Do you need a business mentor? What are they and how can they help your business startup

18 August 2009

A mentor in life is defined as a wise and trusted guide and advisor. This can mean your parents, teacher, coach, spouse, neighbor, or even a bus driver. The idea of having a mentor has been around for years. People always need someone they can trust, and, moreover, someone who knows more than they do about a particular subject.

Anyone can be a mentor and anyone can seek a mentor; but when dealing with particulars, some mentors are better than others. For example, a business mentor wouldn’t necessarily be your high-school English teacher. If you wanted or needed a business mentor, one of the prerequisites is their personal experience with business, thus someone who knows the finer points of business is a must.

A business mentor can easily mean the difference between success and failure. No matter what type of business you’re planning on running, it’s always better to defer to the experts. Unfortunately, many only seek out the use of a business mentor after their previous business attempts have failed.

Instead of working “with” the mentor, they end up using the business mentor’s experience as a launching pad for their own success. If the use of this person was employed the first time around, a business relationship could have been formed and the need for further funding could have been avoided.

It’s not suggested to seek the help of a business mentor to do the work for you. They’re not in a position to be outsourced while you reap the benefits. A mentor is there to keep you on track, offer advice about situations, and share their personal experiences with you. The help they offer can prove to be invaluable for many different reasons, none the least of which is your inexperience as a business owner.

As someone who is self employed, you have no-one to answer to. More importantly, you have no one to turn to for advice. There is no-one with a higher title; there are no co-workers to consult about a situation; there is no-one to guide or train you. Even if you have a knack for business, learning something new can be a tedious process.

This is the ideal situation to seek the help of a business mentor. The mentor has been where you’re at and has seen what you’re seeing. The mentor is strong-willed and poised and willing to lend his or her expertise to the situation. A good mentor is able to see past the day-to-day operations of your business and advise you on matters that are still months or years away from happening.

A business mentor is going to be there to guide you, as a coach would do, and strictly giving advice and working to inspire your best performance. If an idea is offered by a mentor as to something they might do differently, you should never dismiss it or argue.

It’s important to remember that this mentor used to be you: a new business owner with big dreams and zero experience. Together, you and your mentor will be able to devise goals and strategies in your business, thus overcoming problems as they arise and before they do any permanent damage. Taking on a mentor is a great way to succeed in business, especially if you’re a new owner with a startup venture.