Why You Need Mentoring For Your Online Business
It is almost an inescapable fact that in the current economic climate, the Internet is one of only a handful of economies that are not in recession.
It should therefore come a no surprise that according to Forbes Magazine, 30% of Americans, over 70 million people, plan to start their own business in the next three years. The vast majority of those businesses being Internet-based and utilising a network marketing or some other direct sales business model.
Given the number of people starting up an online business, with no previous experience and certainly no business acumen, it should be no real surprise that 97% will fail without mentoring. This alarming statistic appears to be exacerbated by the fact that many do not view an Internet based business with the same degree of seriousness as they would a ‘brick & mortar’ venture.
As with most things in life, you get out what you put in.
If you treat any business as a ‘hobby’ or just some ‘extra cash’ on the side, that is exactly all you will get. Therefore, don’t be surprised if you don’t get the same results as others.
So what if you’re serious?
You’re determined to succeed, and you’re not like everyone else, right?
If you’ve never run a business before, let alone an Internet based business, then I’m sorry to tell you that your chances of success are not good!
Determination alone will only get you so far, and unless you have lots of cash to waste on ‘trial and error’ you’ll be thankful for being ‘shown the ropes’ by a mentor with a vested in interest in your success.
Next to your mindset, a mentor is arguably the second most important contributing factor to success in your online business. In fact, the right mindset should be one of those areas that good mentoring will help you achieve. Hmm, am I making an argument for a good mentor to being above mindset? Well, not really, as everything ultimately comes down to you. It is your business, and as the saying goes:
“You can take a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink”
Assuming that you’re the horse and you’re desperate for a drink, would you prefer to work out where the water is for yourself, or have someone guide you there?
Nobody’s going to do the drinking for you, just as you will ultimately have to run your own business, but which option would you prefer?
“Okay, so I need a Mentor, but how do I choose the right one?”
Well, the first thing to get right, is a mentor that is actually going to help you. By the same token, you don’t want someone who will run your business for you either; you’re not looking for ‘hand holding’ here.
The temptation by many is just to go for the ‘top earners’, and having a track record of success certainly is a good qualification for being able to coach and mentor others. After all, how can someone teach something they know nothing about or haven’t experienced themselves?
Do “Top Earners” make “Top Mentors”?
Well, as a general rule you might think that you’d be able to learn something from someone who had achieved a high level of success, and in most cases you might be right. However, rather than focusing just on results alone, you should be looking for someone who can provide some leadership.
Lots of people are successful in business but how many people have they helped? How many people did they help to achieve success too? In a Network Marketing or MLM business this is even more important.
It’s no good having a mentor or coach who is a top earner if they can’t or won’t teach you how they succeeded. By the same token, you certainly wouldn’t want a mentor who had never achieved anything; how can anyone teach what they don’t know?
You should look for a mentor who can show you how to build your business, without actually doing it for you. Look for someone you can bounce ideas off, and contact for advice. Look for someone who can provide you with the best strategies for building your business on the budget you have. Look for someone who can keep you accountable and on track. Above all, look for someone that cares, and trust your gut instinct…