Are you looking for a business mentor to guide you to the next step of your business? Well, you have landed in the right place.
Choosing a business mentor requires you to correctly judge what you want and where you can get it. A business mentor will mainly guide you through your business journey and share their personal experiences with you. In addition, they will guide you through your past mistakes.
However, finding a business mentor who will help you take your business journey ahead can be challenging, especially with cut-throat competition in the market, you need a business mentor who will help you avoid typical mishaps early on, solve existing problems, and provide essential connections and guidance while assisting you.
We understand how challenging finding a business mentor can be. This is why we decided to curate this article based on our research and expert advice.
As you read this article, we have listed seven successful ways of finding a business mentor. Furthermore, we will be covering various aspects to help you find the correct business mentor for yourself.
So, are you eager to find the perfect business mentor? Let’s get into the details!
What Should You Look For in a Business Mentor?
Recognizing the perfect business mentor to guide you through your business journey from so many options is yet another challenge. There are several business mentors available. However, how do you find the correct one for you?
When looking for a business mentor, look for someone who understands you and is prepared to invest in their students. We will provide some essential qualities to look for in a business mentor.
Essential qualities a business mentor should possess:
- See if they are efficient enough to provide you with the knowledge they have in an easy way for you to learn.
- Any business requires you to bend and shape with its twists and turns. Look for a business mentor with eligible experience to guide you through your journey.
- A business mentor should be able to give honest opinions and comments on your progress.
- Make sure your compatibility with them matches well. Having a good understanding level with your business mentor will efficiently help you correct your mistakes.
- Last but not least, your business mentor should have a progressive mindset. This point is critical because if they are not focused on your progress, you will waste time. So instead, grow with someone who has your best interest at heart.
Who are the Business Mentors?
Business Mentors are the most knowledgeable person who is a current or former business investor/owner that provides training, guidance, and advice to the low experience person.
The mentor will help you in your personal development, which is related to your primary skills, raw talent, and potential. The relationship between mentor and mentee is just like teacher and student. As a result, your business mentor is just like your instructor, adviser, business coach, trainer, and so on.
How Much Does A Business Mentor Cost?
The price of the business mentor may vary from time to time. But you may find some business mentors for free on social media platforms. You can also sign up for the best mentoring program, which may cost you $20 to $500 per month.
Where Should You Look For a Business Mentor?
The second most important question is where you should begin searching for a business mentor. So, to guide you further, we have some options for where you can find your search for the ideal business mentor.
Places where you can search for a business mentor.
- Start hunting in your existing network.
- Attend business meetups, conferences, seminars, etc
- Use your social media platform. Create a curious and dedicated approach.
- Try reaching out to the person you look up to as your role model. Also, see if they have any internships or programs open for beginners aiming to reach their level of success.
- Learn new and unique insights from experienced entrepreneurs.
- At online platforms like SCORE and Mentor Cruise.c
These are some of the brief insights on where you can find a business mentor. We have explained in detail further on these topics so that you understand better.
Enquire About Your Existing Network
The easiest way to find a business mentor is by networking. However, building a connection or a network can be difficult if you are a beginner or new in the business. Instead of finding that one perfect business mentor, look for a community of experts who can guide you through their business journey and experiences.
Here’s a piece of advice from Susan Bender Phelps, owner of Odyssey Mentoring & Leadership.
“Consider your network of connections. Look at the top 20 to 30 people you currently do business with who are not your customers. You are looking to see if one of them would be a match or if they can introduce you to someone who would be a match.”
Converting a network or a connection into a business mentorship can be challenging. So, below we have listed a few points to help you make this transition in your business relationships.
Helpful tips for finding a business mentor with your network
- Don’t see it as finding a business mentor for yourself. Instead, look at it as part of a community of business experts.
- Look out for great connections. Build relationships beyond the formal level.
- Surround yourself with a diverse and fruitful group of mentors.
- Suppose you are still in school or pursuing a degree, or just studying business and looking for a business mentor to guide you to the next step. Just look around you, and you will find plenty of opportunities. You can approach your professors, fellow seniors, organizations or firms you have interned with, etc.
- Research through a bunch of business mentors around you. Look for a personal connection.
Grow Your Network Through Meet-Ups
While looking into their existing network works for some people, for others, it might be more helpful to build an entirely new or fresh network. Hitting up people who you already know and have the potential to guide you is a great start. But when you want to find a business mentor with some expertise, it becomes essential to expand your network.
