Benefits of Having a Mentor

The benefits of having a mentor can be seen over and again. You may remember our article about finding a mentor that we posted a couple of months ago. However you may be in a position where you are not sure whether or not you would have any use for one right now. Let me tell you now, if you are in business, then yes you do! Let me explain why...

So you’ve set up your business, you’re beginning to make some moves… let me ask you this:

Is your goal to struggle? Take the long road? Be an island of your own?

NO?

Then you need a mentor! And you need one now…..

What are the benefits of having a Mentor?

1. Usually, your mentor has already been through what you might be going through and they have more experience. You can benefit from learning from their trials and tribulations and the experience they have gained, basically a way of almost fool proofing your endeavours by taking the advice from someone who’s already made the mistakes!

2. Why not take advantage and give yourself the edge with the support and guidance of a mentor. Whether you need advice or a sounding board, a mentor can inspire and guide you- if you’re a start-up then you’re probably on your own 95% of the time, how creative and valuable do you think you are all alone? You need a mentor to bounce ideas off of, and wouldn’t it be great if the person you were bouncing these ideas off of WASN’T your mum but a seasoned professional who’s seen it all before?

3. You have better chances of success. If you want to achieve success faster and with less effort, finding a mentor might be your best option, they can fast track certain processes for you simply by utilising THEIR contacts and relationships, they’ll also advise you on projects/endeavours that are a waste of time….what could be better?

4. Having a mentor in your business gives you someone to model. Hopefully the person you choose to model is successful at what they do. You definitely want to listen to someone who has what you want to have in your life- this will also help you to aspire to be better, work harder and ultimately aim to ‘beat’ your mentors work ethic, hours, profile etc. This person will make you accountable.

Will having a mentor mean guaranteed success?

NO - of course it doesn’t, you can have the best mentor behind you but if you aren’t ready and willing to do the work, it won’t make a difference. If you want to be a successful person like the mentor you choose to work with then you need to BE the successful person first, then you will do what successful people do, and ultimately have what successful people have.

Here are a couple things my mentor, trainer and life coach Johnnie Cass has taught me:

=> Get good at self-observation I’ve got to be more self-aware and notice how I respond to adversity. When I encounter things I don’t understand, or do things I’ve never done, what goes through my mind or my emotions, how can I react BETTER to these situations and ensure I don’t get overwhelmed, scared or worse- decline opportunities based on these emotions.

=> I must know what excites me This is crucial if I’m going to do what I love and get better at it, trying to engineer these moments and putting myself forward for the situations that excite me will ultimately position me as an expert, enable me to thrive and build my confidence every day.

=> Am I afraid to invest in my business? Do I have the mindset “I won’t spend money in my business until I’m making money? This is not how successful people build business- it’s all about the risk taking, and that’s scary, but facing fear is a necessary part of being a successful entrepreneur.

Here is something Johnnie recently said on a call:

If you choose today to be a successful person, you will do the things that successful people do and you will have the results, don’t wait to start. Begin today.

I did - will you?