There is no successful entrepreneur the world over who either fell from heaven or was born great. Many successful entrepreneurs have to fend for themselves and learn how to navigate successfully in the uncertain jungle of business.
As a result, most of them take a long time to learn all the difficult lessons that get them to the pinnacle of business success. But, the good news is that we do not all have to take donkey years to learn some of these hidden secrets of business success.
One of the most effective ways for being at the top in an efficient manner is through mentorship. In many cases, a good mentor in the running of a successful business may be the difference between a failed and/or successful entrepreneur. A good mentor is a ‘sounding board’ – someone who has already been through what you are experiencing right now, and he has come out the other side armed with invaluable insights.
There is no denying the fact that good mentors are almost indispensable for an entrepreneur’s business success.
We look at five common ways to go about getting a good mentor:
Identify the type of mentor who fits your developmental areas
- You’re best placed to identify and approach someone who is fit for you as you know which areas you require mentorship. Make a list of the goals that you want to achieve in the specific area of business, then identify a pool of individuals and companies in the same industry or business space that you want to venture into.
Attend networking sessions
- Associations like the Black Management Forum, ABASA and other related organisations have networking programmes and some of their members would jump at the opportunity to be considered a mentor.
Use social media
- We live in a society called the knowledge economy, a society whose movers and shakers are tech-savvy. This means chances are that the person that you would probably like to have as a mentor may be found on the social media space, like Twitter, Facebook and others.
Prepare to meet a prospective mentor
- The golden rule is to make an impact/impress when you are given a chance to meet a someone you want to mentor you. Therefore, you must know what they do, their successes and achievements and so on.
Build the relationship
- Whatever you do with your mentor, you should ensure that you are in the relationship for a long haul. Do not behave as if your mentor is Father Christmas – don’t ask for things that will make them run away from you, instead learn/absorb as much as is possible. This will make the whole relationship worthwhile for both of you.
