7 ideas to find your ideal business mentor

If you’re thinking of starting a business, be it a startup or a micro-enterprise, the best investment you can make is to spend some time finding at least one business mentor. And yes, you’ve already created it and you’re also thinking about how to grow your business!

Mathematics does not fail: 70% of companies with a mentor survive twice as long than those without a mentor. Incubators and accelerators have mentors for a reason.

And if it’s so important, why isn’t it easy to find a mentor for every entrepreneur? Haha, that’s what I wanted to know!

In fact, the business plan rarely includes leaving a budget line for hiring mentors, and yet It should be almost imperative to increase your company’s chances of success.

As the saying goes, white and out of the bottle… Let’s see, if a mentor is one of the ingredients for success, then I say that there will be a need to make it easier for as many entrepreneurs as possible to benefit from a mentor .

Normally, the entrepreneur is provided with the forms and address of the Treasury to pay the taxes. But rarely does anyone ask you if you’ve validated your idea, if you have a business model, if you’re clear about how you’re going to make money, and even more rarely are you sent out on the street to get your first 3 clients find Before you start moving papers, create the Website and Business Cards page.

Steve Blank is known for the phrase “get out on the street” or literally “get out of the building” with the idea that you validate your business idea before you create anything. I would also tell you .. »Look for a mentor«! or more precisely “Go out right now and find a mentor”.

Why?

• Having an expert by your side who has sailed the same waters you navigate can accelerate your results exponentially saves you numerous headaches.
• You can make serious mistakes due to inexperience and making wrong decisions can ruin your life. You can sign a flawed affiliate contract, get into debt, or lose all your capital, leaving you with no chance to recover and advance.
• Running a business both in the beginning and in the growth stages is a very lonely and misunderstood task that can affect your relationship with your partner, family or friends. Have a mentor by your side It keeps you sane and motivated to have clarity and focus on what really matters.

I’m convinced that over time, a mentor will be as natural as a cell phone, especially when starting a business.

The only problem is often that outside of incubator programs, accelerators, etc. it is not obvious to find a business mentor who has real experience in the area you need and who has the right personal skills.

Nonetheless, You can find your ideal mentor if you know how to look for it. Of course, you shouldn’t take the process lightly. It’s a matter of common sense:

• Define in advance what you need and what you are looking for
• Be clear about what to ask your mentor
• Choose the most suitable mentor for you who you really connect with.
• Be clear about goals and expectations.
• Remember that your schedule is complex and your time is limited
• Don’t get angry if they say no as not everyone will be able to take care of you.

Being aware of this will make it easier for you to “line the radar” and be aware of potential ideal mentors.

Here are 7 ideas on how to find your ideal mentor:

1. Analyze your inner circle

Many times You can find great mentors in your family or close friends, people who may have more experience than you or know more about a particular sector or situation because they have experienced it before. Likewise, you can send a message to your network of contacts suggesting the idea and see if you get in touch with a suitable person for you and your needs.

2. Use social networks

You can use social networks like Twitter or LinkedIn to find your ideal mentor.

Idea: Reach out to other professionals and entrepreneurs you admire and ask them for advicedoesn’t usually hold it against anyone, quite the opposite.

3. Read blogs and trade publications

Read professional publications and Select the professionals with whom you connect best or from whom you learn the most. Not only do you learn from them by reading, watching or listening to them – which amounts to ‘indirect’ mentoring – but you can contact them occasionally and, depending on the professional, find that they are happy to devote a few hours of their time to you.

4. Go outside

You don’t always have a potential mentor close by, so get outside and open yourself to new opportunities.

Contact your town hall, business center or chamber of commerce. Do the same with initiatives related to your industry.

Analyze local businesses to identify potential mentors. Once you’ve made a choice, contact each one, start the contact by asking about one of their own projects or interests and ask if you can ask them some questions over the phone, skype, email or even take them out for a coffee or invite you to lunch.

5. Search in the same industry

Sometimes your own sector can be your ally. For example, you might consider contacting the head of a larger company that doesn’t typically see you as a competitor and suggest sharing experiences and ideas, or simply asking for advice.

The key is not to feel ashamed to call or email the person we are interested in.

6. Create a “mastermind” group

Form a group (in person or online) with other entrepreneurs at your same stage of development, and even inviting more experienced entrepreneurs can provide you with valuable experience and save you from mistakes.

It can be as simple as meeting another entrepreneur for coffee etc. In fact it helps me and I think so Open sharing of challenges, problems and solutions is positive because we help and learn from each other.

7. Hire a professional business mentor

Hiring a professional business mentor is probably one of the best investments you can make. It will help you accelerate your results and reach your goals sooner. In the beginning we all think we can learn on our own and we hear messages that starting a business is easy or that getting ahead on the internet is a matter of magic tricks. Investing in a professional business mentor will help you accelerate your learning and progress faster while making fewer mistakes.

The moral of this story is that over time I’ve come to realize that cheap is expensive and unconscious ignorance knows no bounds…like pretending that an online store will work in a month without investing in advertising, SEO, etc . It is only with the passage of time that we realize the barbarism we have perpetrated. However, don’t pretend to know everything or do everything yourself and ask for help when you need it. Remember that the best technology is common sense.

Perhaps because I was the first to make a mistake, today I can’t stop emphasizing the importance of having a mentor (or more) when undertaking any project, be it small, large, or medium-sized .

About the author, Jose Manuel Garcia

thinking partner. strategy and business development. Business promotion through digitization and business mentoring. Co-founder of Yuvalia and mentor at Filmijob.