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How a mentor can help a small business owner
Think of any top professional in any field. Let’s say, for example, Serena Williams. Do you think she knows how to play tennis?
Without a doubt!
Then why does she need a coach to travel around the world with her?
The answer is of course that she wants to be the very best that she can possibly be, and she knows that a good coach can help her achieve that goal.
The purpose of investing in a mentor, advisor, or consultant is exactly the same: to be the best that you can be.
But make sure you pick your mentor, advisor, or consultant very carefully. It is no good talking to somebody that works for the government or a large corporation because they will not understand what it is you are going through. Pick someone that is knowledgeable and has the relevant experience to understand what it is like to be in a small business.
Some benefits of having the right mentor, advisor, or consultant on your team are:
1 Focus
Let’s use an analogy here. Just imagine you take a sheet of paper outside and hold it up to the sun. It would probably just become a little warm but not much else. Now, let’s take that same sheet of paper but this time, you use a magnifying glass to focus the sun’s rays onto the sheet of paper. What happens this time?
If you focus the sun’s rays correctly then the paper will catch fire. So you are taking the same amount of energy but this time, you focused it and got a very different outcome. The same thing happens when you’re working with a good mentor: they will help you focus on the issues that are important to you.
2 Expert Advice and Strategy
The biggest advantage of any mentor is that they have been there and done that. The guidance and advice they offer you are based on their actual experiences within a small business: their successes, failures, and everything in between. That insight that mentors have will allow them to determine the best strategy for you to obtain your objectives, in your circumstances, with your resources.
3 Accountability
If we think back to all those New Year’s resolutions we have made over the years, I wonder how many of them have actually been kept. Probably only a few. Why do you think this is? The reason is that nobody has held us accountable. A good mentor will make sure to hold you accountable once the plan and a good implementation have been agreed to.
4 Networking
Most mentors have already been established in their relevant industries. That is, they have a vast network of connections within their industry. This opens up doors for you to new people, opportunities, and experiences to further develop your business.
Therefore, with a good mentor comes to the opportunity for you as a small business owner to be exposed to potential customers, partners, and/or other established individuals within your target market.