Augment "Celebrity Mentors" with REAL (Boring) Ones Nobody Knows

Nearly every aspiring entrepreneur chooses the wrong mentor to follow. Why? Because the right ones are boring as hell!

The traditional type of corporate mentor climbed the corporate ladder to lead large, publicly traded enterprises. These mentors are experts at mergers & acquisitions, restructuring debt, and bolstering stock price. The second type of corporate mentor is even more successful. They created “black swan” innovations and spent tens of millions of investor dollars and became billionaires with flashy IPOs or acquisitions without ever making a single dollar in profit. Monetizing their company came later.?

Then there are "Motivational Gurus" like Tony Robbins…6 feet 7 inches tall, a voice like a Greek God, and Hollywood good looks.?He has accumulated a net worth of $600M…not by inventing and selling an innovative technology or service…but instead by selling his “how to be successful” products to over 50 million people.??Without question, Tony Robbins is a gifted speaker and provides a ton of personal self-help advice, but his firsthand business experience rests in the self-help industry.

The latest trends are books and programs by US Navy SEALs and Special Operations warriors. As an American (and veteran!), I’m extremely grateful these impressive folks are fighting on our side! Without question, these folks must have impressive leadership skills, but I’m a bit skeptical regarding the business insights of any mentor who has never had to turn a profit...or how “killing bad guys” immediately relates to writing winning proposals.

Unfortunately, most aspiring entrepreneurs don’t know a single Founder/CEO from the industry they are pursuing. These unknown people are experts at leading startups from just a dream to tens of millions of dollars in revenue on shoestring budgets. Despite being unknown, they represent the majority of business owners. They’re the ones living and fighting in the trenches. They know where the landmines are. They have hard-learned startup lessons written in blood and bankruptcy!??

At Government Contracting Academy, the SECOND lesson in our GovCon Advanced Training Program is about finding the RIGHT MENTORS! (The first lesson is a program overview.) During this lesson, I explain where and how to find successful small business Founder/CEOs and challenge them to meet FIVE of them.

The easiest way to connect with these folks is to research small businesses on prestigious contract vehicles, such as OASIS and ALLIANT, as well as fastest growing companies lists, such as the Washington Technology Fast 50 List, INC Magazine's Fastest Growing 500 List, and the Deloitte Tech 500.?Connect with the CEOs of these businesses on LinkedIn.?Call their offices and ask to meet for lunch or drinks. Trust me, most of these folks will speak with you.

During my decades of experience in the business world, I know a ton of highly successful business executives…and, do you know what??? During all this time, our conversations have NEVER included how to “get in touch with our inner-selves.”