How to Grab the Attention of Top-Notch Mentors Finding a great mentor is hard. Here are a few tips on how to stand out from the crowd and gain access to amazing advisors.
By Will Caldwell Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Finding a great mentor is a tough task. Many of these advisors are often busy, hard to reach and honestly not very interested in you. Building a relationship with people you want to associate with takes time and most importantly you have to prove yourself. You can't just talk the talk; you have to execute. By doing so, people will begin to take notice and be naturally be drawn to you.
As you seek out people that take an interest in you, it is important to remember this is not a one-way relationship. Figure out ways you can provide value to your mentor and the relationship will evolve into a thriving mentorship.
Related: 8 Characteristics of Mentors Who Are Worth Your Time
To add value and prove your worth here are three tips to seek out a great mentor:
Prove you can execute. Entrepreneurship is about building successful businesses, and much of what it takes to build a company lies in execution. Great entrepreneurs are not successful because they had a great idea, but rather they executed on that idea better than anyone else. Potentially great mentors want to be around entrepreneurs poised to succeed. By executing you naturally attract the attention of successful people around you, and they will often be more than willing to meet with you.
Related: Feel Dumb Asking for Advice? You'll Actually Appear More Competent.
Focus on building a business. Anyone can build an app or product, but not everyone can build a business. Building a company is hard, and there is no scientific formula for success. Therefore seeking out experienced entrepreneurs when you are facing a business dilemma is a great way to approach them. The tough questions spark debate and create a valuable learning experience for both parties.
Provide value to your mentor. If you only seek out mentors for answers and advice then you will lose the opportunity to build a growing relationship with that person. It is important that you provide value to your mentor/ For example, I was able to help my mentor market and drive downloads to his new app from my recent experience doing the same with my business.
Keep in mind that mentorship is a relationship that goes both ways, and it is important to understand that you both are there to learn from each other.
Related: Stop Waiting for the Mythical Mentor
