Choosing the Right Mentor for You!

You’ve probably noticed that mentors can come in a lot of different shapes, forms and styles. Some mentor audiences through their blogs, email lists, FB groups, etc, without charge.

Others do the same, but ask a fee and make membership to their program a “private” or closed group. Still others do mentoring on a more personal level either mentoring small groups or individuals one-on-one.

So part of the mentoring decision you face is “how personal do you want to get with the mentor” and what kind of budget do you have for that expense?

Another consideration is the level of knowledge and experience you have in creating and running your own business.

If you are experienced, you’ll need to find a mentor that is more experienced.

You’re paying to learn things you don’t already know so it would be good to do a self assessment of what skills or knowledge you lack so that you can choose a mentor that can help you in those areas.

There are a lot of “aspiring” mentors advertising online and you may already know more than that person about your market and business.

Maybe, most importantly, you need to seek out a mentor that has been successful in the marketplace and with the business model you hope to emulate.

Mentors all have certain areas of expertise – they’re not all good at every kind of business.

Look for one that has mastered the kind of business you want to do yourself.

If you plan to run a recurring income membership site, for example, find a mentor that knows the membership site model and business and has been profitable with it.

If you’re going to do affiliate marketing, find a successful super affiliate marketer that can teach you what he/she already knows.

The saying holds true: “horses for courses.” Get a mentor that excels at what you want to do.

Which brings up my last point: mentors are most helpful when the student client has a vision (goal, dream, plan, etc) of where he wants to go in his business.

There is no sense at all in paying a mentor to teach you the very basic online business knowledge and foundation you need. You can learn that for free on your own online, from books, courses, forums, and other places online.

Mentors are best utilized to help you with specific challenges, skills, roadblocks, guidance, etc that you need in specialized day-to-day situations.  That’s usually where their practical knowledge and experience can best help you.

I hope these few ideas will help you to see how mentors can best be evaluated and utilized. Good luck in your new business journey.

To your online business success,

Steve Browne

www.SteveBrowneDirect.com