An important part of succeeding as an entrepreneur is finding someone who will keep you focused throughout your journey. There are many factors that you should consider when picking a mentor. These range from the individual’s personality to his or her professional and life achievements. Issa Asad, a Florida-based entrepreneur and CEO of Q Link Wireless and Quadrant Holdings, says there are 3 kinds of mentors that every entrepreneur should have.
Here is Issa Asad’s list: Entrepreneurs should have these 3 kinds of mentors.
1. Someone Who Knew You Before Your Business
This could be an old neighbor or someone you went to the same school or church with. These are usually family members or people from your hometown or high school. Such a mentor will be able to compare the present you with how they knew you a while back. A mentor who knew you before you dove into the world of startups would go a long way in reminding you to stay focused. Their input will be tailor made for you because they offer advice based on your entire life. He or she can encourage you to take some time and cool off when things are too intense. Ideally, this type of mentor should be someone who does not share your type of profession or entrepreneurial background. This means that your discussions with him or her will not be centered on business.
2. Someone with a Skill Set Similar to Yours
This is an individual who faces the challenges that you do. You skill sets do not have to be identical, but should be similar enough to allow him or her to offer advice or ideas from your professional point of view. Since this mentor will probably have the same level of experience as you, it would be advisable to get as many of them as possible. This will help neutralize their relative inexperience and increase your chances of getting advice that will actually help you grow your venture. Look around for a group of such mentors and make a point to contact them regularly. Such a group will not be difficult to find, since most people of the same entrepreneurial levels tend to group together to exchange ideas.
3. Someone You Don’t Particularly Love Working With
A mentor who constantly keeps you on your toes, and is not afraid to give you negative feedback will help you fine-tune your ability to talk to your stakeholders and maintain their trust.
A big part of becoming a successful entrepreneur is learning to talk to different types of people. From the very moment you decide to embark on your venture, you will need to find a partner to share all the start up risks with you. Convincing anyone to follow you into the unknown will take a lot of persuasion. Later on, you will need to find someone to invest into your venture. Since it is not advisable to fund your venture completely from your own savings, you will need to find and convince another person to trust you with their hard-earned money in something that is mostly untested.
