If you’ve seen Shark Tank, you know those Sharks have a lot of power to give new businesses money and awesome advice to help them grow. Not everyone is going to find their way onto network television to compete for the attention of a Shark, but that doesn’t mean you’re out of luck when it comes to mentoring. When you find yourself in need of advice—whether to bring on an employee, let’s say, where to find them, what to pay—it’s really useful to be able to turn to your mentor for advice. So make sure you have that person in place early on. The people who did just what you’re doing a few years ago or even a few decades before you will have a lot of information to impart.
FIRST YOU NEED TO FIND THEM. Even a completely out-of-the-blue e-mail can begin a relationship with someone who could end up being your mentor. Check out the sample query letter in the appendix for some tips on getting the conversation started. Maybe this week is busy, but maybe next month there’s time for a quick cup of coffee (your treat).
The idea of approaching someone cold may seem intimidating, but think about it: most of them are doing their jobs, same smattering of challenges every day, same people in their orbit of contacts. When a fresh young face pops up, filled with enthusiasm and lacking information, it gets everyone a little bit excited. Most of the time, no one asks people about what they do or how they got here—but people like to tell their stories once they know someone wants to listen. It gives them a chance to impart a little wisdom and maybe help another person out. Everyone wants to feel useful.
MEET YOUR PEOPLE
WORKING ON A NEW VENTURE CAN SOMETIMES FEEL LONELY when you’re first starting out. Launching something new takes a lot of heart, sweat, and work, and a lot of that work is the kind of stuff you do by yourself before you have the luxury of hiring helpers or getting out among your customers. The best thing you can do to make yourself feel like you’re in good company is to reach out to others in your field. Look for blogs and websites that relate to your business, and comment freely on them or post questions and check back for responses. You’ll immediately find that there are many others who share your concerns and can offer you advice.
SPEAKING OF ADVICE, seek out a group of informal advisers who can be your sounding board. These can be friends who are willing to read drafts of things you’ve written or to taste samples of your recipes. They can also be more formal mentors who sit with you once a month over coffee and offer you thoughts and advice on how your business is progressing.
COMMISERATING IS GOOD COMPANY. We all need informal sessions to blow off steam. You have friends who can be there for you when you’re frustrated with life, but now you need a group specific to your work. They’ve done what you’re doing now and lived to tell about it, even if there was complaining along the way. When you need someone to turn to, make sure it’s someone who understands what you’re going through.
One way to find those like-minded souls is to sign up for a class related to your project. You’ll meet other people who share the same interests, and who have varying levels of experience. If you’re working on coding solutions in the company of a dozen others, you’ll have a support network within reach if you hit a creative wall. You can also look for social opportunities—museum groups, fund-raising committees for nonprofits, sports groups—just make sure you find those like-minded souls. There will come a time when you’ll be glad you did.
HOW TO FIND SUPPORT AND MENTORS
YOU KNOW PEOPLE. Your family and friends know people. Your teachers know people. And everyone you’ve ever interned for, worked for, or volunteered for knows people. That’s your first circle of contact.
Start by letting people in your circle know you’re looking for a mentor. Be specific about what you need: someone to give you advice on starting out or expanding, someone to give you a road map for a particular industry, someone to bounce ideas off of in a specific field, someone to come to periodically with questions. Then provide as many details as you can about your project or business. The more information your circle of contacts has, the better they can be at representing you to your potential mentor. In other words, don’t just say, “I need a mentor,” and end it at that. Better would be, “I’m looking for someone to answer questions about growing a stationery business from hand-cut and printed to letterpress printed. I know your friend Amy has been in business for years. Do you think she’d be willing to talk to me?” Then let your contact go to work trying to help.
Sometimes mentors turn up even when you haven’t gone out looking for them. Your parents, in wanting to help and see your business thrive, may ask a friend to sit down and have a conversation with you. Take advantage of this new contact, who may have fabulous information and may end up helping you in ways you can’t even imagine right now.
Mentors don’t have to be a generation older than you to offer wisdom. Senior members of your school’s robotics club or older students who’ve created their own video games can offer a wealth of knowledge. So can a friend’s older sister who turned her love of music into DJ gigs on weekends. Your school may even offer a formal mentorship program to match you with someone who can advise you.
Always call a contact who is offered up to you, even if you don’t think it’ll help. Maybe your dad’s friend put you in touch with a colleague who is also struggling to launch a stationery business—but maybe she’s a year into it and you’re just starting out. She can offer you lots of experience and information.
You would be amazed at how often mentors are offered up and how infrequently they’re actually called. Maybe you feel nervous or embarrassed, or maybe you’re just really busy. But take a moment and realize how much you don’t know. Then reach out to the nearest person who can give you information.
