Having a mentor can help you grow your business but only if you connect with the right mentor for your needs. It really does matter who your mentor is and how they work with you.
A good mentor provides insights, advice and access to their extensive expertise and experience. They have walked a similar path to the one you are on and successfully navigated its twists and turns. They’ve been there, done that and want to help you do it even better.
A mentor can be a subject matter expert with specific high-level expertise or a generalist with exposure in multiple areas. Look for someone who has experience in your sector and is familiar with its challenges and opportunities. The goal is not to mimic their success but to learn from it.
Find someone who will provide honest feedback that is objective, useful and non-judgmental. Their input will help you make better decisions based on reality and not hope. To do this, they will ask direct questions and expect similarly honest answers.
Your ideal mentor will be respectful, enthusiastic and engaged. They will talk with you and not at you. They will offer guidance and often access to other resources, opportunities and people. They won’t do the work for you but they will help you understand the benefits that come from doing it.
A mentoring relationship is a long game. There may be short-term improvements and successes but all eyes are typically on the greater goal of sustainable growth. Look for someone who is invested in your progress.
SCORE is the largest network of volunteer mentors dedicated to helping entrepreneurs plan, launch and grow a business through free mentoring and access to education and training resources. SCORE mentors are experts at relationship building and each of them has significant experience and expertise to share.
More than fifty-three percent of all SCORE Mentors are also actively engaged in running one or more businesses. The SCORE.org website enables business owners to search for their mentor match by zip code, keyword or sector, making it possible to find specific types of expertise, wherever it may be.
SCORE makes it possible for every small business owner to benefit from mentoring and grow their team of advisors exponentially and without cost. That’s an ideal partnership for any business owner.
