Entrepreneurs could use a mentor at any and every stage of their career. Discover why having a good one can be so important.
Successful entrepreneurs have something in common:
A good number of them have had mentors throughout their career.
Fortunately, it’s not something reserved for novice entrepreneurs. Even experienced entrepreneurs can say that they’ve had a mentor at least once in their lives.
After all, there’s always someone who has been there and done that, someone who has faced the same challenges and came away better. And everyone can learn from such people.
Convinced yet? Find out why a mentor might really help you as an entrepreneur.
There are Things You Can’t Learn From Books
People who have been in a business for a while have something very valuable – their experience. That’s why a good mentor can teach you things that you can’t learn elsewhere.
Business books may be great, but they don’t always have a ready solution to your real-life problems.
Ideally, you should find an accomplished mentor who has a lot of experience, even if it means they’ve had to fail many times. Failure is a great teacher after all, and you can learn from other’s mistakes and avoid committing the same.
Remember that entrepreneurs don’t have bosses. They don’t have anyone to tell them what to do, which is often great. However, even entrepreneurs may need guidance at times. And that’s what great mentors can offer.
They Push You to Go an Extra Mile
Everything seems scary for someone who starts a business. And if your friends aren’t entrepreneurs, you may not have anyone with whom you can talk. Sometimes even your family won’t be supportive and may even warn that what you’re doing is risky.
New business owners are often apprehensive and don’t realise how capable they are. That’s why they need a mentor who can be there to help them get up when they get knocked down. That mentor can also support you and push you to go the extra mile.
A good mentor can see your potential even when you don’t and help you bring forth and develop it to the fullest.
Expanding Your Network
Someone who’s been in business for a while has a reliable network of people. They always know where to turn for advice or help. They know experts in a variety of fields, which makes solving problems much easier.
When you’re making a start, the best way to grow your network is to leverage someone else’s network. Their contacts also become yours and it may just give you an expedient advantage over the competition.
The more extensive your network, the more opportunities may be in store. Sometimes the best business partnerships come from places you least expect.
Find Your Mentor
Your business mentor doesn’t even have to be from the same industry. After all, entrepreneurship is littered with challenges and many of them are not industry-specific.
Your potential mentors may simply know a lot about business and how it works in ways that transcend individual industries.
In addition, it can be a good idea to have several mentors, perhaps even one in every area that interests you want to develop. It’s like having your personal board of advisors!
And who wouldn’t want that?
