Business Mentoring for me has been a crucial part of my own business and personal development. It was back in 2012 in a planning meeting with my Business Partner Sue that I first spoke of my desire to work with a Mentor as I felt I was ready to take things to the next level. I realised that having someone on the outside looking in to our business activities would add fuel to the fire and encourage me to ‘up my game’ with a clearer plan in mind. Unsure of where Mentors ‘hang out’ I looked to my local network and had a couple of meetings with two potential ‘candidates’, although they were both professionals in their respective fields and had more experience than me there was something holding me back from taking it further. It wasn’t until I met the Mentor I now work with that I understood what it was that I was looking for.
Bev James has an impressive track record in Business and is currently, MD of the Coaching Academy, Co-Founder of the Entrepreneur’s Business Academy with James Caan and author of the Best Seller ‘Do it! Or Ditch it’ – A book that encourages you to ‘turn ideas in to action and make decisions that count’.
When I read, ‘Do it! Or Ditch it’ I found myself arguing with the author, it really got me thinking. Then a few chapters down the line, I retracted my argument admitting that Bev was right. What her book did for me was make me look at my own situation in a different way, almost with different eyes. Having read a number of business development books, none of them had this effect on me. In December 2012, after having signed up to Bev’s daily ‘Do it’ emails I read that she was running a competition to win six months mentoring with her. I remember thinking, ‘WOW, that would be cool’ but I didn’t enter. However, the next day when I opened my emails, that was the first one I saw and I thought, ‘DO IT’! What have I got to lose?
Being contacted in January and told I was on a shortlist of ten to win the mentoring I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I had to wait four days for the final results and I spent that time researching Bev further online, reading articles she had written and finding out more about her. When I received the call to say I had won I was so excited and couldn’t wait to get started. Then the questions started flooding in my mind;
- What does a mentor actually do?
- What would be expected of me?
- How would I react to someone looking in at my business activities?
- Could I let someone in?
These little panic moments were soon quashed the first time I met Bev. I realised what an opportunity I had been presented with and I was lucky to be able to work with her for six months. After the first meeting changes were made in my business and although the decisions made were ultimately up to me, Bev influenced them through her own experiences and I was able to see things in a different way. There was a new found clarity to my ‘eclectic’ thoughts and the fact I had an experienced ‘sounding board’ in my corner accelerated my business results. It’s now 14 months further down the line and I feel as though I have only seen the tip of the iceberg of my own potential and I continue to be challenged by my Mentor in ways that dramatically increase my own effectiveness and productivity in my business. 
In turn, I now mentor three very inspiring business owners and although I challenge them in a similar way that Bev challenges me, I also learn a lot from them. It’s great to be able to use my knowledge to help them avoid certain pitfalls and help them gain the confidence that anything they want to achieve is actually possible. I now see business mentoring as a crucial part of business success and couldn’t imagine not working with a mentor or not being a mentor. Success comes down to the individual at the helm, but in order to achieve it, working with people who add something to your business development should be an integral part of any business plan. I feel that the mentoring relationship is at it’s most productive when it is reciprocal and both parties can learn from each other. I get the same level of excitement when I am to meet with my mentor as I do when I meet with those I mentor. It keeps my business growth ideas fresh and in real time and it’s something I will continue to work towards.
If you are looking to work with a mentor, look to your local network first;
- Who do you know who has more experience than you?
- Who would you be able to work with in a trusting relationship?
- Who has the skills that you would like to learn?
If you have the opportunity to work with a mentor I would suggest you grab it with both hands and be prepared to see changes within your own business that will be supported by a professional who will be looking out for your best interests!
