How to Find a Business Mentor: A Step-by-Step Guide

As a business owner, you’re the one in charge. You decide the direction you want your business to go, the people you want to bring on board and how you want to get there.

That freedom and autonomy to run your business your way is one of the biggest perks of being a business owner. But when you hit a point where you’re not sure how to move forward—for example, when you’re ready to scale your business and take things to the next level—it can be challenging to navigate next steps on your own.

That’s where business mentors come in. Having a business mentor (or business mentors!) who’s a few steps ahead of you in business can be an invaluable resource when you’re growing and scaling your company. Because they’ve been where you are (and have successfully made it where you’d like to go), they can give you insights on everything from what to do, what not to do and the most effective path to hitting your business goals.

But the question is: How, exactly, do you find those mentors?

Let’s take a dive into the step-by-step process for finding a business mentor.

Table of Contents

    Define What You Want in a Mentor

    Before you go looking for a business mentor, it’s important to take the time to define what it is you’re looking for. Knowing what your ideal business mentor and mentorship relationship looks like before you try to identify a mentor will help you narrow down your search—and make sure the people you engage are going to be the right fit for you and your business.

    Some key mentorship elements you’ll want to get define before you start looking for a mentor include:

    Getting clear on what you’re looking for in a business mentor will make your search easier—and ultimately, make it easier to find the right person to mentor you in your business.

    Identify Potential Mentors

    Once you know what you’re looking for in a mentor, it’s time to start identifying potential mentors.

    When vetting potential mentors, you want them to bring qualities to the table that can add real value to your business. Some things to look for when identifying potential business mentors include:

    Knowing what to look for in a potential business mentor is one part of the equation—but it’s also important to know where to look.

    There are a variety of resources you can tap to find a business mentor, including:

    Approach Potential Business Mentors the Right Way



    Once you’ve identified a mentor you want to work with, the next step in the process? Approaching them in a way that makes them want to work with you.

    When approaching a potential business mentor, there are a few different things to keep in mind that can dramatically increase the chance that they’ll take you on as a mentee, including:

    Bottom line? How you approach your potential business mentor will play a huge role in whether they decide to work with you—so make sure you’re approaching them in a way that’s going to encourage them to take you on as a mentee.

    Set Expectations

    Once you have a business mentor that’s agreed to mentor you (yay!), you’re almost ready to start working together. But you want to lay the foundation for a successful mentorship from the very beginning—and that boils down to setting clear expectations upfront.

    For example, if you’re expecting your mentor to be available for a 30-minute call every week to discuss your progress—but they were only planning to answer occasional questions via email—it’s quickly going to lead to frustration on both sides, and the mentorship isn’t going to work in the long-term.

    But if you set communication expectations up front, both you and your mentor will know how often you’re going to connect, which can help you avoid any potential misunderstandings down the road.

    Some expectations you want to get clear on from the very beginning of your mentorship include:

    Setting expectations and getting on the same page with your mentor from the get-go will lay the foundation for a successful mentorship—and ensure that the relationship is a constructive and beneficial one for both you and your business mentor.

    Maintain the Relationship

    Finding a business mentor is great. But in order to see results from your mentorship, you need to continually work with them as you grow and change your business—and that means maintaining a relationship and keeping the mentorship going long-term.

    There are a few different ways to keep your mentor-mentee relationship moving forward for the long haul, including:

    Get Out There and Find Your Ideal Business Mentor

    Working with a business mentor can add huge value to your business—and be exactly the push your company needs to grow, scale and take things to the next level. And now that you know exactly how to find a business mentor, all that’s left to do? Get out there and start searching!

    This post was updated in September 2020.

    about the author

    Freelance Contributor Deanna deBara is an entrepreneur, speaker, and freelance writer who specializes in business and productivity topics. When she's not busy writing, she enjoys exploring the Pacific Northwest with her husband and dog. See more of her work and learn more about her services at deannadebara.com.

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