When you are your own boss, having another point of view and someone to bounce ideas off really can help.
rom start-ups to large corporations, online mentoring has big benefits for business, helping users share knowledge in a meaningful way by supporting and mentoring each other. And because its an anonymous and safe environment for both mentor and mentee, users can be authentic and honest in the advice they give each other.
Theres a lot to be gained from business mentoring:
- Support: When you are your own boss theres no one to depend on for advice and direction, youve got to make the big decisions, take responsibility for the tough calls and accept the consequences. Although running your own business can be immensely rewarding it can also be difficult and isolating. But you dont have to go it alone – having another point of view, someone to bounce ideas off or discuss specific issues with, can be an invaluable resource.
- Honest advice: Its tough out there! We all know the statistics – 90% of businesses fail in their first five years – and the current economic climate makes it all the more daunting to take the plunge and start your own venture. Family and friends can be a great source of support but their affection for you can blur their judgement. When you need a reality check your mentor can offer impartial, honest advice, telling you what you need to know, not just what you want to hear.
- Experience: Theyve "been there, done that". Its inevitable that youll make mistakes as you start out in business, thats one of the ways we learn, but you can save yourself a lot of sleepless nights by learning from someone elses experiences, the challenges they faced and how they achieved success.
- Connections: With years of experience in the business world your mentor has probably built up a wide network of contacts that could be of huge value to you as you start or grow your own business.
- And its free: Thats always a good thing! Successful entrepreneurs become mentors because they want to share what theyve learnt and pass on their knowledge and experience, theyre not trying to sell you anything and the ultimate reward for them is seeing you succeed.
There are many organisations that offer business mentoring online. Free online mentoring site horsesmouth.co.uk has partners of every age, background, race, and business sector as well as many highly successful entrepreneurs mentoring anonymously.
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