{"id":4893,"date":"2020-06-08T10:55:07","date_gmt":"2020-06-08T07:55:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/?p=4893"},"modified":"2020-06-18T10:04:48","modified_gmt":"2020-06-18T07:04:48","slug":"mentors-7-reasons-you-need-a-mentor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/mentors-7-reasons-you-need-a-mentor\/","title":{"rendered":"MENTORS: 7 REASONS YOU NEED A MENTOR"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-center is-style-default\"><p>Mentors are people or friends who guide less experienced individuals by building trust and modelling positive behaviours.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-very-dark-gray-color\">Mentors. They\u2019ve been there and done that \u2013 they\u2018ve seen it all. Yet, a woeful number of entrepreneurs start their careers\u2019 without one. In an age where instant gratification is glorified, it&#8217;s unsurprising that many entrepreneurs and young founders do not seek out mentors as hard as they do co-founders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-very-dark-gray-color\">While many arguments are abound on why entrepreneurs don&#8217;t need mentors but should instead follow their instincts and gut feelings; There are many cases to be made on why the age-old practice aids in the success of entrepreneurs. Just think of a few of the legendary mentor-mentee duos like Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs, Warren Buffet and Bill Gates. Even in the creative\/fictional space, mentor-mentee duos have curated exceptional results by moulding experience and youthful idealism think of Luke Skywalker &amp; Obi-Won Kenobi, Iron man &amp; Spider-man and Captain Kirk &amp; Captain Pike just to name a few.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-very-dark-gray-color\">Here are&nbsp;benefits mentors provide entrepreneurs as they build their start-ups into successful companies:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"has-text-color\" style=\"color:#3b0e36\">Gain experience not shared in books.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"color:#3b0e36\" class=\"has-text-color\">Experience is a vey expensive asset crucial to business success. While there is a wealth of insight to acquire from books and articles, it\u2019s a vexing truth that most authors do not feel comfortable revealing everything about themselves in books. Some personal experiences may be too personal to share with a wide audience, yet how they dealt with them can aid an inexperienced entrepreneur\u2019s career. This is where mentors come in, <strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/reasons-youre-not-an-effective-leader\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"any mentor worth their salt (opens in a new tab)\">any mentor worth their salt<\/a><\/em><\/strong> can usually fill the vacuum of information with both expert knowledge and outlook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-very-dark-gray-color\">Their advice helps ease the challenges of projects\nwhich makes work easier and increases your chances of succeeding. Mentorship is\none guaranteed way to gain experience from others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-center is-style-large\"><p>\u201cIf you cannot see where you are going, ask someone who has been there before\u201d<\/p><cite>J Loren Norris <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"has-text-color\" style=\"color:#3b0e36\">Mentors makes success more likely.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-very-dark-gray-color\">Whether you are a mentor or the mentee, the mentoring\nrelationship can push your career to new heights. The benefits of mentoring are\nmany. Research and surveys prove that having a mentor is important to success.\nIn a 2013 executive coaching survey 80% of CEOs said they received some form of\nmentorship. In another research by Sage, 93% of start-ups admit that mentorship\nis instrumental in success.<a href=\"#_ftn1\">[1]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-very-dark-gray-color\">Having&nbsp; the\nright mentor can amplify your chances of success in life and in business. The\nvaluable connections, timely advice, occasional check-in, &nbsp;along with the spiritual and moral guidance\nyou will gain from having a mentor will ease the road to success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"has-text-color\" style=\"color:#3b0e36\">Networking opportunities.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-very-dark-gray-color\">Aside from the fact that investors trust start-ups who\nare recommended by their friends or solid revenue numbers, a successful mentor\nhas many more years of experience and a vast network of people that can benefit\nyour career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-very-dark-gray-color\">Since they are invested in your success they will let\nyou tap into their network of contacts when the need arises. A good mentor will\nalso give you valuable feedback on your networking skills as well as advice on\nhow to improve on any problematic areas<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-very-dark-gray-color\">These unique opportunities cannot be tapped into if\nyou don\u2019t have a mentor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"has-text-color\" style=\"color:#3b0e36\">Reassurance and hope.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-very-dark-gray-color\">Research has proven quality mentorship has a positive\naffect on young entrepreneurs many of whom battle with self-doubt and question\ntheir ability to succeed in business. These feelings might lead to imposter\nsyndrome, whereby an entrepreneur feels unworthy of their success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-very-dark-gray-color\">Having someone who practically guides you and shares\nyour worries with you often appeasing your fears with years of experience can\nreassure you that you\u2019ll&nbsp; be successful\nand that your accomplishments are deserved<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-very-dark-gray-color\">Mentors also help bolster your self-confidence which\nis an important key to success, as entrepreneurs reports revealed that having a\nhigh self-confidence contributes significantly to career success. Mentors have\nthe capacity to help young founders tap into their self-confidence and see\nevery challenge as an opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"has-text-color\" style=\"color:#3b0e36\">Business longevity.