Some persons are able to successfully navigate entrepreneurship or build a sustainable business through trial and error with little input from others. Others recognise that while the fore-mentioned is one possible route, finding a mentor or mentors to help guide you through various aspects of your business journey is a wise decision. Below are 10 reasons you should
get a mentor.
1) Mentors provide information and knowledge. As Benjamin Franklin said, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” Entrepreneurs can tap into a wealth of knowledge which can help shorten the learning curve for running a business. Mentors can provide guidance on making a business plan, budgeting, handling daily operations, making strategic decisions or running a marketing campaign.
2) Mentors can see where we need to improve where we often cannot. A good mentor will always be brutally honest with you and will say exactly how it is – rather than downplay any weaknesses he/she sees in you. This constructive criticism will help you to improve in the areas necessary.
3) Mentors find ways to stimulate our personal and professional growth. A famous movie director explained, “The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.” A mentor may pose questions for reflection, or set goals and let you try to accomplish them on your own to aid in your development. The mentor will then share observations of what worked and what did not, while focusing on character and values which will nurture personal growth and leadership abilities.
4) Mentors offer encouragement and help keep us going. Inspirational entrepreneur Oprah Winfrey stated, “A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself.” He or she is there no matter what and offer moral support sprinkled heavily with cheerleading.
5) Mentors are disciplinarians who create necessary boundaries that we cannot set for ourselves. Being an entrepreneur can be challenging when it comes to self-motivation and self-discipline. Mentors can help to teach good work habits by helping to provide boundaries. A mentor can help you to solidify work ethics, sharpen your focus, and clarify priorities in a way that you could not do on your own.
6) Mentors are sounding boards so we can bounce ideas off them for an unfiltered opinion. Mentors can help you to weed out bad ideas from good ones thus helping you to save time and money.
7) Mentors are trusted advisers. In the world of business, it can be hard to know who to trust – and that you can trust someone, especially with proprietary information or intellectual property. A mentor is trustworthy and will not share or steal confidential information.
8) Mentors can be connectors. Mentors can play a dual role of teacher and connector. A mentor can provide access to those within your industry that are willing to invest in your company, offer their skills and expertise, introduce you to talent that can fuel your business and help you get closer to your target audience.
9) Mentors have the experiences you can learn from to prevent making the same mistakes beginners make. Starting a business is challenging. A mentor will use his or her experience and knowledge to help you avoid making the same mistakes he/she may have made.
10) Mentors are free, which makes them priceless in more ways than one. Typically, a mentoring relationship will grow organically through connections within your industry and network. A mentor does not do it for the money. Instead, he/she is driven by the satisfaction of helping another entrepreneur, with a similar experience which he/she had when starting his/her own business.
Do you have a mentor? Is there someone you know who you think would make an excellent mentor? Give your business a better chance of success by finding a mentor.
