7 Entrepreneurs Share the Guru-mantra That Shaped Their Career Entrepreneurship is a bumpy voyage, not everyone can sail through seamlessly without a true guide

Behind every great leader is a suite of great mentors and advisors. Steve Jobs had Ed Woolard and John Sculley whereas Bill Gates considers Warren Buffet a mentor and Bob Iger credits his former boss Tom Murphy with his success at Walt Disney. Most entrepreneurs might not have world-famous executives mentoring them; the importance of such interactions is obvious.

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy voyage, not everyone can sail through seamlessly without a true guide. Connecting with mentors, acknowledging the advice that can shape their careers and implementing them in their entrepreneurial journey can change the whole game.

We asked 7 Entrepreneurs about that one piece of advice they have received from their mentors that reflects on their entrepreneurial journey, this is what they stated.

Dedication is the key

Teachers define our future and without teacher's our lives would have no class, believes Akhand Swaroop Pandit, CEO & Founder, Catalyst Group, Online Learning Platform.

"When I was in school, my teacher used to say always put you 200 per cent in whatever you do and never cheat yourself by reducing the efforts you are putting to achieve your goal," and that advice has motivated him throughout his career.

Patience is An Important Virtue

Keep patience, do good work and rest will fall in place. Entrepreneurs can run million-dollar businesses by being hassled about every little thing; they need to keep their cool for leading an enterprise.

"When you are impatient, you tend to miss critical details and opportunities, which may lead to irrevocable mistakes. Due to the fast-paced nature of today's world, we value dynamic actions and quick solutions, but if this attitude morphs into impatience, it will cloud your judgement, ruin relationships and destroy your credibility in the market," shares Beas Dev Ralhan, Co-founder and CEO, Next Education India Pvt Ltd, who got this advice from his father.

Stay Silent, Observe & Learn

Silence, patience and perseverance are 3 very basic yet powerful qualities which help in building a solid business. Aarti Gill, Co-founder & CEO of OZiva has leant the same from her company's current investor who is an entrepreneur himself.

"His guidance came to use in different aspects of the business at different times. So, it was a process of observation and learning rather than one aha moment which reflects in our business and me as an entrepreneur," she said.

There are No Fast Fixes

Success stories like Flipkart, Zomato or Oyo didn't come into being overnight. Most entrepreneurs have hustled through failures to reach the stage where they are making millions.

Sharing the advice he received from his mentor, Anil Nagar, Founder & CEO, Adda247 stated, "If you do try to make fast money and create fast success, your clients and your success will leave as fast as they came. Focus on building quality and long term value and be patient with your journey as there is no overnight success."

Talk About the Work You Do

Flurry of innovative startups are launching businesses these days. Beside the good work they are promoting, talking about what they do is equally important because in the world of competition, communication is important to achieve success.

"It is as important to articulate your good work humbly as it is to do good work. If you don't let others know the difference you make then they will never know," is the advice Dipali Mathur, CEO & CO- Founder Super Smelly, received from her mentor.

Developing Solutions for Today's Problem

In modern times, dramatic change is not driven by traditional thinking but by finding solutions for critical problems of today.

One important thing Aditya Malik- CEO and MD of Talentedge learnt from his mentor is 'developing solutions for today's problem with an entrepreneurial approach'. "Entrepreneurs don't see limitations and their definition of an obstacle is just a challenge that lies ahead which they can solve."

Always Stay True To Yourself

Each one of us is created with different characteristics and with a definite purpose. It is good to get inspired by successful people but to create their own identity; Entrepreneurs need to find their very own path to success.

Meenal Arora, Founder Director, Shemford and Shemrock Group of Schools has realized that to reach our full potential, self-belief, trusting our instincts, setting goals and reaching those goals without personal compromise is essential. "When we doubt ourselves and our abilities we cannot achieve the standards we are capable of," she said.