5 Tips for Finding and Keeping a Mentor

Seeking out and securing your startup’s first supporter can feel like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Before the title “Founder and CEO” was attached to my name, I was a college student and aspiring social entrepreneur faced with this conundrum.?

I had limited experience and a handful of practical problems such as a lack of funding and sufficient expert guidance to help establish and sustain my fledgling initiative which would eventually grow to become Sustainable Ocean Alliance .?

I knew what I needed to do: find mentors (who would ideally double as investors) to accelerate SOA’s expansion. BUT, where to begin? And how does my experience apply to your journey??

As someone who has been through this journey already before, let me make things a bit easier for you with the latest #DVFWeekly5: five tips for securing and sustaining a mentor.?

1. Invest in expanding your network and credibility.

First, I’m going to tell you what NOT to do. Don’t cold outreach when it comes to mentorship. In my experience, it doesn’t get you far.?

Ideally, you want a mentor who knows of you (or knows someone who does) and will already be somewhat interested ahead of an initial conversation. So how does that happen? Legwork.

There is (rarely) an easy way in. You have to invest in expanding your network and building credibility — because having other people vouch for you opens doors to a potential mentor. If they find you credible, they’ll be confident that investing their time, energy, and resources is worthwhile.

One approach is to circulate at events and opportunities in the industry you want to enter. Upon building genuine connections, you’ll be in a position to request or be offered an introduction to someone you’ve identified through your own research/recommendations from peers.

Alternatively, you have to raise awareness of your work and build brand recognition so the mentor comes to you.

How can you do that when you’re still early in your journey??

Begin with developing a clear vision and business plan with a branded website to direct your target audience in addition to building your social presence, marketing materials, and communications prowess. Once these are established, pursue speaking engagements that raise your executive profile and media coverage to tease the potential of your product or service — with YOU as its convincing spokesperson. BUILD anticipation!

Even if the fundraising you’ve done thus far is limited, continue to invest in attending conferences, events, and social hours. You may even want to consider the prospect of hiring consultants or an agency for marketing and communications needs. What money you do spend will come back to you tenfold once you attract the right supporters to your cause.?

2. Express your needs and make the ask.

Once you’re connected with someone whose values, expertise, and network align with your needs, consider what you need and ask the potential mentor — with specificity.?

Before you make the ask, ensure you have a clear outline of your business model, vision, and goals. You don’t want to confuse your newly interested collaborator with figuring out the gaps in your business model or background.?

I’ve had great success asking people to support big ideas and to my surprise — they’ve said, “Yes!” Don’t be afraid to ask for what you need. And don’t be afraid to ask for something big.?

3. Establish reciprocality.

This leads me to my next tip: remember that mentorship is a two-way street and accordingly, establish reciprocality. More often than not, your mentor will be drawn to work with you because you have the potential to fulfill a need of theirs as well.?

If you establish why the mentor is interested in you and/or your venture from the get-go, you can intentionally strive to establish a balance of give and take as the relationship unfolds.

If you’re able to add value to their life — professionally or personally — weigh the comfort level you’ll have with letting this person into your world outside your professional relationship and how much you’ll be willing to truly open up, and vice versa. Committing to a mentorship is not a decision to take lightly and can entirely change the trajectory of both your life and career and your mentor’s.?

4. Nurture the relationship.

That said, keep in mind this is a relationship — so nurture it genuinely, thoughtfully, and intentionally! Keep a consistent cadence of communication, make note of and reach out around important dates such as birthdays, their professional and family anniversaries, when you initially met, and beyond.

When you express gratitude, make sure your actions reflect your words of appreciation. Never take the connection for granted. You don’t want to regret missing an opportunity to show someone how much they mean to you. Time is not promised, nor are outcomes.

5. Face the journey head-on.

Last but not least, be honest about your journey. Highs and lows are equally important to divulge.?

In the world we live in, we’re all tempted to share only the highlights of our successes. But your mentor is there to guide you when you face challenges and adversity. They can’t do what they’ve committed to doing if you’re hesitant or embarrassed to share mistakes, shortcomings, or challenges.

“Failing forward” comes with the benefit of learning, but often it can be the hard way. When faced with a fork in the road, pause and lean on the support system you’ve established. Odds are, your mentor isn’t going to judge you. Quite the opposite, they’ll respect you for acknowledging your humanity and coming to them for the guidance they signed up to provide.

If you’ve found the right fit, they’ll offer advice that lets you save the hard lesson for another day.

#DVFWeekly5