How to Find a Business Mentor

Source: Small Business Transitions

If you’re planning to start your own business or you’ve already started one and need some advice on how to move on, asking for the help of a business mentor is one good way to ensure success in the long run. However, looking for a business mentor is a daunting task but with patience, some trial- and-error, and a few great tips, you’re sure you could take your enterprise to a whole new level. 

What do you need?

One thing to consider before you pack your bags and go looking for a potential mentor, is to define what kind of advice you need and from whom. A business has a lot of areas to work on: promotions, staff management, financial management and so on. You should make sure that you’re looking for advice from the right person because there’s no such thing as an ‘over-all’ mentor to work with.

Who do you need?

There’s a clear line between mentors and advisers. Mentors are people who try to help you monitor everything and constantly give you feedback. Advisers, however, are there only to give you advice on a certain matter, hence the name. Do you want someone to keep track of your progress and then give advice or just someone to run to whenever you need one? This is something to think about.

Your budget should also be taken into consideration. Mentors are mostly costly at around a hundred dollars, but that doesn’t mean it’s the end of the line. In fact, several governments like New Zealand and Ontario, Canada have programs that offer mentoring.
Online websites like Score, offer business mentorship for free. Just remember to send thank you cards to your mentors, or treat them out to lunch for the help they give. A little something goes a long way.

Build a connection.

If you’ve already found your mentor, build a connection with him. This maybe hard at first since you don’t want to drop a pile of files of proposals or project plans for him to sort through in your first meeting. Try out something easier, like a question about your business that goes like “What do you think of …” or “What if I do…”. This would certainly keep things running and would lead you to diverse topics to talk about. Once you’ve established rapport, things will certainly follow through.

Last but not least is to enjoy.

Building a connection takes time but time spent is all worth-it. In fact, you could even ask your mentor for some support groups in your area which you think could help you build more connections. Bear in mind that your mentor has connections of his own, if he’s been on the field for quite sometime now. Having you introduced to his associates would bring up a lot of opportunities.