Mentors are known to provide the wisdom of experience for new and emerging founders and companies. With a mentor you have the opportunity to benefit from the knowledge gleamed from the costly mistakes they have already made. But I am not a fun of mentors especially when they are directly involved in the decision making of your business. You have to be careful when choosing mentors to guide your steps. Some mentors can slow your business process and delay its success.
Sometimes some founders select mentors depending on how critical they need success. A mentor with the right knowledge, skills, and abilities will increase the probability of success. Even still you have to be careful about the personality type of the mentor and the role he or she would have to play in your business.
The mentor you select to guide your steps must be an active listener. The true and practical concerns you have running your business needs to be addressed and answered. A mentor should not just impose their success tips and strategies on you. What worked for them may not necessarily work for you. Watch out and work with mentors who will compliment your efforts in creating a successful company, not delay its process.
Think about the people in your network and identify 3-5 leaders from various segments who you trust and who you think will be effective and helpful in the long run- then approach them and ask for their support. You don’t need too many mentors for your business. The number of mentors depends on how important their skills are to your business. Be careful again, you could end up with conflicting advice if you have too many mentors.
For new entrepreneurs, it is crucial to have a mentor in order to avoid the pitfalls and mistakes that can beset a new enterprise. Choose a mentor who has experience in your niche for maximum results. Your business Life may be too short to work with amateurs. It is EXTREMELY important to work with professionals to increase your chances of crossing the first hurdle of survival.
Offer to pay for coaching/consulting if you can afford it, even for a few hours. Generally some mentors would want to coach you or guide you for free especially you are a new entrepreneur and are not making money yet.
How Important Are Mentors To The Success Of Your Startup? Have you used the services, advice and tips of mentors lately? How did it turn out?
