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Mentoring Program – Find the Guiding Light for Your Business

Topic: MotivationPublished April 19, 2011

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Socrates mentored Plato. Plato mentored Aristotle. And Aristotle mentored Alexander the Great. The conclusion? To be successful, you need a guiding light, a direction, a mentor. If you are planning to start up your own small enterprise, or have started it, to make it successful, it’s a good idea to learn from people who have been there, done that. A relationship between a mentor and a mentee is built to give the mentee a support system. The mentors provide guidance, role modeling, assistance, and an attentive ear. At the same time, the mentee has to display trust and enthusiasm to learn. In terms of business, mentors are not consultants. He or she is a guide who gives direction to the mentee in terms of opportunities, priorities, business development and advice on anything ranging from investment to risk-taking. Mentors are not there only to bail the mentees out of a problem; the mentees can discuss any issue which is important to them and their enterprise. The relationship between a mentor and a mentee is long-lasting and not transaction based. After that much gyaan, probably your question is how do I find myself a mentor? Well, that’s what mentoring programs are there for. Today, given the complex times with extremely complex mechanisms, everyone looks for a mentor, be it an actor or a cricketer, singer or an advertiser. It is time that even businessmen become a part of various mentoring programs, so that they can get proper guidance and advice. How do I secure my export income in these troubled times? How do I attract investment by VC/investors for my business? How do I manage my raw material imports in a scenario where the Rupee is weakening against the Dollar? If questions like these have been troubling you, read on to know more about mentoring programs. rnMentoring programs for businesses are usually a formally and structured networks of business experts worldwide. It is ensured that all the mentors enrolled are of excellent business and management credentials, so that they can give relevant and, most importantly, useful information to the mentees. A small business owner can connect with experts worldwide for business and management guidance. Most of these programs are organized online. Anyone can seek guidance by posting business related questions inviting relevant mentors to address their queries. Start up companies owner need the guidance to avoid the mistakes and positive experience from the mentor. Mentoring program can be useful to all small business and enterprise owners. As the cliché goes, don’t make your own mistakes, learn from others’. In the same manner, business owners can benefit from the experience of ones who are more successful in the industry. All in all, mentoring programs are there, so that all small enterprises can, one day, go big!