As a business owner, you will often hear that you need this or that, and it’s hard to determine which things you truly need and which are just “good to have.” However, when it comes to needing advice, it’s inevitable that there will come a time when you will want to hear the words of someone who has already had experience in owning a company and can help you out. Now, you may think, can’t friends, family, online publications, and forums give enough information about how to go about owning a company? While all of these resources can give you information on your industry, recent development, and opportunities, nothing can replace the kind of wisdom that a business mentor can provide you with on an ongoing basis.
The generic advice you can find online can only go so far, and this is precisely where good business mentoring comes to take over. It is what can get your company to grow and have a direct, positive impact on the decision you make as the head of the organization.
If you still feel like you don’t have enough knowledge of business mentoring to take it seriously, continue reading this article. We will be talking about how to find a good business mentor, its benefits, and of course, where you can find such a person if you’re in the Melbourne, Florida area.
Let’s kick things off.
What a Business Mentor is and What to Look for in One
A business mentor is someone who has more business experience than you and so can be a trusted confidante to you for an extended period of time. Usually, this is free of charge and is done by people who volunteer to become mentors.
Does this sound a little too good to be true? Well, you need to know that being a business mentor to someone can be a terrific way to give back to your community, as your guidance and advice can help someone create something that makes a positive impact on society. Along with that, many business owners become mentors in order to advance their own skills as managers, teachers, coaches, or consultants. Additionally, you need to remember that such a relationship works both ways – as a mentor, you may also learn more about new strategies, ideas, and tactics from your mentee.
When looking for a business mentor, there are a few things you need to specifically look for. Let’s see what they are.
Someone Who’s a Good Fit for You
If you’re just starting out, you need to look for someone who has a ton of experience and a broad range of business knowledge. But beyond that, you need to make sure that you genuinely like this person and that you have a working chemistry. A good tip to remember is to not rush into things; don’t settle for the first mentor with a good resume. Instead, look for someone you enjoy talking to, who, in the best-case scenario, is good at the things you’re bad at.
For example, if you love looking at reports and analyzing data, but you find it difficult to have conversations with salespeople and employees, then look for someone who’s great at communication and can help you improve.
Someone Who Has Enough Time
It’s always a good idea to look for someone who has a lot of experience but is currently not in the whirlwind of the business world. That way, he will have the time to meet with you regularly and give you enough attention. On the other hand, if you find someone who is also putting fires out every day, then it will be hard for you to find the time to talk, and it will be even harder for that person to concentrate on you and your issues when he’s dealing with his own.
Someone Who’s a Good Listener
Your mentor isn’t there to make decisions for you. Instead, his role is to help you think through the challenges you’re going through and find answers on your own. That’s how you will become better.
In a way, a good mentor is like a good therapist – someone who can guide you along the journey without giving you direct answers or trying to push his way onto you.
Someone Who Will Treat You Like an Equal
Remember, you’re not out there looking for a teacher. Instead, you want someone who will sit in your corner and give you advice when you need it. However, some mentors opt to take the role of a teacher or a boss – someone who tries to manage you, push his ideas on to you, etc.
That’s not the purpose of the mentor role – that’s why you need to be extra careful when choosing that person. You want someone who will think of you as a partner, a friend, or a co-worker.
Someone That’s Positive
One of the main purposes of the mentor role is to give you a confidence boost – that you can do it, that you have the right tools, that it’s really all up to you; you just need a little push. Look for someone who’s positive and can give you feedback in a way that you really understand and truly motivates you.
A mentor should be a supporter, a cheerleader, and someone who gives you a way to get back your confidence after you’ve had a setback.
Where You Can Find One in Melbourne, Florida?
If you’re in the Melbourne, Florida area and you’re looking for a business mentor, there are a few places where you can find one. Below, we will mention some of the companies which do business mentoring and which we believe are great places to start a great partnership.
Central Florida SCORE
Central Florida SCORE is a non-profit organization that’s dedicated its resources to helping and educating entrepreneurs, as well as helping small businesses and start-ups grow and succeed. The organization does so by offering three distinct types of help:
- Organizing workshops and events that you can attend for low cost to no cost at all. These events typically aim to educate business owners on topics such as marketing, finance, management, and different business trends that we see today.
- Giving access to a variety of tools and resources, such as blogs, guides, and templates. SCORE has an entire library on its website, where you can browse to get the latest in small business trends and strategies.
- Free mentoring – SCORE gives you access to free, confidential business advice that you can get from people who have already proven themselves in the industry. This feature is available both in their mentoring locations and online, so you can attend wherever you are.
Along with that, if you feel like you could help out, SCORE has a volunteer program where you can apply to start helping out other small business owners such as yourself.
weVENTURE
weVENTURE is a unique organization with a mission to help out female entrepreneurs and other business owners. They provide a variety of services and programs such as online entrepreneurial modules, business education workshops, and seminars that help business owners and entrepreneurs grow and launch their own companies.
