Finding the right business mentor is critical and can be made easy. The success of your business can rest on the coaching that you get, and your finances can rise and fall with food and bad advice. A combination of preparation and simple approaches to selecting the most suitable mentor for you will help ensure that your business mentor provides long term benefits for you and your business.
An outside perspective - 'can't see the wood for the trees' is an old expression which sums up why business owners need a mentor. When we're in the business every day doing the work it's difficult to step back and take the helicopter view of how things are going. A business mentor can come in and analyse the business as they are not involved every day. They can spot things that the owners cannot see (a bit like never being able to see the salt that's right in front of you on the dinner table).
Accountability - the main steps in mentoring are to identify the issues/areas to improve, put a plan in place and ensure that the plan is implemented. Most mentor assignments that I take on with clients last 3-6 months. Putting a plan in place is the easier part of this process. Making sure the changes are made can be a bigger challenge. This is where the mentor plays a key role as the business owner gets 'homework' to do and knows that the mentor will be along again soon to review this work.
Expert knowledge - most owner/managers worked in the business as a haidresser or architect before starting their own business. They will have picked up other skills along the way but there may be some gaps in their knowledge. Many mentors will have experience of finance, sales, marketing, strategy, HR etc. so they can help plug any knowledge gaps that the owner may have.
A second opinion - quite often business owners know what to do or have a good idea of the next step but they are not 100% convinced that it's the way to go, so they don't proceed. Discussing it with a mentor often helps them realise that it's the right move and it gives them the confidence to go ahead. Being in business can be a lonely place and it may be difficult to discuss things with staff or a partner or friends.especially in tough economic times, it can be difficult sometimes to keep motivated. Part of the role of a mentor is to encourage the owner, highlight the positives and reassure them that they have a great business. This can be invaluable support for any business owner.
By reading this article you will be able to implement immediate action steps to help you achieve your ultimate goal of becoming a home business coach.Think about the kind of leader that you are attracted to. Make a list of all the things you like about that leader/ home business coach. Be very specific. Ask yourself if you have those same characteristics and behaviors. If not, you'll want to begin living your life in such a way that you do.Developing characteristics and behaviors of leaders and you moving into the arena of home business coaching begins with your mindset. No surprise there. See yourself as the home business mentor you want to be and then begin to act like that person.Here are 10 tips that you can begin and implement right now to put you on the road to help you meet your goal sooner, rather than later.
Picking a business mentor is a long term decision, so taking these steps is a good investment for you and your business. Importantly your investment is one of time rather than money. Once you have identified someone who you feel can really help you, ask them how they propose to work with you and at that point be clear to them about your budget. Having followed this process it is likely that you and your preferred mentor will find a way to work together that suits both parties as well as your budget. The art of haggling lives on in these kind of personal negotiations, try your luck on.
An outside perspective - 'can't see the wood for the trees' is an old expression which sums up why business owners need a mentor. When we're in the business every day doing the work it's difficult to step back and take the helicopter view of how things are going. A business mentor can come in and analyse the business as they are not involved every day. They can spot things that the owners cannot see (a bit like never being able to see the salt that's right in front of you on the dinner table).
Accountability - the main steps in mentoring are to identify the issues/areas to improve, put a plan in place and ensure that the plan is implemented. Most mentor assignments that I take on with clients last 3-6 months. Putting a plan in place is the easier part of this process. Making sure the changes are made can be a bigger challenge. This is where the mentor plays a key role as the business owner gets 'homework' to do and knows that the mentor will be along again soon to review this work.
Expert knowledge - most owner/managers worked in the business as a haidresser or architect before starting their own business. They will have picked up other skills along the way but there may be some gaps in their knowledge. Many mentors will have experience of finance, sales, marketing, strategy, HR etc. so they can help plug any knowledge gaps that the owner may have.
A second opinion - quite often business owners know what to do or have a good idea of the next step but they are not 100% convinced that it's the way to go, so they don't proceed. Discussing it with a mentor often helps them realise that it's the right move and it gives them the confidence to go ahead. Being in business can be a lonely place and it may be difficult to discuss things with staff or a partner or friends.especially in tough economic times, it can be difficult sometimes to keep motivated. Part of the role of a mentor is to encourage the owner, highlight the positives and reassure them that they have a great business. This can be invaluable support for any business owner.
By reading this article you will be able to implement immediate action steps to help you achieve your ultimate goal of becoming a home business coach.Think about the kind of leader that you are attracted to. Make a list of all the things you like about that leader/ home business coach. Be very specific. Ask yourself if you have those same characteristics and behaviors. If not, you'll want to begin living your life in such a way that you do.Developing characteristics and behaviors of leaders and you moving into the arena of home business coaching begins with your mindset. No surprise there. See yourself as the home business mentor you want to be and then begin to act like that person.Here are 10 tips that you can begin and implement right now to put you on the road to help you meet your goal sooner, rather than later.
Picking a business mentor is a long term decision, so taking these steps is a good investment for you and your business. Importantly your investment is one of time rather than money. Once you have identified someone who you feel can really help you, ask them how they propose to work with you and at that point be clear to them about your budget. Having followed this process it is likely that you and your preferred mentor will find a way to work together that suits both parties as well as your budget. The art of haggling lives on in these kind of personal negotiations, try your luck on.
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