Strategy Sunday: Seek the Best Mentors

 

Every Successful Person Seeks Mentors

I spent from the age of 4 until the age of 36 trying, and failing, to start businesses. I didn’t have mentors. I didn’t seek them out. 

I did read books, but while books are good, nothing beats a mentor who has been where it is that you are trying to go multiple times over and knows where the pitfalls are and what challenges lie ahead.

Mentors can also help you check your blind spots. We all have them. These are areas of our life or our behavior that we don’t see the way that other people do. 

Just as we use a mirror to examine our back because our head can’t turn around far enough to give us a clear view of it, a mentor is there to act as a mirror and help us examine the areas of our life that we can’t see on our own.

This is why every successful sports team has a coach. Think of mentors as coaches who are there to help you avoid the obstacles and get past the roadblocks on your journey to success. If you're going to succeed at making money online promoting our Zazzle store's products, you are going to need mentors to help you get there.

You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know

Two years ago, I was invited on a book tour in England. I’d never been there and while I knew some of the landmarks, I wasn’t familiar with their mass transit system and how it worked. When I got off the plane, I needed to get to the place I was staying, which was an hour and a half away from the airport.

I didn’t know how to find their mass transit system. I didn’t know how to pay the fare. Fortunately, I was able to ask the nearest attendant. It turns out that in England, the Underground is the official name for their Mass transit system. The tube is their slang term for it.

To get on the tube and ride, you need to purchase an Oyster card, which is a prepaid card that you swipe each time you enter and exit the tube. It then deducts the appropriate fare based on the time of transit. Busier commute times cost more.

Building a business is a lot like traveling to a place you’ve never been before. You can waste your time trying to figure it out on your own, or you can take the shortcut and find someone who already knows what you need to know in order to get where you want to be and learn from them.

Don’t Let Money Be Your Reason Why You Didn’t Get the Help You Need

When I first started my writing business back in 2016, I didn’t have money for a mentor or a coach. I could barely make rent. I did the smartest thing I could have done and reached out to God in prayer and asked Him to be my business coach.

After all, He knows all things and I figured He knew me better than anyone else. He would be able to mentor and guide me.

I was right. Every time I consult Him, the guidance I get has helped me to get past a major obstacle that was in my path and get on the road to success. Best of all, He doesn’t charge me money for His services. He just requires that I serve others in turn.

A word of warning to those who want God to be their coach: He doesn’t pull any punches. He’s going to tell you exactly what you need to hear even when He knows it isn’t what you want to hear. If you want an example of what it is like to be coached by God, just read through last Sunday’s post on Say It with SASS.

It’s going to hurt the ego a little, but it’ll ultimately be the best advice you’ve ever been given. That’s how you know it’s from God. It’s going to move you forward but never in the direction you expected it would take.

Finding Other Mentors and Coaches

Getting involved in a community of people who are heading the same direction you are is one of the best ways to find other mentors and coaches. Watch for the ones that are the most insightful and the most helpful in the group. Seek them out and ask them who their mentors and coaches are, then reach out to those people.

Remember: Anyone can tell you that they are the right person to help you on the road to success, but the best way to gauge whether they truly can is to examine their handiwork. How are the people they are mentoring and coaching faring?

I've joined a Facebook group for Zazzle store owners and I've also been actively seeking information on YouTube about best practices for our Zazzle store so I can be more effective at selling and help you get your best shot at making the money you want to make.

Next Sunday: Service Is the Best Strategy

Next Sunday, we’ll talk about why service should be the foundation of all your strategies, what it will change for you if you adopt that strategy, and how to begin putting service at the heart of everything you do.

Comments? Questions? Contributions?

What’s your experience been? Have you ever sought out a mentor or coach? Which mentor or coach made the biggest difference for you? Comment below and let us know.

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