One of the best ways to judge a mentor or adviser is to see if they listen to you, or if they understand your vision for your business and contribute productively. If they don’t, you need to stay away from them.
When you’re just starting out with your business venture, the right advice from the right person can make a lot of difference and boost your confidence.
For small business owners, these advisers and mentors are often family members, friends, and other such close acquaintances.
But sometimes, the mentors you pick aren’t the right fit for you. Here are a few ways to recognize and avoid the unsuitable ones.
Stay Away: From business advisers who don’t listen
There are some people out there that like to dispense advice even if you don’t ask for it. They might give you suggestions about a particular marketing strategy, or a product, etc, that might sound great on the surface, but doesn’t really apply to your business. For example, a person might suggest you should have a marketing campaign with a global reach.
They might go on to make a great argument in favour of their advice, not understanding that your business is local and deals with clients in a particular area.
One of the best ways to judge a mentor or adviser is to see if they listen to you, or if they understand your vision for your business and contribute productively. If they don’t, you need to stay away from them.
Stay Away: From business advisers without industry knowledge
Your team of advisers should help you establish yourself in the industry and offer good advice. You most likely know the path before you. You need to set up a brand, have a marketing strategy, attract customers, investors, etc. However, if you don’t have experience in the industry, you might need a person who has been through the process to help you. If the person is a novice in running a small business just like you are, it’ll be like blind leading the blind. You’ll end up going nowhere and delay your own progress.
Stay Away: From the Yes Man
It’s an adviser’s job to argue with you, especially if you’re in the wrong. If you’ve hired someone to advice you on marketing strategies, they need to do that without hesitation. If you’re thinking of incorporating a new strategy that doesn’t work in line with your company or product, your adviser should be willing and ready to point it out and explain why. People who just agree with you or don’t speak up aren’t really good advisers.
Stay Away: From business advisers with a narrow viewpoint
When you have an adviser on board, you want them to keep an eye on the bigger picture while you focus on the nitty-gritty’s. You might be working out the kinks in your latest software product but your business adviser should be focused on where you might go from there and how you’ll expand the business in the future. You might not be thinking about the scalability of your product, but they should be. If they’re just as focused on the small details as you, they’re offering no help.
While people who give the right advice are invaluable, people who give the wrong one can halt your progress before you even get your start-up off the ground. You should always pick mentors and advisers carefully.
