6 Reasons Every Entrepreneur Should Have a Mentor

Finding a mentor is one of the most effective things you can do to give your career a boost. Don’t believe it? Bill Gates, Richard Branson, and Mark Zuckerberg all wax lyrical about the effect that a great mentor had on their business success.

From helping you to achieve both professional and personal growth to becoming a lifelong ally, mentors can have many positive effects on your journey as an entrepreneur. Here are just a few of the benefits you can expect.

Your Network Will Grow

Building a network of people is essential to success in any business but the number of contacts you have when you’re just starting out is likely to be fairly slim. A mentor will have a different network; one that is likely much larger and more varied than your own. The opportunity to tap into these previously unknown connections is priceless.

You Can Learn From Their Mistakes

Although it is not always the case, it is likely that your mentor will be older than you. If not older, they will almost certainly have more experience. In either case, they will have already made and overcome mistakes in their journey. As their mentee, you will be ideally placed to benefit from that experience and avoid making the same mistakes yourself.

They Won’t Downplay Your Weaknesses

While we are all guilty of downplaying our shortfalls from time to time, that is not the job of your mentor. Instead, they will often point out your weaknesses. The idea of this is not to crush your spirit but rather to identify areas where you can improve. A good mentor will back this up with a concrete action plan that addresses these areas.

They Will Highlight Your Strengths

It’s not all about uncovering weaknesses you’d rather forget. Your mentor is also in a great position to highlight your strengths; strengths you may not have previously recognised in yourself. Subsequently, your mentor can help you to determine and decide where to apply these strengths in order to achieve the best results on your journey.

They Act as a Sounding Board

It’s exciting to be an entrepreneur. The feeling that comes with making your own way in life and avoiding the humdrum of a regular nine-to-five is priceless. That’s not to say that all your ideas will be good ones, though. As a provider of tough love, a mentor offers a sounding board for you to bounce your ideas off and help you sort the wheat from the chaff.

You Will Be Challenged

A great mentor will take the time to get you know you and find out what you are capable of. Then they will challenge you to do more. Sometimes, all you need is a little encouragement to step out of your comfort zone to try new things. Doing so will take you beyond what you may feel is possible and help you to reach your full potential.

Make a commitment to yourself to find a great mentor and foster an even greater relationship. The rewards from doing so are priceless.