When someone is just setting out on a business venture, it is imperative that they find a mentor. A mentor can escalate your business, boost your self-development and improve your business know-how. To be truly effective you should look for mentors with various types of expertise so that you can learn from all of them and use the knowledge to make yourself a better person and run a more successful business.
Before embarking on your quest to find a mentor you first need to examine your life and business. Figure out in which areas you need help. Once you know the focus areas, you can begin your search for a mentor.
Look for experts in the field of expertise you want to develop. After all, as entrepreneurs and business owners, you will want to achieve some level of success or acquire and learn certain skills that you may lack in. A truly successful person always has a mentor who has helped him or her shape their path and pave the way for a better future.
There are many places to find a great mentor such as networks meetings, industry events and conferences, through the recommendation of a trusted colleague and even through online groups you belong to.
Once you have identified the mentor, take some time to watch them in action. If you feel this person is someone you can really learn from contact them to set up a time to talk. Make sure you inform the person why you want to talk with them.
You should be very clear why you want that person to mentor you, for how long, and what you hope to gain during the mentorship. If the person agrees, you now have a mentor.
Having a mentor will increase the speed at which you can learn new skills. It is essential that you respect your mentor enough to implement their ideas as appropriate. There will be times you will need to get out of your comfort zone based on a mentorâs recommendations. And yet, isnât growth the reason you wanted a mentor in the first place?
To find out more about creating a successful business go to www.joecapista.com to access the free eBook, Build a Multi-Million Dollar Business.
Hi Cindy,
Thank you for posting my article in your blog carnival. I am very pleased it was so well received.
I have had one mentor for over 30 years. I can attest to the fact that I would not be the success I am today without his guidance.
Mentors can benefit people in a number of ways.
Dr. Joe
Posted by: Dr. Joe Capista | July 13, 2008 at 09:14 AM
Joe, this article was just published in the Get International Clients Sunday Blog Carnival at: http://getinternationalclients.com/get-international-clients-sunday-blog-carnival-10/
Your mentor ideas are based on solid grounds. Large companies, like Microsoft, have an internal mentoring program that they don't require, but almost. Each employee is asked to have a mentor from inside the company for the first 5 years and after 5 years a mentor from inside or outside is strongly encouraged.
Posted by: Cindy King | July 13, 2008 at 03:24 AM