People seek out business mentors to help direct their business growth. By soaking up the advice of an industry success story, instead of learning lessons the hard way, you can scale up your business, avoid the pitfalls and with (hopefully) a little more comfort along the way.

The right guidance, inspiration and encouragement can do wonders for your business growth and evolution. But before you get too excited, fixating on your global empire, here’s 7 reasons why you should try harder to find the right mentor for you …

1. Great business mentors can have an enormous impact on your business success

No matter what your chosen business is, whether you’re currently struggling to move forwards or you think you’re on track, a professional business mentor is worth their weight in gold! An outside perspective from an experienced professional business advisor can give you insight you never dreamed of, a plan of action and a way to implement it successfully.

2. Their connections can open doors

You may have heard that it’s not what you know, but who you know. Well, a great business mentor can help with both.

Finding the right mentor for your business means their personal connections can open doors you may have been knocking on for years. This has long been known as the best way to get ahead, particularly when trying to enter new markets or get your products listed in major stores.

Their experiences can save you from suffering the same mistakes they made and for me as a business coach and mentor, I feel it is vital to share those lessons, bust some myths and talk about the hard truths of what it means to grow a global product based business.

Many entrepreneurs I meet, before they work with me, they are simply working on the ‘try it and see’ method, which means your business rises and dips as you make mistakes until you find what will work for you.

An experienced business mentor will know the mistakes you’re likely to make because they’re been through it themselves, and can save you from the costs, pitfalls and set backs you’d make working it out on your own.

3. Recognise a great mentor - the tougher the better!

How do you know if you’ve found a great mentor?

If your business mentor wants to see you succeed, they’ll push you out of your comfort zone!  Business building is exciting, but hard work, and even with guidance and expertise, you’ll still need encouragement and someone to keep you accountable, so the tougher your business mentor, the better in my view!

4. Pinpoint how a business mentor can help you develop

Recognise your weak points and gaps.  Then match the gaps you have to your business mentor’s strong points, write them down and create a plan to really dig in and focus on these going forward.

Share your goals and fears openly with your business mentor to really understand where you need to develop.

5. Understand what’s in it for the business mentor

You may ask why a business mentor would be willing to help and coach you – well, not only do they develop their own skills in communication and leadership, but they get the satisfaction of helping shape the business leaders of tomorrow.

A successful person knows the advantage of passing on their knowledge to others. Many business mentors are often at a point in their career where creating a legacy and knowledge sharing is more important to them than anything else.

6. Check if their personality suits being a business mentor

When looking for a business mentor, look out for someone who’s clearly achieved the results you want to achieve and has been generally successful in business. 

You are looking for someone who has not only been there and done it but is genuinely willing to share their knowledge and expertise.   

A great business mentor will openly make the time to be available to you, values ongoing learning and growth, is wired for success and has a positive attitude to life!

7. Explore the best methods of finding a business mentor

There are a few ways to go about finding the perfect business mentor for yourself including networking, asking around, or reaching out to successful people on Linkedin, but it’s hard work and there’s no guarantee they’ll respond or be right for you.

Skip the hassle with my tried and tested business coaching services.  You can schedule a free call with me and we can see if we're a good fit. 

Make It Happen In Your Business

Once you’ve found a business mentor, get excited and then get to work! You need to ensure that you are making full use of all your business mentor’s wisdom and experience.

The ideal relationship is one that challenges both the mentor and the mentee. By questioning, encouraging and taking a unique approach to industry challenges you will both be able to learn and grow your way to success!

Next Steps:

• Consider if having a business advisor and mentor working alongside you on your business would be of benefit to you. 
• Write down some characteristics you would like to see in the business mentor you work with. 
• Identify a shortlist of possible business mentors you could approach and schedule a call with them to find out if they are open to working with you and whether you are a great fit.