Entrepreneurship can be lonely. Being entirely responsible for driving success while learning to be an expert in all business disciplines can be rough. For many entrepreneurs, the old expression “You don’t know what you don’t know” comes into play. For most business owners that have been mentored they say the experience has been invaluable.
A mentor is a person who agrees to coach entrepreneurs through the startup process by leveraging their own knowledge and experience. There is a lot of value in having a sounding board to talk through a plan before it’s executed. With an objective voice of reason, fatal mistakes can be averted. If entrepreneurs are open and actively listen, they can learn from their mentor’s experience instead.
Many entrepreneurs feel pressured into making timely decisions and instead make emotional decisions rather than rational ones. In business, not only should founders have the ability to be leaders, but also to understand their Emotional Intelligence. More experienced business owners or mentors can reassure an entrepreneur by helping to guide them to better solutions. They can also help new entrepreneurs understand and manage their emotions separately from their business. Entrepreneurs and small business owners often have difficulty dealing with failures or disappointments and mentors can help them to rebound more quickly with support.
To read more about the benefits of having a mentor, click here.
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Jody Prisbrey 