Mentors
Why you need a Mentor:
Growing up, the typical entrepreneur was involved in a plethora of diverse activities like sports, camps, youth organisations, social service, etc. Entrepreneurs are well rounded, and this type of upbringing is how they got there. At each one of these activities there was a leader: a teacher, coach, parent, well -wisher, etc. The type of person who has been in your shoes and wants nothing more than to help you progress to the hilt. Entrepreneurs at startups need the same thing, just with one drastic difference between growing up, and now. That difference is they’re not appointed or assigned to you, you must go and find them yourself.
Finding mentors should not be an accidental meet, should be more professional. You first court them on “dating sites” i.e. LinkedIn, meet them at networking events, or ask for recommendations from trusted peers. Seeking a mentor with the goal of raising money or selling them something is a strict no..
At the first meeting your only job is to have fun and take-in information. The culmination of this meeting will result in a decision for both of you: “is this person worth spending more time with?” That’s why this meeting is as much about being fun, special, and entertaining as it is about being inquisitive. The answer to this question therein lies in these characteristics of the relationship:
Finding someone who understands the market you’re trying to disrupt and the customer for whom you’re helping in the process is ultimately going to give you better advice. Advice that may increase the speed and likelihood of success that your startup is yearning for.
If the person has never started a company before, how are they going to be there for you while you’re starting yours? Big business executives and corporate managers may not necessarily be good at mentoring. Those people are smart, wealthy, and probably great at what they do – but it’s a different science than starting a company for yourself. They need to be good at startups, not necessarily business.
A a potential mentor, who is very successful may be a bad choice for you. Their network will be harder for you to access and it’s hard to get their time. The emphasis is to find someone who is several large milestones ahead of you, but not many. Their knowledge of how to surpass obstacles is more fresh – the same business scenario as of now, as well as an increased relevancy inherent in their contact sphere.
We’re not telling you to judge people based on how popular they are – but instead learn how well your two networks intertwine and whether the person is potentially willing to share contacts if given a relevant and respectful opportunity. Finding a bunch of mentors that all run in the same packs won’t help much when it comes to connections, considering they all know the same people. By mixing it up your network your first-and-second degree connections will increase exponentially.
If all goes well, you’re going to be spending a significant amount of time with your mentor over next couple of years at least. In some cases, it may even be the rest of your life. No amount of help or money is ever worth being around people who stay with you for that long.
Mentor enjoy helping younger versions of themselves get to the next level. Most of the time, when people reach a certain level of success in life, giving back is their only craving. In due course, our incubatees will be there too.