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-very-dark-gray-color\">When you imagine the number of businesses that fail, you\u2019d wish that a lot of business owners had mentors. According to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sba.gov\/blogs\/why-mentor-key-small-business-growth-and-survival-0\"><strong><em>SBA<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, 30 percent of new businesses may not survive past the first 24 months, and 50 percent of those may not make it past five years. However, 70 percent of mentored businesses&nbsp;<em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sba.gov\/blogs\/why-mentor-key-small-business-growth-and-survival-0\">survive longer than 5 years<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"has-text-color\" style=\"color:#3b0e36\">Mentors will help you develop a stronger EQ.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-very-dark-gray-color\">Emotional intelligence (EQ) develops with age and life experience and its crucial to entrepreneurial success. When a young entrepreneur has a more mature and successful mentor to advise them, they&#8217;re likely to have a greater control over their emotions and reactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-very-dark-gray-color\">It\u2019s a well-known fact that\nmixing business and emotions can lead to your business failing, to curb this\nsituation mentors give an unbiased point of view and limit their emotional\nattachment to your project while simultaneously showing you how to react in given instances and overcome critical hurdles by making smart\ndecisive judgements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"has-text-color\" style=\"color:#3b0e36\">Mentors give you accountability.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-very-dark-gray-color\">You\u2019ve &nbsp;likely set goals for\nyourself and laid out a great plan on how to achieve them. These mean nothing without follow through \u2013 a hurdle most entrepreneurs have trouble getting over. A mentor can help\nkeep you accountable to your goals and business objectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-very-dark-gray-color\">Without being domineering, a great mentor will help you set\u00a0key objectives and then holds you accountable in working towards them. They will rightly admonish you if you fail to meet objectives due to laziness on your part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-very-dark-gray-color\">You might also like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/5-benefits-of-mentoring\/\">5 benefits of mentoring<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/5-tips-to-land-your-dream-mentor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"5 tips to land your dream mentor  (opens in a new tab)\">5 tips to land your dream mentor <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/how-to-set-up-an-effective-mentorship-program-for-your-business\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"how to set up an effective mentorship program for your business \n (opens in a new tab)\">how to set up an effective mentorship program for your business <br><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref1\">[1]<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/article\/280134#:~:text=In%20hard%20times%2C%20having%20a,bear%20the%20brunt%20the%20most.\">https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/article\/280134#:~:text=In%20hard%20times%2C%20having%20a,bear%20the%20brunt%20the%20most.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eseibusinessschool.com\/why-every-entrepreneur-needs-a-mentor\/\">https:\/\/www.eseibusinessschool.com\/why-every-entrepreneur-needs-a-mentor\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.standardmedia.co.ke\/business\/article\/2001366445\/4-reasons-entrepreneurs-need-mentors\">https:\/\/www.standardmedia.co.ke\/business\/article\/2001366445\/4-reasons-entrepreneurs-need-mentors<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/maryabbajay\/2019\/01\/20\/mentoring-matters-three-essential-element-of-success\/#637f557945a9\">https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/maryabbajay\/2019\/01\/20\/mentoring-matters-three-essential-element-of-success\/#637f557945a9<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Amanda Nyabila <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mentors are people or friends who guide less experienced individuals by building trust and modelling positive behaviours. Mentors. They\u2019ve been there and done that \u2013 they\u2018ve seen it all. Yet, a woeful number of entrepreneurs start their careers\u2019 without one. In an age where instant gratification is glorified, it&#8217;s unsurprising that many entrepreneurs and young founders do not seek out mentors as hard as they do co-founders. While many arguments are abound on why entrepreneurs don&#8217;t need mentors but should instead follow their instincts and gut feelings; There are many cases to be made on why the age-old practice aids\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4894,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[94],"tags":[],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":5}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4893"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4893"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4893\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4917,"href":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4893\/revisions\/4917"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4894"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4893"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4893"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}