What is a business mentor & more importantly what can he or she do to help you develop your business? Running your own small to medium sized business can be a lonely past time and its very easy to bogged down with all the mundane, non profitable trivia that seems to fill most business peoples days.
Before I retired at an early age, (it would have been even sooner had I had a business mentor).
I seemed to spend my days permanently running around putting out fires.
I had 20+ employees plus sub contractors.
The business had grown very quickly and as a result there was no clear system in place.
I was running a business with a $3million+ turn over and yet during a working week was doing all the buying & selling, hiring & firing staff, dealing with government departments. Trying to keep up with government legislation, over seeing the accounts and tax returns & could often be found driving a fork lift! Insanity.
A Good Business Mentor:
would have helped me to take a step back, take a look at the bigger picture and assist me in creating a system that would work without me being there. The goal is surely to have the business work for you NOT become a monster that takes over your entire life as mine did.
What I have come to learn in the last 15 years of being a business mentor for other people is that most small businesses are not structured properly and therefore the business owner/Director ends up doing so many different jobs that he loses the big picture. Many business owners end up working longer hours and for less money than if they were working for themselves. If the business owner becomes unwell or dies the business will often cease to function.
Why? Because they do not have a clear system in place. Look at McDonalds for a great example of a business system in operation. It is a hugely profitable concern that is operated mainly by part time, teenage staff who by definition don’t work there long term. There is a constant coming and going of personnel and yet the business is one of the most profitable in the world & will still be there tomorrow if the whole board of directors disappeared.
A business mentor will help you to take a time out and review where you are now. What your goals are for the future both short and long term and how you aim to get there.
What to Look For in A Business Mentor
Sometimes the business mentor can be a family friend our relative, however I find that most of my clients prefer to talk with someone outside of this group.
They are looking for a business mentor who can be brutally honest and who is not constrained by the many and varied relationships that make up families and business partnerships.
It is important that you you find a mentor with whom you can develop a relationship. There is no point dealing with someone who you don’t like nor do you want a business mentor who is your best pal because he will lose the ability to be frank with you.
Your Business Mentor?
If you would like an introductory free consultation to see if you & I will be able to work together in helping you to achieve your goals then please contact me
if you would like to know more about my background and why I may be the business mentor that you are looking for see my 30 + year business resumé on the About Marc Walton Page
If you want to see what clients have to say then take a look at just a few of the 100’s of testimonials I have received: Testimonials
Best of luck in all your ventures
Regards
Marc Walton
Author: Marc Walton