If you’ve read articles and stories of successful entrepreneurs, the word ‘mentor’ must have stood out. Even the established entrepreneurs still have mentors. And you wonder, what more do they still need to learn?
Successful entrepreneurs know the benefits of having a mentor and one of those benefits is the opportunities for learning.
So what happens if you don’t have a mentor? Relax, it’s not the end of the world. However, here are a few things you should do:
Read books
What do you need a mentor for? Do you need a guide or someone to share their business journey with you? Do you need to learn from their mistakes? Do you want to learn how to manage time, make a sales pitch or form partnerships?
What better way to learn all that than reading books written by successful entrepreneurs? Reading is the way, ladies! It can’t be that hard.
Try peer-to-peer mentorship
When founders talk about mentors, they refer to business owners who have had about fifteen years or so of business experience. Unfortunately, very few of these business owners have time to dedicate to mentoring startups.
Now, you could consider being mentored by a founder within your age group. The good thing about this is that being in the same business environment, you can relate with this mentor. He or she can prove the best person to bounce off ideas with as they’re probably also among your target clients.
Quit with the attitude
One thing that can put your mentors off is the I-know-it-all attitude. As an entrepreneur, be prepared to be criticized, shaken and moulded. Keep in touch with your mentor(s) and update them on your progress. You would need to be that proactive.
Leave the sour attitude at the door and be ready to be guided. Unfortunately, most entrepreneurs give up along the way, and complain about their mentor not making time for them and criticizing them too much. Well, guess what, it’s all part of the learning process.
In conclusion, to be mentored, you’d need an open mind and a teachable attitude.