How to Find a Mentor in Your Area

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In business and entrepreneurship, experience is one of the most valuable assets that you can have. However, for young entrepreneurs, it can be hard to gain the wisdom that experience can provide without having had that many years of experience. This being the case, it can be tremendously beneficial to elicit advice from those who do — especially mentors.

Finding a mentor as a young entrepreneur can have a profound effect on your ability to succeed in business. Getting advice from someone who has trailblazed their own business path can be an invaluable source of guidance and motivation.

Unfortunately, it can sometimes be difficult to know where to start when searching for a mentor. Having some guidance about how to find a mentor in your area can make finding a mentor seem less daunting and more attainable.

Tips to Find a Mentor

Once you’ve decided to find a mentor, be mindful that it can sometimes be easier said than done. Thankfully, it’s not always as hard as it seems and with a few tips, you can be well on your way to finding a mentor.

Here are some useful ways to go about finding a mentor:

Explore Your Connections

Oftentimes, exploring one’s own connections is a tactic that many entrepreneurs may overlook. Though it might not seem obvious at first, chances are, you’re only a few connections away from finding your mentor.

Start by asking family and friends if they know anyone involved in business-related activities. It can be an old neighbour or colleague of your parents or maybe even a friend’s relative. There is a high chance that someone you know has a connection to someone who can be a viable mentor to you. In addition, having a connection will make mentors more likely to be willing to meet with you in the first place.

Look to Those with Leadership Skills

Sometimes, it can be difficult to know who would be a good mentor for you. A great place to start is by looking out for individuals who display great leadership skills in your community. Leadership skills are an extremely useful asset in almost any situation — and this is especially true for business.

Mentors are people you can learn from, and finding a mentor with great leadership skills can make it more likely that you’ll learn leadership skills yourself.

A great place to start looking for mentors with developed leadership skills is leadership groups in your local area. The more of these group events that you attend, the more likely you’ll be to find a mentor with great leadership skills.

Look in Diverse Places

Unfortunately, many young entrepreneurs have a specific picture in mind when they think of mentors. This is typically an older man who has business experience. The truth is, mentors can come in many various forms, and looking in diverse places could help you find your perfect mentor.

Studies have shown that companies with diverse leadership report better decision-making. This being the case, your perfect mentor may be someone who is part of a diverse leadership team in their organisation. You can start by doing some research on businesses in your local area that have diverse leaders.

After pinpointing which businesses meet this criterion, you can reach out to individuals — and maybe even find a lifelong mentor in the process.

Take Advantage of Your City’s Resources

In any city, you’re sure to find groups and organisations that revolve around business and entrepreneurship. By taking advantage of these groups and attending as many events and gatherings as you can, you’ll steeply increase your chances of finding a mentor — or at the very least making a connection that can connect you with a mentor.

A good place to start is by exploring every type of business-related group gatherings that you can. In addition, you can look for groups that are more specific to your own interest, such as tech entrepreneurship groups.

The more of these groups you become engaged with, the more likely you are to find your mentor.

Put Yourself Out There

Sometimes, it can be hard to put yourself out there and make your intentions clear. When looking for a mentor, it’s important to work through these feelings and put yourself out there — even when it feels a little uncomfortable. The more you put yourself out there, the better your chances will be of finding a mentor.

In the case of looking for a mentor, social media can be a powerful tool that can help you reach your goal. You can start by utilising as many social media platforms as you can to express the fact that you’re looking for a mentor.

By doing this, the chances of you coming into contact with your potential mentor increase exponentially. Though it can be scary at times, putting yourself out there can help you find a mentor that can help you achieve your entrepreneurial goals.

Use PushFar

PushFar is the world’s leading mentoring and career progression platform. With over 85,000+ members across the globe, PushFar’s open network is completely free and the perfect way to connect with other professionals. Whether you’re looking to improve your skill set or want to network with individuals within your industry, PushFar is all about helping you develop professionally and personally. With PushFar’s smart search functionality, users are able to search for professionals within their area and connect with ease.

Make It Happen

Though it can feel tricky at times, you’re more than capable of finding a mentor in your metro area. By putting time and effort into achieving your goal, you’ll be sure to find the perfect mentor who can help you become a more proficient and capable entrepreneur.

Rather than waiting around for the perfect mentor to walk into your life, get out there and make it happen. The more effort you put into finding a mentor, the greater your chances of finding one.

This article was guest written by Andrew Deen.