Mentors don’t have to be heads of companies or elusive individuals who won’t return your e-mails when you reach out for help. They can be friends of the family, bosses from summer jobs, teachers, or family members themselves. You just need someone in your corner.
THE ’RENTS
Yup, your parents deserve a word here. Of course you’re working on your own project, and by the time you’ve gotten to the launching stage you may know a whole lot more about it than your parents do. But your parents have several decades of experience on you, even if the careers they have are completely different. Don’t forget to look up every now and then and see what they might know about the situation. That problem you’re agonizing over may be something they’ve experienced in their own fields. Lots of people deal with paying bills, ordering supplies, figuring out how to get office space, advertising. They just might know a thing or two that can help you.
Your parents might also end up being partners in your venture. Quite a few girl Bosses out there have started with incredible ideas, but they’ve needed a little advice on how to turn them into reality. Your dad is a great graphic artist? Bet he’ll design your web page without charging you too much. Your mom is an accountant? Bet she knows the best program you can use to balance your books. Don’t forget to ask the people nearest you when you have questions. They’ll have your best interests at heart when they answer.
DON’T FORGET TO THANK THE PEOPLE WHO GOT YOU THERE
Yes, maybe those are the very same people we mentioned in the prior paragraph—your parents—but the advice should be extended to anyone who gave you a leg up. That includes friends who “like” you on Facebook or post positive reviews for you. Offering them a warm thank-you or a small gift makes them feel appreciated and makes them want to continue helping you. If your customers post reviews or check in on Foursquare, you can offer them incentives like discounts when they shop or free merchandise. Remember that merchandise with your logo on it can work as free advertising. If you give out free water bottles to the group of loyal friends who boost your YouTube views, you’ll get exposure to new potential customers every time they whip out those water bottles at the gym.
THANK-YOU GIFTS AND INCENTIVES can be a great way to earn customer loyalty, but you don’t have to extend your thanks in the form of a gift. A nice note is always appreciated. It shows you’ve gone to a little bit of effort to show your gratitude. It’s the right thing to do, and it’s also good business.
BE ETHICAL
Ethics are an important part of being a good person, but once you’re a business owner, the stakes are even higher. You’ll have more decisions to make, and your decisions will impact more people. For that reason, it’s a good idea to think about your values and ethics in advance. What kind of products and ingredients will you use? How will you treat and compensate your employees? How can you give back to the community?
KNOW YOURSELF, KNOW WHAT LINES YOU WON’T CROSS, know what you expect from others, and don’t settle. Business can get complicated by friendship and money, and can become especially dicey when both are in play at the same time. Friendships are important, and you should try to preserve them. If that means telling a friend you won’t borrow money from her even if she’s offering to fund a piece of your business, remind her that you want to stay friends and a few dollars isn’t worth a potential fight later on. If a friend wants you to partner with her on a new venture but you know she tends to flake out on homework and you’ll end up doing the lion’s share of the work, do your best to avoid the potentially horrible partnership by giving your friend good reasons (time, a desire to do something else, or even just that you strongly believe it’s not going to work for you) why you cannot commit. Don’t give into pressure, only to end up regretting it later on. Be as honest as you can without hurting her feelings.
DON’T COMPROMISE ON THE THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU. If you feel passionately about the ethical treatment of animals, don’t buy from a supplier who has a reputation for being cruel, even if the price is half as much. If you want to print on recycled paper and use carbon offsets to make your business carbon neutral, do it. And let people know. Your ethical choices are part of your brand. Your customers, fans, friends, and anyone you come in contact with will respect your ethical decisions. Instead of hurting your bottom line because recycled products cost a bit more, your good-for-the-earth ethos may help your business because people will appreciate your taking a stand for the environment. Stay true to what you believe.
ETHICS APPLY TO COMMITMENTS AND AGREEMENTS, TOO. If you say you’ll do something, follow through. If someone asks you to do something underhanded, feel good about turning them down. For example, a blogger might ask you for a hundred free headbands in exchange for writing a stellar review of them . . . hmmm, sounds like a bribe. On the other hand, if she asks for a couple in different styles so she can try them out before she writes her review, that’s a normal part of doing business.
We know it’s hard sometimes to keep your head above the drama. It can be tempting to tell someone who’s writing an article about your business that you have more visits to your website than you actually have. But always be honest. If you hear a handful of people gossiping about someone else’s company, it can be tempting to join in. But things you say have a way of taking on a life of their own or morphing into something even worse. It’s better to change the subject.
Situations that force you to dig into your ethical reservoirs are also good opportunities to draw in your mentor. Get an objective view. Find someone to confide in and work out how to take the high road. Always take a moment and ask yourself to do what you know is right.
