Best place to find a mentor?
- Thread starter hazmog
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Personally I don't think you need a mentor. You've done the hard part by creating a rapidly growing business, from here on in its a case of it being a learning curve and just getting on with it. You've clearly already made good decisions and dealt with situations to get where you are, so I am sure you will continue to succeed.
I am really not sure what a business 'mentor' would bring to you.
I am really not sure what a business 'mentor' would bring to you.
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- Original Poster
- #8
Thanks everyone.
Ok, here's what I'm thinking. In my company I can't really talk to anyone about specific issues, such as HR or business development stuff, since they are biased and focused on their specific tasks. I talk about it to some extent with my wife but she is incredibly busy and not as focused on the business as I am. It's pretty lonely not being able to discuss any of my plans with anyone. I could put them all on here, but this is forum, a collection of minds with different ideas and ways of doing things and that's great, but I'd really like to get to know someone on a level where they know about my business, and I know and trust them - that is what I mean by a mentor. Maybe mentor is not the right word - how about business owner who has been past these growing pains and can share some insight and listen to some of my ideas.
Perhaps for now I will post some specific ideas on here, but a lot of the stuff I want to talk about is confidential, I don't want my staff or my competition knowing about it, and I'm not sure an open forum that is well indexed by google is the right place for it. Thoughts?
Ok, here's what I'm thinking. In my company I can't really talk to anyone about specific issues, such as HR or business development stuff, since they are biased and focused on their specific tasks. I talk about it to some extent with my wife but she is incredibly busy and not as focused on the business as I am. It's pretty lonely not being able to discuss any of my plans with anyone. I could put them all on here, but this is forum, a collection of minds with different ideas and ways of doing things and that's great, but I'd really like to get to know someone on a level where they know about my business, and I know and trust them - that is what I mean by a mentor. Maybe mentor is not the right word - how about business owner who has been past these growing pains and can share some insight and listen to some of my ideas.
Perhaps for now I will post some specific ideas on here, but a lot of the stuff I want to talk about is confidential, I don't want my staff or my competition knowing about it, and I'm not sure an open forum that is well indexed by google is the right place for it. Thoughts?
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T
The Byre
I've been there! Yes, it is grindingly lonely! There is nobody to share ideas with. Nobody to bounce off. Nobody that warns us when we start to act stupid.
And you are at that hard part, where things seem to be going just a bit out of control. Staff are crying out "Feed me! Feed me!" The books need to be done, but which software - and when? The website needs attention, but when do I have the time? Packages are going AWOL and we need a new courier, but all the good ones are expensive and all the cheap ones are crap! I need to do some blue-sky thinking, but when I sit down and try to do just that, my brain fills with the thousand-and-one things that need doing today! Never mind Mr. Blue-Sky!
There may be some professional mentors out there, but TBH, they cost real money and leave you feeling every bit as alone as you feel right now!
And then some Charlie on a forum says "Oh, just fire off a few questions here in broad daylight and we shall all pitch in with ideas and advice!"
As we used to signal in Morse in the Paras, 'BLX'. I can't go firing off confidential issues on some dufus forum! That is ridiculous!
Well, here's a tip - one of the skills or attributes that we used to look for in the sits-vac ads back in the 60s and 70s, when corporations were looking for an area rep, or a key repair and service manager, or department head, was 'A Self-Starter'. You have to be that 'Self-Starter'! Being such a person is one of the (many) ingredients of success.
At the same time, we all need those checks and balances that prevent us from doing something stupid or falling for some obvious scam.
With those thoughts in mind, here are a few random tips in no special order -
1. Every time you deal with a company, be that as a supplier or as a customer, do ordinary due diligence, by checking on their credit rating and looking at the history of their directors. A string of closed companies in the past is a big no-no!
2. Read anything and everything about starting and running a company. Buy the books and keep them on your desk! Ask yourself if you are really ticking all the boxes!
3. Cost everything! There ain't no factor, item or aspect of your business that you can afford to not have costed and calculated for profitability - especially the customers! If a customer is just a PITA and not profitable overall, fire them! If a member of staff constantly requires your attention or spends time on Face-Tweet, the door is over there, please use it!
4. Never deal with people who give excuses as to why something didn't happen! If a member of staff has a brilliant reason for not completing a job, if a customer has a brilliant excuse for not paying, if a supplier has the most believable and logical reason for delivering late, fire them, avoid them, don't use them again, don't even talk to them!
5. Make your T&C crystal clear! And bloody-well stick to them! If a customer is late with payment, set the legal wheels in motion and do so quickly!
6. Check your own website regularly. Look at the damn thing on a mobile - is the menu and contents scaling to size properly? Does it load quickly? Does it come up on Google for my key words?
Any questions?
And you are at that hard part, where things seem to be going just a bit out of control. Staff are crying out "Feed me! Feed me!" The books need to be done, but which software - and when? The website needs attention, but when do I have the time? Packages are going AWOL and we need a new courier, but all the good ones are expensive and all the cheap ones are crap! I need to do some blue-sky thinking, but when I sit down and try to do just that, my brain fills with the thousand-and-one things that need doing today! Never mind Mr. Blue-Sky!
