The Often Subtle Ways Having a Mentor Can Improve Your Business

Let’s face it – starting a company is an undertaking in and of itself, let alone keeping it afloat. Whether a small start-up or a seasoned firm, no business succeeds and innovates without putting in the work to overcome challenges, expected and unexpected alike. Met with obstacles, it’s sometimes tempting for proprietors to employ the old-fashioned trial-and-error method, but sole reliance on one’s own knowledge of business-building can be detrimental to a company’s performance. Rather than letting pride get in the way of long-term success, having a mentor might just be the best way to ensure the longevity of a business, particularly if you’re facing roadblocks that might be a bit out of your realm of expertise.

While some of the benefits of having a business mentor are evident, here we’ve compiled a short list of not-so-obvious yet equally important ways a business mentor can give you and your enterprise an edge.

Boosting Confidence

Confidence is key. Or, more to the point, confidence sells. And there are few places that adage rings truer than in the boardroom. Your idea playbook might be brimming with brilliance, but if your pitch lacks conviction, you might just see investors turning their heads the other way. More and more is being written on self-confidence, much of which indicates our personal limits are determined largely by what we believe them to be. The good news is that recent research also reveals that, given the will, we can rewire our own brain’s behavior at just about any age. A business mentor can help you generate that desire by providing well-informed praise, which can enable you to see yourself and your decisions as business-savvy. What’s more, many of the larger, more apparent paybacks to having a small business mentor (e.g. expert advice, networking, skill development) will, in time, lead to a greater belief in your own abilities as an entrepreneur and subsequently, the aura you emanate towards your investors and employees.

Teaching How To Lay Off Employees

One of the less desirable aspects of owning a business can be having to let someone go. According to Forbes it’s also absolutely vital to know how to do it well. But laying off an employee appropriately requires a set of skills that go beyond planning bottom lines and drafting budgets. It’s a fundamentally social act. A good business mentor knows this, and is thus able to help prepare you to effectively have that uncomfortable and awkward conversation. They can share anecdotes from other businesses or clients, can set up a mock dismissal, and can give insider tips on the most effective and essential words and phrases to use. They can also provide suggestions toward effective hiring practices, which may cut down the number of times you have to actually sit someone down to “have the talk”, and the hours of sleep you’re losing over it.

Acting As A Trustworthy Listener

In moments of stress, it can be vital to have an outlet for venting. But doing so to employees, clients, or partners can often weaken the business structure and erode trust. By having a small business mentor, you are opening yourself up, not just to their ideas and advice, but also their ears. Mentors can act as a sounding board, helping you through difficult decisions by ensuring that your frustrations are understood and considered objectively. Additionally, once a mentor hears your concerns in full, they can then begin to most effectively guide you toward appropriate solutions. You should never have to wonder about what questions to ask a business mentor, rather, your small business mentor should be asking questions of you. Research proves businesses thrive when their owners openly share their worries with mentors and reliable individuals, but before one can ask a business mentor, they must first know how to find a business mentor.

At Mothership, Masterful Mentorship Awaits You

Building the business of your dreams takes time, but it doesn’t have to take as long as you think. At

Mothership, our team has the talent and know-how to help you crush your goals, and get on the road to

becoming a full-fledged entrepreneur. If you’re feeling lost in the entrepreneurial world and are unsure of how to find a business mentor, it’s time you checked out our vast array of business services today! Aside from simply offering business mentors for startups, we are a turnkey solution for larger firms as well. To book a consultation, call us at (833) 257-8633 or complete our online contact form.