Who is a step ahead of you as an owner?

Do you have a business mentor? Why do you even need one? Let’s talk about that today... Good afternoon y’all! Thomas Joyner with Business on Purpose here.

When I started in Young Life, who I worked for almost a decade. I’ll never forget it. The first meeting we had with our Regional staff, they asked us to fill out this form and send it back to them. They asked for two names. One name of someone who’s a peer. Someone who’s praying for you, who knows you well, and who is walking alongside you as a friend. 

Now, that one was easy for me. I had some great friends and had no problem thinking through 4 or 5 names to write down.

The second thing it asked for is a mentor’s name. And they wanted their phone number and e-mail so they could check-in with your mentor from time to time. I kind of broke out into a cold sweat as I realized I didn’t have one. I went and asked my boss about it and he said, “Hey, that’s fine for today, but you need to have one by the end of the month.”

So, I came home from the meeting and immediately started thinking about who might be willing to mentor me. I had to humbly go up to that person, tell them why I was asking them this, and then ask them to start meeting with me once or twice a month.

Here’s what I quickly came to realize about this relationship. It started off a little awkward, but as we met every other week for lunch, I soon began to feel so comfortable that everything topic-wise was on the table. Relationships, work, faith, masculinity, family, fitness... ANYTHING.

And I had someone that was pushing me to be the man that I wanted to be. 

Now, if that worked in my personal life, why shouldn’t it work in the business world? I think sometimes we believe a bunch of lies about business owners. We believe that they’re too busy. I couldn’t disagree more. We make time for what we value. 

I also think that sometimes we’re not humble enough to ask for help. If you’re a business owner it means that you have drive and can take initiative and are probably incredibly talented. But can you be humble enough to ask for help? Can you be humble enough to let someone in and actually take the advice they are giving? That can be a huge challenge.

The last thing I’ll say is I think we believe the lie that we’re the only business that has these issues. Here’s a trade secret...you’re not the only one struggling with employees, or cash flow or training, or vision... OTHERS JUST LEARN TO HIDE IT BETTER!!!

Trust me, there is not a problem that your business is experiencing, that someone else hasn’t already walked through and dealt with. And probably learned both the WRONG way to deal with it and the RIGHT way to deal with it. Don’t get stuck feeling alone in your problems. 

So, how do you go about finding a mentor or a coach for your business? Well, find someone who’s business looks like what you want yours to look like. When I needed a mentor, I looked for someone who’s marriage I respected and who was a step ahead of me in life. 

That process was simple, I went up to them and just said hey, I respect who you are as a person, as a man, and as a leader. I’ve been wanting to have someone speaking into my life and just someone I can bounce things off of a couple of times a month. Would you be willing to do that?

Maybe in the business world, it goes something like this…” Hey, I’ve always respected your business and your leadership. Could I take you out to lunch once a month and just pick your brain on some of the stuff going on in my business? I need some help.

People are encouraged to see they’re respected. People want a platform to give back and to encourage others a step behind. And here’s the thing... if they say no, ask someone else! They aren’t rejecting YOU, it may just not be the right time.

Everyone needs a mentor or a coach. Can you be humble enough to ask for one? 

Think about great athletes, great writers, great leaders... they’re almost always directly linked to a great coach, mentor, or group of individuals surrounding them and offering feedback. 

You don’t have to do it alone.

We tell people all the time, whether you hire us, or not, hire a coach or find someone to speak into your life. It’s the only way to get where you want to go as a business owner... and a person. 

Here’s the last thing I’ll say. When you have a mentor or business coach, turn around and do the same for someone else. There’s always someone a step ahead of you and always someone a step behind. Be for someone what you want someone else to be for you.

Have a great weekend y’all! Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube and podcast for some incredible content every week.

Take care.