There may be some professional mentors out there, but TBH, they cost real money and leave you feeling every bit as alone as you feel right now!
And then some Charlie on a forum says "Oh, just fire off a few questions here in broad daylight and we shall all pitch in with ideas and advice!"
As we used to signal in Morse in the Paras, 'BLX'. I can't go firing off confidential issues on some dufus forum! That is ridiculous!
Well, here's a tip - one of the skills or attributes that we used to look for in the sits-vac ads back in the 60s and 70s, when corporations were looking for an area rep, or a key repair and service manager, or department head, was 'A Self-Starter'. You have to be that 'Self-Starter'! Being such a person is one of the (many) ingredients of success.
At the same time, we all need those checks and balances that prevent us from doing something stupid or falling for some obvious scam.
With those thoughts in mind, here are a few random tips in no special order -
1. Every time you deal with a company, be that as a supplier or as a customer, do ordinary due diligence, by checking on their credit rating and looking at the history of their directors. A string of closed companies in the past is a big no-no!
2. Read anything and everything about starting and running a company. Buy the books and keep them on your desk! Ask yourself if you are really ticking all the boxes!
3. Cost everything! There ain't no factor, item or aspect of your business that you can afford to not have costed and calculated for profitability - especially the customers! If a customer is just a PITA and not profitable overall, fire them! If a member of staff constantly requires your attention or spends time on Face-Tweet, the door is over there, please use it!
4. Never deal with people who give excuses as to why something didn't happen! If a member of staff has a brilliant reason for not completing a job, if a customer has a brilliant excuse for not paying, if a supplier has the most believable and logical reason for delivering late, fire them, avoid them, don't use them again, don't even talk to them!
5. Make your T&C crystal clear! And bloody-well stick to them! If a customer is late with payment, set the legal wheels in motion and do so quickly!
6. Check your own website regularly. Look at the damn thing on a mobile - is the menu and contents scaling to size properly? Does it load quickly? Does it come up on Google for my key words?
Any questions?
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If it is a sounding board type of thing you need and at a trust level you mention that would be more of a local thing. Hard to get a relationship of this type off the ground remotely. At least the ability to meet face to face initially would be my aim.
Asking questions on forums can end up in all kinds of responses and you have to sift through the crap to find what might actually be of use. People who pitch themselves as mentors often don't add much value I have found. It is a minefield both ways.
Trying to integrate more into the local business community you might find more helpful where natural relationships develop rather than forced.
Asking questions on forums can end up in all kinds of responses and you have to sift through the crap to find what might actually be of use. People who pitch themselves as mentors often don't add much value I have found. It is a minefield both ways.
Trying to integrate more into the local business community you might find more helpful where natural relationships develop rather than forced.
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@The Byre, there seems to be a lot of demand for mentors. Though most of the demands is from cheapskate entrepreneurs wanting something for free, there are some like the OP willing to pay for quality advice.
Fancy joining me to open a mentoring firm?
You can give clients the quality advice and I can muck around with the odd, pointless comment that adds nothing to the thread
Fancy joining me to open a mentoring firm?
You can give clients the quality advice and I can muck around with the odd, pointless comment that adds nothing to the thread
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0
T
The Byre
We could write a book together 'Success - How to get it, how to avoid it, how to buy it and how to sell it!'
Hey! That's my job!You can give clients the quality advice and I can muck around with the odd, pointless comment that adds nothing to the thread
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@The Byre, there seems to be a lot of demand for mentors. Though most of the demands is from cheapskate entrepreneurs wanting something for free, there are some like the OP willing to pay for quality advice.
Fancy joining me to open a mentoring firm?
You can give clients the quality advice and I can muck around with the odd, pointless comment that adds nothing to the thread
Call it The Mentor Institution.
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So where do you find these people? someone that isn't PAYE that you can chat to. all my social networks are PAYE and all my business contacts I do business with. This forum is a lifeline but not the same as a pint with someone you can chat, empathise and just say bloody hell this is hard.
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That is kind off the problem though. I am sure that out of the many local businesses that will have been there and done it for many years, not all will be no go areas as you view it. Most of the companies similar to us in our local area I know very well and we chat about all sorts. There is loads of business out there so why go directly up against someone on your doorstep. Easier to create allies than enemies. Yes, you have to be wary and work people out but sealing yourself off to all and everyone....... well you end up with no one to talk to who might understand. You need to find a balance. Even customers if they are businesses will have an understanding if you talk to the right people. It is about creating relationships and then some of them develop in trust. I would rather take advice and discuss important issues that I have learnt to trust rather than someone who pitches themselves as solely a mentor that you have no knowledge of.
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I was struggling with a few thing while trying to grow my business. The big problem was I didn't want to pay for mentors. I bank with NW and they have a mentor service, not sure if all banks do the same. I presume. I pay my accountant to do my yearly returns. I use sage and I also use excel for my books. I was spending too much time on PAYE so passed it all on to my accountant. I also work with my husband and passed more day to day running of the business so I could google/read/search areas that I needed help with. My Library has a Business Clinic, My area has a Business Breakfast Mornings. HMRC have webinar.
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