Finding a mentor is like dating. Here’s how!
Do you ever feel stuck on your entrepreneurial journey and need expert opinions? That’s where mentors come in. A mentor will help you stay on the right path and guide you in the right direction.
But that doesn’t take away from the experience of actually going out and doing it yourself. So I believe mentorship is invaluable! Without a mentor, the entrepreneurial journey feels like a person looking for a direction with a torch in a desert.
But finding the right mentor is a challenge who understands your style and business like no one. I’ve never purposely looked for mentors, but I knew the importance of wisdom from someone who’s been there and done that.
So mentor by my side is undoubtedly a plus. Next, I wondered if there was a framework to find the right person who could mentor me. And finally, I observed these qualities from my experience.
Little on my experience. I come from a product background where I learned a lot about building products from scratch, finding PMF, and scaling it to millions of users with KPI tracking. I worked with embibe, Testbook, innov8, and a few others. I did the same for my previous startup — Crive.
Later I started zazzy, a design agency. And it was a whole new world for me to transit from product to service industry. Indeed, I did freelancing for a few years, but it’s different from running an agency.
Finally, I found Rajeev as a mentor who’s my go-to person when I’m stuck, need advice, and have any entrepreneurial obstacles. He has more than 17 years of experience in what I do and currently helping Deloitte with a similar role.
Here’s the framework of what to look for that worked out well. I hope that works for you too.
- Expertise. Potential mentors should have the same industry expertise and company size you wish for yourself in the future.
For example, if you’re a solo designer in a startup, a designer in a Fortune 500 company might not be a suitable fit if they’ve never worked in a volatile, fast-changing environment before.
- Emotional intelligence. Good mentors know when to listen and when to challenge you. Look out for curiosity, modesty, and keenness in their behaviour.
- Enthusiasm. You want someone with you who can motivate you and build your confidence.
While looking for the right fit, there will be a period of trial and error. So just keep getting out there to build a relationship, as every chat with a potential mentor will give you clarity and get closer to finding the right one.
Cheers! 🍺
