Business can be a lonely game. Often it’s all you can think about, day in, day out, but yet you may know nobody who wants to talk about it with you. You may find your wife or husband’s eyes glaze over when you start talking about the staff again, your mates don’t understand your issue with your suppliers and even the dog howls when you start on the complaining customer. Not only is it frustrating being the only one focused on your business or the performance of your team, it also hampers progress. You start feeling like one of those hamsters in a wheel – and before long you’re operating like one too, going around and around in circles and achieving not much.
You need to get off that wheel and clamber to the top of your cage, away from all activity, to where you can get a bird’s eye view of your business and what needs changing or improving. Better still – you need someone to stand beside you up there.
Having a mentor or a business coach can be business changing. It gives you someone to bounce ideas off, someone who can offer you advice or knowledge to set you on the right track, someone who challenges your thinking, someone who has experience in the very area you’re having problems with. A good mentor or business coach will make you want to improve every day – they’ll be inspiring, they’ll motivate you and they’ll keep you accountable. If all you know is all you know, you’re not going to be able to change your business. But if you find someone who knows a heck of a lot in an area you’re struggling with, who can help you, guide you and point you in the right direction, you’re closer to being a success in that area.
Click here to see the expertise a business coach like Zac de Silva can offer you.
Always ask for help in areas you’re not strong in. Instead of labouring over your social media, fretting over what to post and then spending too much time on implementing it, get someone who can do it – and do it well – in a flash. Having issues with getting new sales in? Look at your marketing collateral. Refine your sales process. Ask someone in the know where you’re going wrong.
My point is: don’t waste your precious time going round in round in circles when all it may take is one discussion with someone who knows what they’re talking about to set you on the right path. Not many people are clever on all aspects of business – some people are creative but not great with numbers, some may know how to sell ice creams to eskimos but struggle with marketing. Find someone who has complementary strengths to you.
Get a mentor. Get a business coach.
For business coaching in Auckland or New Zealand, talk to Business Changing. Check our testimonials for what our 100+ clients say about us. We’ll challenge you, help you, guide you and take you to the next level. zac@businesschanging.com. Still not convinced? See what Richard Branson told entrepreaneur.com about the importance of having a business mentor:
No matter how smart you are, or how brilliant or disruptive your business concept might be, every entrepreneur needs a good mentor. Someone, somewhere, has already been through what you are experiencing right now, and he has come out the other side armed with invaluable insights.
In fact, the difference between a budding entrepreneur who merely shows promise and one who is already enjoying some success often comes down to mentoring. Good advice can be just as crucial as funding in the early stages of an enterprise.
The need for a mentor is obvious, yet seeking one out can be quite difficult and daunting. How do you find the right person?
There are many different routes, some which I have described in previous columns. Often, you have to do some research. Try going to industry events like lunches, seminars, talks and conferences. Join community groups — your local chamber of commerce is a great place to start. Chambers of commerce often host networking events and meetings that bring beginning entrepreneurs and successful businesspeople together. Talk to people, listen to their stories and pursue further meetings with those whom you can learn from.
Another great place to find a potential mentor’s name is online. Look for sector– or industry-specific events and groups on Facebook; subscribe to useful newsletters; follow interesting or relevant individuals from your region on Twitter or LinkedIn; then get in touch and ask questions — just like you can with me.
Be sure that you choose someone who has experience and connections within your area and level of business. If you’re a budding entrepreneur in, say, the building and home repair industry, you shouldn’t waste your time trying to court a senior executive at a multinational engineering company. Focus on finding someone who has started a venture that’s similar to yours, and who understands the trials and tribulations of building a business in that area.
Keep in mind that an adviser who offers his time in return for compensation is not the same thing as a mentor. While advisers and consultants can be very helpful, true mentors are effective partly because they are only interested in helping others succeed.
If you don’t yet have someone in mind who might fit the bill, make a list of successful people in your community. Is there someone on that list whom you admire and respect? Ask her to lunch, to coffee, or simply ask for 30 minutes of her time to chat.
When you do decide to approach someone, make sure that you don’t go in blind – know what you want to ask. Explain what excites you about your service or product, be honest about your fears, and ask for feedback.
It is rarely a good idea to make a hard and formal request for mentoring upfront, like “Will you be my mentor?” Such relationships blossom on their own. A mentor-mentee relationship takes time to grow, so start by asking for simple advice on one project or problem, and move on from there.
When you do locate a good mentor, he will serve as an example, a sounding board and, ultimately, a friend. Done well, mentorship is rewarding for both of you. It’s important to nurture the relationship, so find fun ways to meet regularly, even without a business agenda.
Mentoring has had such a profound impact on my life and Virgin’s success that I feel it’s paramount to any promising businessperson’s journey. As I have written before, I attribute much of the success of Virgin Atlantic to my relationship with my own mentor, Sir Freddie Laker, the founder of Laker Airways. I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere in the airline industry without Freddie’s down-to-earth wisdom. He was actually the one who told me to make myself the face of the company – a piece of advice that has influenced my entire approach to business.
If you are in a position to share the skills you have learned, you should give back by becoming a mentor yourself. Finding success is hard work, and entrepreneurs could use a little help along the way.
As the American businessman Zig Ziglar once said: “A lot of people have gone further than they thought they could because someone else thought they could.” So get out there and find the right mentor to help you along the path to success.
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