Starting a peer support or mastermind group from scratch can feel daunting, but with a clear plan you can gather a committed crew and set the stage for meaningful meetings. The key is to define your group’s purpose, recruit the right people, and establish clear expectations from day one. This guide will walk you through each step to launch a thriving peer group.
Every strong peer group begins with a clear purpose. Ask yourself what you want members to gain. Is it a business mastermind for entrepreneurs to grow each other’s companies, a support group for people facing a common challenge, or a career development circle? Defining the primary objective will guide all other decisions. The purpose should be specific enough to attract the right people yet broad enough to allow the group to evolve. For example, you might form a peer group of local small business owners to share experiences and hold each other accountable for goals. Having a well-articulated mission (even writing a short vision statement) will make it easier to explain the group’s value to potential members.
Equally important is identifying who the group is for. Are they at similar career stages? Do they share a common interest or demographic? A great peer group feels like peers – people who can relate to each other’s experiences. Aim for members with enough common ground to understand each other, but with diverse perspectives to enrich discussions. For instance, a peer group for new managers might include folks from different industries who are all learning to lead teams.
With a clear purpose in mind, start recruiting a few core members. Quality matters more than quantity at this stage. In peer groups, the chemistry and commitment of members will make or break the experience. Look for people who are open-minded, trustworthy, and eager to participate. Initially, personal invitations and word-of-mouth tend to work best – you likely already know 2-3 people who would benefit and be enthusiastic. Invite them for a chat about the idea and share your vision for the group.
When you’re starting from scratch, leverage your existing networks and communities. Let colleagues, friends, or professionals in relevant circles know you’re forming a peer group, and ask if they know anyone who might be interested. Personal referrals can quickly create a chain effect: one person tells another, and so on. You can also announce the idea on social media or community forums where your target members hang out, but be prepared to vet for fit. Keep the initial group small but sufficient – often around 5 to 8 people is ideal. This size is large enough for rich discussion even if a couple members are absent, but small enough that everyone gets a chance to share. Groups much larger than about a dozen tend to become impersonal or chaotic. As peer group expert Cam Mochan notes, about eight people is the “ideal number” for a forum-style peer group, balancing diverse input with enough airtime for each member.
When recruiting, be clear about the commitment involved. Let invitees know the expected meeting frequency (e.g. monthly), meeting length, and the basic format. Emphasize the unique value of joining now as a founding member – they’ll have a say in shaping how the group works. Setting these expectations upfront will attract those who are serious and filter out the casually interested.
Once you have a critical mass of interested people (even just 3 or 4 to start), get the first meeting on the calendar. Scheduling can be tricky, so find a time that works for most and stick to it – consistency is key (for example, the first Monday evening of each month). Choose a comfortable, accessible location. It could be someone’s living room, a quiet coffee shop backroom, or a virtual meeting via Zoom – just ensure it’s a space where everyone will feel safe to speak openly. If privacy is important for your group’s topic, opt for a discreet location or a password-protected online meeting. Also consider accessibility: is the location easy to find and can all members (with any mobility needs) access it? By handling these details, you demonstrate reliability and help everyone arrive relaxed and ready to participate.
Before the first session, send a reminder to all members with the time, location/link, and an agenda or discussion prompt. It doesn’t have to be elaborate – even a simple outline like “Introductions -> Share your top goal for joining -> Open discussion” will provide structure. Encourage members to spend a little time thinking about what they’d like to get from the group, or a personal update to share. This gets everyone in the right mindset.
A critical step in launching a peer group is explicitly agreeing on ground rules. Early on (ideally at the first meeting), facilitate a short discussion on how the group will operate. This sets a tone of mutual respect and psychological safety from the start. Some core expectations to establish include:
It can be helpful to write down these ground rules and have everyone verbally agree. Some groups circulate a simple charter or “forum norms” document. By setting expectations clearly, you create a safe container that will keep the group healthy as it grows. As Entrepreneur’s Organization (EO) and Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) have learned over decades of peer forums, strong structure and norms are what make members rate these groups as their most valuable benefit. Getting these fundamentals in place early will save you headaches down the road.
A small peer support group forms a circle. Establishing ground rules like confidentiality and equal speaking time helps create a safe, respectful space from the very first meeting.
