As an entrepreneur, when you hear the word “mentor” do you associate that with someone who is climbing the corporate ladder? Since I live in both the corporate world and the entrepreneur world, I have come to realize that:
The criteria when choosing a mentor when you are an entrepreneur is a bit different than when you’re moving up the corporate ladder.
My guess is, many of you entrepreneurs have several mentors. You just haven’t given them that title.
Here is the role and definition of a mentor, as defined by me, and what they can do for your start up business:
- Teach you what you DON’T know yet NEED to know
- Keep the momentum going because no matter how intelligent, efficient, and resourceful you are, you cannot succeed as an entrepreneur if you’re trying to do it alone
- Share your vision, and point out “blind spots” that you might not have considered which need to be assessed in order to keep the business afloat
- When you’re building a business that came from your ideas/passion/vision you’ll sometimes fall so in love with the initial concept that you’ll need people close to you to point out when and where you need to make changes in order to move forward
- Tell you what you NEED to hear and not simply what you WANT to hear. My marketing people have been asked, by me, from the start to make changes and give me tips if I throw out an idea and they don’t think it’ll work or that it’s not necessary for the business model at this point.
Don’t assume a mentor is someone who is vastly more successful than you are, perhaps in your same industry.
I have found that my BEST mentors have been people I’ve hired or are completely outside the industry I’m in.
Example 1
I’m a salesperson and visionary. I’m strategic, big picture, a natural leader, and I love learning and taking visions and making them reality. I knew NOTHING about marketing, especially online marketing when I started Stilettos on the Glass Ceiling. What I quickly found out is you cannot build a business without an excellent marketing person.
I currently work with 3-4 marketing consultants and they are amazing mentors. I could not have built Stilettos on the Glass Ceiling to what it is today, as quickly as I did, had I not opened my mind to these marketing gurus who helped implement systems and processes and metrics to see what was working and change what needed to be fixed.
Example 2
Two of my good friends are entrepreneurs in the software space. Stilettos on the Glass Ceiling is a multi category working woman’s blog about collaboration and empowerment. What could software gurus POSSIBLY help me with since their target audience and clientele are the opposite of mine?
They taught me about building a team, about working with people who have VASTLY different personalities and getting them to work cohesively as a strong team that drives projects forward and produces results.
So no matter what level you are in your business, remember that a mentor is crucial to building your company. You will also have many at once, and they will come and go as you grow and create new products and services.
YOUR TURN: Do you have an untraditional mentor? Share the value s/he has added to your personal and professional development. Share in Comments below or reach out to us at @PSDNetwork or @MarneyReid.
