How can you find and learn from a small business mentor?

This is where LinkedIn is fantastic. Seek out folks that are doing interesting things and ask. Now, one piece of advice on this since small business owners may not be as familiar with mentoring as corporate folks is to ask for something small to start, like a virtual or in-person coffee. Asking for them to be a mentor out of the gate may be not only unfamiliar but feel daunting. Having a simple coffee chat and getting some basic feedback will give you a chance to get to know each other and see if there's the right chemistry for an ongoing mentoring relationship before signing up for the whole thing. If it goes well, keep it simple and ask if you can set up some additional time to stay connected. It doesn't have to be overly formal.

To be more specific, "the right mentor" should be someone who can help you set as well as achieve goals. If you're not open to revisiting your goals, you need a consultant and not a mentor. Identify what your own weaknesses are and then seek out the person who can best fill the gaps for you. If you find a mentor with the same strengths as you, it can create an echo-chamber. Think both short-term and long-term when finding a mentor. An ideal mentor could become an advisor or board member for your business when it grows. A true mentor will not be afraid to challenge your assumptions and will help you to overcome hurdles as they appear. Don't confuse someone's willingness to challenge you with them not caring for you.

Meeting with a mentor without a clear set of questions often wastes time for everyone involved. This is why having a mentor that you've hired is better than one who is doing it as a favor. As crazy as it sounds, when $$ are involved, all parties tend to be more specific and respectful of each other's time. The big thing to remember when working with mentors is that it is perfectly acceptable to let them know when their suggestions are not working for you. A truly skilled mentor will find ways that enable them to support you in the manner that you need, and if they can't provide that to you, they will help you find someone who can!

Great ideas, moreover when you trying to apply what you have learned you also need to remember that you might fail. Failure is success turned inside out. You have to follow your mentor but also your gut feelings. Sometimes when you try the hardest you need to stop and refocus. This is challenging but good mentor will guide you through this.

This tip is extremely important. A mentor is great for small businesses and startups, but over time what one really needs is a business coach/advisor and a large network of peers who have shared experiences. In an ideal scenario, the mentor grows with your company to become a coach/advisor or you can find someone in your peer network or among experts who can do this for you. Every interaction, observation, and piece of information counts as a datapoint that you should consider carefully when making decisions. Your mentor/coach/advisor can help you if you stumble but remember that each stumble is a learning-lesson itself.

Small businesses in the startup phase often have very grand visions of what their success should look like. A good mentor can help with making these visions realistic and achievable. Having mentored hundreds of folks in my career, I can say the following with confidence about the mentor-mentee relationship: 1. Not every relationship succeeds 2. If either party is looking for a "yes" person, the outcomes are going to be feeble at best 3. Complementary skillsets often yield best outcomes 4. Lessons are learned by both parties involved so patience and persistence is key 5. These relationships have the potential to become long term friendships and partnerships if done right.