A Mentor is Worth a Thousand Lessons
Welcome to Issue #3 of The Unstoppable Entrepreneur
Read Time: 3.5 minutes
Before we get into the topic of this week’s newsletter I have a couple of announcements…
I have finalized the title to my upcoming book.
Grow: 12 Unconventional Lessons for Becoming an Unstoppable Entrepreneur
The book drops in March (T-minus 112 days).
Stay tuned in the coming weeks for book launch event details, promotions and contests.
Now, let’s jump into it.
A mentor is worth a thousand lessons.
People who mentor have experience. Not only that, they’ve gone down the path you’re on before you. In fact, they may have created that path.
Mentors have scars for precisely that reason. They’ve cleared the way, and it’s cost them mentally, and even physically.
Having a mentor, therefore, means that you listen and learn from these stories. You don't need to know all the answers when you start because you have someone by your side who has been on that journey before, and they’ve got a map. And you can bypass hundreds of little barriers along your way. Benefitting from a mentorship is being able to seek out answers before you fall down.
Failure in lots of small ways is inevitable and, if you’re lucky, not fatal to your business. That's part of the process, and part of the fun of being an entrepreneur: all start-ups are a trial-and-error game. The most important thing is to know where to look for answers when you're asking questions.
But here’s another thing to really understand: mentors are everywhere. There’s not just one perfect mentor waiting for you to find them. In fact, you can look for, and find, mentors where and when you need them. Mentors can be temporary or permanent. You can learn by asking a single question in the right place at the right time.
To start honing your mentor-finding skills, you have to start with yourself. In fact, the whole mentoring process is about self-reflection. All of us have strengths and weaknesses that we can operationalize. If you start to think about the tasks that need to be done in your business, you can put them into words, almost like a job description. Then, as an entrepreneur, you can think about the things you really love to do and are good at doing. Where are the gaps? Maybe you’re fantastic at creating pitch decks, but you’re having trouble with your spreadsheets.
Map out a mini SWOT analysis about your own life.
Think about these questions;
Are you mindful of your own personal strengths and weaknesses?
What life and business experiences do you bring to the journey, and what are you missing?
Are you missing experience in any of the big four business skills: sales, marketing, operations, or finance? What’s standing in your way?
What skills do you need to bolster your own experience with?
What opportunities do you have to look for that you need to get started? Where are mentors already present in your life? Where might you find people in your field?
When I was going through my own entrepreneurial journey, I sought out people who ultimately became my mentors and advisory board members. I knew I had some financial skills, but to get into operations I had to ask a lot of questions, at first to industry experts I didn’t know. As I found my footing in operations, I knew I needed to connect with leaders in sales and marketing so that I could get my product into a broader market. Each of these people had skills specific to the discipline that I was trying to learn. There are some people who embody all of these skills, but it can be easier to seek out what you need when you need it.
A mass mentorship approach is also a really good way to get what you need quickly. I’m talking about listening to podcasts with experts in your field (like the Founder to Mentor Podcast), downloading free resources (like at www.fatafleishman.org), and getting yourself to industry events and conferences where people who are excited about their ideas want to talk shop.
Don’t stop asking questions. Give yourself permission to step right into a conversation and show interest in what others are doing. You won’t find an answer unless you’re willing to be curious, every step of the way. Discover what’s inspiring about people in your industry community and follow their leads.
Finding a mentor isn’t about finding someone to help you.
It’s about learning about yourself, building awareness around what you need and want, and showing up to places where you’re going to get access to skill-building.
It all starts when you realize that you need help, you understand what’s important to your business, and then you show up ready to learn.
Your mentors are out there. Introduce yourself.
I hope you enjoyed the read and are ready to take mentorship to the next level.
Until next time.
Let’s Grow!
Here are 3 other ways I can help you grow:
Work with me 1:1 to grow your business.
Listen to my Founder to Mentor podcast.
Get my free mentorship growth tools at www.fatafleishman.org.
Connect with me
