About ten years ago, I had what I thought was a crazy idea at the time, to open my own business. I saved money, created a business plan, and then about nine years ago, took on my first client. I can honestly say becoming an entrepreneur is the best decision I have ever made. I couldn’t have done it though, without words of encouragement and support from my family, friends, and my mentor.
No matter what line of business you’re in, having a mentor is important. I have friends who have very famous mentors, others have known their mentors since childhood, and others who just met their mentors but their mentor has already had a huge impact on their lives in a short period of time.
It doesn’t matter how old you are, I think everyone should have a mentor. Here’s why:
- INSPIRATION – Mentors inspire us to do things we are too scared to do, but in the back of our minds it is possible.
- ENCOURAGE – Mentors encourage action and support you when uncertainty overwhelms us. Mentors can offer real world experience and reassure you.
- ADVICE – Why not bounce your idea off of a mentor? If they’re in the same line of work as you’re in, you can ask them for their advice. Chances are your mentor can help you maneuver through a potentially difficult situation, and possibly one that they’ve already experienced for themselves.
Now that you know why a mentor is important, I want to tell you about a mentorship organization called SCORE. SCORE was created specifically to help small business owners. SCORE is a non-profit association dedicated to assisting small businesses get off the ground, grow and achieve their goals through education and mentorship. They have been doing it for more than 50 years.
Here’s how it works: SCORE has a network of more than 13,000 volunteers. They match a volunteer mentor from 62 different industries of business to anyone that asks for free, confidential business counseling in person or via e-mail. The organization also offers free or inexpensive workshops across the country in one of its 364 chapters. Examples of workshops include: business budgeting, business plan implementation and marketing your business. To find your local SCORE chapter, visit their website at www.score.org for more information.
Ideas are meant to be implemented, but sometimes you need a push to get you started. SCORE has helped nearly 150,000 small business owners to grow their business. SCORE and my mentor have made a huge impact on my business. A big THANK YOU isn’t enough to express how grateful I am to be a thriving business owner.
Here’s to good karma and small business ownership!