Some of weVENTURE’s renowned programs include
IGNITE 360 Business Mentoring Program – This business program aims to help owners and entrepreneurs with resources, knowledge, and relationships that enable them to solve critical business problems and advance their companies to the next level. IGNITE 360 has four distinct programs, each dedicated to a specific group:
- IGNITE 360 Pathways is a business development course for aspiring entrepreneurs. It’s designed to help its participants get organized and enable them to launch their new business idea. It’s a fantastic program for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to ask questions, talk about different challenges and benefit from having accountability.
- IGNITE 360 Transition is designed specifically for organizations and leaders who need to have a strategy before they consider growing. It’s a three-step mentoring program that provides business owners with resources and accountability, thus supporting them through the transition phase of their business.
- IGNITE 360 Advantage is for business owners committed to growth. An experienced facilitator leads it, and business owners are able to work with an advisory board of subject matter experts and mentors who can help them define and manage all the changes needed for successful growth.
- IGNITE 360 Premier is for all of those large companies who want to undergo a transformation. The program takes leaders on a six-month journey that helps instill a strategic mindset towards their specific business. The idea behind the program is to give leaders clarity and focus so that they’re certain of where they want to take their company, both short and long term.
Overall, the IGNITE 360 program has something for anyone – from experienced leaders to aspiring entrepreneurs.
Women’s Business Center – Business Coaching Program – a no-cost, one-on-one consultation program that provides women with networking opportunities with other business owners and entrepreneurs in Brevard, Indian River, and St. Lucie counties. Its main idea is to help business owners by giving them access to one-on-one counseling sessions with renowned business coaches and trained volunteers who can provide feedback and support.
Athena Leadership Series – This program focuses on helping build the next group of female leaders through a deeper dive into the eight principles of enlightened leadership.
Peer Groups – Peer groups are made to help out CEOs and senior staff excel at what they do. This program was created for female executives who want to become more effective business leaders.
Groundswell Startups
Groundswell is a skatepark-turned-coworking space founded by three serial entrepreneurs who wanted to see more start-ups develop in the area. Currently, it hosts more than 30 events every year and is a place where business owners can connect, share ideas and thrive. Along with that, Groundswell Startups offers
- In-house 3D printing prototyping, which helps business owners create their first product prototypes by collaborating with incredible designers and getting feedback from the Groundswell community. It’s also highly affordable, and Groundswell members get a special rate.
- Idea Stage Accelerators is a partnership between Groundswell Startups and StarterStudio that aims to utilize StarterStudio’s well-known, results-driven curriculum, along with Groundswell’s diverse network of mentors and subject matter experts, to create a program that will inspire entrepreneurs to take risks, uncover their potential, test ideas and take action.
Groundswell Startups is a terrific place to meet like-minded people, connect with other business owners, and potentially start partnerships with businesses that complement yours.
Benefits of Business Mentoring
Now that you know what to look for in a mentor and where to find one in the Melbourne, Florida area, let’s talk a bit more about the benefits of having someone support you in that role.
You Get a Different Perspective
Business mentors can help you take a different look at problems or particular situations so that you can find a solution. Sometimes, you’re so stuck in your own ways that you forget to look at things from a different perspective – that’s why it’s great to have someone remind you to do so.
You Have Someone to Vent To
Owning a business can be hard. There are days when you just want to shout into a pillow and not go to work. That’s why it’s great to have someone you trust who can listen to you as you vent about your current challenges. Once the venting is done, though, a mentor is someone who can help you start looking for solutions and come up with a plan to face your issues.
Gives You Confidence
Good mentors can give you the needed boost of confidence to make a decision in difficult business circumstances. Similarly, they will be the first ones to praise you when you make good decisions. That’s how you will start to trust yourself, your knowledge, and your expertise more so that you’re able to make key business moves in the future confidently.
You Can Improve Key Skills
If your mentor is good at the things you presume to be your weaknesses, then that collaboration is a chance for you to learn more and improve the skills you have or gain skills you completely lack. A good relationship between mentee and mentor is a learning curve at all times, as you both give each other bits and pieces of valuable knowledge.
You Can Expand Your Network
Having a relationship with someone who has been in the business world for longer and has more connections is a great way to meet new people and expand your network. You have to remember that the more people you meet, the larger your network gets and the bigger the chance for you to meet someone who can help you solve problems or with whom you can establish a partnership in the future. A good mentor is a doorway into a world full of like-minded, driven people who could potentially become reliable partners.
Final Thoughts
We’ve come to the end of our tell-all article on business mentoring, but if you don’t have one yet, this is just the beginning of an exciting journey to find an exceptional mentor. Hopefully, you took some information away or are inspired to find your next mentor. Do you already have an awesome mentor? Write to us about it on Instagram or LinkedIn; we would love to hear about the impact they have had on your life.