Are you struggling with how to find a mentor? Or what to do next in your business? Are you dreaming of starting a business, in the initial phase of starting a business, or in a lull in your business, or thinking of selling your business? It’s time to get a business mentor. A mentor helps point you to the people and resources you need to start or take the next step in your business.
Many people worry about finding a mentor. They believe they will need to pay for a business coach that can cost anywhere from $100 – $10,000 an hour. If you are looking for a particular skill or person to work with, this might be the best path for you. However, if you would like to find a business mentor for FREE or little cost, then the below options may be a good fit for you.
How to find a mentor for FREE: SCORE
SCORE, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the nation’s largest network of volunteer, expert business mentors, passionately helps small businesses get off the ground, grow and achieve their goals. SCORE provides education and mentorship to more than 11 million entrepreneurs, since 1964.
SCORE offers mentors, live webinars, recorded webinars, courses on demand, and workshops locally in select cities. Most of the services they provide are FREE; however, a few services cost from $15 – $25. The types of workshops they offer are Legal Essentials for Small Business, Small Business Accounting – Remove the Mystery, Social Web Kickstart Workshop, Small Business Dream To Reality – What It Takes, and many more.
SCORE also offers national presentations on Public Relations, the Power of Tiny Marketing Actions, and many more. So, if you do not have a SCORE in your city, consider joining the SCORE program, as the national speakers are impressive.
To get started, go to https://score.org/
And click on Find A Location. Search for your city and go to your city’s SCORE page. Click on Find Your Mentor.
I personally have a mentor that has helped me grow my business. I was assigned 2 mentors, and the met with them at the SCORE headquarters in Cincinnati. Both mentors had owned multiple businesses in Cincinnati and had retired and loved coaching and helping others with their businesses. During our meeting, we could discuss anything that I wanted. I emailed my mentors a week before with the topics that I needed help and advice with and I would like to discuss. The topics I discussed were how to market myself, network, and grow my business. I met with them for an hour to ask for their advice. The feedback and advice that they were able to provide allowed me to put a plan into place and grow my business 3x than the previous year.
Besides, SCORE, what other options of finding a mentor are there?
Another great business resource: OCEAN Programs
Ocean Programs is Small Business Training where faith and entrepreneurship intersect. Oceans currently is only located in Cincinnati, Ohio but other cities may have similar organizations. Ocean offers a 9-week business accelerator training class that starts your business from idea to up and running. From my clients and the people I’ve met, they rave over the accelerator program and what it has done for their business to get going.
Oceans also offers an array of small business workshops, networking events, and a conference. The workshops range from $50-$125 and the conference is about the same cost per day. I went to the Ocean’s annual conference in 2018. I was surprised at the volume of people that traveled from out of town and the high level of quality workshops and speakers that presented. You can find out more about their upcoming workshops and events at https://www.oceanprograms.com/
Where have you found your business mentor? Comment below and let me know.
