How to choose the right business mentor

 

Want to know how to choose the right business mentor for you and your business? Maybe you’ve decided that you want to invest in hiring a business mentor and are now overwhelmed with the options. Choosing a business mentor isn’t something to take lightly and in this blog post I’m going to share what you should be considering when deciding who to hire as your business mentor. Keep on reading to find out how to choose the right business mentor for you and your business.   

 

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HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT BUSINESS MENTOR FOR YOU AND YOUR BUSINESS

 

Before delving into how to choose the right business mentor I want to first highlight that when looking for one-to-one support for your business you have a number of options. You can hire a business mentor, business consultant, business coach, business strategist, business advisor and probably business [insert something else. I talk further about the differences between a business mentor and business coach here. The main thing is to not get overwhelmed with the titles but get clear on what you want to happen as a result of working with the person.  

 

For the purposes of this blog post I’m discussing how to choose the right business mentor with you are hiring, aka paying, someone to be your mentor. Some people will have unofficial business mentors or get free mentors through schemes. This is not the type of mentoring I’m discussing in this blog post. 

 

Now that we are clear on that I’m going to share how to choose the right business mentor for you and your business.  

 

1. Get clear on your goals 

Business mentors come in many different forms and can help with many different things. The clearer you are about what you want to achieve through being the mentored the easier it will be to ensure that you choose the right person. Are you wanting to increase sales, improve your profit margin, introduce new offerings, refine your marketing, streamline your operations, increase brand awareness, move into new markets? Another important thing to consider is your business stage. Are you wanting to start, grow or scale a business? 

 

Write down what your goals are from being mentored and then during the hiring process you can ensure that your mentor will be able to help you with those things.  

 

LOOKING FOR A BUSINESS MENTOR TO HELP GROW OR SCALE YOUR ONLINE SERVICE-BASED BUSINESS?  I offer 1-to-1 mentoring services to solo coaches, consultants and online services providers. If that is you, then you can find out more about my business and marketing mentoring services here.

 

2. Decide what your ideal working relationship would be like 

Business mentors work in lots of different ways so in addition to knowing what you want to achieve in your time it is important to understand how you would like the mentoring to work? Would you like to meet in-person, online or a mix? Are you happy to have fixed times when you speak to your business mentor or do you want more flexibility than that? Would you like additional support outside of sessions and if so would you like to be able to speak to them or would you prefer to send emails/messages?  

 

How long would you like to work with a mentor for? Are you looking for someone to work with for 3 months, 6 months, a year or even more. Business mentors will over different packages and if you know what you would ideally like it will help you to choose the right business mentor for you. 

 

There are no right or wrong answers. It is about thinking about your preferred working and learning style. For example, I offer a 6-month mentoring programme. My clients have pre-scheduled sessions with me, but they also have Voxer access in between. I specialise in supporting solopreneurs so I know that they are working by themselves and will often have no one else to talk about their business. Having Voxer access means that in the moment where questions come up, and would stop them from moving forward, they are able to ask, get an answer and keep on moving.  To find out more about my mentoring programme click here.

 

3. What experience, skills, qualifications and values would you like your business mentor to have 

What experience, skills or qualifications would you like your business mentor to have? Do you want them to have experience with a business that is exactly the same as yours and if so, how much experience? 

 

Maybe in Step 1 you identified your goals and there were specific aspects of running your business that you wanted to cover. Does your mentor have experience, skills and / or qualifications in those areas? Do you want someone who is qualified in their area of expertise or are you happy for them to just have first-hand experience? 

 

Given that business mentoring can happen online, and you can get a business mentor from another country you should also consider whether your business mentor needs to be based in your country or not. If they are based in your country do they need to have experience, or a working knowledge, of running businesses that sell in the countries you are selling in? 

 

Are there any values that are important to you and that you’d like to your mentor to also believe in. Values impact decision making so finding someone who understands and respects your values is key.  

 

4. Research and create a shortlist of possible business mentors 

At this point you’ve done the necessary thinking about why you want a business mentor, what you want to happen and what you would like them to be like. Now it is time to do some research, find possible mentors and make a shortlist.  

 

To start finding possible mentors you can search online and ask other business owners for recommendations. There isn’t a shortage of business mentors in the world, so the likelihood is you’ll quickly find a number of options.  

 

At that stage it is time to start shortlisting. Use the answers to your previous questions to see who appears to be a good match for you.  

 

5. Talk to your potential business mentor 

Maybe on your shortlist there is someone that you think will be perfect business mentor or it might be that there are a few options that all seem good. Before signing up with anyone I would always recommend having a conversation with them.  

 

Conversations are central to business mentoring so you want to ensure that you are hiring someone who you can have a good conversation with. The fact is we all have different styles and two mentors might have the same experiences and qualifications, but their conversational style is very different and therefore one would be a better match than the other.  

 

The majority of business mentor will offer you the opportunity to book a call. This might be called a discovery call, introduction call or something else. It should be an opportunity for you ask any questions you have about working together and also ensure that the two of you will be a good fit.  

 

Mentoring is very personal, so you want to ensure you are working with someone who is going to help bring the best out of you. It may be if there have a lot of content online (especially video or audio content) that you feel confident that they are right for you. But if a call is offered take it and make sure. Especially if you are signing up to work with someone for months.  

 

 

That’s it. You now know how to choose the right business mentor for you. 

With so many options when it comes to choosing a business mentor it makes sense to properly think through what you need and ensure that you choose the right business mentor for you. Hopefully this blog post has helped you think more deeply about what is important and will help you to make the right decision when choosing a business mentor for yourself.  

 

To find out more about my business mentoring service see below.  

WORK WITH ME (BUSINESS MENTORING SERVICE) I specialise in helping solo coaches, consultants and online service providers to grow thriving online businesses that they love.  No matter where you are right now I can help you to strategically grow your business. I’ll help you to work smarter, not harder, so that you sign your dream clients, smash your revenue targets and build a business you are proud of. To find out more about my 1:1 business and marketing mentoring programme click here And to discuss your precise needs book a free, no-obligation, introduction call to discuss your business here.