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I just wondering, do you have mentors when doing startup? And how do you find them? I read a book titled "One Minute Entrepreneurship", it said that a person won't offer to be our mentor, but we need to ask them to become our mentor. What do you think ? To be honest, If a person is a successful person, he/she must be quite busy, is it possible if they want to become our mentor ? |
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Good mentors don't have the time but they are usually willing to make the time under appropriate conditions. Search this site (top right) for 'mentor'. There's some really good answers to past questions on this topic. |
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It depends. On the whole you're right mentors are busy people. On the other hand, one of the inclinations of Entrepreneurs who are successful is to help other entrepreneurs. For instance, a couple of months ago I saw Mitch Kapor not only sit on a panel and answer questions, but stay afterwards and answer questions from tens of people. And the answers or this site are themselves a form of mentorship. To improve your chances of finding a mentor, you need to demonstrate that you are serious about what you're doing and you're respectful of their time. You should never ask a mentor about something that you can figure out on your own by looking it up on Google. |
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Don't just look for "mentors". Actually, look for mentors after peers. One of the greatest (and easier) things I've ever done is establish a small group of like peers that meets regularly once a month, with the expressed purpose of experience sharing. Find up to 7-9 people in a company of similar size and age, but not necessarily in the same industry or market. What one person has solved will soon be your own issue, and vice versa. You can find these through contacts, LinkedIn groups (either established or start your own), and attending local seminars and meetings. Mentors solved it all... a (possibly long) time ago. Peers have recently solved or are solving it now... but maybe incorrectly. Pick your poison! :) PS: The reason the peering approach is much easier and more available is that the win-win is mutual and the same. |
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