Why You Need A Mentor
As entrepreneurs, we often spend time taking care of the functionality of our businesses and put our learning and growing the way-side. If we are to grow as business owners, we need to consider finding ways to evolve. Finding a mentor can be an excellent way to gain insight into your business and lead you to take your business to the next level. Truth be told, many successful business owners had mentors. Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of Facebook, was mentored by Steve Jobs!
Most entrepreneurs do not lead in with a mentor when they get started, however that doesn’t mean it’s not too late to get started with one. Having a mentor can be beneficial for several reasons:
- Acquire experience and knowledge that is not textbook
- Network opportunities
- A mentor can provide reassurance
- Higher success rate with a mentor
- Will help you to stay in business longer
- Develop stronger Emotional Intelligence to make sound business decisions
- Encouragement of the highs and lows of running a business
Finding A Mentor
As in anything, finding a mentor can be an investment of your time and money. Where does one look for a mentor? Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) provides a vast network of over 12,000 entrepreneurs within 173 chapters worldwide. They offer leadership development programs, various personal and professional growth opportunities, and several educational forums. Their mission is to help entrepreneurs learn and grow by being focused on business growth and community engagement. They offer connecting entrepreneurs with top organizations to cultivate growth and create future business opportunities. Partnerships include FedEx, British Airways, Franklin Covey Organization Services, HubSpot, Inc., Office Depot, and Grand & Toy to name a few!
Working with an organization like EO can help you to expand your business and increase revenues. Part of their core values is to develop a thirst for learning that leads to an open mind within business. EO also challenges conventional thinking and encourages all members to make their mark within their communities.
Building Integrity
As you build your business, creating and sustaining integrity is essential. A mentor can help you to develop strong integrity within your business. Having integrity is the ability to act with honesty in whatever it is that you are doing based on a moral, value, or belief that you hold. Some of the most successful businesses have upheld the highest standard of integrity by showing their consistency and honesty in what they are doing. With a mentor by your side, you can begin to develop stronger values about your business and put concrete definitions in place.
