%20(2).webp)
There comes the point in every entrepreneurial journey where you'll look in the mirror and say, "What do I do now?"
And often, it's a hard question to answer. Entrepreneurship is a roller coaster and a winding road full of questions that don't always have clear answers.
To be successful, you need someone who has been there before and can show you the way forward—someone who has walked your path, understands your challenges, and is willing to help you through them. You need a business mentor.
A good mentor will help you get where you want to go faster and eliminate barriers by sharing their knowledge, experience, and connections with you.
A mentor is a person who provides guidance, advice, and encouragement to another person. Mentors can be family members, friends, colleagues, or professional mentors. A mentor can help your career, business, and personal life. While they are not necessarily experts in the field you're working in, they may be a few steps ahead of you or have experience in an area you lack.
Sometimes, mentors can be business coaches or be paid for their services. A mentor and a coach can act similarly and help you with the same problems.
However, some small business owners find mentors for free through networking. They often have achieved success in a particular field and want to give back by sharing their knowledge with others.
Mentors can be very helpful in your career, especially if they work in the same industry. They can offer advice on how to get ahead and provide a sense of what it's like to work in their field.
Choosing the right business mentor is critical as you will go to this individual for important decisions about your business. It's essential to find someone who is experienced in your industry, as well as someone reliable and trustworthy. The last thing you want is to face a difficult decision and not feel confident that your mentor has your best interest at heart.
-Look for people who have achieved success in your field. These individuals may be able to offer advice on how they got ahead and what it's like working in their industry and may be willing to help the next generation of entrepreneurs or be the right mentor for you.
-Ask other business owners if they would consider mentoring you. You can often get a good idea of whether or not someone will be willing by seeing if they offer free advice themselves at networking events or meetings.
- Ask other business owners if they had a mentor. People are often willing to share references when they have had success with a mentor relationship
It's challenging to start a business, let alone do it alone. That's why we created a community for like-minded entrepreneurs and successful business owners with all the resources they need to be successful. You can learn more about the Small Business Mentor Community here.
.png)
You may be able to find an acquaintance or a friend of a friend who would be willing to help you.
Score is a volunteer organization through the Small Business Administration that pairs small business owners with mentors from the business community. They have local chapters in every state, and their website has links to all of them.
While it may be intimidating at first, people like to feel important and needed. Do your research, find individuals in your industry that you look up to, and reach out with a well-thought-out email or LinkedIn message. Facebook groups may also be a great place to find a potential mentor.
If you're not a natural networker, putting yourself out, there can be the most difficult part of finding a mentor. If you're not sure where to start, try joining some local Meetups in your area.
Whether you're just starting and working on a business plan or you're a seasoned entrepreneur with a particular problem, a mentor can help you with just about anything.
-Develop your business idea into a comprehensive plan
-Understand and develop the right skill sets for running a successful business
-Identify problems and opportunities within your business model and refine them accordingly
-Assess whether or not the marketplace is ready for your product or service
-Communicate effectively with customers, suppliers, partners, and investors
- Developing a marketing and sales plan
and more!
A business mentor may also be able to assist with financial planning by providing advice on how much money is needed for startup costs or ongoing costs, as well as helping with any funding applications if required.
A mentor might have experience with similar businesses in that industry sector, so they should be able to give valuable advice from their own experience working with similar customers and problems.
There are two main types of mentors: unpaid and paid mentors.
An unpaid mentor can offer you free business consulting and has been in your position before, either as a founder or an employee at a similar company. They may not have any monetary investment in your success, but their time is valuable.
As for paid mentors, they act in a very similar fashion to unpaid mentors; however, they are typically "required" to help. Paid mentors can be coaches, consultants, or even startup board members.
Whether paid or unpaid, mentors can be worth their weight in gold (or whatever currency you prefer). If you're trying to start a company from scratch or grow one that's already established, it will take every ounce of energy and skill you can muster—and then some!
Having someone else there with experience who can provide insights into what worked for them or steer them away from mistakes they made along the way makes all the difference in getting things off the ground quickly without having to re-invent everything yourself.
Generally speaking, mentors charge between $50 and $200 per hour. If you have a specific questions and would like to speak with them over the phone or via Zoom, they may charge more because of the time involved in preparation for the mentoring session.
Some business mentors also offer group coaching programs that provide group support for your business at an affordable cost.
There are many benefits to having a mentor.
Mentors can help you avoid mistakes, provide insight into how to grow your business, and optimize your value proposition. Mentors can keep you on track, leading you toward success by providing support when things get tough and guidance for navigating different situations.
They also act as sounding boards for ideas, allowing them to be evaluated and refined before moving forward with their implementation.
A mentor provides additional resources to help ease the burden of running a small business while providing experience-based advice that may prove invaluable down the line. In addition, they can provide valuable insight into how you can avoid making the same mistakes they made during their own entrepreneurial journey.
As you can see, there are many advantages to working with a business mentor. Personal development is just one of them.
A good mentor can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses and learn how to leverage those skills for success.
They also offer valuable advice on handling situations that might arise while running your own company—like hiring employees or making strategic decisions about marketing plans.
If you're interested in joining a community of like-minded entrepreneurs, consider the Small Business Mentor Community, where you can find a mentor, connect with other entrepreneurs, and access all the resources you need to start, manage, and grow your business.
.webp)
.png)
