Good to know
It is only recently that we have been hearing so much about business mentors on the internet and especially on social media, but in truth, they have been around for ages. Today, there are super successful business mentors and consultants like Sam Ovens on YouTube to guide any rising entrepreneur towards success. But even when such quality guidance was not so readily available, mentors were most definitely there.
Fathers and other senior members have introduced their sons/daughters, nephews/nieces, and other younger family members to family businesses for centuries and many successful entrepreneurs keep protégés. After all, even the mighty Steve Jobs was mentored by Mike Markkula! As you can see, mentorship is a time tested practice in business because of the multiple advantages which it gives to the young entrepreneur, trying to make his/her way into the tough and highly competitive world of business. If you are wondering what those advantages are exactly, take a look at the following points.
Experience
The single most important thing in any business is experienceand that’s exactly what a mentor shares with you. He gives you his valuable insight into the world of business, which goes way beyond what you can possibly have at your stage of development. Experience is invaluable in solving problems, avoiding disastrous mistakes and more importantly, skipping that huge learning curve, which every new entrepreneur must go through if he/she has no guidance to rely on. A mentor’s valuable inputs can literally save you from years of frustration and money lost through trial and error.
Networking
Nobody needs to be told that in order to conduct business successfully one needs connections, and who better to provide you in touch with those all-important connections than someone who has been in business with them for years. Once again, it’s like a shortcut to success where you save years of rapport building efforts because you were introduced or referred to the right people by someone they already know and trust.
Apart from the fact that a mentor will be introducing you to the important heavyweights in the business, he will also be able to tell you how you can approach each one of them for faster and better results because he already knows them. Most entrepreneurs, even the mildly successful ones, fail to rise past a certain point because they never get to meet the market leaders. Even when they do get a chance to meet them, it’s so hard to stand out from hundreds of other strangers like them, trying to build rapport with the leaders.
Inspiration and Encouragement
The positive impact of having a successful business person guide, encourage and inspire you every step of the way is a huge boost for the young entrepreneur. While the chances of success will be greatly increased under the guidance of the proper business mentor, failures are an inevitable part of business and are actually considered learning experiences instead of failures. Nevertheless, they are depressing and it is during those dark hours that you will find your mentor to be an invaluable source of consolation, encouragement and inspiration. Once you are over it, though, he will help you around the problem and in taking the next step.
The role of a mentor can come in many forms as discussed earlier and that’s okay, as long as the person is someone successful, experienced and sincere about your cause. It is no secret that, while brilliant, almost every successful entrepreneur owes at least a portion of his/her success to the people who taught them the ins and outs of the business. Having someone like that beside you is an instant advantage over everyone else who doesn’t and it often is the difference between giving up midway and reaching your full potential.
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