replace the word "them" with "YOU" here if you like. The saying goes like this: If You Want To GO FAST, GO ALONE BUT if YOU want to GO FAR, GO TOGETHER.... And another is: You don't Know, What You Don't Know. All these Quotes/Statements make SO, SO much sense to me... and I am on a Mission to spread My "Gospel" far and wide and with More Flair and Support Than ever before. ....IF you only could FEEL how EXCITED I am ... you would really be surprised. ...this reminds me of another important Quote that You also Can and hopefully will Identify with: I believe it was Einstein that said this: NOTHING Great Happens Without ENTHUSIASM!. ... you see, Enthusiasm is SO, SO, SOOOO important and I know that first hand... Back in the "days when I was a Party Promoter" ... I had over 20,000 people on my Personal email list by the way...And I grew that list ORGANICALLY., by myself... ... and this list GREW FAST, AND with the Right People... Just Because of my Never Ending Enthusiasm about My Next, and Next, and Next Party... I literary could tell ONE friend about my Next, Amazing Party/Event...and then my friend would "take My Enthusiasm/Excitement" and invite 10 of his closest friends to come join us. ...this is how I grew my business and "I never looked back"....

So I am going to Pat Myself on the back today…. I am going to “say to myself”, Great FRIGGIN Awesome Job Alf…. Thanks for Showing up Consistently, Every Single DAY…since July of 2025….. doing you things Day in day out, rain or Shine, and whether you feel up or down… …. One weekend I even had my VA step in for me and do my Likes as I was traveling and did not know if I would have an Internet connection 😅 This kind of persistence and discipline is what it is going to take to reach my Highest and most important Goals…. And I KNOW I am going to do so this year of 2026….. and I know another thing as well…. It is probably going to happen Sooner and Bigger than I could even imagine…. WHY? ….. because I know the Universe Wants That For Me…. ….. You see, things happens FOR you when you stay consistent towards your goal(s) and “it” wants you to succeed….. So listen out for the “Whisper Of The Universe” as it nudges you along if you just stay Persistent and have a clear goal in your mind, and as you stay Consistent every Day….No Matter What. Not sure what made me write this today, but I am hopeful it would inspire some, if not All of you, to Consistent Action, Every Day! God Speed! Sincerely, Alf.