As a small-business owner, learning how to create and manage a successful business can be an overwhelming task. One way to help mitigate those challenges is to work with a mentor that has been out in the field already and has established the knowledge and experience necessary to succeed. Finding a mentor can be incredibly beneficial to a small business owner. Entrepreneur Magazine found that 80 percent of CEOs surveyed said they received mentorship in some form and that 93 percent of startups counted mentorship as instrumental to their own success. As with any endeavor, having a support system in place can help prevent failure and serve as motivation when the going gets tough.
Forbes Magazine points out several resources that a small-business owner can use to more easily find someone to work with. In fact, there are entire networks of business mentors at places like the SCORE organization. These services help connect people via email and in-person counseling. Made up of retired or active business executives and leaders, mentor networks can provide high-quality candidates that are already interested in helping. Federally supported organizations like small business development centers (SBDCs), women's business centers (WBCs), and minority business development centers can provide access to businesses with more specific needs or backgrounds.
Once a mentor is found, it is important to foster that relationship and build it over time. The mentor will likely be personally invested in helping, but that doesn't mean that the relationship can be ignored or treated as a one-way street.
If email is the preferred contact method, for instance, be sure to send updates at agreed upon intervals and always ask new questions to ensure that the conversation keeps moving forward. If the mentor provides feedback, close the feedback loop by acting on that advice and showing results. A mentor could be spending a lot of time and effort in this role, and it's important that they are shown the respect and appreciation deserved.
