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4 Types of mentors: The journey of being an entrepreneur is fascinating! However, it can be quite lonely and directionless at times. If you want to have the best chance of making your business idea a success, you’ll need timely guidance. Not everyone is capable of being a mentor. Even if they are, they might not be best suited for you. Make sure that you choose your mentor carefully to help build your business. In this article, we discuss the 4 types of mentors who can aid your startup.

4 Types of Mentors: Why do you need a Mentor?

A mentor is someone who can support, guide and challenge you. They spend time with you to understand the business idea, strategy and your efforts. An ideal mentor is expected to spend sufficient time with you and invested in your idea being a success.Entrepreneurship cannot grow without a constructive challenge. If your mentor agrees with everything you say and is just supporting you, then you’ve just got a friend instead. Make sure that while choosing your mentor you look for key qualities of the mentor.

4 Key Qualities of a Mentor:

1. They should fit you: Choosing a mentor is a personal activity. They need to fit your needs and not the other way round.
2. Active Listening: Not just listen to what you say, but also ask the right questions to elicit questions and make you think
3. Providing Constructive Feedback: Someone who can help you grow and this can happen only via the feedback
4. Challenge your thoughts: A mentor should be able to challenge limiting thoughts. They must be able to get you to think of different possibilities and opportunities.

A good mentor gives you a great direction to develop your business idea as it grows. A single mentor will not suffice considering the width and impact of your startup. A good mix of coaches can be via these 4 types of mentors for your startup – The 6 Peculiar People Who Advice You!

Role Model: A Mentor who Inspires You

Having a mentor who has gone through the experience of entrepreneurship is a brilliant fit. They will be able to relate to your challenges and give you an indication of how success looks like. A good mentor can give you an indication of how opportunities look like.As an entrepreneur, you will face numerous challenges and it is easy to lose track of your motivation.

These types of mentors push you to achieve and look beyond challenges. Be careful though, you don’t want someone to be just giving you incredible stories, they must be able to fill you with valuable input as well – Importance of Role Model on Self Development

In other words

• Someone who can give you real inspiration
• Not fill you with lofty and unreachable ideas
• This person needs to be able to relate to you and yet inspire you for fresher challenges

Coach: Someone who constructively challenges you

This is a key quality in the 4 types of mentors to choose for your startup. A mentor cannot just be a supportive person for you to lean on. Instead, they should be able to question your approach. The best type of mentors not only empathises with your situation but pushes you towards your goal. They are expected to make you question your beliefs and play the devil’s advocate.

You don’t want someone who keeps saying yes. The value such a person adds to your well being is minimal and you won’t gain any progress from that. Key points to look for in your coach:

• Someone open to possibilities: Can ask and make you think of different approaches.
• Calls your bluff: Brings you back to the big picture and identifies the qualities that might be holding you back.
• Ensure that you complete your commitments: Someone who can make you accountable and deliver the promises you made for yourself.

Friend: A mentor who supports you 

Another type of mentor to look for is a supportive one. The entrepreneurial journey is hard and has many challenges. A mentor of this type can support you in your tough journey and provide a shoulder to lean on. This doesn’t mean that they’ll solve your problems. This only means that the mentor tries to empathise and be with you in your difficult times.

A good mentor is also an active listener. This means asking the right questions to get to understand you better. Empathy is one of the top skills to look for in a mentor like this. If they are not interested, then it is very clear that this person is not the right mentor for you. You are better off running away the fastest you can!

Market You: Create opportunities for you

This is a key trait in the 4 types of mentors to build your startup. Most often your success is determined by the quality of the network you keep. This network can introduce you to key people which can make your business a huge success. A good mentor should be able to market you and get you into the right places.

It might just be by introducing you to their network or even giving you opportunities to express your ideas. Some accelerators do a great job at providing you with such platforms. But a good mentor can get you an introduction into key places to take your ideas further. In this ted article, you can find a beautiful conversation about the types of mentors needed in your life.

Summary: 4 Types of Mentors to Build your Business

Key Takeaways from this article are:

• Choose your mentor carefully
• There can be more than two types of mentors
• You can change or add more mentors when you need
• Make sure that they are fulfilling your purpose
• A good mentor must be able to challenge your views and guide you.

These are our top tips on Types of Mentors to build your startup. Please leave us your thoughts and comments below.