Mentors
From Entrepedia: The Entrepreneurship Wiki
A good mentor should ideally be a competent person, particularly someone who has been an entrepreneur themselves and not someone with a career at a big corporation. A Boeing 747 pilot will have no clue what to do when put into a two-seater! Keep in mind, big corporate managers are actually dangerous as mentors, as are bank managers. The Perfect Mentor would be a successful entrepreneur who is experienced in a tough market, someone who has suffered through bad times with their business, for example, Richard Branson.
Finding a Good Mentor
Go to networking events, ideally present your business (idea) at those events, or at other events of clubs, business forums, competitions. Wherever you are, talk about your business idea! Remember to talk openly about what you are looking for, be it a mentor, people for your team, money etc. If you have found a potential mentor, don't be afraid to call them and suggest a meeting to talk about your business idea.
Tips:
- Get PR in newspapers and online - this is easier than you think!
- Find people who have done similar business or operate in the market - horses for courses!
- Accept that mentoring is a gradual process and this relationship has to be established slowly.
Incentives for a mentor
You might ask yourself, "Why would anyone want to be my mentor?" Well, there are several reasons.
Never underestimate the "threat of entrepreneurial benevolence". A lot of successful entrepreneurs want to give something back to the community, most likely shortly after their own exit from their company. Entrepreneurs like to talk about their business and share their knowledge and experiences! Also keep in mind that entrepreneurs are very busy people, so once they have left their business boredom is bound to be a problem. They may also have a genuine interest in your business idea, or in working with stimulating people (you!) on a stimulating project!
There may also be a financial impetus behind becoming an investor - running a business is a lot more lucrative than living off of a payout, and leisure is hard to finance! They may also not be interested in going through the whole process again themselves but still want to be involved in the atmosphere. A lot of times someone will become a mentor by being an angel investor first, but be wary: there is always a risk that your mentor might take over the business at some point and get rid of you - as an investor they can do that!