The day has arrived – it’s time for your group’s first gathering. Your role as the convener is to facilitate introductions, set a positive tone, and keep things on track. Start by welcoming everyone and reiterating the purpose: for example, “Thank you all for being here – our goal is to help each other [achieve X/grow in Y/find support in Z].” Next, bring up the agreed ground rules. A brief confidentiality reminder (“everything shared here is private”) at the outset signals that trust and honesty are paramount.
Go around and have each member introduce themselves. If the group members don’t all know each other, spend some time on this. You might ask each person to share their name, background, and one reason they were interested in joining the group. It can also break the ice to have a fun prompt, like asking everyone for one word describing how they feel coming into the meeting (e.g. “excited,” “curious,” “a bit nervous”). This quick check-in helps people open up and acknowledge emotions, setting an authentic tone.
After introductions, spark the initial sharing. One effective format – used by many successful forums – is to have each member give a brief personal update across a few key areas of life or work. For instance, you could ask everyone to share one “high” and one “low” from both their professional life and personal life since the last meeting (or in the past month, since this is the first meeting). EO and YPO forums often use a “5%” sharing approach: members share experiences that fall in the top 5% or bottom 5% of significance in their lives, i.e. the really meaningful wins and challenges, not just mundane updates. A member might say, for example, “On the work front, my high is that I landed a big client last week, but a low is I’m struggling with hiring a new team member. Personally, a high was taking a much-needed weekend getaway with my family, and a low is that my father has been having health issues.” Encourage each person to take about 5 minutes for their share while others listen supportively (no immediate cross-talk or advice). These updates let everyone understand each other’s current context and often reveal topics that someone might want help with.
Tip: As facilitator, you might gently prompt for both positive and challenging experiences if someone only shares one side. For example, “Thanks for telling us about that struggle. Did you have any recent wins or highlights as well?” Balanced sharing helps build hope and empathy within the group.
Depending on time and group size, the full round of updates might take an hour or more. Keep an eye on the clock to ensure everyone gets roughly equal time – it’s better to kindly cut off an overly long share than to let one person unintentionally dominate. This fairness in airtime is crucial for group trust. If needed, you can implement a timer or agree on a hand signal that indicates time is almost up.
After the sharing round, celebrate the kickoff. Acknowledge that what people shared was meaningful and thank them for their openness. It’s no small thing to establish a circle of openness among strangers or new acquaintances. At this point, some natural discussion or questions may start popping up about issues mentioned in the updates. You have a choice: you could allow a bit of organic discussion, or you might steer the meeting toward selecting a particular issue to explore in depth (if someone raised a pressing challenge). In a new group’s very first meeting, it might be wise to keep it general and supportive rather than diving into a single “hot seat” issue – unless one member clearly came seeking urgent input. You could instead pose a broad question for group discussion, like “What are each of you hoping to get out of this group in the next few months?” This invites conversational give-and-take on expectations and goals.
After a successful first meeting, your job is to keep the fire burning. Follow up with the group by sending a thank-you note or email recapping any decisions (like when the next meeting will be and any agreed action items). If any resources were mentioned (say, a book or website someone recommended), include those in the follow-up. This shows you are listening and reinforces the value everyone gained.
As the group continues, maintain consistency: hold meetings at the regular interval you decided (monthly is common) and stick to the general structure you’ve set. Consistency builds habit – members will block their calendars and mentally prepare because they know, for example, that every first Tuesday is peer group day. Over time, your role can shift more to a shared leadership model, where different members might facilitate or host, but in the early days you’ll likely need to be the organizer and reminder-in-chief.
Periodically, especially after the first few meetings, check in with members individually to gather feedback. Are the meetings too long or too short? Is everyone getting a chance to speak? Would they prefer any changes in format? Use this input to fine-tune the group experience. The fact that you ask shows that you value the members’ experience, which increases their buy-in. As peer group advocate Cam Mochan suggests, ultimately you want members to feel “finding a peer group will make life’s journey easier” – a supportive boost, not another obligation.
Finally, lead by example in continuing to honor the ground rules and spirit of the group. Be punctual, be fully present (put away that phone during meetings!), maintain confidentiality, and share honestly from your own life to encourage others to do the same. In a well-launched peer group, members will start to feel an amazing sense of connection and clarity. They’ll realize they’re no longer alone in their challenges – they have a team of peers in their corner. That supportive dynamic is incredibly powerful. By following these steps to launch your group thoughtfully, you are setting the foundation for conversations that can truly be life- or career-changing.
Book a free demo with us and witness how much Peer Group Tool can help!
Request a Demo.png)
