Why the Lifestyle of an Entrepreneur Is No Longer a Lonely Road

In a recent article written by Marty Zwilling (Entrepreneur: Challenge Yourself Before You Invest), he discussed several risks of starting a business. One of the risks he stated was: “Being a startup founder is not a job, but a lifestyle, getting married versus staying single. In fact, it’s more like being single, since founders usually have no one to lean on, no one to make decisions for them, no one to blame, and no vision to follow but their own.”
I completely agree with this statement and propose this question to the audience: When starting a business do you need a business mentor?
The simple answer is “Yes” and here are several reasons why:
Someone to be answerable to. It is often too easy for an entrepreneur to procrastinate when it comes to performing tasks that consume a lot of time, are boring, difficult, etc. A business mentor will help keep you on track by continuing to ask what your goals are and pushing you to succeed.
Someone to help you refine your business ideas into reality. You have great ideas… some of them; however, are raw and need refinement to be put into reality. A business mentor has the experience necessary to help you hash out the details of your idea and bring it into fruition.
Someone who can bring a wealth of new ideas to your business. A business mentor has been there before and understands what works and doesn’t work. As an entrepreneur your goal is to learn as much as you can and then use the lessons he/she teaches you to grow your business and become successful.
Someone outside looking in. As an entrepreneur, one of the hardest things to do is take a step back and see your business from an outsider’s point of view. A business mentor is an excellent resource to get this pivotal feedback.
There are many reasons why an entrepreneur should find a business mentor; however, how do actually find a business mentor? When looking for a business mentor the first place to check is your friends and family. As people who know you extremely well and vice versa there should be a level of trust already established. This should allow you to comfortably ask the question, “What do you think about this?” If friends and family are not for you, these are some other options available: SCORE, people in your extended network, complete strangers, indirect competition, industry leaders, and paid consultants.