Loading...
Answers
MenuWhat is the best way to find a mentor? Do you ask and if so how do you approach in way that would provide value?
This question has no further details.
Answers
The best way to find a mentor is to look around in your industry and see who you feel has accomplished what you're setting out to do, and that you gel with the way they did it (values, brand, etc).
"Ask for money, get advice. Ask for advice, get money twice"
~ Pitbull
If you can get a warm introduction, do that. If not, you can always cold email them with a specific issue that you want advice on .. ideally it's something super relevant to their life experience and interesting enough to get their attention.
Never ask them to be a mentor. Mentorship usually develops over a couple meetings and is informal.
The value to them is to give back to the next generation. As long as you listen, execute on their advice / or not, AND follow up - then they'll continue to give you some time.
Mentors are best for those large life decisions that most people turn to their parents too ... those decisions are interesting for most noteable people to give you 15 minutes on a call to discuss.
You might already have a mentor and not realize it.
Depending on where you are in your career and who has given you advice in the past or been a sounding board...that could be a mentor.
In my career I have had mentors that were bosses and not until after I left those organizations and maintained those relationships did I ever really call them or see them as a mentor.
Look back in your career and see who did that for you and that might be the best place to start.
I have had lots of mentors and I've never asked.
The value a mentor gets is a good feeling that they are creating impact by spending time with you.
You give them this feeling by actually DOING the stuff they advise you to do or help you to see.
It's not often that someone actually takes advice and runs with it and comes back to say "Thanks, I did it. It gave me this result. Now I have another question..."
Forget strategy. Simple principles are all you need.
Related Questions
-
Should we pay for an SaaS Business Coach or seek Mentors to minimize mistakes?
I'd recommend finding a qualified operational advisor and offering some SMALL level of equity to keep all interests aligned, as well as bring further credibility to the business!DW
-
Who is the kindest person in the startup world?
Honestly there's too many to mention. Most successful founders are extremely kind and have a history of helping others... my quick list - Dave McClurre - Micah Baldwin - Clay Hebert - Mike McDerment - Jon Bischke - Gabe Luna - David Hassel - Mike Walsh - Bill Clerico - Hiten Shah - Gerry Pond - Sean Power - Christine Lu - Sally Ng - Marc Nager + 100's more Again, this is a quick list / not ranked in any order - just people who I think of personally that are kind and helpful in the startup space.DM
-
Who were the early mentors of the current generation of ultra successful entrepreneurs? Zuckerberg, Page, Brin, Dorsey, Hoffman, Thiel, etc.
- Peter Thiel was crucial for Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) - Ray Chambers for Jack Dorsey (Twitter) - Ken Allard and investors Ben Horowitz for Dennis Crowley (Foursquare) - Paul Graham and Partovi Brothersfor Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi (Dropbox founders) - Adam D'Angelo for Kevin Systrom (Instagram) See more of who mentored whom at http://www.businessinsider.com/meet-the-mentors-behind-the-visionaries-of-tech-2012-7?op=1HH
-
Who is the smartest AND kindest person you know in Silicon Valley?
Reed Hoffman and Sydney ArmaniMH
-
What specific topics are entrepreneurs wanting to learn about the most?
Social Marketing - I know it goes without saying that social marketing will be talked about. But I think its important to stress what exactly they should be doing with it. So many people think social marketing means having a facebook page, a twitter page or pinterest and have no idea how to actually use these services to grow their brand and build a community around their product.KA
the startups.com platform
Copyright © 2025 Startups.com. All rights reserved.