More heads are better than one.
What would you do with all the extra brain power of a whip-smart crew of women business-owners who understand exactly where you're coming from, all just a text or chat away? Meet our mastermind group for women business owners in Long Beach.
Would you take your business to the next level? Or grow an idea from seed to sprout to money-making sapling? Gather suggestions and solutions to whatever small-business woes ail you?
…cue drumroll…(or full marching band)…
We’ve supported many women over the past 16 years and have helped to nurture amazing results like:
growing their revenue to $1M+
taking a flying leap from one business to another
radically diversifying their product and service offerings
hiring (or firing) their first — or 100th — employee
resuscitating their business from the brink of collapse
turning a mission-driven venture into a non-profit organization
building up the gumption to tackle personal and professional limitations
All with their personal Advisory Board, our mastermind group, right there at their side. (One of our groups was even featured in Inc. Magazine.)
We craft a thoughtfully designed, free space where ambition is met with honesty, clarity, and genuine care for how business is built. Our group is for women in small business seeking an intimate community to explore opportunities, problem-solve, and build real connection.
"I walk away from each meeting with a new perspective. It has really motivated me to focus on and improve my business practice while supporting others."
Jem Bahaijoub | Jem Bahaijoub Consulting | London
"...helped me identify new ways to align my skills and passions with market needs and dramatically strengthened my business. I leave every session feeling uplifted and inspired..."
Rebecca Parrish | Interchange Productions | Chicago
Are you a woman with:
a pull toward more (and "more" is however you define it)?
a need to be both cheered and positively pushed?
respect for curiosity, candor, kindness, positivity, vulnerability, courage, presence, collaboration, accountability, inclusion, efficiency, and joy?
Sound like you? We’d love to meet you.
“Now that my group has met a number of times, I’m a superfan. Candice is honest, creative, and immensely supportive. She wants everyone on her teams to succeed. Due to input from my team, I am looking at my business in new and unexpected ways. It’s so exciting!"
Bergen Anderson | Lilla Barn | Chicago
“Participating in a group has been such a positive and rewarding experience for me, personally, and my team. Candice runs each group warmly, but effectively. We get a lot of time to collaborate and bounce ideas around (with very little time for fluff) and each member feels valued and heard. Candice's desire to see us all succeed shows through the ideas she presents and the foundation she sets for the group.”
Tiana Kubik | TK Photography | Austin
FAQ’s
What is a mastermind?
The concept was introduced by Napoleon Hill in his book Think and Grow Rich, published in 1937. We call them “thinking teams”, a term coined by Dr. Moshe Rubinstein at the UCLA Anderson School of Management — someone Candice has been fortunate to know and learn from directly. Candice led and implemented a cross-department mastermind at Sony Pictures Entertainment, then began offering her own programs in 2009.
Aren’t “masterminds” kind of gross, like those high-pressure, high-cost referral networks ?
Those groups can indeed feel really off-putting, and we’ve never bought into them. We believe in community over competition, that a rising tide lifts all ships, and that there’s plenty to go around for all of us when we support one another in integrity.
How long is the commitment?
Each group of up to nine women starts with a 3-month commitment: an orientation plus 3 monthly meetings of approximately 4 hours each. After that, the group decides together what comes next — stay, evolve, or welcome new members. There's no pressure to continue, though almost all do.
How does a group actually work?
First, the group sets its own schedule and meeting spots (big tables at cafés or restaurants are a favorite). We start with an orientation to meet your fellow participants and learn the model. Then once a month, the group rallies around members and their ideas, challenges, or questions. We can also connect between meetings on whatever platform works for everyone — Slack, WhatsApp, wherever.
How can it be free, seriously?
Candice is a California native and former Long Beach resident who recently moved back after many years in Chicago. Selfishly, she's looking for some of the community she's leaving behind. Generously, she wants to see women in small businesses succeed, and facilitation is her contribution to making that happen. It's not truly free, though: everyone shows up for one another, and that's its own kind of priceless currency.
Could I find myself in a group with a competitor?
Maybe, but not without your ok. The real beauty of a mastermind group, in our opinion, is in diversity (of every and all kind). Sometimes the question we never think to ask ourselves is the question someone with expertise in an entirely different kind of business will ask of us. (When Candice worked in TV it was a CEO of a banana company that asked the question that unlocked a powerful new idea for her.)
“Candice is brilliant, insightful, and wise. She brings relentless focus to individuals' areas of need, even when they haven't really managed to articulate what those needs are, and coaches them to recognize their resources. She specializes in blending empowerment with actionable strategies for launching and building your career or your business, and she's world-class at what she does. Don't miss an opportunity to partner with this powerhouse.”
Megan Bernard, PhD | Chicago
“I participated in Candice's facilitated mastermind workshop and absolutely loved it. The 4 hours flew by so fast, and I received valuable feedback from other female business owners on ways to level up my business. Additionally, I made great connections. Candice is an experienced and amazing facilitator, and I can’t wait to join her powerful sessions in the future!”
Asta Malciute | Chicago
What do I get in return for my time?
a dedicated Advisory Board of up to nine women plus a facilitator/advisor
1 orientation and 3 monthly meetings (4 hours each, 12 hours total)
1 focused rally around your specific needs (and all participants have reported learning as much from rallying around someone else as they do from being rallied around)
a directory of past and present members
chat access to your group between meetings
access to ideas, points-of-view, tools and resources not already in your bag of tricks
shared accountability to working on your business, not just in it
a monthly recharge of your batteries
What happens after I apply?
Once you apply and we agree it’s a mutually good fit, we start building your group. Once the group is assembled, dates and meeting topics are selected and we get to the work of building better businesses. Because we’re starting from scratch here in Long Beach, some groups may be smaller to start.