Once you've decided that the time is right for you to find a mentor to help you along your business journey, you'll want to sit down and think about what you want, need, and expect from your mentor. Do you want a mentor you can meet with weekly over lunch or do you feel one long session per month would be more productive? Will your mentor be someone from your own field who has plenty of insider experiences to share, or do you want feedback from someone outside your arena with a fresh point of view on your industry?
Think about your own business and how much time you can take away from customer service and production tasks. Would a phone conference or even daily email Q&A sessions work better for you? Be prepared to mention this to your potential mentor too. The wonders of modern technology should be your tools for business growth, including in this area. If you feel like you're already ready to roll on every aspect of your business but your website, you'll want to grab on the coat-tails of a web-savvy individual who will understand your questions and concerns and be able to address them in a language you can understand.
Be considerate of your mentor's time. If you are operating a business from home and consider your schedule to be very fluid, but desperately want to develop a mentoring relationship with someone in a corporate "9-to-5" job, you'll need to be the one who bends with the time clock for their ease. On the flip side, an entrepreneur who is always on the go, but on their own time clock, may well be willing to pop by your office for a cuppa and a chat.
Take the time to write up a list of everything you could possibly want to go over with your mentor. Then whittle it down to a second list of what you truly need to review with them. Break these lists into smaller chunks of "managable" content to go over during your first few meetings. Then start thinking about who will fit the bill.
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