Show up at different local conferences and events. It might be possible that a business professional or, for that matter, even a local businessman who is doing well is giving a lecture. Attending these events will build a solid network and learn something new from each experience.
For example, sites like Meetup.com are potent for creating groups and building a network. There are many existing networking groups and small business groups on the site which you can join. CJ Johnson, head of creative and marketing for Buddytuk, suggests going to happy hour events, networking events, and speaking panels within your reach.
If you are a hardworking and focused individual, you are the ideal student for mentoring. Business mentors will find you themselves before you look for them.
Build Connections Through Social Media
Social media is the best platform to find a business. Take full advantage of social media to expand your business’s reach in this digital era. You can connect with some of the most potential business experts there. Most social media platforms offer you a feature to search for specific names and hashtags. However, social media is not just for fun and influencers. Below we have explained the benefits of different social media platforms and how they will help you find the ideal business mentor.
Social media platforms and how to use them to find a business mentor
Lets have a look at the Social Media Platforms which will help you find a Business Mentor :
Often, when you look for a business mentor, you are unsure whether they have the right experiences and insights. Linked In is the perfect platform to look for a business mentor. You can find a large number of business mentors here. From beginners to average to experts, all kinds of business mentors are present to help you through your journey.
If you are looking for expert advice, go for professionals who have spent ample time in the business field. For example, Carl Gould is a business mentor who has spent over 20 years in this field and has some beautiful insights. The reach of Linked In is vast, but you also have to know the right way to approach people to get noticed.
Instagram requires you to make your approach personalized. We would advise you to communicate with the business mentors on this platform. Not just messaging, but you also need to interact with them via posts, stories, and reels. This will make them notice you faster, resulting in building a connection.
Twitter is yet another platform where you can find and connect with mentors. You can follow the people from whom you want to learn and ask them if they are interested in being your role model. Moreover, you can even follow some hashtags for business inspiration and tips like #mentorship, #mondaymentoring, etc.
Three Suggestions From Entrepreneurs
Here are the three suggestions you should always keep in mind.
Build a connection first
It is not necessary to find a professional business mentor. If you see someone you like and think would be a good fit for you, go with them. Sharing your experiences with your business mentor is essential. May it be the past or present. You should always have open communication with them. This will only happen when you share a close connection with your business mentor. So take your time to build a relationship with them before asking them to be your mentor.
Show you are genuinely interested
Make sure you are genuinely interested in the guidance you will get from your business mentor. You need to make them believe that you are worth mentoring. So, make sure from your end that you are doing everything you can to get the best out of your business mentorship.
Take your business mentor’s advice seriously but do not consider it the final word
Always respect your business mentor’s advice and insights. But do not think of it as the final word. Even the most experienced individuals can be wrong sometimes. There might be some similarities given the field is one. But there are chances that their advice on the time might lack some insights. So always think twice before forming an opinion or even reacting to something.
How to Get The Most Out of Your Business Mentorship Period?
It is evident that you will not have a business mentor for your entire life. At some point, you are going to go your own way. So when the time comes to be separated, how will you make sure you have gained everything from your business mentorship period?
Our personal experiences suggest that while a business professional is mentoring you, make sure you discuss the future opportunities with them. Ask them about their journey without a mentor. Then, take their advice on being out there on your own in the business world.
Try to grow as much as possible during your business mentorship. You might need to invest twice your time in perfecting a skill, but it will pay you heavily in the future.
Related Read:
Wrapping Up – How to Find a Business Mentor
Building a connection or frequently interacting with people can get hectic at times. However, once you find what you are looking for, you will be internally thankful. Business mentoring is a great way to move towards prosperity in your business. You can try the methods mentioned above that will work to find the best business mentor for your business.
We hope this article covered all your doubts and made your research hassle-free. Did we miss any crucial way to find a business mentor? Let us know in the comments section below!
FAQs:
When you are looking for the right mentor, he must possess the following traits:
Must be a good listener
Challenges and questions you
Shares his experience and skills
Guides you through all thick and thins
A business mentor is definitely worth your time and money. You can learn skills from industry experts and even from their mistakes.
Here are a few ways in which you can find mentors.
Industrial meet-ups
Social media like LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram
Attend social and volunteer events
Find a mentor through SCORE
