Good mentors can change the trajectory of your business forever, they make you see things differently, they make you question if there are other or better ways to grow the business and they lead by example by sharing their stories.
The best thing about good mentors is that they don't even have to know that they are mentors to you. You can build a better business simply by observing and studying the people around you. Stop looking so hard for a mentor relationship and instead enjoy the fruits of the more informal ones that surround you daily. Here are 7 mentors you didn't know you had:
A mentor is someone who gives advice. Some of the best counselors I've ever had are people who work for me. They are very involved in the day-to-day running of my company and are also involved in giving ideas to make it go faster and grow more.
When I was in the mortgage industry working for the same company for 12 years, my boss was my mentor, but not in a formal way. He watched how he did business and interacted with customers and then adjusted my sales business accordingly.
As an entrepreneur, my father has unknowingly shaped my business. Meanwhile, my 5-year-old daughter has taught me a thing or two about sales, negotiation, and asking for what I want.
What board do you sit on and who sits with you? Many boards are made of a mix of talent and experience. Not only do you have to serve and do your duties as a board member, but you must also work, sympathize, study, and ask for advice from the people you serve. Don't let talent go to waste, let them be your mentors too.
My mentors include Seth Godin, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Richard Branson and more. They have all shaped my career with their advice and wisdom. So far, I haven't met any of them. There are thousands of thought leaders sharing their business lessons through blogs, books, and biographies. A mentor doesn't have to be sitting next to you to change the world.
Are you looking for a guide to building a stronger business? Who better to ask than your clients? The people who buy from you are already convinced and already know one or two things that you can do better, for sure. If you're looking for advice, you can look for it on the other side of the transaction.
You want to build a great business, right? Then you need to understand how to create a great shopping experience. Well, you're a customer too, right? Many of the things I have learned about consumer service are from being a consumer. I look at every person and every company I shop with and pay attention as if I were the mentor to create better shopping and consumer service experiences.
