Many of the world’s most famous business leaders have used a mentor to guide them to success. Asking someone experienced to take you under their wing can help you to grow your business more quickly and avoid costly mistakes.
You can learn effective tactics and important strategies from someone who already has proven success. While you can expect invaluable advice and guidance from a business mentor, there are a number of other benefits you may not have considered. Here are nine powerful reasons to get a business mentor now:
1. Credibility
Linking up with a established name in the business field can give your company instant credibility. Associating a reputable businessperson with your firm will lend your company a certain glow of prestige and success. When customers know about the association, they are likely to trust you more, potentially resulting in increased sales.
It is not just a matter of name-dropping. Getting a business mentor shows the world that you’re serious about your business and committed to its growth. Having a well-known and respected mentor will raise your credibility with partners and investors, making them see you as less of a risk.
2. Contacts
A serious benefit to having a business mentor is that they might well be able to open doors for you. Anyone who has been around the business world for a while should have a black book full of useful contacts. Connecting with a mentor means you may have access to key players in your industry, or people you might not have otherwise have met.
An established businessperson may also have privileges not usually afforded to newcomers, such as access to special clubs and mastermind groups. If you impress your mentor enough, they may invite you along to exciting functions and meetings with other influential and useful people you can learn from.
3. Experience
No matter how smart you are, or how great your business plan is, there is no substitute for experience. You can not possibly imagine all the potential pitfalls that may scupper some of your best-laid plans. A business mentor will have already negotiated challenges, rocky economies and company crises. They will have made, and learned from mistakes, so you don’t have to make the same ones.
A mentor’s advice is based on experience, rather than theory, so it is priceless when it comes to the practical matters of running your company. They have knowledge of what works in the real world, which is often different from what you might read in textbooks.
4. Reassurance
You are taking a risk when you start a business, and the process may sometimes leave you feeling frustrated, anxious and stressed. A business mentor will have been through this process already – perhaps many times – and can reassure you of the pay-offs at the end of it.
Reassurance can give you the peace of mind to focus on making the right decisions for your business, rather than worrying. A mentor should make you feel supported through the tough times and show you that success is possible even if the process seems tricky. When you have that kind of comfort, it’s much easier to be motivated to carry on despite challenges.
5. Accountability
Often business owners know that they should do something, but may hesitate, procrastinate or put things off. Difficult sales calls, complicated forms and boring administration often get delayed, even though they may be important. Having a business mentor can help keep you accountable and ensure you take action on your goals.
Accountability to a mentor can mean that you actually do what you say you will, and in a timely fashion. The pressure of accountability is a powerful tool to help you complete tricky tasks, and to help your business grow more quickly.
6. A Model
Having a successful business owner in your environment gives you the chance to pick up on all the tricks and tips that got them where they are today. If you want to increase your effectiveness, a business mentor can be the perfect paradigm to model yourself on.
Look at how they carry themselves; see how they talk to people; consider how they treat customers, employees, and service providers. Learn from the way that they make decisions, hold meetings and schedule tasks. Figure out how they recharge, inspire and motivate themselves. Adjust some of your own behaviors to match theirs, and see if that brings you more success.
7. Inspiration
Running a business can be a tough path to choose, and sometimes you may wonder if it is all worthwhile. When you can see the end result of hard work and dedication, in the form of your mentor, it can help inspire you to carry on. You can look at their success and achievement and know that your business plans are not only wishful dreams.
A successful businessperson shows you what you can potentially achieve with your company — and with the guidance of a mentor, prosperity is that much more possible.
8. Perspective
An additional set of eyes, and a different perspective, can be invaluable for planning and executing your business strategy. One problem witha business that you’ve put your heart and soul into, is that you can be much too close to it to see the pitfalls. A mentor may be enthusiastic about your ideas, but will also have enough distance to be able to spot errors and potential problems.
A more experienced business brain can also prompt you to see the bigger picture. While you may be concerned with short-term issues, a mentor will also be able to offer a long-term perspective. Successful business owners usually have the ability to predict how things may turn out in the long run much better than a startup could.
9. A Champion
Word-of-mouth is a powerful tool in business, and if those words come from someone highly respected, they can mean even more. Having someone with a great reputation to champion and support your business means that more people will take notice of your enterprise.
By working with a company, a mentor is displaying trust and faith in that firm. If your mentor is a major player in your field, the excitement about your business could spread within some very influential circles.
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